Girls Und Panzer: World Tournament!
Chapter 29: Tip of the Scale
Northeast of town,France
"Eek!" Karina shrieked as an artillery round hit close to the M3 Lee.
"We'll ride it out! Don't worry about it!" Azusa shouted, trying to calm her teammates.
"That's the least of our worries!" Aya shouted as well. "Ms. Darjeeling's tank is done for! That's the only gun we've got that's worth a damn!"
"We just have to hold it out for Ms. Nishizumi to take out the flag tank!"
"Don't say it like it's that easy!" Rukuriri shouted through. "All we've got are 75 mm now! What are we gonna do?!"
"I'll head on over to the others to see if we can get a big gun!" Rosehip shouted as her Cromwell revved up.
"Bloody hell Rosehip, you've got a radio for that now!"
"Right!"
Azusa peered through the vision ports on her cupola as the ground around them continue to erupt. With the explosions blowing away the smoke, the three knocked out KV-1 tank remain in their place; though how comfortable the ten men were inside that front KV-1 during this barrage is another topic.
Northwest of town,France
The rounds fell on the sector again.
"Should've incapacitated those men earlier Kay!" Alisa shouted through the radio as they remain buttoned-up in this artillery.
"That's in the past now!" Kay said. "Besides, they were gonna pinpoint us sooner than later!
The barrage intensity increased from its prior salvo. Instead of leveling the town, the ones sending the shells must have gotten the precise coordinates now.
"Commander Kay! Attention to Commander Kay!" Her radio bloomed with the voice of Rosehip.
Kay picked up the receiver, "This is Kay! What's up? Where's Darjeeling?"
"Darjeeling's gotten the sticky end! We need reinforcement?!"
"She's what?!"
"She's bought it! And we're lacking here in the firepower business!"
Darjeeling's gone? Kay pondered, and then calculated in her head on what was left over there. The Black Prince was gone, so now there was the Churchill Mk VII, Cromwell, Char B1, M3 Lee, and… the P40. Was that really all over there? At the same time, she's just as short-staffed in this area.
"I can only send one tank over!" Kay replied. "That is it!"
"Right! Thank you! Appreciate anything that comes over!" Rosehip said before her radio went silent.
Kay clicked the radio towards her company, or what's left of it. "Alright, I need a volunteer to reinforce our east sector!"
"I volunteer for this role!" Nishi shouted.
"Uhh… negative. You're more important here," Kay fibbed. The Type 97 Chi-Ha wasn't gonna do much.
The radio went alive briefly as a gum bubble pop sounded first. "I'll go," Naomi said.
"Alright Naomi, good luck,"
As Naomi's Firefly tank zoomed across under the explosive rain, Alisa protested, "Whoa whoa! Hey! That's our 17-pounder right there! You're giving away our 17-pounder?!"
"If Darjeeling's still there, she could give some stocks of her Black Prince ammunition to Naomi. We've got our own set of ammunition, plus it should be sufficient against the enemy tanks!" Kay rebutted. As the explosions around her intensified, the particles and sound around makes the tank interior seem more claustrophobic-inducing than it has.
"Can't we do anything about this?! It's driving me nuts!" Kay's bow machine gunner shook as the rounds continued landing.
"Not from here we can't…" Kay said, grinding her teeth under the concussive waves. As her hand brushed across the white-paint interior, the metal armor on these tanks have never been as appreciated as they have ever been.
Northeast of town at the outskirts, France
"Waaahh… that looks pretty bad," Aki commented as masses of the town's north side pretty much exploded.
"Heh heh, what if we had to drive through that?" Mikko grinned.
"Please don't suggest such scary things…"
"Is such things 'scary' within Sensha-dou? As it is in Tankery?" Mika said.
"Mika, honestly a seventeen pound projectile is scary no matter the context."
"What about for victory? Is it scary then?"
"Well, I-"
The radio inside the BT-42 crackled, "Blimey hell!" Rosehip's voice screamed through.
"Rosehip! You're on the company channel! Git'it!" Rukuriri shouted in response. The sound explosion were also blasted through the radio transmissions.
"They seem to have a problem," Mika answered.
Moments later, the guns stopped firing, and the match became relatively quiet again.
"Everyone keep an eye out! The enemies will try for another thrust!" Kay shouted.
"We won't survive another one of that barrage!" One of the girls from Rabbit team alerted.
"Someone needs to deal with that artillery fire! Any more of that and we'll be pasted into sauce!" Anchovy shouted.
"They're too far behind the lines! We won't be able to make it there fast enough!"
Mika then attended to the radio. Aki and Mikko look on and predicted her answer.
"This is Mika; we will take care of your problem."
"Mika?"
"You're still out there?" Kay questioned, "Good to hear you're still alright! Can you do it though?"
"Only the path of Sensha-dou will determine if I can."
"Same old you. Well I trust your judgement!
Mika acknowledged by tuning out the radio, "Mikko, ready up."
Aki got back to her position in the turret, "Mika, are you sure about this? These are Soviet self-propelled guns we are talking about here."
"I know what I said," Mika said with a smile as she picked up her kantele back up from the turret floor. "Mikko, forward and stay within the shadows."
"Roger!"
The BT-42's gasoline engine revved up as it moved out of its observation post towards the Russian sector.
South section of town, France
"What is she up to?" Erik Katukov said as the IS-3 pursued the fleeing Panzer IV, with T-34-85s and other tanks following along.
"Heh, Kat. Maybe she's just running from you," His loader said.
"First girl to run away at the sight of Commander Kat!"
Erik gave his gunner a good, hard tap on his head with his boot's steel-tip edge. "бесшумный! What did I tell you all about calling me that?!" He put a bit more pressure onto his feet. "Besides, she wouldn't be the first one. Naydenov, keep up the pursuit! Gunner, steady on!"
"Yes sir!" His gunner replied with the boot still on him while Naydenov gave his silent acknowledgment in his actions.
Ivan Naydenov's hands work like magic around the gear of the IS-3. An art existed in his handiwork that no one else has ever replicated. The IS-3 was a slug of a machine, no questions about it. On a normal day, the IS-3 would've broken down sooner than later due to its design during the war. However, this IS-3 has never suffered the fate of mechanical error under the hands of Naydenov. When asked how, he merely stated "practice", though the evaluation of that answer is фигня. Some have tried to hypothesis his method, from the practicality by theorizing he has the ability to synchronize the transmission with the tank's vibration. Other tapped the more divine subjects by saying he is a literal act of divine intervention blessed upon him to meld with the tanks he touch, or maybe Naydenov is a living spirit that can possess tanks.
Whichever the case, Naydenov's instinct with the tank is beyond that of an average crew member, and an invaluable member in the IS-3 heavy tank.
"HQ! This is Battery 3 leader!" The radio inside tuned in. "Barrage complete! Awaiting orders!"
"HQ! This is Company 1 leader!" Another voice came in. "Artillery rounds complete, awaiting orders to attack!"
Response from the assault and artillery team. Katukov got onto the radio, "All guards company, prepare to attack. Artillery units, hold in place in response to requests. Transferring command chain down to assault units. Designated Company 1 and Company 2!"
"Roger! Orders from Company 1 and 2 verified, understood HQ!"
"Roger HQ! Beginning assault!"
Erik relieved his radio as he focused at the task in front.
KER-BONK!
"What was that?" Erik said with mild annoyance to the event in front.
"The cute enemy panzer is shooting at us!" His loader said. "It's adorable, like a puppy!"
Erik got onto his cupola and looked out to see the lone Panzer IV in front. "Where did the rest of the tank go?"
The loader looked through his vision port. "We, uh, lost them?"
Erik shot him a glare as his right arm reached across and grabbed the loader by the helmet, squeezing into his cranium. "Its four tanks! Are you all telling me you lost four tanks from your eye sights!?"
"The enemy tanks splitted up two intersections ago," Naydenov said from the intercom.
"Two inter-"
"We've been going in circles."
Erik looked out and saw the same patterns of building as they drove through. So you're taking us for a merry-go-around, eh 'Legend'? Erik thought as he pondered on the Panzer IV's plan. The Panzer IV in front fired another round into the IS-3 front. He smirked, "Alright, I'll play along with this game."
"Perhaps we should transfer command to someone in the rear while we deal with our situation?" The gunner asked.
"No, this is fine," Erik responded. The Panzer IV fired again towards the armor with no effect. "Gunner, fire upon that thing!"
"Roger!" The gunner said as he leveled the gun on mark. After a moment, he shouted "Firing!" and the 122 mm blasted away, the round slammed into the ground by the Panzer IV.
Northeast of town,France
The diesel engines once more rumbled in the background. An eerie sound, should the girls be glad it was now tanks they can fight and not another rain of explosions?
"Seems like I got here in time," Naomi said as she held onto an 17-pounder AP round outside the Firefly.
"I don't suppose we'll be evacuated here anytime soon," Darjeeling said in her tea-stained uniform as she picked up another round from Pekoe inside the Black Prince. "Righty-o, here's the last one. Best make yourself scarce."
"Thanks. Stay safe," Naomi said as Darjeeling and her crew descended back into the safety of their knocked out Black Prince. "Loader, how are we doing on the ammo?
"Well, got four AP and one HE in the ready-rack, and a similar ratio in all the racks here in the turret." She said. "But you better make each round count!"
"Make the ready rack full AP, don't think we'll need HE at all." Naomi said as she handed the loader the round in her grasp. She climbed over back and into her position. "Alright, everyone ready?"
"All units in position," Rukuriri responded.
"Mmhmm," Naomi said as she went towards Kay. "How are we handling on the west?"
"Oh they're coming here alright. It's gonna be bigger than the first run through," Kay responded. "You comfortable over there?"
"I suppose it could be worse," Naomi said. "But… we're not gonna hold for long if they come through here."
"Yeah, I know. We just need to hold until Miho could defeat the flag tank."
Northwest of town,France
"Is she gonna be alright?"
"I'll check on her," Kay said as she tuned the radio towards the appropriate channels. "Miho, talk to me, what's up?"
"Ah! Kay! Whoa! Mako, go right!"
"You alright there?!"
"Yeah! Everything good, we're dealing with their IS-3 right now!"
"Should we divert our resources to that?!" Kay said, the grasp and claws of victory and defeat are so close if the Panzer IV and IS-3 are closeby.
"No! We've got a plan ready! We're close to executing it!"
The rumble of machines echoed down the road from Kay's position. "Well, you better handle it quickly then Miho Nishizumi. We won't be able to hold for much longer."
"I got it!"
Kay put down the radio and was set at attention. "Gunner, eyes up. Enemy's coming our way."
The turret swayed slightly from within their position in a road crater as the gunner got her guns set up, leveled towards the road entering the town. The gun battle down at the south sector could be heard.
"Alisa, Nishi, you two ready for this?" Kay asked.
"Hah! They try to swarm, we'll hit them from both angles!" Alisa replied.
"I'll do my best for the team!" Nishi cried out.
"Well the spirit is there at least," Kay said as she looked out her cupola. From the distance, an object approached down the road into the town. "Enemy tank! Front! About 300 meters!"
The gun elevated to the estimated distance. Three enemy tanks incoming, not the shape of the T-34 from here, but one that has a wider body. "Enemy tanks! T-44s moving in a column!"
"Roger that!"
"Loader! HVAP next round!" Kay said. They'll need a round like that to defeat the T-44 from the front like this. "Fire when ready!"
The gunner compiled and as the T-44 closed the distance, the gunner opened fire at her leisure. The round zoomed through the muzzle blast and zipped over the approaching tanks. As the loader reloaded, Kay corrected, "Gunner, high! Adjust 100 meters! Aim towards the turret front!"
"I know where to hit!" Her gunner replied.
The enemy tank column split up into a row formation. The dispersal showed two more T-34-85 trailing them, following suit slightly behind the T-44s.
"Gunner, continue priority on the lead T-44," Kay ordered. "Alisa, Nishi, watch out. They're gonna try to flank us on both sides."
"Got it!"
"Copy that ma'am!"
The guner fired the HVAP round again and this time it hit the glacis plate of the T-44. However, the armor withstood the high-velocity round and it dissipated on impact. The T-44 kept on coming.
"Any sweet time now gunner!"
"I know what I'm hitting!"
Two T-44, including the lead one now laid on the road alone as the other T-44 and the two T-34-85 trailed to other paths. Kay's M4A3E2 (76) Jumbo faced down barrel to barrel with other T-44. The second T-44 stopped in place as the loader loaded another HVAP round into the 76 mm gun. Its 85 mm fired and the round impacted on the M4A3E2 gun mantlet. The heavy chunk of metal that made the armor nearly seven inches thick could withstand nearly anything on this battlefield. However, the vibration shook the turret crew terribly.
"Ghh!" Kay held on as the turret vibrated. Then a second one came as the second T-44 opened fire."Gunner, wait until he fires for the next shot!"
"Got it!"
The T-44 moved forwards again, keeping its front armor angled but not so much that it shows off the hull sides. Both turrets kept their barrels within each other as the two distance closed in.
"Kay! Two coming around this way!" Alisa alerted Kay.
"Two tanks coming through our way! We're withdrawing for now! Sorry!" Nishi relayed.
"Hang on tight girls, I'll be there to help in a second!" Kay replied. "Gunner, take the shot!"
The gunner held her eyes on the wandering T-44. Then finally, it stopped as the gun's elevation made its adjustment.
"Now!"
The guns fired and this shot hit precisely onto the turret, smack-on like a hammer on a nail. The T-44 white flag came up.
"Driver! Move towards the left to aid Alisa!"
"Yes ma'am!" The M4A3E2 lurched out of its crater, with some effort, and rolled towards the motor noises at Alisa's direction.
"All right driver, now turn-"
KRK-BRRACK!
The thud of a shell, followed by the shatter of metal parts outside the tank.
Kay recovered from the surprise as the tank's momentum turned it towards the right, a sickening screech vibrated from below. "Don't tell me…" She dreaded as she popped her head out of the cupola to look over.
Familiar bits of the bogie suspension laid shattered on the ground to their right. Kay silently thrashed as the combination of frustrations and rude words tried to erupt from here. "Grr… AGAIN?!"
"Commander! Our tracks are busted!" The driver belatedly replied.
"I CAN SEE THAT!" Kay shouted as she saw the silhouette of a T-34-85 down the road as it emerged from cover. It fired a shot, the round sliding off of the hull's left side. "Gunner, enemy tank! T-34! Adjust towards the hull's 11 o' clock!"
The turret aimed towards that direction as the T-34-85 retreated back to cover.
"Light him up if he shows himself!" Kay shouted through the intercom as she got back to the radio. "Alisa, Nishi, my tank's immobilized! Bring your enemies towards me if you need the gun!"
"Yes ma'am! I'm coming over to your position!" Alisa shouted.
"I shall not burden you too much! I'll hold these off with all we've got!" Nishi responded.
"Should we dismount to repair?" Kay's bow machine gunner reply.
"We're not fixing that fast enough for this type of fighting!" Kay said as she lurched over her cupola, with her immobile M4A3E2 stuck in the middle of the street exposed, with only its motor, guns, and ammunition for comfort. "Focus on your jobs, our sector here on this road is going to get lively real fast!"
At the same time, the sky roared as high caliber guns fired high into the air.
"Son of a-" Kay cursed under her breath. "This again?!"
Northeast of town,France
"Brr, we really got to stem the Russian tide, huh?" Anchovy said, with her P40 medium tank turret whirred.
"As long as the 17-pounder lives, there is hope!" Rosehip shouted in a philosophical manner.
"Don't put all this on me," Naomi said as her 17-pounder gun poked out an enclosed position among the rubble. The town rubble from the artillery provided her the cover to use next to the main road. "I need you all to help get us through as long as possible. Got it Rukuriri?"
"Yeah! Got it!" Rukuriri replied as her Churchill Mk. VII hid towards the side, waiting to pop out and reinforce the main road with its armor.
"Using our knocked-out hull to draw them in," Darjeeling inside the knocked out Black Prince said. "How devious. If only I had a cup of tea to watch this show."
"Hah, it is a bit strange to be the least armored here now," Moyoko said.
"Quiet Moyoko! We still have a part in this team, even if we don't have a direct impact, we've got discipline to instill!" Sodoko said.
"Yeah! None shall pass!" Karina shouted.
"We move for no man!" Yuuki followed "...well, maybe woman...but then again there's no women outside… and if there wasn't any men it'd be-"
"Okay Yuuki, that's enough," Azusa cut her off. "We're ready for anything coming our way."
"Well, that's a good feeling if anything," Anchovy sighed a breath of relief. It isn't the same like Pepperoni or Carpaccio, but it is still a big team. Anchovy thought as she found the distribution of responsibility in their job in this sector easier to take in.
"Here they come!" Rukuriri alerted as the sound of the approaching enemy grew.
The engines rumbled as all of Ōarai team's tank hid among the town wreckage and alleys dotting the road, waiting to strike. The sound ceased momentarily in the edge of the entrance, and then the sound continued, less intense than before.
"Don't fire until ordered or if they fire first," Naomi ordered hushly through the radio. Everyone kept their guns trained on the street, level with the general height of the hull of the Suvorov tanks.
The sound got closer as the crews could only see the thin sector of their alley out to the road. Anchovy tried to sense the presence with her other senses. The smell of the diesel engines...or was that her own tank's? Maybe she could taste the diesel particle… actually, that idea sounds like an insult to her taste buds.
"Duce, look!" Her gunner tugged on her clothes.
"What, what, ...oh," Anchovy looked out and saw the Suvorov tank. A small tank that looks only an edge over Pepperoni's L3 tankette crawled through, focused in the front as it weaved through the rubble-ladened road.
"I've counted five tanks passing by," Rosehip radioed her sightings in the farthest end of the road, closer to the town entrance. "Two mediums, three lights, and-."
Suddenly, a loud blast sounded from one of the tanks. This round went crashing right into the wreckage above Anchovy's tanks.
"What?!" Anchovy shouted as the debris fell, barely getting into the cover of the turret hatches in time.
"Did they see us?!" A radio transmissions was sent out.
Another shot fired, towards a mound of rubble on the other side of the street. Then another, then another. Shots fired out all the way down the street.
"They've seen us!" One of the girls yelled in response.
Rosehip was the first to act, "I'm engaging!"
"No, wait!" Naomi shouted.
But behind column of Suvorov tanks, Rosehip's Cromwell fired its 75 mm. This shot flew right over the main road.
"Agh, damnit! WEAPONS FREE!" The order came, and chaos reigned.
"Forwards!" Anchovy shouted.
"Yes, Duce!" and the P40 medium tank rumbled forwards a few meters until it showed itself in the street.
In a free-for-all, the Ōarai team tanks have emerged and began blasting away at the five Suvorov tanks caught in the middle of the road. Amidst the flying tracers, Anchovy looked for suitable target as the Suvorov tanks reversed out of their situation. Three light vehicles and two mediums, as Rosehip had scouted. Two were the large T-34-85 tanks that made the P40 seem diminutive, but the light vehicles were made of two T-70 light tank and an armored car. Only one of those was a prime target for a kill.
"The car! Fire!" Anchovy shouted and the P40 turret quickly aligned towards the armored car and fired with a puff of smoke from the muzzle blast, dust blew up and covered the alley. "Ack! Geez, its in my eyes…"
Outside of her own 75 mm in the P40, the other tanks were being lively as well. Rukuriri's Churchill also moved during this as the infantry tank rolled into the middle of the road, making itself known and a bullet magnet. However, the more significant combat multiplier was Saunder's Firefly, as it expertly fired towards the Suvorov tanks.
"Get them!" A shout went through. Through the dusty environment with all the forces in play, three Suvorov tanks turned tail and made a bead out of this zone. Shots trailed them, but except for one ricochet off of a rear armor, the tanks were out of sight of the road. "Crap, one got away."
"Wow! We got one here!" The joyous cries came as they inspected their kills.
"Don't be too happy, that's only two vehicles destroyed here!" Rukuriri stated the tally.
Anchovy sighed in worry, "Only ttwo?" She looked out and saw the three wreckages with white flags on top. Only an armored car and a light tank remained from the force. "Geez, where's their army? I thought they were a big group!"
"Hah! If they keep walking into our ambushes like that, we'll wither them down in no time!" Rosehip shouted proudly.
"Well disciplined to move into an enemy entrapment like that!" Sodoko said in near-compliment.
"No, no, Something's not right..." Naomi pondered. "You don't just open an engagement without spotting an enemy like that…"
"Well maybe they do things differently there," Aya replied.
"That's not it… Rukuriri, we need to relocate all of our forces before-"
Then the skies boomed again.
"Oh no, not again!" Ayumi cried out.
"Artillery barrage incoming! Take cover!" Rukuriri ordered, and everyone did their best.
"Drats! So they were conducting reconnaissance by fire!" Naomi shouted through.
Anchovy didn't care for that, she got back down into the tank and closed the hatch, these artilleries were way too scary to stick your head out for that.
South bocage fields, France
The echoing blasts of large caliber guns echoed down the bocage.
"There they are," Mikko said as she drove them closer.
"I'm not so sure about this Mika…" Aki commented. "What are we suppose to do? We've only got a 4.5 inch howitzer. It worked against the American artillery because they were exposed… but these are heavy self-propelled guns! In fact, I'm worried the ammunition might not be sufficient!"
Mika examined the guns as the BT-42 drove towards their general area, the blasting artillery fire providing enough sound to drown out the motor of the BT-42.
"Not to mention, there's like… at least four of them! From the fire pattern that is, but… even considering all options, they've got an edge," Aki finished as the BT-42 drove cross-country towards the area. "Mika, are you listening to me? Mikaaaaaaa."
"It's as Nishizumi said… 'there's no path a tank cannot traverse.'"
Aki looked at Mikko who was still absent-mindedly following her driving orders through the path with proper speed.
"Mikko, stop in that foliage clearing towards the left" Mika spoke as she continued to listen to the artillery shells.
"Ja!" Mikko said as the BT-42 made its lurch towards the direction Mika spoke of. Finally, she lurched up on both brakes and as the tank slowly came to a stop. "We're here!"
"Alright Mika, what's the plan?" Aki asked, hoping that she would have something up her sleeves, or maybe in her kantele. Anything really.
"Hmm, well," Mika said, her body leaning on the side of the BT-42 turret. "I was thinking about borrowing us a bigger gun."
"...huh?" Aki and Mikko both were stunned by this gesture.
"C'mon, let's go," Mika said as she climbed out of her hatch, leaving her kantele inside a special box compartment in the BT-42.
"W-wait Mika!" Aki and Mikko clambered out of their hatches as they followed Mika.
"Fire!" vehicle commander Oleg said as the 152 mm ML-20 howitzer inside the ISU-152 recoiled heavily as the 40 kg round blasted out of the vehicle. The gun was fully elevated, and enhanced by the trench the crew have dugged out beneath the vehicle to angle it upwards.
"Clear out!" Pavel shouted as he opened the breech. Due to the elevated gun platform, the shell simply dropped out and hit the rear superstructure end wall due to gravity. Anatoly in his loader seat chucked the shell out through the open loader hatch to his right. Once done, he then reached to the massive rack of more six inch shells and grabbed the next available high-explosive charge. Fighting gravity and his own weariness, Anatoly heaved the 152 mm round into the breech which Pavel sealed with the propellant charge, then closing the breech to seat the rounds. "Up!"
"Hold fire, Lev!" Oleg spoke to the gunner as he listened to the radio.
"Target splashed! Fire for effect!" The artilley section commander ordered.
"Comrades! Fire for effect! Three round burst!" Oleg shouted, with Anatoly and Pavel groaning in response.
Three rounds of 40 kilogram shells in quick succession was a tall order to a normal man, and a tall order to a loader after hours in a combat condition. Anatoly used his tanker coat to wipe off the grime and sweat off his face, uncaring of the various other smears and humidity that smothered the tight crew compartment.
However, they had a role in achieving Suvorov victory, so Anatoly stretched his arms for the exertion they will soon undergo.
"Gunner, fire!" Oleg shouted and the 152 mm echoed its boom. Anatoly waited for Pavel open the massive breech and for the shell to hit the superstructure, then move on to chuck it out of the rear hatc-
"Hello."
A girl stood outside the rear hatch, standing on the leaning rear engine deck staring into the crew compartment. Anatoly stared gobsmacked with the shell hanging in his hand. This girl, with a striped hat that makes her head look like a mushroom cap, was like a beautiful angel dressed in blue, here to cleanse the tainted interior of their box.
"I'll take that," she gingerly offered her arms towards the shell in Anatoly's hand. He instinctively gave her the shell as she took it into her arms. "Ooh, this is heavy," she said as she tossed it to the side, clanging with all the other discarded shells outside the tank.
"Anatoly!" Oleg yelled inside. "What in tarnation is taking you so l-"
The crew now had their attention to this sight outside their gun, and their mouth also drop open. Whether awed by her beauty, or by the sheer unfeasible chain of logic that lead to why she is there, they could not wrap their head around it.
"Now, if I may," the girl moved in for a conversation. "I would like to inquire about the possibility of acquiring this vehicle."
The men inside looked at each other, still stunned. Anatoly then looked at her, and in the most polite manner, "...no?"
South section of town, France
"Fire!" Miho shouted as the Panzer IV turret fired to its rear, hitting the pursuing IS-3. The 75 mm comically bounced off the front armor. The IS-3 returned fire promptly.
"Turn!"
Mako put the Panzer IV in a quick drift, the 122 mm round skimmed by them with its violent velocity, with the girls skidding off the main southeastern road back into a minor intersection that goes back to the main southwestern road.
"I don't know how long we can keep this up Ms. Nishizumi," Hana said. "This is our fourth revolution around; we can't penetrate at all from the front and time is short!"
"Any time we can get for this will be well spent!" Miho replied as they rumbled down the road. The IS-3, with stunning maneuverability, followed suit behind them with little trouble.
"Miporin! They've got the kill zone set-up!" Saori shouted optimistically.
Miho looked towards the end of the road and saw the muzzle end of Turtle team's Hetzer. "I see it!"
No better ambush plan can be conjured up. The Panzer IV will lead the IS-3 into the main road, where the space will be used to attack the IS-3 from all sides. Nonna's IS-2 in one direction aiming towards the front, the Hetzer on the opposite end aiming at the rear, and two T-34-85 on both sides. Any normal tank in World War II would be decimated by such an attack.
"Up!" Yukari shouted.
"Alright…" Hana said as she steadied her aim. The IS-3 was still right up close behind them, the muzzle pointing towards them in a menacing fashion. Hana kept her crosshairs right around the turret despite the bumps that throttled around the Panzer IV's suspension.
"On my signal Hana," Miho said as she watched the Panzer IV speed towards the intersection towards the main road. "...Fire!"
"On the way!" Hana fired as she shot the round.
This round did not spark as it hit the IS-3 armor, instead it made a FWOOMF as white smoke blasted off the impact. The special smoke round for the 75 mm gun made its mark as it spread around, covering the IS-3 optics as it sped forwards.
"Mako, turn here!"
Mako put the Panzer IV in a hard turn as she got out of the way of the IS-3. Anglerfish drove off forwards as the IS-3 moved forwards, with bits of smoke still clouding its front.
"Now everyone!" Miho said in the radio, and the ambush was sprung.
The Jagdpanzer 38(t) inched forwards while the IS-3 was blinded, exposing itself for the delicate target. At the same time, Nonna's IS-2 down the road exposed itself for the best targeting and act as the attention spotlight, and then there are Klara's and Katyusha's T-34-85 on the flanks of the main road.
"Fire!"
The smoke clouded the vision ports on the IS-3 as it moved forwards.
"Guide us through, Naydenov!" Erik shouted as his left hand held onto a grip among the momentum, with his right hand clutching onto the rear, the finger clicking and clacking.
Naydenov drove on.
Panzer turned right.
Naydenov felt the medium tank as it followed through the momentum of the brakes upon the tracks. He lurched on the brake lever and the forty-eight tone of mass slid over towards the right as it headed down the main road in pursuit.
Engine start.
Naydenov felt the momentum in front him, a heavy tank with lumbering steel, powered by a diesel engine. An ambush...
Three more...Three more tanks around.
"Commander, we are in a kill zone!" Naydenov shouted.
"So I see," Erik looked out his cupola. "On your call, Naydenov! Gunner, target on my command!"
"Yes!"
The IS-3 continued forwards as the crew braced themselves.
Rear tank destroyer is exposed now… Naydenov evaluated as he followed his instinct. A flower blooming on my field…
The discharge of gunpowder, and Naydenov made his move.
"Fire!" Miho shouted and so her team did. The IS-2 and Hetzer fired in unison towards both ends of the IS-3. We did it! Miho thought.
The IS-3 screeched as metal and concrete meet in an opposition of forces, the IS-3 quickly drifted into a diamond formation towards its 11 o'clock in a matter of seconds. The 122 mm pasted onto its front armor with stunningly little effect, ricocheting off towards the air. The Hetzer's 75 mm that willingly headed towards its rear instead struck the angled side armor of the IS-3, and outside of splashing the storage boxes, no effect was seen. Even more so that the IS-3 started reversing.
"Gugh!?" Miho was astonished. "K-Katyusha!"
The two T-34-85 moved in to respond.
"Got you!" Katyusha cried out as her T-34-85 fired right into the side armor where the Hetzer's 75 mm sheared off. The 85 mm round hit home! "Yes! Got it!"
Or so she thought, to everyone's horror, the IS-3 made its defiant stance as its turret rotated towards its left.
"T-that can't be! It was a straight-on hit!" Katyusha cried out in the radio. "K-Klara! Fire your shot!"
Klara's T-34-85 on the other side of the IS-3, did not respond or fire.
"Klara!?"
"C-Commander Klara?! Are you alright?" One of Klara's crew member shouted, heard through Klara's radio.
"What's going on?" Miho asked.
Someone justled inside the tank and someone said cleared into the radio. "Commander Klara is not responding!"
"Klara!" Katyusha shouted.
The firing stopped around them as they got their bearings.
"Time to play our hand," Erik said as he looked at the unfired T-34-85. "Gunner! Target that Kraut Škoda behind us! Loader, prepare for rapid load!" He said as he tapped the turret metal loudly.
"Yes sir!" The turret crew responded. The gunner started the power traverse left while the loader held onto an AP round in his lap. At the same time while Naydenov reversed, he understood his command and turned the tank hull in favor for the turret traverse time.
In no time, the IS-3's 122 mm gun was pointed at the tank hull's 9 o' clock right onto the Hetzer.
"Firing!" The gunner cried and the 122 mm blasted away.
"Next target! That Joseph bastard to our right!" Erik said without confirming the end result against the Hetzer. As the turret and hull traversed towards the right, he saw, through the single periscope on his cupola, the cute tank destroyer there with a twenty-five kilogram projectile on its glacis plate, more noticeable than the white flag waving on top.
As the tank traversed, the loader hurriedly placed the projectile into the open breech. Erik grabbed a propellent case from a storage bin at his position and held it as the loader pushed his part in, then he grabbed Erik's bit and finished the job. The other enemy tanks started coming in as the tank turned, perhaps assuming that the 122 mm was still loading. How wrong they would be, right as the gun breech closed up at that moment.
"Commander! Enemy panzer with the flag on top! Permission to engage?!"
Erik slammed his boot onto his gunner's shoulder. "Original target, gunner!"
The gunner silently obliged as the 122 mm gun steadied onto the IS-2 down the street.
"He should still be loading!" Miho shouted. "Move in for a better-"
The IS-3 fired its 122 mm again. The tracer round zoomed across down the main road and crashed onto the turret front of the IS-2. The IS-2 submits its defeat as a white flag emerged from the turret top.
"N-nonna!" Katyusha cried out loud enough that the radio wasn't necessary.
"My apologies, Ms. Katyusha," Nonna said bitterly.
Then the IS-3 continued reversing, making its distance from the three remaining medium tanks as the 122 mm picked its target.
"What should we do Miporin?!" Saori shouted as the IS-3 menace remained.
"It's facing towards us," Mako said in her dull voice.
Miho looked on the scene. The ambush had fallen apart, and all that was left was her Panzer IV and two T-34-85. What's there left? All that investment gave her a small share of the return.
Miho got back to the radio, "Katyusha, Klara, fall back now!"
"What?!" Katyusha was incredulous. "Not this scenario, we've outnumber that сука three to one! The odds are in our favor!"
A transmission interrupted abruptly, "No Ms. Katyusha! We must withdraw now!" Klara shouted.
"K-Klara?!"
"Withdraw!" Klara shouted once more as her T-34-85 moved along.
The insistence prompted Katyusha to move along, following Klara out of the mess of the street. Miho watched the IS-3 trail the tanks with its gun as they made a run for it.
"They are on a run, Kat!" The loader said ecstatically. "Hah! Take that!"
"Nice going Naydenov!" The gunner shouted. Naydenov responded with a nod that the gunner could not see. "What is next, commander!?"
Erik looked at the trails of the fleeing tanks through the single vision port available to him. "So she's still suffering…"
"Commander?"
Erik pondered as he sat in his seat with his eyes closed, as though he was thinking about then used his right finger. TAP TAP, TAP, he sounded on the metal armor of the IS-3. Naydenov shifted the gear smoothly back to a forward momentum, the gunner and loader fell off balance from the sudden momentum.
"You know Kat, when you are ordering Naydenov something. Tell us all please so we can brace?" The loader said.
Erik simply reached over and patted him on his left shoulder with his right hand, the loader wincing in pain from the force applied. "Follow that panzer."
South bocage fields, France
"Rounds complete!" Kursant Georgiy shouted through the radio as he lied back onto his seat. The crew inside the ISU-122 nearly collapsed, after the burst of 122 mm rounds fired for the artillery fashion through the A-19 gun, the crew got a break inside. Gravity tolling on their posture as the ISU-122 remain in an elevated position.
However, the small moment of respite is not to be taken as a lull in the fighting, and so Georgiy got back up and onto the radio. "All Battery 3 units, state your conditions."
"Battery 3 leader, this is Battery 3-2, rounds complete!" The neighboring ISU-152 to Georgiy's ISU-122 left side replied. Georgiy listened in for another response, but it never came.
"Battery 3-1, This is Battery 3 leader. What is your status?" Georgiy stated through his radio as he looked out the single vision periscope he has, the small view not helping much. "Battery 3-1, Battery 3-1, do you read?"
"Is something wrong sir?" Kontiv the loader said behind him.
Georgiy only gave a concerning nod as he opened up the hatch on top of him and looked out towards the right. The ISU-152 that is call signed Battery 3-1 was not responsive. Georgiy tried once more on the radio, "Battery 3-1, Battery 3-1, what is your status?"
Suddenly, the ISU-152 that was Battery 3-1 moved forwards, climbing out of its hole that held it at its elevation, coming up before crashing down onto the level ground.
Well, at least it is not Oleg and the others being incapacitated from the fumes again, Georgiy thought with the moving ISU-152.
Then the ISU-152 started turning its hull towards Georgiy.
A little concerned, Georgiy got on the radio again. "Battery 3-1, come in. What are you doing?"
The ISU-152 still had no response as it continued turning. Georgiy alarmingly then saw that menacing 152 mm gun start adjusting its orientation. "Battery 3-1! Stop that! This is not funny!"
Battery 3-1 then stopped in place. Georgiy's eyes widened, then he dropped into the safety of his vehicle, with the hatch falling with a CLUNK and him locking it closed. The crew members inside looked at him with growing concern. "BRACE!"
Finally, a fantastic force crumpled the ISU-122. The six-inch round crashing into the 46 tons machine and sent its crew flying inside against the inertia. As consciousness returned to Georgiy, he found himself on the left side of the A-19 gun, the position opposite of the commander's position.
His head pinged with the sound, but he crawled up back towards his position for the radio. Disoriented, he could hear the frantic shouting through the radio in a questioning and shocked tone. He quickly pressed the speaker, "*Cough* All units… *Cough* we have a rogue vehicle at hand! I re-*Cough* repeat! Rogue vehicle!"
South section of town, France
"What went wrong…?" Miho thought on the ambush as the Panzer IV rushed forwards away from the Katukov.
"Yukarin! Didn't you say the IS-3 could be taken by the sides?!" Saori exclaimed.
"That thing just chewed up the 85 mm and spit it right back out!" Katyusha added as well.
"It shouldn't be that tough…" Yukari said as she flipped through her notebook of tanks. "Yeah… its only 90 mm of armor on the sides, it shouldn't have… wait, sloped at 60 degrees?!"
"90 at a 60…" Miho went through the math. "That's way stronger than a Panther's front glacis."
"The rear was our best bet after all, it's only 60 sloped at a 48 degrees. Even the 75 should penetrate that!" Yukari tried to add kindling to hope.
"Klara should've gone for that shot while we were there, but she didn't!" Katyusha shouted. "What do you have to say for yourself, Klara?"
Silence.
"Uh, Klara? Are you there?"
More silence.
"K-klara, I didn't mean what I said…"
"Cожалеющий Katyusha, Miho," Klara's voice strained through, her voice filled with emotion and stress. "I'm a failure, always have been… I don't know what came over me… I saw the Iosef 3 and I… he-"
"Klara, it's fine," Miho said softly through the mic, with a voice that cradled with soothing aids. "I know this match is hard for you, fighting your old school. I know that feeling too, when I fought Kuromorimine back in the Senshadou tournament with Ōarai. Seeing old faces, reconnecting old ties, settling old grudges…"
Anglerfish looked up at Miho as though she was reminiscing the moment.
"It's hard to face the people and the place again after you've tried to get away from it. And I wondered what was the hardest part of it all. Was it facing the people you've left behind, or was it seeing if your decision was for the best?" Miho chuckled, "I'm still thinking about that today and now. It's a very odd feeling, but I think that's what happens when we've left a mark in a place. I know my experience may not be comparable to yours, Klara; but I think, in the end, the hardship shows that we still care for the place and want them to accept us after changing in the adventure we have taken." Miho steadied herself in the Panzer IV cupola. "After all, isn't that what Sensha-dou is about? The tank can go through mountains, rivers, fields, mud, and snow; but it always leave its tracks to mark the place it has traveled through, the dents to show the changes, and yet it remains with the crew who accepts it and expects it to perform the way a tank should be."
The three tank rumbled momentarily before Klara responded, "Unless it is a T-34 and gets replaced after being shot up."
"Klara…"
Klara's soon chuckled. "No, I understand. Thank you, Miho Nishizumi. We're not too different, you and I."
"Are we?" Miho responded.
Klara took a deep breath and said, "That IS-3 bring up some… memories of my time in Suvorov. I apologize for that. I won't make the same mistake again for the team."
"That's good, Klara."
"For Kuromorimine."
Miho paused as she found herself reminded as well on the overall goal of this match. This wasn't a sport like against the Americans or British, this was a match with stakes involved. "Then I hope you'll give me the best you've got."
"You two done there?" Katyusha interrupted.
"Apologies Ms. Katyusha," Klara answered in her usual tone.
"Yeah, because we still have to deal with the IS-3!"
"We still got the rear option," Yukari restated.
"That's what Prez tried to do from the rear. But that response time…" Miho thought about how the IS-3 switched to a diamond position so quickly. At first she thought it was a coincidence, made as a response towards Nonna's IS-2 and it just happened the misplace Turtle team's shot. However, watching the crew work with the tank in that road, they truly are more skilled than most. "Either way, we are now down to three tanks here…" Miho looked towards the north, the echoes of destruction sounded throughout the town. "And we're running out of time."
"Well what do we do then, Miporin?" Saori asked.
"Should we drift around them?" Mako asked.
Miho thought about the possibilities. An all-around ambush tactic didn't work on the IS-3 in the middle of the road, and its reaction time is superb, almost like it is a human entity. Side attacks are useless, rear is the only one weak point. Is it possible to lure it into a narrow road and flank it on all sides? Maybe… but with three tanks there is no acceptable losses. Plus that can take time, and time is running out. They have to catch him by surprise somehow with a trick, a trick against a heavy tank like… but that would require an angle...
Miho looked around as the Panzer IV and the two T-34-85 moved forwards. The buildings that made up this town were now smoldering debris piled up into hills all around. Could they work?
No, it was the only plausible plan she could think of. With Erik Katukov pursuing what's left of her platoon like a game, she'll play with this attitude to her advantage. "Katyusha, Klara, I have a plan. Listen to me closely!"
"*KRzk* All units…*BRzzk* Rogue vehicle!"
Erik caught onto the radio real quick on that last note. "Repeat your last transmission."
"There's a rogue vehicle here in the ISU-152 of Battery 3-1! He's just taken out Battery 3 leader and-!" The transmission was interrupted by another loud explosion. Erik corroborated this by the echo from the south. "Oh that little- They just took out Battery 3-2!"
Erik held onto that thought momentarily, a 152 mm gun was hijacked by the enemy? Quite interesting indeed… "Warn Battery 4 Leader of this predicament and steady on with the objective!"
"Y-yes sir! *KZZK* Will do sir!"
"Company 1 and 2 leader, what is your status?" Erik moved on.
"HQ, this is Company 1 Leader. Company 1 and two are preparing phase blue in our assault coordination. Estimated time to breakthrough, five minutes.
"Affirmative, Company 1 leader. Proceed with the assault," Erik said as he put the radio away.
"Should we plot a course to deal with the predicament?" Erik's gunner said.
"Negative, that artillery piece is of no concern to us. Focus on that panzer."
The IS-3 continued its merry path pursuing "The Legend" and her compatriots. Despite that, the girls have only gone in circles.
Time is running out, Legend, Katukov thought eagerly.
Northeast of town,France
"Hey! The artillery stopped!" Karina shouted in joy.
"I hope fortune continues to blow towards our favor!" Yuuki swooned over this moment.
Azusa took a moment to appreciate this new found peace as she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking at the sender, it was Saki.
"Hmm?"
"Tank."
"What?" Azusa looked out.
To her horror, an IS-2 tank was right behind the M3 in a small road behind their position.
"KARINA! REVERSE!"
"HA?! O-Okay!" Karina quickly shifted gear as the M3 Lee propelled its rear compartment right up against the IS-2, remaining inside the 122 mm's long barrel.
So they still had another heavy tank?! Azusa thought as the IS-2 tried to make the most of the room it had with its 122 mm. "Everyone! I'm having trouble here with an IS-2!"
The response came in with similar surprise over the presence of another IS, but for the time being, Rabbit team was face to face with a real powerhouse.
"Karina, shift slightly towards the right and then keep reversing!"
"Right! Right!" Karina shouted alongside the grating metal between the two tanks. Azusa looked out towards the IS-2 and saw its commander was opening up his cupola hatch for a view outside. He looked out and was shouting commands.
"I can't let him get ahead of me!" Azusa thought out as the IS-2 oriented itself. From inside the cupola, she grasped the Browning machine gun and swung it to fire towards the general direction. RA-TA-TA-TA the .30-06 rounds fired as she focused on the firing button.
"Wow! You got him!" Aya shouted as she looked through her optics.
"What?"
"Yeah, he fell back into the cupola!"
"That doesn't mean I hit him…" Azusa said, but she had second thoughts. I didn't mean to hit him… I wasn't even looking…
But the IS-2 stopped in place momentarily, giving Rabbit team the opportunity to outpace the IS-2, finally appearing onto its rear. "Now what, Azusa?!" Ayumi shouted.
"Ah!" Azusa refocused. "Fire towards the rear!"
"Alright!" The girls inside chanted as the guns oriented to the rear armor. "Ready! And! Fire!" They said in unison as the guns blasted away. However, instead of the spark of explosions on contact, white smoke erupted from the blast all over.
"What?!" Azusa said in surprise as this smoke clouded all over. "Did that IS… wait. Ayumi! What did you fire!"
"Uh…" Sounds of clanging inside as Ayumi seem to be managing through her inventory of ammunition for the 75 mm gun. "Uh… the M89?"
"Urgh, the smoke round again?! You have to be careful with the selections! Load AP!"
"I'm sorry! We barely touch this thing!" Ayumi said as the 75 mm gun breech closed up again with a new round.
"Is the enemy even still in front of us?" Aya said as she watched through the optics, the cloud was becoming dense and it was nigh-impossible to see in the cloud.
"Uh…" Azusa thought about it. "Karina, inch up a little."
The M3 Lee groaned as it slowly moved forward. Then CLUNK as the tank hit metal in front with its gun. "Alright! Back up and open fire again!" Azusa shouted and so the M3 backed up again as the guns oriented towards the mark.
"Wait!" Someone cried outside and Azusa hesitated. The metal in front move closer in view as Azusa halted the firing process, and is met with two large track system rolling across the entire body of this moving metal. The hatch on the rear opens up… and Sodoko popped up from her Char B1 bis.
"Are you crazy!? Identify your target first before taking the shot!" Sodoko chastise Azusa.
"B-but the IS-2!"
"What IS-2?!" Sodoko shouted as she looked fruitlessly around in the thick smoke. "Where is it anyways?!"
"I-it was here…!" Azusa said as she looked about. Did a heavy tank really just disappear in a puff of smoke?
"Hey, what's going on in there?!" Rosehip shouted. "Why is there smoke everywhere?"
Suddenly, cannons blasted, brightening up the smoke cloud like a thunderstorm.
"What is that?" Sodoko shouted as she looked towards the source. "What the- GAH!" A fantastic explosion rocked the area as Mallard team's Char B1 was blasted on its rear, a white flag sent up. The explosion force cleared the area of smoke, thinning the area to reveal the assailant, a T-34-85 tank.
"Ayumi! Aya! Target that T-34!" Azusa shouted. The guns replied quickly, with the 37 mm and 75 mm spectacularly bouncing off the front armor.
"Azusa, what do we do?!" Yuuki shouted.
"G-Get in close under that 85 mm!" Azusa ordered.
"R-right!" Karina quickly shifted the gear and the M3 Lee was propelled forwards.
"Why are we always getting in close to these big, scary guns?!" Aya shouted in frustration.
The M3 Lee went forwards, and though the T-34-85 reversed with a body language of caution, the M3 crashed into the front, bypassing the long gun barrel.
"Alright! We're in, load and fir-"
"Tank."
"Ugh?"
Then like divine intervention, the M3 Lee was taken from its ground with the T-34-85 into the air with a loud B-KOOM! to their right, with about 8,000 kilojoules transferring through all the metal and protection system sending them flying across the ground into the nearby wall.
"Hey, you rascals!" Rosehip's voice cried out as her Cromwell propelled towards the scene. Speeding down the road towards the IS-2, the T-34-85 simply took aim at the projected path and fired right as Rosehip passed by, also sending her out of control with about 2,900 kilojoules of power. Her tank comedically top-spin right into the nearby wall at a 30 degree angle from her initial path.
South bocage fields, France
The ISU-152 slugged about with its mass on the dirt road.
"This thing is such a sloth!" Mikko shouted as she struggled with the driving gear.
"Even a sloth can cross a road with time," Mika said as she viewed from the commander's position.
Aki was on her own corner at the left side of the gun, right behind Mikko. "We couldn't have gotten the 122 version?!" She shouted, her body trembling from the adrenaline pumping through her as she held onto a 152 mm projectile and all of its 40 kilograms worth of mass.
"What's wrong? Don't you like the bigger boom!?" Mikko responded aptly.
"You want to load this gun!?" Aki asked, showing the huge slab of metal that made up the six-inch gun's projectile.
"No, of course not! That's why this is fun!"
"Grrr…" Aki grumbled as her hands ached.
"Joy is not the sights we see, but the experience we do!" Mika said.
"I'm glad to see this experience is shaping our character!" Aki shouted sarcastically as she set the projectile onto a rack leading into the breech. She then reached down for the propellent casing.
Mikko continued driving the ISU-152 down the road towards the east direction of their sector as Aki loaded up the howitzer. The self-propelled gun creaked and groaned with every track the drive sprocket pulled over. Compared to the BT-42, the ISU-152 was a brute machine to move around.
Mika looked out through the single periscope she has available as Mikko drove with the driver's vision port opened without its armored housing. The engine whirred and coughed as they turned a corner. Mika spots an enticing target in the distance. "Just as the coordinate said, the other artillery is here."
Aki pushed in the projectile and propellent from the rack into the open breech as Mika closed it shut. She then got into the gunner's position and viewed through the rather simple gun sight with the lines and values for the different ammo type.
"Aki!"
"I see it!" Aki said as she moved the gun with the controls on her right towards the forward profile that is sticking out of the ground in its elevated position. "Stand clear!" Aki shouted as she pressed on the electrical firing trigger on the elevation gear. The massive ISU-152 boomed inside and outside as it recoiled, sending masses of smoke and dust up from its location. The crew could feel the change in pressure with their ears as the gun fired.
"Hit! Good job, Aki!" Mikko observed through her frot visibility. The vehicle on the other end shook violently upon being struck.
"Ho kay…," Aki sighed as she got up from her seat and reached for the 40 kg projectile stowed on her side.
"Enemy approaching," Mika relayed.
"Enemy coming up! Reversing!" Mikko shouted as she shifted the gears.
"Wait, I- gah!" Aki struggled to balance the round in her arms while standing in the moving vehicle. Mika reached over and pulled the breech lever, sending the 152 mm brass casing flying out and slamming on the rear end of the vehicle, making a loud clattering noise as it made contact on its way down, right as a round flew over them in a high-velocity streak.
"A 122 mm…" Mika said as she reached down for the 152 mm propellent case to throw into the gun as well. The three girl's blue Continuation uniform becoming stained with the grease and grime as they handled around the interior, especially as they grappled around the heavy ammunition used.
"Hurry up you two! That 122 mm is gonna load faster than this!"
"Aki!"
"Right!" Aki threw in the 152 mm projectile onto the loading rack and the propellent followed behind it. With a rammer, Aki pushed the two pieces into the breech quickly as Mika closed it. Aki then leaped over back into her gunner's position and looked through. "Where is it?!"
"500 meters, front!" Mika said as she looked out as well.
"Hit it Aki!"
Aki slowly adjusted the sight towards the remaining vehicle. The ISU-122, a vehicle of the same type as the ISU-152, but with only a 122 mm A-19 gun instead of the 152 mm ML-20. As Aki looked at it through the sights, the reticle slightly above the vehicle, she could stare down the darkness in their 122 mm gun, showing their straighter trajectory. It's now or never!
Aki pressed the trigger and the ISU-152 fired once more, its recoil booming in the fields.
"Ah!" Aki could hear Mikko react, then a KRR-KLANCK! crunched right on their front armor, taking them up a tad higher than the recoil did as the entire crew compartment shook. The girls fell out their chairs around the spacious crew compartment. Despite the explosion and confusion, their ears picked up the metal whirring of a white flag popping up on their vehicle.
Aki could only think of one thing, "Did we get them?"
Mikko and Mika got up towards their respective vision sights to witness their target. Aki only saw their grinning faces looking back at her, and that was good enough as she laid in exhaustion on the vehicle floor.
South section of town, France
"Miho, are you sure this will work?!" Klara shouted incredulously through the mic.
"It's all we have left!" Miho as the fighting around the town grew lively once more. "I'll smoke him and then split up! After that, it's all down to the plan and your actions!"
"Got it Miho-sha!" Katyusha shouted. "Klara! Don't get cold feet now! You're with me after the signal!"
"R-right!" Klara responded.
"Up!" Yukari shouted as the gun breech of the KwK 40 closed up. The turret, facing towards the rear, aimed at the IS-3 turret. The Panzer IV and its companions drove into a main road.
"Fire when ready!" Miho shouted as she steadied herself on the cupola. She wanted to stay visible for Erik. Then the 75 mm gun fired right into the IS-3 and blasted smoke all over the tank. "Go!" Miho gave the word and arm signals towards the following T-34-85 tanks.
"Good luck, Miho-sha!"
"Удачи!" The two said as the T-34-85 splitted up to the side into the small road intersection to Miho's right, the tank's left.
As the IS-3 moved forwards, Miho kept the attention on her by grabbing hold of the cupola-mounted MG 34 once more and firing a burst towards the projected location of the IS-3. BZZTBZZTBZZTBZZT, the fast firing machine gun spat out the rounds, followed by the clanging on metal in the smoke. Miho looked on as the IS-3 then bellowed out from the smoke, continuing unfazed towards the Panzer IV.
"Well, we got phase one done!" Saori shouted as she listened.
"It's only a matter of time now!" Miho shouted. She got onto the radio. "Units on the north, how is the situation up there!"
"We can sum it up in a single rude word!" Rukuriri shouted as the fighting ensued. "They've renewed their efforts and…" Her transmission was cut off.
"All units up north, I need you to listen. I need you to buy me another one minute! That's all I need!"
Miho listened in, but got no response. Outside of the little chase she is in with the IS-3, the fighting in the north intensified. Just one more revolution around… please! Miho prayed. She just need to go down that street!
Northwest of town,France
"C'mon you bastards!" Kay shouted as the disabled M4A3E2 fired at its target. "We ain't moving from here!" She shouted spiritually, though also literally considering the status of her suspension still.
"Kay! We're not doing so g-GAAH!" Alisa shouted as her M4A1 took a hit.
"Damn it! We lost her!" Kay shouted as another round flew towards her tank, clanging viciously against the armor.
The renewed assault has tenacity in it. The Suvorov crew are maneuvering around the roads and sliced through her left flank with Alisa gone. Kay quickly glanced between the T-44 in front of her and the road to her left for any tanks.
"Kay! This is our last HVAP!" Her loader cried out.
"Hold it! Switch to AP! Wait for my command!"
The loader nodded as she gingerly placed the valuable round back into the storage on the bottom. The T-44 came out again and with liberty took a potshot at the M4A3E2, glancing off the tip of the gun mantlet top.
"Gunner! Aim towards the left at 10 o'clock! A T-34-85 is gonna come outta there soon!"
"Kay! This is an emergency!" Naomi radioed in as the turret started swaying left towards the direction.
"No kidding!"
"The east sector is folded! We're being overrun and- *KRzzrk** Gah!" Naomi's transmission was interrupted by her 17-pounder firing. "No! Get the ammo from the- oh cra-" The radio transmission finally ended with the crash of a tank round on metal armor.
The T-34-85 popped out and the gunner fired, glancing the turret front. The T-34-85 took a potshot with its 85 mm. Meanwhile, soon out the right vision slit of the cupola, the T-44 came out and advanced towards Kay for an angle on the side armor, knowing the turret is pointing the wrong way.
Well… this is it, Kay thought as her tank was getting flanked. Suddenly, a crash happened on her right where the T-44 was and stirred her attention. Looking out the cupola, she saw the cause. "Nishi!"
"We'll hold them off with the strands of our guts if we have to!" Nishi yelled as her Type 97 Chi-Ha had crashed itself right on the T-44 tank, throwing it off course and into a halt. Fukuda's Type 95 Ha-Go jammed itself on the 85 mm gun, causing it to be unable to align towards the M4A3E2.
"Gunner! Take out that target!" Kay quickly commanded. The M4A3E2 turret continued swinging in alignment to the T-34-85's speed of maneuvering and then the gunner fired, placing a 76 mm into the side hull! "Yes!" Kay shouted as the turret faced towards their near 8 o'clock direction towards the center of the town.
A hail of gunfire came from the direction the turret was pointing. Red tracer machine gun rounds rained towards the M4A3E2, clattering all over and forcing Kay down to look through her vision blocks.
A Soviet IS-2 heavy tank came up menacingly, with a sparkling muzzle blast on top firing those tracers. The crew member behind the DShK on top of the IS-2 turret fired the 12.7 x 108 mm rounds out. These rounds, with a kinetic energy able to pierce 20 mm of armor, riddled the area.
"Ah! Gah!" The fast rounds blasted on Chi-Ha-Tan tanks and created sparks. While Nishi's Type 97 tank shrugged the sparks off, Fukuda's Ha-Go sputtered and stopped on these hits, a white flag raised from the tank.
Then the 122 mm gun fired, right into the M4A3E2's left side and sending it skidding across a few meters on the ground, further destroying the suspension.
"Ggh…" Kay recovered as the mechanism on the Jumbo's turret clicked open, and projected the white flag. The sound of a T-44 reversing could be heard to her right.
"I won't let your defeat go down in vain!"Nishi shouted as the pitiful sound of the 57 mm howitzer fired and crashed onto the T-44 front glacis. The T-44 responded only in kind with its 85 mm.
With that done, the tanks around Kay soon drove towards its new destination, and Kay got onto the radio.
"Miho… The north is lost, we're out of time now!"
South section of town, France
"All the units in the north have been wiped out!" Saori relayed as the Panzer IV continued on.
"We've reached the endgame now," Mako commented.
"One more turn here!" Miho shouted, staying focused on her current situation. The Panzer IV made a quick right turn and were back on the main road that they've started. How many revolutions have they made running away from the IS-3? Too many, it is time to make a revolution against the path. "Mako, turn left in that road there!"
Mako swerve the Panzer IV back and forth as it broke off the usual path into the road. It was a narrow road in and that was their objective.
"They've broken off the main path…" Naydenov said out loud through the intercom. "Narrow road."
"Fair enough, keep pursuing. The assault team is cleaning up and joining us now." Erik said. Time was up for Miho Nishizumi. His force has eliminated her rearguard and the floodgates are open for the remnants of his troops to surround Miho and her companions. Time is up, 'Ms. Legend,' what surprise do you have for me now? Erik thought as Naydenov angled the IS-3 to fit squarely into the narrow road.
The road was indeed quite thin with the masses of rubbles on both sides, but the IS-3's three meter width could fit in. As it went in, the pike nose seem to act as a separator, tearing through the bits of debris that stuck into the IS-3 path.
"Commander, sir! We're almost at your coordinates!" The company leaders replied as Erik listened with glee.
"Roger that. Surround the road path at this lower right section of the grid! No one goes in and out and hold fire!"
"Y-yes sir!" The reply came.
Erik put the radio away and knocked on the IS-3 interior with his right hand with a TAP TAP, and then Naydenov continued forwards through the road. It's only a small curved road according to the map, about 150 meters and then another intersection.
So around the blind spot of the curve, an object came propelling towards them.
"C-commander! It's the Panzer!" Naydenov shouted as the IS-3 looked front towards them.
Erik looked out and could not believe it. Ōarai's Panzer IV was coming in, charging right towards from their front with Miho Nishizumi observing over her open cupola. "They've moved into attack position…" Erik said.
"What?" His two turret crew members said with similar disbelief.
"Naydenov, armor front. Gunner, shoot that Panzer!"
But the Panzer IV came in fast along the curved road, following the curved path almost seamlessly like a railroad right into the IS-3 pike nose. The 122 mm aligned itself carefully and fired, the 122 mm flew towards the left and missed the Panzer IV by inches.
Erik Katukov watched as Miho Nishizumi rapidly closed in the speed with her Panzer IV with a head-on attack. He could see 'The Legend' brace herself on the cupola, and realized how committed she was to this act. He only saw this mere meters before Miho rammed her 26 ton medium tank right into the 46 ton heavy tank.
Inelastic collision was in play and the forces involved pushed the IS-3 back. The physics threw Erik and his crew off balance from the impact as the inertia was put into motion. However, after the initial push, the IS-3 came to a gradual halt as the kinetic energy was lost and the IS-3 weight came to its aid.
Katukov got his bearings back and listened at the grating metal as the Panzer IV, with all its effort of pushing, is now moving a slab of immobile metal. Erik opened his cupola to make sure he was indeed seeing what has transpired. Indeed, Miho Nishizumi was pushing her Panzer IV right alongside the IS-3. After a few seconds, Erik established that it was indeed a fruitless effort, the IS-3 wasn't going anywhere under that Maybach horsepower. The only value worth mentioning from this tactic was that the Panzer IV has run itself under the length of the 122 mm gun as the gunner tried and with equal futility tried to align the 122 mm towards the Panzer IV.
"Sir! We have secured your rear access!" Erik received the message and looked to his rear. His fellow comrade-in-arms in their medium tanks watch from the rear outside of the tiny road, just as he ordered.
"This is Company 1 leader, road secured!" They also replied from the other end of the road.
In that sense, the Panzer IV has been rightly surrounded.
"Permission to assist inside, sir?" A crew requested.
"Negative," Erik declined, "Are the roads outside secured?"
"Yes sir. No one in, no one out."
Erik nodded as he received the confirmation. Suddenly, the Panzer IV fired its gun point-blank right on the turret front, which just slides off the sloping turret sides off to the rubble. To his disbelief, the Panzer IV tracks was still spinning forwards, right into the IS-3.
Your efforts and dedication is valiant, 'Legend', Erik looked on at the Ōarai championship winner. ...But is this your last move? All that effort, all that talent, all those gifts, and all you can do is run on my front armor and fire aimlessly?
Erik looked at Miho, who returned his glance. He looked for something from her, was there something she was hoping for? There was no one left outside to help her here. There was no room in this road to outmaneuver the IS-3 here. Was she aiming for a weak point? The turret front cheeks were 250 mm thick and the sides were curved to present an efficiently sloped design. The only saving grace now was just the fact that the Panzer IV was right under the gun.
Is this really it? Erik eyed Miho, trying to transmit his questions to her with his eyes only. Miho's glance darted with a hand towards the machine gun on her cupola. The contraception swayed to his direction and only his reaction saved him from receiving a burst of round into his face. The green tracers blasted up and then rattled his cupola that doubled as a shield. The machine gun firing concentrated right on that cupola and so Erik closed it back up and buttoned up.
"Feisty, ain't she?!" The gunner said in a frustrated tone.
Erik felt empty. So this is really it? He still questioned. He deeply sighed as the rattle of cannon rounds and machine gun bullets rattled off the front armor at point-blank range. "As you wish 'Legend'," the last word was filled with irritation, "Naydenov, forwards!"
The IS-3 heavy tank in front of them rumbled into life.
"Mi-Miporin?" Saori said nervously as the monster in front of them came to life.
"Steady Saori…" Miho said as she released her grip on the MG 34.
"That IS-3 has a 520 horsepower engine…" Yukari stated the specifications. "It's got a horsepower ratio of about 11. We only have 300 horsepower here."
Then the IS-3 pushed forwards, the Panzer IV is propelled forwards, but the running tracks run it right back into the IS-3 front.
"Ack! How violent!" Hana reacted.
"Mako! Don't let them create the space for their gun! Stay up close!"
"Okay."
The Panzer IV came up, and then the IS-3 moved forwards again as it pushed the Panzer IV around. Anglerfish was obviously out of their weight class, but they stuck on, staying up to the IS-3 as it moved slowly forwards. The two locked on with their front plates.
"Keep going Mako!" Miho said as she looked back at the distance they've been pushed too. "We've got some more distance to go!"
The Panzer IV soon found itself dragged back as the IS-3 pushed it. The screeching of the metal on the ground proliferated throughout the narrow road, the sound waves bouncing in the area to fill in the void. However, that sound was good for Anglerfish, that was the sound of resistance.
Then it stopped with the crackling of metal. The familiar sound of track pins snapping and the tracks being thrown.
"Uuuuuhhh…" Saori's voice took a dip.
"We just lost our tracks," Mako said aptly.
"Oh dear," Hana worriedly said.
"Almost there!" Miho shouted.
In between the piles of rubbles stacked up high on the sides, the IS-3 had only one direction and pushed forwards one last time. This big push sent the Panzer IV through a sickening grind on the road as its rubber roads and remnants of the tracks scatter with the propulsion. But as they did, the two tanks were in between the densest areas of the debris.
"Katyusha, Klara, now!"
"Naydenov, one more and push that tank outta here!"
Naydenov nearly pressed the metal to the pedal on the accelerator when his senses tingled. The sensation told him the message and he jerked the IS-3 to a halt. "Commander! Tanks on our left and right!"
What?!" Erik glanced out his open cupola again. "We're between devastation! Have you gone cra-"
Then he saw it. Two T-34-85 waiting for the IS-3. There were indeed no room in the horizontal plane. In that road, the debris had made positioning on the direct sides of the IS-3 impossible.
So the T-34-85s came from above, fortified above the IS-3 from the top of the destroyed building. The gun depression of these tanks are atrocious however, providing only a 5 degree angle below. So these tanks hung on the edges, with the gravity dropping the T-34-85 and its gun, right onto the IS-3 top.
No chances were taken, each T-34-85 were on both sides surrounding the IS-3. The one on the right came falling over the engine deck with its gun pointing down as it leaned. The second came right onto the turret area, its angle from the air negating the sloped turret armor side, hitting perpendicular on the 120 mm armor plates. In this T-34-85, a girl with pale-blonde hair watching from inside had her eyes starting right into Erik Katukov.
Erik's face sport out a wide grin, a sense of satisfaction overcame him. This was it, the gifts of 'The Legend.'
"Clever girls," He smirked as he swiftly closed his cupola with his right arm.
The two T-34-85 fired their 85 mm cannons right onto the IS-3 top armor. A fantastic blast occur on both ends of the Soviet heavy tank. Gravity overtook the two T-34-85 and both fell straight down to the ground, crashing over the terrain and landing on the side hulls, their white flags popping up over their knocked out status.
The white flag of the IS-3 popped up as well.
Aaannnddd… I did it! I finally finished the Battle versus Suvorov!
I'm sorry for the long wait, real life is not a kind entity. In fact, I'm still gonna be busy, so getting this chapter out is the best I can do for the time.
However, at the very least I can get past choreographing battles (which is hard) to now filling in the social interactions now for the plot forwards. Thing is while the start and results of the battles have a good foundation in my head, it is the decisions made during the battle to get the intended results reasonably that's the hardest for me to get right. At least, it will be this way until the fabled fight against Carius Academy, so stay tune for that!
Once again, I would like to specially thank user Lightarc for assisting me throughout this chapter. I would also like to thank my long time readers who have stayed with me thus far. Believe it or not, this fic is already more than a year and a half old from its inception, so you guys sticking along with this adventure is pretty touching.
If you haven't already, feel free to Favorite and Follow the story to keep up to date with the uploads. I know it isn't a steady schedule, but its the best I can do with my real world applications. Feel free to drop a review, it means a lot as well.
I look forward to seeing you all on my next upload!