Chapter 6

Anchovy lowered her binoculars and grinned at the scene. It seems that Montana, along with all their E-75's, had gone to chase after Kay and Saunders leaving only one school to defend Homedale. George Washington Boys Academy, with a large arsenal of M10 Wolverines, sat on the look out for any sign of attack.

The outside of the town was covered by what seemed to be, half of Washingtons tanks. The other half were strategically placed to reinforce which ever side was attacked first. Anchovy was no fool, they would need to focus on one side of the town and attack from that direction in order to break the American defenses.

Anchovy slide down through the P-40's cupola and motioned for her driver to reverse. The tank moved and Anchovy got on the radio signaling to her allies.

"This is Anchovy, a whole schools worth of M10 Tank Destroyers are defending Homedale, I believe its Washington something or another. Their spread out but have reserves in place to reinforce positions." She said. Back in Leimberg Marie and Nishi hunkered over a map as Anchovy relayed the positions of the American tanks. Nishi marked the locations on the map and Marie was calculating the necessary composition of their own forces for their future engagement.

"That's all of them. They really are spread out, but the tanks inside the town can redeploy as reinforcements." Nishi said confirming what Anchovy relayed to them.

"It would probably be the best option if we attack at one point and focus to getting inside the town." Marie suggested.

"Maybe we can focus a barrage on some specific targets and make the opening before we charge in?" Anchovy asked over radio.

"That could work!" Nishi agreed enthusiastically. "After the specific targets are down it will take the Americans time to reorganize and give us time to get into the town."

Marie nodded agreeing with the idea.

"Alright then, Anchovy is your school already for the fight?" Marie asked.

"Yes, my girls are ready." Anchovy said. All Anzio had disembarked from Leimberg an hour or so ago and set up a F.O.B. just outside Homedale waiting and ready for the attack.

"Then Nishi and I will get our teams ready and meet you in an hour. We attack Homedale today." Marie said.

"Roger!" Both Nishi and Anchovy said.

Nishi and Marie left their Headquarter building and split off to head to their respective garages. As Nishi arrived at her schools hanger and saw her team readying itself for the impending fight. The Chi-Ha tanks were already loaded and fueled, all that was needed to was mount up and drive off.

"Commander Nishi what news, are we attacking now!?" Nishi heard the voice of the ever-hyped-up Tamada. The girl loved the sport and couldn't wait to get into the action.

"Listen up everyone, we're going on the attack today!" Nishi called to her team. The news caused everyone to cheer in excitement. "Remember that we're working with BC Freedom and Anzio, so be on your best behavior."

"Whats our plan of attack commander Nishi?" Asked Fukada.

"What kind of question is that? We charge them!" Tamada yelled out.

"To charge is to live!" Hosomi called.

"To charge is to fight!" Called another.

"Everyone please calm down. This fight will see us go against Americans. They may not know how we operate but that doesn't mean we should be reckless." Nishi said.

"We'll show those Americans what true Sensha-Do is!" Tamada yelled again causing most of the girls to do the same, completely ignoring Nishi's warning. Nishi shook her head with a smile, she loved her teammates, but they could do from slowing down from time to time.

"Alright ladies, lets mount up and get going!" Nishi ordered and her team listened.

Commander Moose's head shot up as he heard the first explosions outside. Quickly he rose from his desk and donned his Tankery jacket before he shot out the door of Homedale's town hall, heading directly towards his M10. His Wolverine, as was his crew, were already to go as he hoped onto the tanks body and slipped into the cupola.

"Anybody on radio get to the western side of the town, several Federation tanks are heading this way!" Moose heard one of his vice Commanders, Arthur, call out on the radio.

"You heard him, move it!" Moose commanded.

The Wolverine moved forward, heading west, and was joined by several other Wolverines that were stationed inside the town to act as reserves. The west side of the town was being pummeled by with shots from French ARL-44's being backed up by French SOUMA's and Japanese Chi-Ha's. Behind them all were three kinds of Italian tanks, CV-33's, Semoventes, and a solitary P-40.

"This is Commander Albert, focus fire on those ARL's and get the everyone else out here now!" Moose called on radio.

"You heard Commander Moose, get to the west side!" Vice Commander Claude said on the radio. Moose groaned and rolled his eyes at the use of his unwanted nickname but carried on with issuing orders. Whenever he called himself by his real name his team would always repeat what he said except they called him by that dreaded nickname. It infuriated him sometimes, but he also found it funny.

"Claude, when you get here you take the south end, Arthur you take the north, I'll hold the center!"

"Roger!" came the two responses. Moose grinned. His two vice commanders were polar opposites when it came to social circles, but they got along well and worked excellently together. Moose knew he'd be able to put up good resistance with those two by his side.

"Moose you there?" A new voice said on the radio.

"Yeah, I'm here. Is that you Ezio?" Moose asked.

"Yeah its me. We heard explosions, whats going on?" Ezio said.

"We're getting attacked by what looks like to be three of the Japanese high schools! How close are you guys to us!?" Moose asked.

"We're almost there. August and south Texas are with us so we should be another few minutes before we arrive." Ezio said.

"Relay between you and August and divert yourselves to either the north or south of the town! I'm going to draw the Japanese girls in, and we'll surround them!" Moose said.

"Roger." Ezio said.

Marie scanned the battlefield and smiled as the unprepared and bewildered American forces began retreating into the town. This was going better then she expected. Her smile then faded as she squinted, seeing passed the buildings into the town and seeing some of the American tanks hiding behind some of the buildings. Marie frowned before an idea came to her.

"Commander Nishi are you there?" She asked over the open radio.

"I'm here, has something happened?" Nishi responded.

"The enemy is retreating, have your school press the attack and follow them into the town, that way we'll keep the pressure on them." Marie said.

"I don't know, they should have more than the tanks we see right?" Nishi asked.

"They're most likely on the other side of the town, this is our chance to break their line." Marie said firmly.

"Commander Nishi we can take them!" Tamada said over the radio, hearing everything that was being said.

"Please let us charge them!" Hosomi said as well.

"Well, alright, Charge them!" Nishi said. Chi-Ha Tan gave a loud cheer before they charged down towards Homedale.

Nishi and her team rushed straight towards the Americans taking shots and disabling a few of the M10's before they moved into the town itself. The Americans continued to retreat giving no indication of stopping which only pushed Chi-Ha Tan forward into giving chase.

Nishi's tank took aim and fired hitting one of the Wolverines but not disabling it. Fukada and her tank were right behind her, and she turned to make a motion for Fukada to follow her. The first-year girl nodded and ordered her tank to follow.

A shot behind Nishi alerted her and when she turned to look one of the M10 Wolverines came out from behind a building having taken out one of her tanks. Another shot from her left showed a second Wolverine came out of hiding, two, three. There were more lying in wait.

"Ambush! Everyone scatter!" Nishi called out. Chi-Ha Tan scattered, the platoons of the school ran in which ever direction they could, still fighting but focused on staying active.

"This is Hosomi, we've been taken out!" Hosomi called.

"This is Nagura, we were defeated!"

"Hamada here, we've been taken down!"

Nishi began to sweat, her team was getting taken out one by one, she had to do something, yet all she could do was run around in circles trying to stay in the fight.

Nishi's tank took a sharp right passed one corner and then another sharp right followed by Fukada right before the Wolverine chasing her turned the corner to follow her and ran right passed her. Nishi took a breath before she scanned the area trying to come up with a solution.

"This isn't going well. We've been ambushed and are being taken out." Fukada said.

"We'll get out of this one yet Fukada, just give me a moment to think." Nishi said. This always happened. Every single time her team played this game this happened. They would charge needlessly and get completely wiped out. its how they've never managed to get passed the first round of either the summer or winter tournaments. Nishi understood respecting tradition, hell her family still did many traditionalist things from hundreds of years ago, but Sensha-Do had changed drastically from what it used to be. Chi-Ha Tan always had the advantage when everyone else would just charge and enter a large melee, but when other schools started using strategy and tactics Chi-Ha Tan wasn't one to accept the change. Nishi's school was stuck in the past and she needed to find a way to get her team to change.

Nishi's eyes focused on something she at first didn't understand. To the right of her, and just over the small building she hid behind, she saw Marie and her team still outside the town. In fact Marie seemed to have not moved since she gave Nishi the order to charge in.

"Wait, did she know?" Nishi said aghast. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open at the realization. If Nishi could see Marie, then Marie definitely saw the American tanks in hiding. She sent Chi-Ha Tan into the town as bait. "She let us spring the trap so she could keep her team safe."

Nishi furrowed her brows and gnarled her teeth as she stared with intense rage at Marie's position. She would have words with her when this was over.

Marie smiled again as Chi-Ha Tan sprung the American trap, just as she thought they would. Call her callous but the plan worked and now she could send in Anzio and her team without risk of many casualties.

"Miss Marie behind us!" Ruka shouted into the radio. Marie turned and watched with wide eyes as, cresting over one of the southern flower-infested hills, came a mass of M4 Shermans. These Shermans however bore not the symbol of Saunders but of the famous LA brand of Los Angeles High School of Tankery History.

"Watch out, to the left of us!" Anchovy's voice called over the radio. Marie looked over and saw that another large force of American M5 Stuarts, baring the symbol of South Texas High School, came from behind Homedale and firing into Anzio's line.

"We've been surrounded!" Andou yelled as she began ordering her SOUMA's around. "Turn around and attack the Shermans, protect Miss Marie!"

"Duce we've taken heavy casualties!" Carpaccio called out. The Semoventes were taking heavy damage and the CV-33's were trying to distract and run interference as best they could, but the Stuarts managed to counter them to.

"Watch out Lady Marie!" Ruka called as her ARL-44 moved to intercept a shot aimed for Marie's Renault. Ruka's ARL got taken out and Marie was stun locked in place.

'How? When? When did these people get here? Why did they have to show up now of all times? These thoughts ran through Marie's head as she racked her brain trying to think of a solution to get her team out of this. However, she couldn't. they had been caught off guard and were now surrounded.

"Miss Marie we need orders!" Andou yelled but Marie couldn't give any. She was to aghast at what was happening. Her plan was perfect yet here came American reinforcements at the worst time.

Anchovy's P-40 took a shot from one of the Stuarts but wasn't taken out, so she ordered it forward and took out the Stuart instead before falling back closer to the town. A shot from behind saw the remaining M10 Wolverines were coming out of the town, already finished dealing with Chi-Ha Tan, and focused on the now rear of the Japanese formation.

The two schools kept backing up and closing in on each other before they couldn't back up no more and were completely surrounded. While the Japanese schools were awaiting the final hit one American came out of his M5 Stuart and held a microphone up to his mouth.

"Members of the Japanese High Schools. My name is August, I'm the commander for South Texas High School. You are surrounded, shut off your tanks and surrender to us." The boy called out.

Marie snarled at the scene. She could do nothing but comply. Her plan was foiled, and her team lost, now to be captives for the Americans to use as they please. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.