Author's Note: Sorry for the delays… I've been busy with a number of different projects and prepping for NaNoWriMo. Hope this chapter makes it worth the wait.

Disclaimer: Girls und Panzer is the property of Actas.

CHAPTER 14:
It's worse than Karelia

The week had gone by quickly, and Miho hoped that the drills and team exercises she'd had the rest of the club do would help, as well as having Erwin in overall command instead of Momo. Still she was nervous as the Ōarai High School ship docked that morning in Tokyo alongside the Continuance. All of the team's tanks were loaded onto dragon wagons for the drive to Niiza, where Continuance was hosting the match.

Mr. Sakai drove her while the rest of the team road through the streets of Tokyo mounted up in their tracks, with little to do but watch the city roll by. During the drive, Miho mentally ran over the match in her mind trying to come up with some way she could have helped prepare her team even more then she'd been able to.

Still, Miho was worried. Continuance was famous in the sensha-dō leagues for its string of victories at home and rather unusual tactics, most of which relied upon their home field's unique topography, a densely wooded and rugged section of terrain, barely large enough to qualify as a ground for sensha-dō matches. Miho had drilled the group on close combat over and over again, having them practice in the most densely wooded part of their practice field.

In a lot of ways the close combat scenario would eliminate a large number of their team's advantages. Gun penetration was at its highest at close range, and many of their tanks were optimized more for long range fighting. Their StuG III, Hetzer, Lee, and B1 Bis were at their most vulnerable with their hull mounted main guns, and even their turreted tanks had slower traverse rates. The Tiger (P) had a slow traverse rate thanks mostly due to its turret's weight, and while it was electrically boosted, the turret drive tended to have trouble when the tank was on a slope. The Alligator had a heavy hand cranked turret.

Then there was the fact that Continuance would have a numerical superiority over their team... like usual. Miho had little doubt that her crews were better then Continuance's but they could easily be overwhelmed with weight of numbers, and at close range the chances that Continuance's crews would miss dropped rather quickly.

"It's going to be a tough match, won't it Miho-chan?" Saburō said.

Miho glanced down at her lap and sighed. "Hai, Continuance has always done very well with the home field advantage."

"If they do not win, it will not be your fault, Miho-chan. You've done the best you can with the circumstances. I believe you were right to select Erwin to lead the team in this match. Still, it will be her first time as the team leader. You must allow her to make mistakes if she is to improve in the future."

Miho nodded. "I know, that does not make it easy for me though."

"You're an excellent leader, Miho. You care for your team mates. That is something that few leaders seem to be able to say about themselves these days." Saburō said. "Win or lose, you've done the best you could for them."

Erwin sat atop her tank as their convoy rumbled through the suburbs, her lap filled with the map of the sensha-dō battle area. Dozens of pencil marks covered it as she tried to formulate contingency plans, and her knee began to twitch with nervousness. She'd kept the Zug assignments from the last match: Zug I with Anglerfish, Anteater, and Shark Teams; Zug II with her tank, Turtle, and Alligator; Zug III with Leopon, Rabbit, and Mallard. Duck team would be attached to Zug II for the match, as Erwin couldn't think of an advantage to having the tank wander off by itself to scout in the dense forest. Doing that would likely only result in it being destroyed without accomplishing much.

When they did arrive at the sensha-dō field, Erwin felt her eyes widen in shock. While Miho had described the location as dense forest, Erwin found herself gaping at the rough ground that was so crowded with trees that driving off a road would be almost impossible. Huge rocks and boulders littered the space where gaps in the forest appeared and the land rose and fell so rapidly that Erwin suddenly was left wondering if the Tiger could even make it up and down the hills.

"It's worse than Karelia!" One of the Anteater crew muttered and Erwin saw the group of gamers nodding, and she wondered what exactly that meant. Still she turned back to her map and bit her lip for a moment in thought.

"It's worse than the Ardennes or the Bocage for tanks," She said and her crew nodded glumly. "If only we had infantry in sensha-dō, we could turn this place into a death trap. As it is..."

"It'll be easy to get lost in there," Oryo said as she glanced between the rough terrain and the map.

"Yes it will," Erwin agreed as she started to erase most of her contingency plans from the map and chewed her lip. "We should concentrate together. It may be our only hope of keeping them from picking us off. They know the ground a lot better than we do."

As she penciled in a rough plan, the dragon haulers dropped their loading ramps and the teams started the process of offloading their tracks. Within moments the ten tanks from Ōarai's team were rolling to their starting positions, and Erwin packed away her map case as a small group of people dressed in Continuance High School's uniforms approached.

She clambered down to greet them, adjusting her field cap as she brushed herself off before bowing slightly.

The captain of the other team stared at her for a moment before bowing in turn. Then she smiled faintly. "It is a pity that Nishizumi-sama is not yet well enough to captain in this match. She is a formidable opponent."

Erwin nodded slightly at the girl with her platinum blonde hair, pale features, and bright blue eyes. She looked like the stereotype of a Nordic person, down to the almost snow white of her complexion.

"I hope that I'll be good enough to be a challenge for your team, then." Erwin said, with a slight smile tugging at her lips.

Miho grimaced as she sat in the bleachers, setting her crutches beside her. Still, she was healing... bit by bit. Beside her Maho sat, and gave her a faint smile before asking, "How are you feeling?"

"It still hurts, but it's getting better," Miho said.

Maho nodded before turning her attention to the display. "This will be a tough match for your team... Even our team lost its last match against Continuance here."

"Only because the Maus broke down," Erika muttered from her seat. "Nothing they have would have penetrated it... not even from the rear."

"I wouldn't be so certain, there are ways they could have taken it out... especially if they gained a height advantage and could shoot down on its roof." Maho chided her subordinate. "There is more to sensha-dō then the equipment."

Miho nodded. "We managed to defeat the Maus after all."

"We would have won if it was an annihilation match," Erika said.

Maho frowned as Miho sighed. "We will see when we have such a match."

"Yes, we will." Erika said in a firm voice.

Akio sat in the Shark, his gaze pointed down at the map that was now perched on his lap. Then, as Erwin counted down the time until the battle's start through the radio he glanced at his crew, ready to go. Heishi sat with a 75mm round in his gloved hands, waiting for the go order, and Senmonka already had his eye pressed against the sights. The engine was rumbling faintly from Gunjin pushing the gas in anticipation, and Akio could hear the bolt of Keibiin's MG34 Panzerlauf slam back into the ready position.

"Go!" Came Erwin's voice and instantly the tank lurched into motion. Immediately the rest of the team was moving, the ten tanks they had began to shift into four seperate flying wedges. Still Erwin had told them to keep concentrated together.

Almost immediately they found that those formations wouldn't be of much use in the dense tangled wood that they'd plunged into. Instead the tanks were forced to follow the paths that had already been cut through the forest. Zug I took the lead.

Yukari's voice crackled through the radio, "Shark, take point. You won't be any good at the back if they ambush us... not with the restricted traverse your tank has."

"Right," Akio said before hitting the intercom. "Gunjin, take lead. Keep it slow enough for the rest of the team to keep up with us."

"Understood."

"Senmonka, keep your eyes peeled..." Akio said as the tank started to make its way along the wooded path. The trees met over the road, forming a solid canopy and Akio kept sweeping the area ahead with his eyes, nervously fingering the MG42 mounted beside the cupola.

Behind the Shark, the Anglerfish was slowly sweeping the area to the left of them, while the last tank of their Zug, the Anteater had its gun sweeping the right.

"I don't like this..." Nekota muttered through the radio, and Akio could hear the hiss of agreement from the rest of the girls in her tank. "They could be anywhere."

Akio frowned slightly as he kept scanning the area in front of his tank with his binoculars. "Stay alert, if you see anything, don't be afraid to call it out."

#

Mizuumi sat in the shade of the trees, her eyes focused on the map she'd spread out over the front of her T-26E. Already the first reports from the tanks she'd rushed to the few usable observation points in the battle-area were in position and starting to relay reports.

Her deputy, Kumako Inumoto was pointing out the path the enemy was taking on the map as she spoke. "They've decided to concentrate together in a single column. From what our observes can see... We think they've organized into three platoons. Their lead platoon will reach point Mandelin in about ten minutes. We've got the assault guns to point Kari already, they'll be in position to ambush their column once it arrives at point Mandelin.

"They're camouflaging themselves now, yes?"

"Hai, they'll be all but invisible once Ōarai moves into the ambush," Inumoto said. "I've also moved the tank platoons into position to wall off the ambush. We'll have three Panzer IVs, five T-34s, and five StuGs waiting for them. Our T-28s will provide suppressing fire from their observation positions once the trap is sprung."

"Good... it will be like the Battle of Raate Road. We will crush them, as the Finns crushed the Soviets there," Mizuumi said. "It's a pity, I so hoped that we would have a real struggle on our hands. Perhaps they really are not that good without Nishizumi-chan."

Inumoto shrugged her shoulders. "We will have to see how they react to the ambush before we can say that they are truly worthless, Mizuumi-sama."

Mizuumi smiled and lightly gripped Inumoto's hand. "It is a good plan, I've taught you well... It's too bad Nishizumi didn't teach her deputy enough for us to be challenged."

Erwin frowned as she glanced at her map, then let out a sigh. "This damn terrain... There's no room to maneuver. I feel like von Kluge during Operation Lüttich." She scowled as she saw the glint of a reflection from the top of a large rough hill. Slowly she lifted her binoculars up and pointed them toward the glint. Then she frowned.

In her binoculars she could see the boxy shape of a Russian made T-28 tank, with a rangefinder mounted to the top of its roof. The crew was unbuttoned, and she could see the light reflecting off the binoculars of one of them.

"Damn," Erwin muttered as she grabbed her radio. "Everyone halt! We're being watched." As the column jerked to a halt and a number of curses came through the radio, Erwin continued. "Leopon, your gun should be able to reach them. Yukari, I need you to help Leopon. There's a tank at the top of the hill at grid coordinates, DA-22. You've still got that rangefinder on the Anglerfish, right?"

"Hai!" Yukari cried and Erwin glanced up to see Yukari clamber out of the hatch of the Anglerfish and pick up the bulky stereoscopic rangefinder. After she'd swung it over her back she clambered off the Anglerfish and ran to the parked Leopon as the tanks turret slowly turned and pointed toward the distant T-28.

"Range?" A voice from from inside the Tiger (P) asked as Yukari clambered onto the top of the Tiger and started to use the rangefinder.

"Two-thousand, one-hundred meters," Yukari called out after a few moments.

Then the Tiger spoke, and Erwin watched through the binoculars as the shell soared through the air to slam into a rock just short of the T-28. Instantly the crew slammed their hatches shut and she could see them starting to elevate their own gun.

The 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 gun boomed a second time and Erwin smiled as she watched the shell arc through the air, its tracer winking out just before it slammed into the side of the T-28. Pyrotechnics exploded from the tank as she watched, and Erwin felt a smile slip across her lips.

"Good shooting, Leopon. Everyone, move out!"

Mizuumi straightened as the rumble of distant gun fire rolled over her position. At the same moment her radio crackled to life.

"This is team Häyhä, Ōarai has spotted us!"

Swearing under her breath, Mizuumi grabbed the microphone. "Disengage! Team Kolkka still has eyes, we don't need you to-" A second boom cut her off and Mizuumi swore.

"We've been hit. I'm sorry Mizuumi-sama. We've been knocked out."

Mizuumi scowled before lowering the microphone. Then she lifted it up again, "Understood." Then she switched to the platoon channel, "Imuoto, send one of the platoon to Häyhä's OP. Tell them to be sure to keep out of sight."

Akio stared through his binoculars and swore as the road they were on suddenly plunged downward, heading toward a small stream at the bottom of the ravine. His driver shifted down to the lowest gears as the tank trundled downward, slowly. The dirt track turned to loose pebbles as the tank rolled into the stream, splashing water before it. Then they slowly drove through the water before crawling up the bank on the other side. The loose pebbles slowed their advance and Akio scowled at the tracks as they inched their way up onto the bank.

Akio pushed the throat mic, "Shark to Hippo, the stream bank here is awfully slippery. We might need to tow out some of the heavier and skinnier tread tanks. Mine is having some trouble too."

"Understood, once you're across hold thirty meters ahead, if the Anglerfish or Anteater gets stuck, you can use the tow cables to pull them out."

"Roger," Akio said before glancing back over his shoulder toward the Anglerfish, slowly making its way down to the stream. The Panzer IV splashed into the stream just as the Shark managed to claw its way out of the water and started up the road on the opposite side of the ford, gaining traction as it's treads found dirt instead of loose pebbles.

As they got to around thirty meters from the stream they halted and Akio watched the Anglerfish crawl out of the stream. As it finally cleared the stream, the Reizei gunned the engine and the Anglerfish hurried up to where Akio was waiting for them. When they arrived, Akio watched again while the Anteater rolled down into the stream.

Yukari was sweeping the area with her binoculars still, and Akio felt a couple hairs at the back of his neck stand on end. Nervously he glanced around the woods searching for a sign of the enemy.

"I don't like this..." Yukari said. "This ford would be an ideal ambush position."

Akio nodded and pressed his throat mic. "Anyone see anything?"

"No, but that doesn't mean they're not there," Senmonka said from his seat below.

Yukari swept her binoculars around again, searching the area. "I really don't like this."

The Anteater splashed its way through the creek and started up the bank as Erwin's StuG rolled into view at the top of the hill and started to crawl down toward them.

As they waited for the last tank in their Zug, the turrets of the Anglerfish and Shark slowly swept the area searching for the enemy. As the Anteater climbed up out beside them the Hippo splashed its way into the water. The Turtle started its way down behind the Hippo.

Then the forest to the left exploded.

The Hippo was engulfed in a cloud of smoke as shells slammed into the front drive wheel, knocking a track clean off. At the same time another shell struck the Anglerfish, ripping away part of its spaced armor. A tracer slammed into the side of the Anteater, and the tank disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

A shell dropped from the sky into the middle of the stream, sending a plume of water skyward as Akio dropped into the cupola and slammed shut the hatch just before activating the smoke mortars on the tank's turret. With a series of low thumps the dischargers kicked out six smoke shells to form of curtain of white smoke around his tank.

"Gunjin, rotate! Senmonka, targets at four o'clock... I don't know how close!"

"HAI!"

At the same time the radio erupted with traffic.

"We're okay! Computer says it went through and through!" Came a shout from Nekota as Akio glanced at the periscopes to assess the situation.

"More fire from the top of the road! Looks like two groups! I still don't see them!" Yukari shouted.

"All tanks, move up! Enemy to the left and front!" Erwin shouted.

"I see them!" Came a call from the Turtle. "StuGs to the front, they're covered with branches and foliage!" A second later the Hetzer's gun fired and Akio saw a shell streak toward the front of the road and hit a clump of foliage. A second later the black mass of a StuG errupted from the bushes and rocked on its suspension as it lined up a return shot.

The tracer shot overhead and Akio saw it bounce off the sloped front armor of the Hetzer. At the same time Akio kicked Senmonka. "Target, front! StuG!"

"Roger!"

"Panzer IVs to the right!" Yukari shouted. "T-34s to the left and right! I can just barely see them!"

"Alligator, we need you up here!" Erwin snapped. "Zug III, follow the Alligator and Duck!"

The Anglerfish fired, sending a shell shooting toward a StuG that had appeared ahead of them, and Akio grimaced as he saw it strike the mudguard without doing any more damage.

"I got a shot!" Senmonka said just before the Panzer III/IV rocked as it's main gun fired. Glancing ahead Akio watched the shell soar through the air to hit the lower-front plate of a StuG. Instantly the assault gun shuddered to a stop and a white flag popped from it's roof.

"He's knocked out, target fifty meters, one o'clock!" Akio relayed.

Their sand colored KV-1 rolled up beside the Turtle and rocked for a moment as it's KwK 40 gun was elevated toward the StuGs at the top of the hill before them, when a shell shot from the StuGs and hit the driver's hatch. Immediately the tank disappeared in a blaze of pyrotechnics and Akio heard a curse come from the Alligator's commander as he reported he'd been knocked out.

"We can't elevate to fire on those StuGs from our position!" Erwin reported. "And everything else is out of our traverse!"

"Understood!" Yukari said.

The Anteater fired, throwing a shell toward a Panzer IV that was peeking out from the trees to their left, and Akio saw it strike the tank's gun mantlet. A second later smoke exploded from the tank and there were suddenly cheers coming from the crew full of gamers.

"We got one!"

Another shell from the enemy StuGs screamed through the air over Akio's head and slammed into the front lower plate of the Hetzer. Pyrotechnics exploded from the vehicle and a curse of dismay came from the Student Council. A second later the Type 97-Kai Shinhoto Chi-Ha of the Volleyball team peaked between the knocked out Alligator and Turtle. It's small caliber gun speaking with a crack. Still, the shell just glanced off the front plate of one of the StuGs that were facing them from ahead on the road.

"Damn it!" Akio growled. "We're almost surrounded!"

The Shark's main gun fired, and Akio watched the shell slam into a slight rise in the terrain over which a StuG was pointing its gun. Heishi swore as he threw another round into the gun and Senmonka corrected his aim.

A bang filled the tank and Akio swore as he heard the distinct popping sound of the tank's white flag deploying.

They'd been knocked out.