Oregon Arena, Second round
Jay was running. He ran across the softening ground with a clipboard above his head to stop the rain that was coming down from hitting him, which didn't work for the most part. Hanz was right behind him, nearly slipping on a muddy patch right beside his Tiger II heavy tank. The two maneuvered through the other green and gray colored heavy tanks to the tent waiting at the back of the armored formation. He was greeted by a blast of warm air, a welcome feeling from the frigid cold and wet air
"Alright, guys! We're Back with the updated weather report! The battle will begin in a couple of hours when this all lightens up!" Jay shouted. The group all responded with a yes or an alright before going back to doing what they were doing. He looked out to the group of boys and the one cameraman who was on the side of the tent. He looked at the boys as they mingled amongst themselves and decided to revise the plan he had laid for the battle if he could.
"Mein Kommandant, come here for a second." Hanz motioned for him to come over, to which he did and he had laid out the map of the arena on the table, which was only slightly wet.
"So, first things first, we gotta make it seem like we're being tactical, we're going to push up this road and hang into the treeline after about 15 minutes. We're expecting to advance towards this little town up here." Jay pointed to the relatively mid-sized town in the middle of the map. "There's an area where it'll be shallow enough to cross the heavies and the TDs."
"I assume you mean my team?" Cody said, walking up to the two commanders. "You know it might not be safe considering the heavens just opened up on us."
"He's got a good point, the water levels could be higher than normal, So I say we use these two bridges." Hanz pointed them out on the map. "Send the heavies and the flag tank on with the heavies on the west side of town on the road bridge," Hanz explained, methodically tracing the path of the road.
"And the rest of the lighter tanks can come with me on the rail bridge. After we cross, we reconvene here at the crossroads." Jay explained as he pointed to the large intersection on the road straight through town. The three agreed on the plan and went their separate ways to talk amongst their teams and give the occasional wave at the camera. Jay took a step outside to see that the weather was starting to clear up, a welcome sight after a very torrential downpour. Although there was some drizzle still, he walked a few feet from the tent to take in the fresh air. He thought about something Instructor Izumo told him a while back. He remembers being told that being nervous is completely normal and that people will make mistakes. He felt a tap on his shoulder which brought him out of his train of thought and saw it was his Instructor.
"Instructor Izumo?! What're you doing here?" He asked, still a bit surprised at her sudden appearance.
"I wasn't about to have you turn around and look down at me, but I wanted to give you a bit of advice before you explode out there." She said sternly. Her expression soon changed from one of a stern instructor to a sort of motherly softness. "You never have to be that perfect commander." She said to him softly. "Just go out there and do your thing, and use what I taught you." She said, going back to her usual stern instructor look. "And I'm already in contact with the people in Japan about our little wager. Besides…"
"Besides what?" Jay asked.
"The other instructors have been having doubts about you and your team. Go out there and prove them otherwise." She said. Although she was being stern about it upfront, it was a nice confidence booster for Jay.
"Thank you, Instructor..I..uh..I guess." She stopped him from saying anything further.
"Let your actions do the talking, Jay. You know that." She said to him. "And good luck." Jay just nodded and went back into the tent, with a smile on his face.
"Why are you smiling? We're about to be going to battle soon." Hanz said. Jay stopped and turned to face his friend.
"I'll tell y'all about it later," he said.
"What do you mean Later? I wanna know.." At about that time a message blared over the loudspeaker.
"Attention all participants, please make your way to your tanks. The match will begin in 10 minutes. All Spectators please make your way to your respective viewing areas." The message repeated itself and the tent they were in was deadly quiet.
"You heard them, everyone pack up and get to the tanks." Everyone stared at the group up front for a little. "THAT MEANS NOW! LET'S MOVE!" That sent everyone rushing out of the tent to the waiting armor they had set up in their initial formation. The ground was still wet from the rain as the group made their way to their respective tanks. Jay's tank was at the front, leading the pack, which was slippery from the water. He watched his crew board the tank, a pair of brothers, one driving and one doing the loading, along with his gunner. He himself used to be the gunner on the Hellcat, but he decided to get a gunner so he could focus on command.
Jay climbed up, hearing the engines from the other tanks start to roar to life. He popped open the cupola he had engineered with the mechanics onto the roof, grabbing his helmet which was hooked up to a radio headset. He put on the white helmet with a red band and turned on the radio.
"This is Scout 1, radio check." Jay waited, he knew the battery was on, otherwise, the radio wouldn't work. "C'mon, start er' up." The Hellcat rumbled as the engine turned over, creating a methodical purr. One by one all the tanks stated they could hear each other loud and clear. Jay nodded and stuck his torso out of the cupola, He looked up and saw a referee with a flare gun held above her head. Jay stuck his hand in the air and nodded at the ref, she nodded back and fired off the flare. Jay motioned with his hand and spoke, giving the first command.
"All tanks, Advance!" Jay said, holding onto the cupola as the tank lurched backward. The engines revved up as they moved down the flat road, to the roar of crowds which was soon muffled by the sound of tank engines as they passed by.
[Remember, once we get within visual range of the bridges, the lighter tanks will beeline it to the railway bridge. Scout 2 stays with us.] Hanz said over the radio.
"Roger that bud," Jay replied. The column of tanks drove down with some chit-chat between tanks. Jay let them do that now, knowing they'll need to be quiet later on.
"Yo Issac, you doing good down there bud?" He asked his gunner, squatting a little into the compartment.
"Yeah, I'm just getting a little acquainted with my seat here. I mean...this is the first time I've ever been in a major tournament." Jay nodded.
"It's ok to be nervous, but you need to shoot when I say so. So shake those nerves and start learning that gun just a bit more." Jay said, going back up top. He turned around to see the column of tanks behind him. He could also hear the drone of plane engines, looking above to see a Navy blue Catalina flying overhead. They were soon coming up to the rail bridge, to which he signaled the column to stop.
[Why are we stopping, Jay? Er..excuse me, Scout 1] He heard over the radio.
"I want to make sure everything is safe. Once we cross that bridge, we'll be in their territory. They could have an ambush set up." Jay said, grabbing some binoculars to see if he could see anything. He slowly scanned across the bridge and saw nothing. He looked over to see if anything had changed on the other bridge.
"Scout 1 to Shield 1, you guys see anything over there?"
[Nothing over here, although you know how these guys play. It's like trying to enter Stalingrad and not expecting to get shot.] He heard the reply come in.
[Not only that but they basically have our playbook memorized.] Cody had said over the radio. Jay knew they were right, and since this was the national tournament rather than regionals, he knows they might try to mimic their own strategies.
"Well, tear a new page then. Shield team is to send Unit 4 and Unit 5 over to our side of town, Scout 3 and 5, you head over to the Flag tank group." Jay commanded. "Let's cross over." He motioned the driver to start moving forward, and the column slowly moved across the bridge.
The force began to move across the bridges, slowly advancing into the town. Hanz looked around from atop his King Tiger. He knew they had fought in areas like this before in Germany and Poland, and he could feel their force being stalked.
"This is Shield 1, keep your eyes peeled for the enemies. We're looking for T-34s here people." Hanz said into the radio.
[This is Scout 3, I have scout five in tow. We're JESUS CHRIST!] A couple of shots rang out and machine guns cracked through the air. [ Stalin 1 and 85! Stalin one and 85! They're right in the Middle of our two groups!]
"Roger that, just hang in there!" Hanz said, motioning for Shield 4 and 5 to get a move on. "Are you just going to stand there?! Move that Armor!"
[Hold on Calvin, we're coming over to your position. Just hold out. D-ray, go one street up, and let's pincer these fools.] He heard Leon say.
"Don't get too overconfident, make sure to angle that armor." Haz reminded them. He soon heard the sound of some T-34s heading in their direction, and he became more concerned about the safety of the flag tank.
[What do you want us to do?] he heard Kyle ask. Hanz looked at the T34 which had moved to cover the rear of the Flag tank. He picked up the radio and held it to his mouth for a second before stopping to think. Whilst that was happening he heard the distinctive booms of the 90mm's.
[Stalin 1 and 85 have been taken care of. Although we found ourselves in a bit of a pickle.] He heard Leon say over the radio.
"What seems to be the problem?"
[We've found their entire force, and they know we're here.] Hanz paused as he heard that. He was shocked even that it was that easy to find them, or even surprised they had gathered their entire force out in a single area.
At the Scouts' position, Jay was looking at a map and had marked down approximately where the two light tanks were knocked out, as well as where Shield 4 and 5 were.
[Scout 1, we need a plan of attack. The other team seems to be moving away from the area and left a few tanks to keep our two heavies occupied. I say we encircle what we can and clean them out.] Jay thought about it for a moment and gave a nod.
"Roger that. Spread out about two blocks from where D-ray and Leon are. Let's crush these guys." Jay said on the radio. "Get us moving please." He felt the Hellcat move forward and began to signal to the others to follow or where to break from the column. He looked at the map for a split second before he heard a sickening impact on the tank behind him.
[Tanks on the left, less than 300 yards!] He heard Westly, one of the M10 commanders, shout into the radio.
"All tanks reverse behind the tracks and get some cover!" Jay ordered. The driver reversed and they all felt the tank get behind the tracks. The tank was tall enough to fire just over them.
"Give me an AP round!" He heard the gunner shout. Jay kept eyeing up the Russian tank as it fired at them. The shell ricocheted off the ground and just over the Hellcat's roof. "Damnit I said now!"
"It's already been loaded! Fire the damn gun!" He heard his loader snap at the Gunner.
"Send it!"
"On the way!" Jay felt the tank rock as it fired, and looked out the cupola to see the shell impact the tank and knock it out. "Tank knocked out!" He shouted. "Nicely done!" He heard the other tanks fire on the retreating T-34.
[Thanks for the cover, Shield 5 is chasing the team. Flag tank was one of those T-50 light tanks.] he heard D-ray say over the radio. Jay wrote it down before replying.
"I take it you had one of your crew do some foot recon on the team as they were heading out." Jay happily replied.
[Tell him we said thanks. Shield 3, Sniper 1, you two stay back here and guard the flag tank. The rest of us will link up and chase down the enemy forces. Let's go get that flag tank.] He heard Hanz say into the radio. [We'll crush these little tanks easily!]
"Roger that, Shield 2, be prepared to be the spearhead of the assault on their tanks," Jay said, now a bit more serious. He Knew he couldn't just rush into the team so blatantly, not without some armor support.
[Roger that. We'll drive a wedge into their forces.] He heard the IS-3 commander say. He gave the signal to advance on the enemy. He used the cover he had to keep on moving him and his group down, looking out to catch any tank slipping by.
Birmingham, England
"Now they should most likely head down the embankment and flush out any remaining forces," Pascal said, intently watching the match that was unfolding on the TV screen. With the angles that they were showing from the observation plane and some mounted camera positions, he could get a much better vantage point of the battle. He was kind of upset that he wasn't there to fight in the battle. Although he enjoys the Centurion mk.1, he wanted to be back in the A13, commanding tanks and rushing around the battlefield. The others in his dorm had surrounded him, all watching the match unfold.
"Looks like the Stalin tank is moving down the main road with the T34 heavy right behind him. Might I say it's been a pretty one-sided battle. Although they didn't really do what we had predicted. Using their Speedy tanks to move from position to position." The commentator blared from the TV speakers. Pascal was almost sick looking at the way the heavy command tank was advancing almost recklessly. Despite the success, it's not how he would've gone about this whole operation.
"Hanz Moscovich has been with the team here for about 4 months and looks like he's definitely settled in nicely. And looks like JayPac is closing the gap on the flag tank." Pascal listened and watched.
"Oi, you think they noticed that flank?" One of his teammates asked. Pascal just stayed silent. If anyone were to know a flank was coming, it would be the team that does it more times than not.
"If I know the commander of that team, and I do, he definitely would have that uneasy feeling on the back of his neck," Pascal said. The way he said it, however, carried a dark but confident tone. He knew that they wouldn't go through all that trouble with Lone Star, just to give it up right here. If only I was there to get in the thick of it.. He thought to himself. The camera on the screen switched to the Catalina, which was still making its orbit above the battleground.
Oregon Arena…
Jay was cautious when looking around each corner of each street. He was doing some foot recon of the next streets ahead. Leon and Calvin were with him, each of them using some binoculars and their phones to communicate with their respective tanks.
"Jay, look! We got incoming from the edge of town!" Leon shouted. The building they were on provided a good view of the city, but they still had to be careful not to be seen. Jay rushed over to Leon and looked in the same direction that Leon was.
"Not just that, but the flag tank is also getting away. The closest team is the flag tank team." Calvin said.
"Right, relay the message to the commanders and spread the word," Jay ordered. The other two began sending out the message. Jay texted Hanz and Cody, and the groups started to move. "Now then, we should get going. I believe we had overstayed our welcome here." He said. The two nodded and they rushed down the fire escape. Each of their tanks were parked in an alley, just hidden enough for some to drive right past. The crew of the hellcat was all refreshing with some water until Jay began climbing up the side of the Hellcat.
"Alright bro, which way are we heading?" The driver asked, starting to turn the engine over. Jay climbed into the cupola of the tank destroyer and put his helmet back on.
"Good question. Waifu, Calvin, meet us on 3rd street. We're going to regroup with the Flag tank." Jay said on the radio. He got a reply from both of them and the Hellcat began to move out of the alley.
[Town has been cleared, we're engaging the Shermans as of now. So far, two have been taken out, but we've lost Sniper 3 and Scout 5.] He heard Cody report over the airwaves.
"Roger that, does anyone have eyes on the flag tank?" Jay asked.
[Um, yes, but unfortunately that little rat of a tank is underneath my gun. And if someone doesn't take it out, I WILL LOSE IT!] Hanz was clearly not happy about being pinned. Jay thought about it for a moment before he heard Calvin's Chaffee move up next to him, along with the rumble of the Pershing not too far behind.
[Roger that Shield 1, I've got him now. Say goodbye little tank.] The next thing we all heard was the 122mm gunfire. [This is Shield 2, Flag tank destroyed. Whatever that T-50 commander was thinking, it wasn't enough.]
"All tanks cease-fire, halt at your positions." Jay sat against the inner wall of the hellcat and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked through the open cupola and saw the Catalina still circling overhead. He then closed his eyes and grabbed his water bottle, taking a long drink from it. Over the radio, he could hear the voices of relief and celebration.
Oregon Arena Recovery Area…
The match had lasted a couple of hours, and by a couple, almost four. Jay was walking down the line of the tanks, making sure everyone was alright and ready for the transport back to the airport. He checked in on the two tanks they lost during the battle, and to his relief, the crews were both alright. After he was done checking in on his boys, he began to walk over to the opponents' area, which was lined with people, looking at the scratch marks and dents from the impacts of shells.
"Good match today, Jay." He turned to see the commander of the team, with some bandages on his face and an outstretched hand. "Man, you had us there in the second half, we definitely didn't expect the King Tiger to be baited out like that."
"Yeah, well, that was totally a part of the plan," Jay replied, shaking the person's hand. "Although, to be fair, we kinda had an advantage. In firepower. And armor." The other commander laughed.
"Well, your Shermans we're running a bit behind the planned time, we would've had you all." He shrugged. "Although we can't blame some over-revving from our newer drivers." He then sighed, one more of sadness. "I am a bit disappointed with the results though."
"Just pick your head up man, you know we're always down for an exhibition match anytime after this tourney," Jay said, giving him a pat on the back.
"Yeah, I know." he looked behind him and saw the tanks were just about finished loading onto the rail cars. "But, looks like it's time for you all to go. Good luck, Jay."
"You too, Anthony. You too." Jay said. He jogged back over to his side of the area. He was glad to have known him from the little league senshadou days. Back when everyone was terrible at being a tank crew. He smiled as he reminisced those days, hopping onto a rail car with a few minutes to settle in for the ride.
Gerald R. Ford, 12 hours later…
With the last of the tanks arriving in a few minutes, Jay was looking at the highlights reel of the battle they had fought, and he was both happy and concerned when watching the film. He could see that although the victory was secured, there were a lot of holes in the offensive lines, and he was mad he couldn't use the long-range capabilities he had at his fingertips. Suddenly the hangar echoed with the ringtone from Jay's phone, to which he answered quickly.
"Sorry!" He shouted to the others leaving the hangar. "Hello?"
"Yes Hello, I was wondering if I could speak to the lucky bastard of a commander." He smiled and laughed a little, recognizing the voice of his friend.
"Yeah, this is him speaking." He replied. "Good to hear your voice, Pascal."
"Right back at you. Now can you tell me why you were arranging the heavies like you were?" Jay sighed and shook his head slowly.
"Nah mate, you gotta speak to the new Shield lead for that." The two talked for a bit, laughing and discussing the tactics and just shooting the wind with each other. That was until he got quiet after Jay said something about the A13.
"What's wrong? Why the silent treatment now?" He asked him.
"Nothing, it's just..the Centurion is nice, but I still miss that speedy little tank. Sitting behind the heavies and commanding." Jay heard him sigh. "I don't know. I may try to come back."
"Well, you know you're always welcome back here." Jay smiled when he said it, but more to keep himself from getting a little choked up. He heard the sound of the last Globemaster III landing with the last of the crew and tanks. "But, now I must go. I'll keep you updated here."
"Right, good luck in the next round Jay," Pascal said.
"Same to you." And with that, he hung up the phone and dashed towards the hangar door.