The Legends Still Live On
Bogen Zwanzig: Nach der Wartung, es muss ein Bad sein!
Kapitel Zwei: Vorschau – Wolfsrudel
XXXXXXXXXX
The sun had recently set in the western skies, and the dead of night came upon the North Atlantic like a black hole, extinguishing all the light that remained from the sun's rays.
The only light that could not be extinguished was the light coming from the deck of the Graf Zepellin, the massive school ship that housed Schwarzwaldspitze Gymnasium. Despite the sun setting, activity seemed to escalate even further aboard the German ship.
And upon the sight of numerous, numerous red and green lights rising into the night sky that quickly filled up with the sounds of large-displacement piston engines running all-out, it became easy to deduce why activity seemed to be at an all-time high: a large formation of aircraft had taken off.
The amount of fighters gathered in the climbing German formation heading west numbered in the dozens. Among them were several of the workhorse Bf 109s, mostly of the G-14 variant but also including some of the F-4 type and two G-6s; a similarly large number of the high-altitude stop-gap Fw 190Ds of the D-13 variety; a single Ta 152 H-1, a dedicated high-altitude fighter succeeding the Dora; and a handful of He 219 A-7 night fighters.
For this outing, modifications were carried out for many of the German fighters to better carry out their objectives. The two Bf 109 G-6s each mounted the FuG 350Z Naxos radar detector in a pod, similar in appearance to a drop tank, under the fuselage, in addition to two underwing MG 151/20 cannons in the underwing tubs that were hated by practically the entirety of Schwarzwaldspitze's Jagdgeschwader due to their negative impact on performance. Though hardly of the same performance as their previous configurations, the two Bf 109 G-6Ns were infinitely more utilizable with all their additions when the sun was no longer up.
The numerous G-14s and the handful of Friedrichs were hardly modified at all save for the mounting of a single 250 kg bomb underneath their fuselages, though their load paled in comparison to the Doras, which each had a single 500 kg bomb under the fuselage in addition to four 50 kg bombs, two under each wing. The He 219s were modified with a revised armament suite, consisting of four cannons mounted in a fairing under the fuselage plus two more cannons mounted in the wing roots. The wing root cannons were MK 108s, and the fuselage cannons included an equal mix of MG 151/20s and MK 103s.
"Listen up, everybody. I have some words for you before we get into this," came the resolute voice belonging to Schwarzwaldspitze's Geschwaderkommodore, Isabel-Justina Hartmann. She sat on point in the leading Kette within her black tulip-decorated Bf 109 G-6 waiting for all incessant chatter over the radio to cease. After it did, she spoke again. "The bloody Atlantic has claimed countless victims over the course of both Weltkriege, on each side. Tonight, we pay tribute to that heroism. Those deeds have not been forgotten, nor should they be. They serve as an ample warning to us younger generations in today's world, so heed that warning well tonight." The black-haired then grew the slightest of smirks. "Happy hunting."
"You looked up 'Wolfpack' on the internet, didn't you," Erika's voice that somehow blurred the line between mature and childlike interjected afterwards over the channel. "And yet you said you weren't interested in my music!"
Isabel tossed an amused glance to her left where her younger sister's own black tulip-adorned Gustav had pulled up to be even with her own. "I never said such things, my power metal-loving sister," the black-haired teen replied while looking across the skies to her blond-haired junior. "All I said was that you would go deaf one day if you kept listening to those Swedes."
"Deaf, maybe," Erika allowed as she drew back her 109 to its previous position of behind and to the left of Isabel's 109. "But learning history while at it!"
With that, the entire formation continued on its route westward, led by the two black tulip-decorated Gustavs and the sole Ta 152 that occupied the starboard side of the Kette. On the flanks of the lead Kette were the Uhus to the starboard side in two Rotten, and to the port side were the handful of Friedrichs, also organized into two Rotten. Scattered about behind were several Rotten filled with more Gustavs and a plethora of Doras. In all, there had to be at least fifty fighters, if not more. It was hard to tell for certain, but what was certain was that the sheer numbers made the aerial contingent appear daunting to anyone who dared oppose it.
Further west in the North Atlantic was yet another school ship, this one being the HMS Ark Royal that housed St Gloriana High School. The prestigious British school was about as relaxed as it could get, as almost all of the British students aboard were partying in an obscenely elegant manner, such that it could be assumed that it was a party destined to take place in Buckingham Palace.
Almost all were in the partying mood, except for a few people that couldn't party if they even wished to. One such person was Dolores, a Scottish girl with wild blonde hair that reached down to the middle of her back and eyes as blue as the sky. Relatively average in height though with smaller 'assets' than her peers, the young Scottish lass had stayed cooped up in the Ark Royal's main radar room monitoring the electromagnetic spectrum. That is, she was using her natural talent for electronics and scanning the area around the ship using the radar, along with listening into any radio frequencies she managed to tap into. While also part of the ground crew for St Gloriana's Fighter Group, her talents weren't put to waste by keeping her in a solitary role. For hours, she heard nothing but the radar's constant sweeping as nothing came up on screen.
Until now. The partying would have to be put on hold not just for her, despite not having the opportunity anyway due to her current duties, but also for the entire ship. Her face went pale as a ghost when she read the radar screen again and got back several dozen return signals, coming ever closer to the ship itself from the east. Only one thing could result in such a high number of returns coming from the same direction: an attack. The young Scottish lass dashed over to a phone on the wall that served as a hardline connection to the bridge and picked up the receiver. "Imminent attack!" Dolores relayed the information over the hardline connection. "East! T-minus five minutes!"
She set the phone down immediately after and tried to regain her breath from that scare. How lucky for them that St Gloriana got attacked when they least expected. After several seconds, she heard the intercom chant the words to put the whole ship on alert, "General quarters! General quarters! All hands man your battle stations!"
To their own shore!
Came the World War!
HMS Ark Royal coming from the west!
And then utter pandemonium ensued aboard the Ark Royal as everyone reacted to the announcement in clear surprise. Caught by surprise, indeed. Finally, after a brief moment to vent their surprise, everyone proceeded to do just as instructed, and head to their battle stations.
"My girls!" a dashing blonde projected her calm yet confident command to her own contingent. "Get to the hangars!" The young Englishwoman otherwise called Augusta had blonde hair done up into a bun that was so elegant that it made her seem aristocratic by appearance alone. A few locks of the blonde hair hung down her back like a curtain all the way to mid-back, and she had deep blue eyes as well. Augusta was somewhat short for her age, though that didn't impact just how beautiful most of the school's populace considered her.
Upon reaching the hangars, Augusta had the entirety of St Gloriana's Fighter Group fully prepared to take action as the ground crews got to work on readying the school's arsenal of aerial weaponry. Most of the fighters belonging to the British school were Spitfires, predictably. The great majority of the Spitfires present were early variants that used Merlin engines with only a single-stage supercharger, like the Mk IIa to specify St Gloriana's in particular. There were a small number of Spitfires that were different, though, as they had an obvious change of engine to a later two-stage supercharged Merlin engine. The modified Spitfires were the F Mk IX variant. Finally, there were a small number of Tempest Mk Vs, one of which was Augusta's personal steed as the Group Captain.
Won a short fight quick
A long trip back
O'er the great big pond
It was quite the wake-up call for St Gloriana that night, as they weren't expecting anything like an attack after sunset. They were otherwise occupied celebrating an easy victory over Canada's Maple High School, and had planned to take a relaxing break as they steamed over the Atlantic back to Britain in preparation for their next fight.
Fighters, tanks, and great ship coming
From far in the west
Much of the school had kept up with the rest of the first round's fights for the tournament. Hence, the school's combatants were well aware that they were taking on Germany's pride the next round: Schwarzwaldspitze Gymnasium. But they figured there was more than enough time to prepare, which partially explained the overall mood of relaxation aboard the ship.
And over the North Atlantic
Lies the silence
Of the seas
The North Atlantic had nothing worth a lingering gaze, especially at night. So there was no way anyone could possibly be gazing at the scenery, as there was no scenery to admire whatsoever. Just miles and miles of seemingly endless water. The only disturbance to the dead silent darkness of the ocean was the HMS Ark Royal steaming along.
And on the quietest night
In the darkest hour
Ol' Schwarzwaldspitze appears!
And surprise surprise! It was under those conditions that Schwarzwaldspitze's Jagdgeschwader commenced a large-scale surprise attack. It was really nothing too different from the usual tactics practiced by the German school, as they had a penchant for striking fast and hard at the point they were least expected.
Though from the surface it seems quiet and calm
The blackness of night remained as dark as it was any other night. If no one knew better, it could be assumed that the darkness was safe.
Holding above, the Wolfpack lurks
However, everyone aboard the Ark Royal did know better. It still didn't provide any comfort when they heard the sounds of aircraft engines surface, both from their own fighters starting to respond as well as the German fighters that came ever closer.
No, NO, NOOOOOOOOOO!
To their own shore!
Came the World War!
HMS Ark Royal coming from the west!
Above at roughly 20,000 feet, the large German Geschwader had arrived with no opposition. The Messers and Doras so equipped with them released their bombloads from their high altitude. They didn't bother with dive-bombing to ensure strikes, as the raid was merely meant to cause disorder, not to destroy any particular objective.
In their fore track!
Came the Wolfpack!
Now the Ark Royal's caught in the hornets' nest!
Flashes of fire appeared from down below as the bombs struck the top deck of the Ark Royal. A few lucky bombs struck around the hangars, delaying the British fighter response with the panic that swept through the British ranks from danger close.
Several of the British fighters were already airborne, though, as they received ground instructions to locate the German fighters in the black of night. It was times like these that Lynnette, the second-in-command of the Fighter Group, really wished the school had gotten a Mosquito.
But the young Englishwoman dismissed that thought, for it was unnecessary at the moment. She had a Spitfire F Mk IX to fly. Though caught off-guard by the attack like her comrades, the girl had kept a calm demeanor throughout the initial shock. Lynnette had blonde hair put into a braid either resting on her left shoulder, as it was currently, or hanging down to the middle of her back, and blue eyes that, with the help of her clever mind, helped her to see what others normally wouldn't see.
That did not strictly mean she had night vision, however. That was a fact made increasingly clear when many of her comrades were getting shot down in scores by the German He 219s, which had an extreme advantage in the lack of light with their Lichtenstein radars. So Lynnette simply flew to survive, and that was all that occupied her mind from then on as she did her best to endure the Schwarzwaldspitze aerial onslaught.
At the crack of dawn
The second day
Top deck's all in flames
After the attack had come and passed, St Gloriana gathered reports as to what damage had been suffered. Some of it was relatively obvious, like how there were still some small isolated fires scattered across the ship's top deck that could be seen even as the sun began to rise. The fires were either from the bomb strikes or from British fighters that were still burning after being shot down and crashing on the top deck.
Half their fighters gone or disabled
Unprepared for more
After all was accounted for, the British school found itself with only half of its initial number of fighters. There was no way that they could fend off any future attacks while so understrength, so the repair and recovery of their fighters was prioritized over readying remaining fighters back to ready status. Augusta disregarded that order, however, and ordered all remaining fighters to be ready to take off within two minutes of an alert.
But still in the North Atlantic
Using surprise
To their gain
Just as the night before had instilled within them, everyone felt very unnerved by how calm the North Atlantic was. They did not feel calm at all like the ocean seemingly wanted them to be. Instead, they believed the calmness of the waters was merely a false sense of security, hence the somewhat conflicting orders among the British regarding their fighters.
For the second time!
In the broad of daylight!
Ol' Schwarzwaldspitze returns!
Obscured by the sun partially since it was the middle of the day, another air raid by Schwarzwaldspitze was on course to intercept the Ark Royal yet again. The He 219s were left behind this time, as they were at the disadvantage in the daylight. In their place were some more Fw 190 D-13s. Otherwise, the formation remained much as it was the previous night.
The Wolfpack descends for a second time
This time, though, the two Gustavs adorned with black tulips led the attack directly. They were now back to their original day fighter status, which meant the Naxos radar detectors were gone as were the hated underwing tubs with additional armament.
To make Ark Royal face its fate
"Alles klar," Isabel gave the all-clear signal over the radio to the German Jagdgeschwader to begin their attack. The plan this time around was much the same as it was the previous night: cause chaos. However, with the advantage of the night gone, the Doras that replaced the Uhus remained in the pure fighter role. The Friedrichs took on the air superiority role as well to aid in maintaining air superiority for the duration of the attack.
No, NO, NOOOOOOOOOO!
To their own shore!
Came the World War!
HMS Ark Royal coming from the west!
So as the Bf 109 G-14s and all but two Rotten of Fw 190 D-13s began to release their bomb loads, the remaining two Rotten of Doras as well as the Friedrichs and the two Bf 109 G-6s soared down lower and began to search and snuff out any enemy fighters.
In their fore track!
Came the Wolfpack!
Now the Ark Royal's caught in the hornets' nest!
Again, the St Gloriana Fighter Group found itself nearly helpless in the wake of the Germans' renewed aerial onslaught. This time, though, at least those that remained were able to get airborne before the bombs began striking home.
Under fire!
Under water!
Now forty-two Spitfires have failed the test!
That margin of preparedness didn't seem to help, though, as two Spitfires were almost immediately felled by the two Gustavs belonging to Isabel and Erika, cutting through the British fighters like hot knives through butter. All of the British fighters were quickly swarmed by the remaining German fighters that held all the advantages.
To their own shore!
Came the World War!
Graf Zepellin leads Ark Royal into death!
The aerial attack was progressing much like it did the previous night. Augusta and Lynnette were deliberately avoiding combat wherever they were at the disadvantage, and most certainly avoiding any possible combat with the two Hartmann sisters.
"Behalte ihren Energievorteil!" Isabel made sure to emphasize to the rest of the Jagdgeschwader over their channel to retain their energy advantage. The German fighters had all of the advantages over the British currently, particularly that with energy, but the black-haired Geschwaderkommodore knew how easy it was to get sucked into a turn-fight and lose that energy advantage when one grew overconfident.
Though some people did not bother heeding that order, namely Isabel herself, Erika, and Hanna Jochen with her Bf 109 F-4. Those three girls didn't have to worry about losing the advantage, as they had the necessary skill and experience to easily regain it. And their foes quickly learned this information, as well.
"Everyone, pay heed," Augusta beckoned over her own channel to her pilots, or at least what remained of them. The British Fighter Group was doing a much better job of surviving the onslaught this time around, though it was still like trying to resist an irresistible force. "The Messers with a black number 1, a white number 1, and a yellow number 14 are not to be engaged solo! Repeat, the Messers with a black number 1, a white number 1, and a yellow number 14 are not to be engaged solo!"
Lynnette barely managed to comprehend that as she jerked her Spitfire to avoid a close-in attack from Erika's Gustav. She just caught enough of a sight of the number painted on the side of it, and in response to that she immediately broke off her approach, just barely avoiding getting felled. The number on the side of the zoom climbing Bf 109 G-6 with the black tulip was a white number 1.
Erika briefly looked back to ascertain she wasn't being followed by that Spitfire F Mk IX before returning her gaze forward, her eyes set on a new target. The early-model Spitfire Mk IIa she spotted was in the middle of a left-hand turn, no doubt for the purpose of avoiding a previous attack. It mattered not, though, to the blond-haired ultra-ace, as she closed with the British fighter. She held her fire, waiting until she could nearly reach out with her hand to touch it before opening up her armament and swiftly felling the Spitfire. "Noch ein Kratzer für Rotlila-Ein," Erika broadcast to scratch one more victory for her callsign Rotlila-Ein.
Elsewhere in the skies, Hanna was making her Friedrich dance among a hoard of early mark Spitfires. Always the one to charge head-first into the biggest dogfight she could and still manage to come out unscathed, the master manipulator of energy pulled an extremely sharp turn with the aid of flaps in her Bf 109F marked with a yellow number 14. Quickly acquiring target and judging the necessary amount of deflection, which was a lot, she fired a brief burst at one Spitfire, taking it down. "Füge noch einen Gelb-Vierzehn hinzu," Hanna broadcast to add another victory to her callsign Gelb-Vierzehn.
As the blonde obsessed with perfection evaded an incoming attack with relative ease, that was when her aggressor was shredded to pieces at the hand of Isabel, who swept through with high energy before going back into a zoom climb. The Gustav marked with a black tulip as well as a black number 1 then doubled back to take Augusta's Tempest below by surprise. The British Group Captain was not completely taken aback, however, as she caught the black-haired ultra-ace just early enough to break away from her attack.
Isabel did not bother pursuing, instead preferring to ride out her dive and recycle her energy back into another zoom climb. "Karaya-Ein an alle. Achte auf die Kanonen bewaffneten Jäger!" she broadcast from herself, Karaya-Ein, to Schwarzwaldspitze's Jagdgeschwader over the radio to watch out for the cannon-armed fighters. That was the very reason she broke off her attack, as she saw out of the corner of her eye that a Spitfire F Mk IX was trying to close with her. So she had chosen to break off her attempt to take out the Tempest in favor of diving away from the Spitfire, which was relatively easy to do with a 109. It would've been unwise to be caught in a vulnerable position where she could suffer the swift wrath of those Hispano cannons.
After getting back to higher altitude via her zoom climb, Isabel scouted out the skies around her and was pleasantly surprised when she realized her order to watch for cannon-armed fighters only applied to two of them. It was a bit stunning, as she had believed there were more of those around than there seemed to be. But the black-haired teen didn't question it and simply thanked whatever deities that be for giving her their fortune.
Isabel figured that the British struggle wouldn't last for much longer, so she called Erika and Hanna to disengage and come to her location. Following that, she ordered a general retreat for everyone else, with her, Erika, and Hanna providing cover to make the retreat possible. When she found out what was happening, Hanna immediately asked what was going on. Isabel could tell from her tone that she didn't very much enjoy being called off, but the black-haired Geschwaderkommodore simply said that it wasn't worth the time and effort anymore to attack a gravely weakened enemy.
One-oh-nines make first contact to lead them
Two-nineteens score some kills in the dark
The after-action report from the nighttime raid included how the 109s belonging to Isabel and Erika had made contact after their Naxos radar detectors picked up on the disturbances caused by the Ark Royal's radar suite. The He 219s were able to easily see what was going on in the night sky, hence their relatively high kill count that night.
One-nineties claiming four on two occasions
One-five-two suffers engine failure
A number of Fw 190Ds scored four kills that night, most of them close to ground where the outlines of enemy fighters stood out better against the Ark Royal's top deck. The Ta 152, brought out for an operational test, unfortunately didn't participate in the fighting, having to turn back prematurely after the engine chose to be uncooperative.
Two one-oh-nines make first contact to lead them
Two-nineteens score some kills in the dark
In the daylight raid, the two Gustavs adorned with black tulips led the attack personally, each achieving their own successes. The He 219s did not go up in that attack, as their usefulness would've been highly limited. While at night they could see the unseen for themselves and also direct friendlies to enemies they couldn't see, in the daytime none of that applied.
Four one-nineties claiming four on two occasions
One-five-two suffers engine failure agaaaaai-haaaaain!
In the daylight, the Doras were even more successful. Four of them managed to claim at least four kills for themselves crossing over both attacks when all was said and done. The Ta 152 also took part in the daytime raid, but, seemingly cursed by bad luck, its engine blew again, forcing it to break off early. Such were the joys of operational testing for new equipment.
In their fore track!
Came the Wolfpack!
Now the Ark Royal's caught in the hornets' nest!
To put it mildly, St Gloriana was stunned at Schwarzwaldspitze's attacks. Though absolutely unwilling to admit it, it didn't change the reality that the British had been disturbed out of their usual elegance. For one, their anti-aircraft gun network hadn't been able to take any enemies out. While they had done damage, as a number of German pilots could attest to, their fire was too inaccurate from their lack of calmness to fully bring down a single enemy.
To their own shore!
Came the World War!
HMS Ark Royal coming from the west!
St Gloriana's Tank Battalion was untouched by the whole ordeal physically speaking, but they certainly felt the impact from the psychological perspective. The British tanks ended up heading into action earlier than first thought, in this instance to help out with recovery and rebuilding wherever possible. Some special non-combat modifications, not unlike those on the modified tanks collectively known as Hobart's Funnies, greatly aided the recovery effort.
In their fore track!
Came the Wolfpack!
Now the Ark Royal's caught in the hornets' nest!
It was times like these that the prominent British saying 'Keep Calm and Carry On' could really be applied. Though coined during a war of blood-spilling against the Germans, the saying applied just as well to a modern wargame against the Germans, of such high intensity that the lines between game and reality were very much blurred. Whatever may happen to them, St Gloriana High School would keep calm and carry on.
Under fire!
Under water!
Now forty-two Spitfires have failed the test!
Of course, it was easier for some to move on than it was for others. Such was the case for St Gloriana's Fighter Group, which had lost forty-two Spitfires – the vast majority of which were early marks, though all but one of the later Mk IXs were also lost – and all but one of their Tempests. Some of those fighters were lost in the most literal sense of the word, having been lost under the waves of the North Atlantic, while others were only temporarily put out of commission after having crash landed on the top deck.
To their own shore!
Came the World War!
Graf Zepellin leads Ark Royal into death!
The British were absolutely galled to find out that this series of raids was merely part of some operational testing. The Graf Zepellin chose to swing out far into the North Atlantic as part of the ship's first journey since being recently overhauled. To put it simply, this was simply one large game set up by the Germans to evaluate their top school's abilities once more.
Don't know what's waiting up above! (To their own shore! Came the World War!)
The Wolfpack lurks, awaiting you (HMS Ark Royal coming from the west!)
It was all a bit too close to resembling the struggle for the Atlantic in the '40s for the British to feel comfortable. The Graf Zepellin used as a weapon on its first outing like the Bismarck, the bracketing of the Ark Royal with bombs that was much too resembling of the Fw 200 Kondor's bombing runs that laid waste to over 300,000 tons of shipping, and the Wolfpack-like tactics used by Schwarzwaldspitze's Jagdwaffe had made the prestigious British school feel a little bit self-conscious about how weak they seemed to look. And they would know, as they were famous for upholding appearances.
To follow or to bleed, it's time! (In their fore track! Came the Wolfpack!)
For you to return, they decide! (Now the Ark Royal's caught in the hornets' nest!)
When a possible retaliatory strike was brought up amongst the crowd, the always-sensible Augusta made it perfectly clear that they were not going to launch a counterattack on Schwarzwaldspitze, even though they were likely to get attacked by the Graf Zepellin again. But she held fast to saying no, because the German fighters held the advantage of generally having a longer range than the British fighters did.
No! (Under fire!)
Oh no! (Under water!)
The Wolfpack's waiting for them! (Now forty-two Spitfires have failed the test!)
Only the Tempests could make it to the Graf Zepellin and back, as the Spitfires had not the range to make it there and back. And there were simply too few Tempests compared to the number of German fighters that could be mustered to intercept that it would just be a suicide mission if it were to ever occur. In short terms, the Wolfpack would rip apart anyone that dared to hunt after them before the hunters could land a single blow.
Too calm! (To their own shore!)
You'll see! (Came the World War!)
Out of your vision waits for yooooouuuu! (Graf Zepellin leads Ark Royal into death!)
Besides, Lynnette had pointed out in support of the Group Captain's choice that Schwarzwaldspitze need not send their entire force to halt any attack that could be launched. They could've simply sent their top three aces to stop a counterattack dead in its tracks. Augusta continued along that train of thought by pointing out exactly who those three ultra-aces were and why to avoid them. The elder Englishwoman made a note to thank Dolores and her knack for intel gathering for acquiring the information she was about to use in a briefing of their foe's best.
There was Gelb-Vierzehn, callsign for Hanna Jochen, who flew a Bf 109 F-4. Despite the Friedrich being an older and less capable fighter compared to the bulk of Schwarzwaldspitze's arsenal, the young perfectionist made it work admirably. She was very dangerous due to her extreme talent for manipulating energy in that old Friedrich, making herself capable of out-dogfighting even Spitfires. Highly unconventional by comparison to traditional rules in dogfighting, it was emphasized she not be allowed to catch one of them in her crosshairs for even a split-second, for she would pluck them out of the sky if given even the smallest of chances. She was just that good with shot placement. That didn't stop some from calling her a cocky bitch, however.
There was Karaya-Ein, callsign for Isabel-Justina Hartmann, who flew a Bf 109 G-6. At her name, all of the elder members of the Fighter Group groaned in exasperation, for they had plenty of prior experience with her. Her talents in dogfighting were no less than her talents in commanding others, and after suffering two highly successful attacks orchestrated by her hand, it was made clear she had plenty of skill as a commander. The British were told to not doubt her abilities as a pilot, because she was a sneaky, crafty, calculating fighter. She was always three steps ahead, it seemed. St Gloriana overall held a grudging respect for the one they had dubbed the Black Demoness. Originally an insult to her seemingly dark personality, it eventually became a borderline term of respect when the black-haired German teen had handed their asses to them on a silver platter.
Finally, there was Rotlila-Ein, callsign for Erika-Dietlinde Hartmann, who also flew a Bf 109 G-6. Augusta was secretly glad that this was a briefing for just the Fighter Group, because she didn't hold much hope in the boys from the Tank Battalion to not gawk at her. It was bad enough that they had already taken to calling her the Enchantress. But the Group Captain didn't necessarily disagree with that moniker, for Erika was a very alluring girl. It should've been logically impossible for someone like Erika to do the things she has done, one of which was brought up by a few people in the Fighter Group: how young she looked, seemingly too young to be allowed into the Arts of Warfare. Those dissenters had immediately shut up when they found out her history of having flown combat fighters for almost a decade already. Her traditional method of attack was the surprise attack, having long since mastered the art of surprise, and preferring to shoot when right on top of her foe, where she was guaranteed to not miss. She would seemingly appear out of nowhere, like magic. Her method of attack was so successful that one wouldn't even know what hit them until it was far too late.
After learning of their foes' capabilities… yeah, the Fighter Group could use a tea time right about now.
XXXXXXXXXX
Part of Projekt Erika.
XXXXXXXXXX
The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to Actas. The music belongs to Sabaton. Any references made belong to their respective owners.
Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability.