Re: SDNW5 Story Thread
Posted: 2012-12-08 07:24pm
The Nth Battle of Sand River
"Pseudo-North Africa," Tankhalla
Space Viking Territories, Sector J-10
The orders had finally come in for Miho's clan, and after a final briefing to go over the (sketchy) details of the (admittedly very simple) battle plan, the motley assortment of armor that made up her main force marshalled off to the assigned staging area to wait for the final signal to deploy. Sand River, as this particular battleground was called, was typical of Pseudo-North Africa as a whole, dominated by wide open spaces and generally lacking in adequate cover or concealment. At the higher competitive tiers, fights at Sand River and the other Pseudo-North African battlefields tended to degenerate into liberal artillery spam and gunnery duels conducted at extreme long range, though they still made suitable locales for good old-fashioned slugfests at any tier.
"Alright, one more time," Miho said over the radio. "Darjeeling's group cuts south, Kay's group cuts north, and the rest of us press down the center once the enemy's spotted. We can't possibly screw this one up, particularly considering who we're up against."
Commander Kay
"Ah yes, Commander Anchovy and her band of sycophants," Kay, leader of the "American" section of Miho's company and commander of the Sherman Firefly, chimed in. "Very small name, very big ego. Matchmaker must have been feeling especially cruel today to pit her company against us. Poor girl has no idea of the world of pain she'll be experiencing soon."
Commander Darjeeling (right)
"Indeed, quite the mismatch we seem to have found ourselves in," Darjeeling, leader of the "British" section and commander of the Churchill Mk VII, replied in turn. "At the very least, however, we should be fortunate that we are not on the receiving end of the matchmaker's cruelty this time around."
"Cut the chatter, ladies," Saori interjected. "T minus ten seconds to mission start."
Once the signal to deploy finally arrived, Kay and Darjeeling's respective groups wasted no time in getting underway, with the Shermans dashing quickly towards the dunes while the Matildas and the Churchill lumbered at a slow yet steady pace towards the southern village. As per the plan, Miho and the rest of her group remained ready in the staging area, waiting for Kay and Darjeeling to finally make contact with the enemy. Needless to say, neither Kay nor Darjeeling could contain their disbelief when they finally encountered the enemy's scouts, or at least what passed for them.
"Are my eyes deceiving me, or are those--" Darjeeling started, only to be cut off in mid-sentence.
"Those are L3/35 tankettes!" Kay interjected. "Anchovy couldn't even be bothered to get enough proper tanks for her clan! How the heck did she manage to get this far without losing horribly?"
"God only knows," Darjeeling replied as she sipped from the ever-present cup of tea in her hand. "I expect this engagement to be over quickly--"
Darjeeling was cut off again, this time by the sound of enemy fire. The L3/35s were merely taking point for the rest of the scout forces, consisting of L6/40 light tanks, M13/40 medium tanks, and Semovente 75/18 assault guns. Each enemy scout formation consisted of two L3/35s, one L6/40, one M13/40, and one 75/18. Of these, only the Semoventes could actually pose a threat to Kay and Darjeeling's forces with their 75mm guns, though they were gravely outnumbered; the other machines, the tankettes in particular, might as well have been dead weight going up against the likes of the Matilda, the Sherman, and especially the Churchill and the Firefly. It was the Semoventes that fired the opening shots of the skirmish, but the performance of their gunners left much to be desired; one shot landed just short of Kay's Firefly, while another impacted right on the thick frontal armor of Darjeeling's Churchill, where it did nothing other than scorch the paint and give a slight jolt to Darjeeling and the rest of her crew.
"Right, then," Darjeeling said. "Contact has been made with the enemy. All units, fire at will. Center, you may now proceed."
Miho interpreted that as the signal for her force to finally move out. "Alright, ladies, you heard her," she said to the other members of her crew. Saori, Hana, Yukari, and Mako all nodded in affirmation as they waited at their respective stations, with Saori at the radio, Hana manning the main gun, Yukari preparing shells for loading, and Mako sitting comfortably in the driver's seat. "Panzer vor!"
Cries of "Panzer vor!" rang out from the other commanders and crews through the radio in response as Miho's force proceeded out onto the battlefield. The StuG III and M3 Lee brought their superior firepower to bear by taking point, with Miho's own Panzer IV in the center of the formation and the 38(t) and Type 89 bringing up the rear. It wasn't long before Miho encountered Anchovy's own center force head-on, consisting of two L3/35s, two Semovente 75/18s, and Anchovy's personal command tank, a Carro Armato P 40.
"Platoon, halt!" Miho called out. "Enemy sighted! Line up your shots and fire!"
This time, it was Miho to get the drop on Anchovy's forces instead of the other way around, with the StuG III and M3 Lee opening fire almost immediately, spitting 37mm and 75mm rounds in the general direction of the enemy. Hana took a little more care than her trigger-happy comrades, waiting for the tank to settle completely before lining up her shot. Yukari rammed a HEAT round into the breech of the Panzer's cannon and closed it, readying the weapon for firing. "It's your call, Hana," she said.
Hana smirked slightly as she fired the gun, sending the HEAT round sailing in an arc right through the P 40's frontal turret armor and down into the cramped confines of the crew compartment, grievously injuring Anchovy and the rest of her crew and just barely missing the ammo storage. Two simultaneous and direct hits to the frontal armor from the the StuG and M3 's 75mm guns broke through shortly afterwards, causing catastrophic spalling as the plates shattered and the rivets tore loose, taking the lead tank out of the fight by taking out the crew. Yukari rammed another HEAT shell into the breech and closed it, readying the gun for another go as Hana lined up a shot at one of the Semovente 75/18s. A second simultaneous salvo rang out from the StuG and M3, smashing through the other Semovente's frontal armor with contemptuous ease and leaving Hana free to take her shot. The KwK 37 L/24 belched forth another HEAT round from its stubby barrel towards the hapless assault gun, lancing through the frontal armor and right into the crew compartment with even more devastating results than the previous effort against the P 40. With the heavy armor now disabled, the StuG and M3 charged forward in a bid to run down the now-helpless L3/35s, not wanting to waste their ammo on such inconsequential targets as these. Upon seeing these juggernauts rapidly approaching them, the L3/35 crews wisely chose to abandon their vehicles and surrender, knowing that they would at best be but mere speedbumps.
The sections of Anchovy's forces that had initially run into Kay and Darjeeling likewise met their ends quickly. Rapid and accurate salvos from the 2-pounders of Darjeeling's Matildas quickly reduced the lighter armor surrounding the Semovente to crippled hulks, leaving the beleaguered assault gun at the mercy of the Churchill Mk VII, its 75mm gun, and its obscenely thick hull front armor; faced wth an unwinnable fight, the crew of this particular Semovente made the same decision as the tankette crews that went up against Miho and promptly surrendered. Kay, however, would have none of that. Faced with an assault gun that could potentially take out her own tank with a well-aimed HEAT round of its own, she ordered her gunners to terminate all enemies currently facing them with extreme prejudice. The characteristic report of the Firefly's 17-pounder gun rang out across the dunes, closely followed by the sound of four 76mm M1A1 guns all firing at once, closely followed by the sounds of five enemy vehicles exploding.
"Ha!" Kay exclaimed as the last of the enemy tanks fell. "It's as you said, Darjeeling. Engagement was over in a flash. Barely even a warmup."
"Yet another demonstration of the matchmaker's cruelty," Darjeeling replied. "Indeed, it was over far too quickly for it to really be interesting."
Miho heaved a sigh of contentment, the simple satisfaction of yet another victory in Tankhalla her reward. Whatever money she and her company would earn for this victory was just a bonus. "So, once again, we're victorious. Even if this matchup was a cakewalk compared to our previous battles, you still conducted yourselves well out there, all of you. As long as we all had fun out here and managed to put on a good show for everyone watching, that's what really matters, though I can't really say the same for those unlucky saps who got stuck fighting against us."
"Hear, hear," Yukari said.
"You said it, boss," Saori said.
"Pseudo-North Africa," Tankhalla
Space Viking Territories, Sector J-10
The orders had finally come in for Miho's clan, and after a final briefing to go over the (sketchy) details of the (admittedly very simple) battle plan, the motley assortment of armor that made up her main force marshalled off to the assigned staging area to wait for the final signal to deploy. Sand River, as this particular battleground was called, was typical of Pseudo-North Africa as a whole, dominated by wide open spaces and generally lacking in adequate cover or concealment. At the higher competitive tiers, fights at Sand River and the other Pseudo-North African battlefields tended to degenerate into liberal artillery spam and gunnery duels conducted at extreme long range, though they still made suitable locales for good old-fashioned slugfests at any tier.
"Alright, one more time," Miho said over the radio. "Darjeeling's group cuts south, Kay's group cuts north, and the rest of us press down the center once the enemy's spotted. We can't possibly screw this one up, particularly considering who we're up against."
Commander Kay
"Ah yes, Commander Anchovy and her band of sycophants," Kay, leader of the "American" section of Miho's company and commander of the Sherman Firefly, chimed in. "Very small name, very big ego. Matchmaker must have been feeling especially cruel today to pit her company against us. Poor girl has no idea of the world of pain she'll be experiencing soon."
Commander Darjeeling (right)
"Indeed, quite the mismatch we seem to have found ourselves in," Darjeeling, leader of the "British" section and commander of the Churchill Mk VII, replied in turn. "At the very least, however, we should be fortunate that we are not on the receiving end of the matchmaker's cruelty this time around."
"Cut the chatter, ladies," Saori interjected. "T minus ten seconds to mission start."
Once the signal to deploy finally arrived, Kay and Darjeeling's respective groups wasted no time in getting underway, with the Shermans dashing quickly towards the dunes while the Matildas and the Churchill lumbered at a slow yet steady pace towards the southern village. As per the plan, Miho and the rest of her group remained ready in the staging area, waiting for Kay and Darjeeling to finally make contact with the enemy. Needless to say, neither Kay nor Darjeeling could contain their disbelief when they finally encountered the enemy's scouts, or at least what passed for them.
"Are my eyes deceiving me, or are those--" Darjeeling started, only to be cut off in mid-sentence.
"Those are L3/35 tankettes!" Kay interjected. "Anchovy couldn't even be bothered to get enough proper tanks for her clan! How the heck did she manage to get this far without losing horribly?"
"God only knows," Darjeeling replied as she sipped from the ever-present cup of tea in her hand. "I expect this engagement to be over quickly--"
Darjeeling was cut off again, this time by the sound of enemy fire. The L3/35s were merely taking point for the rest of the scout forces, consisting of L6/40 light tanks, M13/40 medium tanks, and Semovente 75/18 assault guns. Each enemy scout formation consisted of two L3/35s, one L6/40, one M13/40, and one 75/18. Of these, only the Semoventes could actually pose a threat to Kay and Darjeeling's forces with their 75mm guns, though they were gravely outnumbered; the other machines, the tankettes in particular, might as well have been dead weight going up against the likes of the Matilda, the Sherman, and especially the Churchill and the Firefly. It was the Semoventes that fired the opening shots of the skirmish, but the performance of their gunners left much to be desired; one shot landed just short of Kay's Firefly, while another impacted right on the thick frontal armor of Darjeeling's Churchill, where it did nothing other than scorch the paint and give a slight jolt to Darjeeling and the rest of her crew.
"Right, then," Darjeeling said. "Contact has been made with the enemy. All units, fire at will. Center, you may now proceed."
Miho interpreted that as the signal for her force to finally move out. "Alright, ladies, you heard her," she said to the other members of her crew. Saori, Hana, Yukari, and Mako all nodded in affirmation as they waited at their respective stations, with Saori at the radio, Hana manning the main gun, Yukari preparing shells for loading, and Mako sitting comfortably in the driver's seat. "Panzer vor!"
Cries of "Panzer vor!" rang out from the other commanders and crews through the radio in response as Miho's force proceeded out onto the battlefield. The StuG III and M3 Lee brought their superior firepower to bear by taking point, with Miho's own Panzer IV in the center of the formation and the 38(t) and Type 89 bringing up the rear. It wasn't long before Miho encountered Anchovy's own center force head-on, consisting of two L3/35s, two Semovente 75/18s, and Anchovy's personal command tank, a Carro Armato P 40.
"Platoon, halt!" Miho called out. "Enemy sighted! Line up your shots and fire!"
This time, it was Miho to get the drop on Anchovy's forces instead of the other way around, with the StuG III and M3 Lee opening fire almost immediately, spitting 37mm and 75mm rounds in the general direction of the enemy. Hana took a little more care than her trigger-happy comrades, waiting for the tank to settle completely before lining up her shot. Yukari rammed a HEAT round into the breech of the Panzer's cannon and closed it, readying the weapon for firing. "It's your call, Hana," she said.
Hana smirked slightly as she fired the gun, sending the HEAT round sailing in an arc right through the P 40's frontal turret armor and down into the cramped confines of the crew compartment, grievously injuring Anchovy and the rest of her crew and just barely missing the ammo storage. Two simultaneous and direct hits to the frontal armor from the the StuG and M3 's 75mm guns broke through shortly afterwards, causing catastrophic spalling as the plates shattered and the rivets tore loose, taking the lead tank out of the fight by taking out the crew. Yukari rammed another HEAT shell into the breech and closed it, readying the gun for another go as Hana lined up a shot at one of the Semovente 75/18s. A second simultaneous salvo rang out from the StuG and M3, smashing through the other Semovente's frontal armor with contemptuous ease and leaving Hana free to take her shot. The KwK 37 L/24 belched forth another HEAT round from its stubby barrel towards the hapless assault gun, lancing through the frontal armor and right into the crew compartment with even more devastating results than the previous effort against the P 40. With the heavy armor now disabled, the StuG and M3 charged forward in a bid to run down the now-helpless L3/35s, not wanting to waste their ammo on such inconsequential targets as these. Upon seeing these juggernauts rapidly approaching them, the L3/35 crews wisely chose to abandon their vehicles and surrender, knowing that they would at best be but mere speedbumps.
The sections of Anchovy's forces that had initially run into Kay and Darjeeling likewise met their ends quickly. Rapid and accurate salvos from the 2-pounders of Darjeeling's Matildas quickly reduced the lighter armor surrounding the Semovente to crippled hulks, leaving the beleaguered assault gun at the mercy of the Churchill Mk VII, its 75mm gun, and its obscenely thick hull front armor; faced wth an unwinnable fight, the crew of this particular Semovente made the same decision as the tankette crews that went up against Miho and promptly surrendered. Kay, however, would have none of that. Faced with an assault gun that could potentially take out her own tank with a well-aimed HEAT round of its own, she ordered her gunners to terminate all enemies currently facing them with extreme prejudice. The characteristic report of the Firefly's 17-pounder gun rang out across the dunes, closely followed by the sound of four 76mm M1A1 guns all firing at once, closely followed by the sounds of five enemy vehicles exploding.
"Ha!" Kay exclaimed as the last of the enemy tanks fell. "It's as you said, Darjeeling. Engagement was over in a flash. Barely even a warmup."
"Yet another demonstration of the matchmaker's cruelty," Darjeeling replied. "Indeed, it was over far too quickly for it to really be interesting."
Miho heaved a sigh of contentment, the simple satisfaction of yet another victory in Tankhalla her reward. Whatever money she and her company would earn for this victory was just a bonus. "So, once again, we're victorious. Even if this matchup was a cakewalk compared to our previous battles, you still conducted yourselves well out there, all of you. As long as we all had fun out here and managed to put on a good show for everyone watching, that's what really matters, though I can't really say the same for those unlucky saps who got stuck fighting against us."
"Hear, hear," Yukari said.
"You said it, boss," Saori said.