Girls und Panzer: Nishizumi

Chapter Five

The sound of rushing water echoed in the empty  apartment as a young man sighed, allowing the water to flow down his body. "How did I end up here..."  He closed his eyes as a certain flashback came through.

The rain hammered the Pershings as they advanced along the narrow, muddy road. "All forces, advance slowly. We cannot afford the enemy to hear our approach, even in this downpour." Jiro commanded before his tank slid to the right. "Shit! Reverse!" The tank only dug itself into the trap before sliding down the side of the hill before crashing into the water...

Jiro opened his eyes before sighing. "Damnit...." He sighed as he turned the shower off before drying and dressing himself, carefully putting on the Black and white uniform and grabbed his cap. "Let's do this."

(Uniform is Second from the right, non-commanders wear the second from the left)

He opened the door before looking to his right, only to see his trusted friend: Fredric. "Guten Tag, Kommandant!" He gave a crisp salute before Jiro returned it. "I see you have decided to don the same uniform as I had in mind." The two shared a chuckled before walking towards the Garages.

"We cleaned the Hellcat and everyone is awaiting your arrival." Fredric state. "Wittman, I know your identity, but I'll respect your wishes not to reveal yourself before you are ready." Jiro nodded before chuckling. "Danke, Fredric."

The pair entered the Garages to see the rest of the crew talking amongst themselves. At the sight of Jiro, they stood at attention and saluted, with Jiro saluting back. "I assume that we are ready for a demonstration on the field." Sofia nodded. "Ja, Kommandant Wittman. We have our APHE, APCR, and HE shells loaded. We await your command!"

Jiro could only smile before nodding, walking up to the Hellcat. Take absolute command... That voice spoke as Jiro entered the tank destroyer and nodding to the crew. "Take us to the practice field, Alpha Actual." The Hellcat lurched forward before speeding down the dirt road, approaching 40 miles per hour, or 65 kilometers per hour, sending up a dirt cloud behind the vehicle.

Shiho looked over the course before looking back to Maho. "Are the girls ready?" "Yes Mother. But may I ask, isn't entertaining a co-ed team aboard the Graf Zeppelin go against our very beliefs about males in Shensha-do?" Shiho chuckled slightly. "It's a test for the upcoming nationals. To see if males and females can work together on the field, and off it."

Maho nodded before the sound of a Continental engine got the pair's attention before the Hellcat drifted into view as it made the turn to finish the trip. Jiro hummed before speaking into his com. "Full stop!" The Hellcat lurched forward as the tracks bit into the ground, causing the tank to slide forward for sixty feet before coming to a stop. Jiro got out of the tank destroyer before walking to the two women. "Guten Tag." "Afternoon, Kommandant Wittman. The Shensha-do Team is willing to see what you and your crew are capable of."

Jiro nodded before saluting. "Expect it to be done in ten minutes." Before the pair could respond, Jiro climbed into the American vehicle before speaking into the com. "Let's roll." At the instant, the Hellcat turned itself to the left, kicking up massive amounts of dirt before roaring forward, zipping down the path.

After leaving the view of the team, Jiro made a command. "Take us offroad. We will be able to really show our skills there." The Helcat made a thirty degree turn to the right before ascending a hill and coming to a stop inside a group of bushes. "I see four targets.... intel suggests five, which means either one of the targets is hidden, or someone from the team is the fifth...." Jiro mused before Sofia looked up. "Kommandant, I noted that the Tiger 1H was not at the assembly area." Hans spoke, looking back to Jiro.

Sofia hummed. "Facing that thing head-on is a bad idea. I do not think that we should poke our nose out for their commander to take us out." Fredric, sitting in the gunner position snorted. "You have no faith in my gunnery, eh? I'm hurt." "Cut the teasing, you two. The Fifth will be the Tiger, 212. After taking these four in front, we will drop back behind the hill and make our advance through the woods. Sofia, load APCR. Fredric, these will go straight through, but APCR should be good enough for you. Hans, standby for my signal." Everyone nodded in affirmation before Jiro spoke. "Feuer!"

Fredric pulled the trigger as the 75mm gun roared to life, sending the sub-caliber munition down range before knocking out the first target. "Shell up!" "On Target!" "Feuer!" Rinse and Repeat before the four targets were eliminated. "Hans, full reverse for five seconds, then drive right for two mikes!" "Jahowl!" The Hellcat slipped from the bushes before turning right and following a path through the trees and shrubbery. You are in for a big surprise, sis...

After two minutes of riding, Jiro sighed. "Full stop just before the edge." The Hellcat came to a slow stop before Jiro brought his binoculars to his eyes, scanning for anything that was mechanical. "I will admit, the neutral Beige makes a simple spot slightly harder in an open field..." Jiro muses before Hans popped his head out his driver's hatch. "I see something on the hill, about five kilometers ahead." Jiro nodded before bringing his binos to his face again, grinning slightly. "Target spotted. Sofia, load an APHE shell. Fredric, do not fire until we are right next to the Tiger. Hans... Swerve erratically to prevent a clear shot. We have no cover, but we got this. Los!" The Hellcat roared to life as Hans floored the accelerator, kicking up dust into a cloud.

Maho looked to her right, only to see a dust cloud with a silhouette in front. "A charge? I feel bad for you, Wittman." The Tiger slowly rotated, bringing it's frontal armor to bear as the 88mm aimed down the approaching vehicle. "Fire!" The legendary gun fired a challenge.

Hans swerved to the right smoothly before the shell flew past and exploded behind the M18. The closer we get, the harder it is to evade... "Hans, full stop! Fredric, aim at the driver's port!" The TD came to a compete stop before Fredric carefully aimed. "On target!" "Feuer!" The 75mm roared the challenge to the Tiger. The 88mm fired as well, having been reloaded just as Fredric pulled the trigger.

Two explosions, dust and smoke covered both tanks. After three seconds, the smoke and dust began to dissipate, only to reveal the victor. The M18 had the left track and all the suspension torn off, but the tank was still capable of fighting. A black spot at the Driver's port of the Tiger, along with light smoke and small embers covered the localized area. Such a shot from an APHE should knock out the tank, if it wasn't for the Carbon protections for the crew. A white flag was flying over the Tiger, as Maho bowed her head.