Chapter twenty: Tadatsune
Chatan, Okinawa, July 11th, 2024
Arai looked at the map before her. The entire island, save for Naha, had been liberated in the previous weeks. Over 200,000 troops have landed on Okinawa, facing from what intelligence estimates 50,000 North Korean troops. The North Koreans have tried to reinforce their troops but the air force and navy prevented them from doing so.
"I guess this is the final showdown," Arai whispered to herself. They surrounded the entire area, trapping the North Koreans garrisoned in the capital of Okinawa. Constant artillery and naval bombardments hopefully fulfilled their purpose of demoralizing the enemy. The air force pounded whatever defenses they constructed.
Columns of Type 10 MBTs rolled down the street, while helicopters droned overhead. Maho and Erika sat under a tree, drinking water.
"Ugh, it's so hot," Erika complained. "I can't do this anymore."
Maho smiled. "We could use a summer vacation after this." She replied.
Erika flopped down to the grass. "That would be nice," She said in agreement. She wiped her face with her arm, clearing the sweat that was pouring down. "They should seriously fix the a.c. systems in the tanks." She panted.
"How about an ice cream machine?" Maho suggested.
Erika smiled. "That's a good idea," She said.
"Get up, ladies!" The gruff shout made Erika and Maho to jump up. An officer stood behind them. "We're getting ready to go on the offensive," He told them, "Get ready." Erika and Maho saluted.
"Yes, sir," They both answered.
…...
"So, how are we going to do this?" The array of generals and commanders peered over the table filled with maps. "
We have to take Ginowan and Urasoe first, before striking into Naha itself," The old general started.
A younger man stepped forward. "There's an enemy tank brigade stationed in Nakagusuku. That could cause some problems," He noted.
The old general nodded. "We'll send the Kuromorimine and Blue regiments to deal with them," He said, "The Emperor's regiment will lead the attack into Urasoe. The navy will deal with any North Korean defenses and stop any transport trying to reinforce or evacuate soldiers."
…...
"How are the IFVs?" Tanya shouted across the garage.
"Fine," Rumi's voice drifted back. "All ammunition and fuel are fully restocked."
"Good," Tanya put her hands on her hips. "How many can we field?"
"We have around 8 APCs, 15 IFVs and 11 AFVs." Rumi answered.
"Alright, thanks," Tanya waved her hand and left the garage.
She walked through Chatan, searching for Kaito. Where is he? She thought. She looked through every street and building, but he was nowhere to be found. She gritted her teeth in frustration. She flipped out her phone and and scrolled through her contacts. When she got to Kaito, she tapped furiously. Her phone began ringing, and from behind her the tune of Erika starts blaring.
Confused, Tanya twisted her head around, only to see Kaito standing behind her. "Kaito-sama, how long have you been there?" She glared at him.
"Oh, for a while now," Kaito answered.
Tanya groaned and turns to him. "Please stop wandering around," She said.
Kaito nodded. "Okay," The radio at her side crackled to life and she picked it up.
"To all personnel, report to the sports stadium for the final debriefing of the upcoming offensive," It reported. Tanya grabbed Kaito's hand and began dragging him towards the stadium.
Chatan Park Athletics Stadium, Thirty minutes later
30,000 soldiers stood at attention, looking at the old general who stood at the podium.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" His booming resonated throughout the stadium using the microphone. "This is the home run; the enemy is on their last legs on this island! Today is the beginning of the final offensive. We will launch two strikes against the enemy; Operation Tadatsune against Nakagusuku, and Operation Hisataka against Ginowan.
There is an enemy tank brigade stationed in Nakagusuku; around 30-40 tanks in total. They're the usual Pokpung-Ho, Chonma-Ho, M1992s, M-2010s and BMP-1s so no worries there. The Kuromorimine and Blue division will lead the advance into Nakagusuku.
For Operation Hisataka, the Emperor's regiment will lead the 5th and 11th divisions into Ginowan, and then continue down to Urasoe. Now, in Ginowan reportedly stationed is the 8th division. They're one of the elite divisions of the entire North Korean army. They were the ones that took Seoul. So they're probably going to give you guys a hard time, and will fight to the death. But once they're dealt with, the rest of the enemy will break.
The final offensive into the city of Naha itself, Operation Masamune, will commence once Nakagusuku, Ginowan and the surrounding areas are secured. The final advance will be led by the Emperor's and Kuromorimine regiment, with 5 divisions. The enemy will have around 2-3 divisions left. We outnumber them, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. They're going to fight in every room, house and street. They're going to fight tooth and nail for every inch of territory.
Now, I've heard reports of soldiers shooting unarmed, surrendering enemy soldiers. I know how you all feel, but that does not want warrant the actions that you have taken! We are professionals. Any more reports of extrajudicial killings will resort in harsh consequences.
You are the bravest soldiers of Japan. You have endured months of grueling fighting, and have no doubt lost comrades. But today will end it all! We will not stop our attacks until the enemy cracks under our constant assaults! Your courage has brought you here, and will bring us victory against the ones that attempted to defeat us! Banzai!"
Two hour later, Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa
"Are you all ready?" Maho asked into her radio. A flurry of voices filled the airwaves in response.
"Yes, commander,"
"All good commander,"
"Yeah, let's do this!"
"Alright, commander,"
"Woohoo, commander!"
"Let's do this, Señora!" Francisca added.
Maho smiled. "Erika, how about you?" She asked.
"Perfectly fine, commander," Erika answered.
Maho nodded. "Good. Welcome back to the team,"
"Alright, Panzer vor!" Maho shouted. The column of Panzer X, Panzer XII, Type 10s and Type 89s groaned forwards. They rode down the street, driving through neighborhoods and fields. Wind flew past them as they drove through a forest.
"Commander, we have crossed into Nakagusuku," Erika told Maho.
"Okay, thanks," Maho replied. The road split in two, one going east and one going west. "Okay, we're going to split our forces in two; I will lead the Kuromorimine portion to the west, and Francisca will lead the Blue Division to the east." She said.
….
Francisca leaned back in her AMX-31 E, rolling down the forested hill. "We're going to go to the Country Club." She muttered to herself. The Blue division left the forest and entered a field. "Señoras, watch out for enemy fire!" She shouted into her radio. Just as she said that, several explosions rocked the AMX-31 E. "Joder!" She screamed, "Fire back!" The turret of the AMX-31 E creaked as it turned 40 degrees and fired a shell towards the sand dunes, where a Chonma-Ho tank was hiding. The turret flew into the air as it was blasted by a hot fiery geyser erupting from the inside.
Francisca threw her arms in the air. "Score!"
The rest of the AMX-31 Es and Type 10s dispersed into the field. Dust and dirt flew as tanks from both sides dueled across the open golf course. An AMX-31 E shuddered to a halt as a round penetrated its armor and killed the crew inside. A tree, cut down by a shell, crashed down on an Pokpung-Ho tank. Two Type 10s fired a volley, scoring hits on a Pokpung-Ho. The Japanese tanks advanced, pushing the North Koreans back.
Francisca drove her AMX-31 E up a knoll, followed by several more AMX-31 Es. She grabbed her binoculars and peered through them. She saw several North Korean tanks backing up into the parking lot.
"Advance!" She ordered. The Japanese charged down, firing down upon the North Koreans. Three Chonma-Ho tanks exploded, throwing more tanks to the side. Tank crew scrambled out of their tanks. The North Koreans fired back, detracking one AMX-31 E. Shells bounced off Francisca's tank, and she grimaced as it shook. The tank slid down the hill, and came face to face with a Chonma-Ho tank. The AMX-31 E fired right at the turret of the Chonma-Ho tank. It shuddered for a second, then stopped moving. Francisca rolled back up the hill.
She noticed tank crew scurrying across the field. Francisca grabbed the machine gun and aimed at the running crew. She gripped the trigger, and thousands of bullets barreled towards the North Koreans. The bullets slammed into the North Koreans, who staggered down onto the ground.
A line of AMX-31 E and Type 10s lined up at the top of the hill, bearing down on the surviving North Korean vehicles. One by one, they fired down, each shot resonating in the sky. The North Koreans manoeuvred in their limited space, but the constant bombardment hampered their movements. One by one, the remaining North Korean tanks were disabled and destroyed, leaving only a graveyard of smoking and burning remains of tanks and corpses.
Francisca smiled in satisfaction. "Well, time to meet up with Maho," She said.
….
The Panzers moved down the slithering mountain road. Erika looked around from her cupola.
"Erika, watch out for enemy ambushes," Maho warned her. "I'm looking at the map right now, but I don't know where the enemy would gather its main forces." She said worriedly.
Erika rolled out a map of her own. "Uh, vice-commander?" She peered over. It was her gunner, Kanagawa.
"How about the Yoshiura Thermal Power Station?" She offered. "It's the main power station of the area."
Erika looked at her. "How do you know?" She asked.
Kanagawa shrugged. "I used to live near this area," She answered.
"What? This is the first time I've heard this," Erika exclaimed.
Kanagawa looked at her sheepishly. "Well, I lived here until around three years ago. My brother stayed though. I haven't talked to him in years, so I don't know where he went," She sighed heavily. "We should head to the power station."
"Commander Nishizumi, Kanagawa suggested the Yoshiura Thermal Power Station," Erika relayed through the radio. There was a brief pause.
"Hm, alright. We'll head there. If they're not there, we'll figure something out," Maho answered.
Erika grinned at Kanagawa. "Thanks,"
The line of Panzers left the forest and crossed the road junction. They continued straight until entering route 239, turning left on the Gabusoka Shokudo. Maho glanced to her left, and saw the power station in between the houses.
"There it is!" Maho exclaimed. The Panzer column drove through a field of tall grass, and crashed through the wire fence protecting the power station.
Immediately they were under fire. From behind the two large water towers and from under the dozens of intertwining pipes, M-2010s and Pokpung-Ho tanks bombarded the oncoming Japanese. Maho's Panzer V barreled towards the station checkpoint when an explosion rocked the tank from the left. As bits and pieces of dirt fly over her.
She glanced to over and saw the barrel of a field gun pointed right at her. "Take evasive action!" She shouted, and the Panzer X went in full reverse. The field gun fired again, this time the shell zooming right past Maho's head and impacting with a steel block. The Panzer X turned its turret at the field gun. The entire tank rocked back as the shell propelled forwards, engulfing the entire gun with smoke and dirt. When the smoke cleared the gun was a wreck, with the crew leaning over, dead.
Maho entered the power station, which was by now a warzone. Dozens of tanks lay smoking or on fire. Shells and rounds bounced off of the water towers and buildings. Colorful tracers were flying who abandoned their tanks were laying on the ground in a pool of their own blood. A Chonma-Ho fired at Maho's Panzer X, but the round glanced off of the armor and exploded in the pavement.
"Fire!" Erika shouted, and the Panzer XII destroyed a Chonma-Ho tank. A hole was gaping from the side, covered by the black smoke.
"Yes!" Kanagawa shouted.
"Driver, don't let us become a sitting duck!" Erika shouted as a Panzer XII next to her blew up in flames. "Damn it.." She muttered underneath her breath. It seems the fighting grew even more brutal ever since she came back. The Panzer XII squeaked to a halt as it fired another shot, this time flipping a M1992 APC onto its side. Soldiers scrambled out of the wreck, but were shot to pieces as several tanks aimed their sights on them. The Panzer XII swiveled left as it avoided a round from an opposing tank. The Panzer XII shot back, penetrating the armor and killing the men inside.
A Jagdpanzer VI, two Jagdpanzer VII and a single Panzer XII drove through the side of the station, with the sea to their side.
The Panzer XII commander looked out from her cupola. She could see a single tank at the mouth of the pier, behind the water tower. "Take that tank out," She ordered, and the Panzers all turned their turrets toward the North Korean tank. But as the commander was about to give the order to fire, the barrel of the North Korean tank turned orange as it fired a single round. The Jagdpanzer VI slammed to a halt as the round punctured the hull.
"Kanako!" The Panzer XII commander screamed. She turned back at the North Korean tank, which was now starting to move forwards. "You bastard!" She growled. She winced as the North Korean tank fired again, this time blowing a Jagdpanzer VII to smithereens. She was now able to identify the North Korean tank; It was a Pokpung-Ho V. Not that it mattered; the second Jagdpanzer VII went up in flames, and the crew struggled to scramble out of the burning coffin. They grabbed at their singeing hair and clawed at their burning clothes.
The Panzer XII commander looked at the Pokpung-Ho V. The cupola opened and a women with a ponytail popped out. She grinned at the Panzer VII wildly, and the commander leaned back in terror. "No…" She whispered, shaking her head. "No no no no!" She begged as the other girl smugly smiled as the turret of the Pokpung-Ho V rotated to aim the barrel at the commander.
"Fall back! Run! Go!" The commander shrieked and the Panzer VII started to rear back. Too late; The Panzer VII blew up, large red flames shooting out from the open cupola. Mi-jing's Pokpung-Ho slowly moved past the burning wrecks of the four tanks, a smile etched on her face.
She whistled to herself as the tank rounded a corner. Destroying four tanks in under a minute, what a record! She thought to herself as she looked around. A frown replaced her smile. Well, I guess not all things are going well. The power station was a graveyard; the smoke from the wreckage covered the sky. Damn it, I guess it's time to retreat. She grabbed the radio. "All of you fools that are still alive, we're going to fall back." She shouted. The Pokpung V began to drive towards the exit, flanked by six tanks, all damaged to some extent, limped out of the station. Mi-jing gritted her teeth in frustration and looked back. She grimaced as she saw the Japanese tanks following her. God! She thought to herself. Her eyes widened as she saw the figure leading the Panzer column.
…..
Maho looked at the North Korean tanks retreating from the power station with satisfaction. "We'll chase them down, don't let them regroup with the infantry," She shouted. The Panzers left the station in pursuit of the North Koreans. They raced through neighborhoods and forested hills.
Maho fired a shot, but it fell wide, hitting a tree. The figure at the back of the Pokpung-Ho V turned back towards her. She froze as she recognized the girl, and sweat began to form on her forehead. The Pokpung-Ho V and another tank swerved left onto a smaller road, while the rest continued going straight. "Erika continue chasing them down. I'll go after the two tanks." She told Erika.
"Got it, commander Nishizumi," Erika radioed back. Maho and two other Panzers peeled off, chasing Mi-jing.
Maho scowled at the back of the Mi-jing's tank. "Fire!" She ordered, but the shell sailed into a house. They entered a field, and Mi-jing's tank turned the turret around and faced Maho. It fired, and hit the Panzer XII right of Maho. The shell bounced off the glacis plate and landed in the field harmlessly. The Panzers aimed their turrets and fired at the two fleeing tanks. Two shots landed in the rear of the Chonma-Ho tank, which rolled off the road and into the fields.
The Pokpung-Ho V fired again, and this time hit the Panzer XII in the turret. The turret exploded, and the Panzer was left behind as the tanks continued to drive forwards. Mi-jing turned around and grinned menacingly at Maho, shuddered in response. The two continued to fire at each other, sometimes hitting but not doing little to no damage. Maho cursed underneath her breath. The tank swayed back and forth, making aiming difficult. The road veered to the right, and entered a small residential area. The Pokpung-Ho V fired back, missing the Panzer X by a long shot.
The Panzer X fired, scraping the side of the Pokpung-Ho V, and the tank raised up a few meters in the air, before crashing back down on the ground. The Pokpung-Ho V fired at the Panzer X to the left of Maho, which blew up and driving off the road.
They drove uphill into another neighborhood. The Pokpung-Ho V, barrel aiming down at Maho, fired again. The shell arced downwards and hit the base of the hill. She turned left, and Maho followed in suit, the Panzer X grazing against the wall of the house on the corner.
Suddenly the Pokpung-Ho V stopped and began to slide down the road. Maho's eyes widened as the Pokpung-Ho V quickly drifted backwards, ending up facing Maho. Mi-jing jeered as the barrel of the Pokpung-Ho V raised up as it fired right at Maho's face. She ducked underneath the cupola, and the shell sped over her and exploded when it landed on a roof of a building.
The pokpung-Ho V collided with the Panzer X, both girls only a few feet away, staring at each other.
"Well well. We meet again," Mi-jing laughed.
Maho only scowled. "You…" She started, but Mi-jing interrupted her.
"Enjoying the scenery? I sure have." She grinned at Maho. The Panzer X roared backwards, pushing itself away from the Pokpung-Ho V. Maho flipped Mi-jing off as the Panzer X drove uphill, past Mi-jing. Mi-jing smirked and had her Pokpung-Ho V follow.
The duel between the two tanks continued, leaving the small neighborhood and through a small forest. Maho ducked as branches appeared in her vision. The Panzer X creaked as the treads crushed small logs and knocked down trees. Maho slowly turned around. Mi-jing was still right behind her. She fired, and a tree fell down in front of Maho. She dipped down, and the tree crashed down across the cupola, and small bits of bark and leaves fell down onto Maho's face. As the Panzer X drove on the tree eventually rolled off, and Maho wiped her face and sat back up.
There was a steep incline, and Maho jerked backwards as the Panzer X changed its angle. She stabled herself and looked forwards. She saw a light ahead, and broke through the forest, into a bigger neighborhood. The ground became level, and Maho parked her Panzer X. She saw the Pokpung-Ho V exit the forest, climbing the steep hill. She fired once, which bounced off the armor before turning around and drove into the neighborhood.
Maho drove through the town, wondering where the rest of her brigade went. "Erika, where are you guys?" She asked into her radio.
"Around Minamiuebaru," Erika answered immediately.
Maho glanced at her map, and sighed with relief. "Good, so am I," She said.
Boom. The sudden explosion caught Maho off guard. "What the hell?" She sputtered out. She glanced around and gasped when she saw the Pokpung-Ho V charged towards her. "Move!" She screamed, and the driver quickly maneuvered the Panzer out of the way of the Pokpung-Ho V.
The Pokpung-Ho V sped forwards for a few meters, but stopped and turned around. It fired and the round tore through the second story of a house.
Maho frowned. "Steer to the left," She told her driver. The Panzer X geared forward and drifted left towards the Pokpung-Ho V. Before the turret of the Pokpung V could follow, the Panzer X drifted in front of Mi-jing's view. Mi-jing could only react in a surprised manner. The turret of the Panzer X reared backwards as it fired off a shot. Unfortunately the shot missed, and it flew off into the distance. Fuck! Maho cursed to herself.
Mi-jing quickly recovered and the turret swerved at Maho. Maho's face contorted into one of horror. Fortunately, the shot missed. The Panzer X screeched to a halt, and fired right at the Pokpung-Ho V. The shell hit its mark; it blasted the Pokpung-Ho V into the air, and Mi-jing almost fell out of the cupola.
"Nice! Another one!" Maho shouted, and the loader slammed a shell into the breech. The Pokpung-Ho V crashed back down on to the road. Mi-jing glared at Maho, who tried to move away. She grinned as the barrel exploded as the shell propelled itself towards Maho.
A loud roar encompassed maho's hearing, and she covered her ears in a panic. The Panzer shook violently for a few seconds, throwing Maho around in her seat. She also felt hot shards of metal enter her legs, and she screamed in pain. She looked down, and was horrified at what she saw.
The entire tank was covered in blood. Her driver had her entire upper body evaporated, with only her bloody lower half dangling in her seat. The radio operator and the loader had their entire bodies ripped to shreds, their faces unrecognizable by the thousands of metal shards imbedded in them. Maho looked at Mi-jing with a terrified expression. Mi-jing herself, began grinning uncontrollably. The barrel turned to aim right at Maho's head.
The Pokpung-Ho V lurched forwards by an explosion from the rear of the tank. Mi-jing looked around in shock, as a Panzer XII sped past the Pokpung-Ho V.
"Commander!" Erika shouted.
"Get that bitch!" Mi-jing screamed, and the turret slowly turned to face Erika. Erika's Panzer XII fired again, this time hitting the Pokpung-Ho V in the side. It began to smoke and Mi-jing looked over in shock and anger.
"Ugghh…" The groaning made Maho look at the inside of the Panzer X. Her gunner had stirred, and was now trying to stable herself. Blood was pouring down her forehead and body. Maho could see her intestines hanging out. "Commander…" She turned around and looked at Maho; she had put up a brave face, but was wincing in pain. "One more shot and I could get her…" She sputtered out.
"No! Don't you see what'll happen?" Maho shouted back.
The gunner smiled. "I'll die anyways, may as well go out in style. Just tell me when to fire…" She answered.
Whatever face Maho had, she quickly straightened herself out. She looked back outside. Mi-jing was struggling to get out of the cupola. Erika had fired again, but missed and was still in the process of reloading. Black smoke suddenly enveloped Maho's vision. She coughed loudly, and closed her eyes. "Fire!" She shouted, and the smoke cleared as the the shell pushed it out of the way.
The Pokpung-Ho V was now a mess; from the cupola rose long, red stretches of fire. Smoke was pouring out from the engine, the source of the previous smoke that covered the entire area.
"Good job!" Maho peered down at the gunner's position. Her heart sank when the gunner was leaning in her seat, dead. She looked out again, and saw Erika running up to the Panzer X.
"Commander!" Erika jumped up to the turret. "Are you alright?" She asked. Maho grabbed Erika and pulled her in tightly. She tried to speak, but was only able to sputter out a cry, as tears were flowing down her face.