Downfall

                                    

                                          
Hello hello hello, how are y'all doing? I'm sorry again for the lack of updates, but I ended up leaving for another week in the mountains. I don't really have that much time to write or revise chapters, but I managed to save a window to publish this one. Hope you enjoy! 


                          
"The finals are coming up in an hour. Are you all ready?" 
                          
All the students in formation answered with an unanimous and loud "yes!". They were all ready for the showdown against Pravda, and they were confident they would have won. 
                          
"Good. All commanders, finish the final checkups on your tanks, then drive them to the starting point." Maho ordered, with a theatrical gesture of her hand. 
                          
Michael immediately turned on his heels and looked for his Panzer IV around, but it wasn't there. 
                          
"Where the...ah, I'm an idiot." 
                          
He had realized that he shouldn't have been looking for his Panzer IV anymore, but for his Panzer V. He still hadn't gotten used to his new tank being a Panther, also since he hadn't gotten to take it out for a ride until that moment: Maho had specifically mentioned that it was a secret, and she'd even gone as far as giving the other first year male commander Michael's old tank. As the boy approached his Panther, he felt a sense of determination and power building up inside him: he was standing before his own personal "big cat", and he thought there was no better way to test out a Panther than to try it out against a disorganized horde of Soviet tin cans.
                          
"Even though the Panther is more of a Sherman killer to me...oh well, I'm not complaining." He thought to himself as he checked his tank's roadwheels to see if they were in good condition. After his crew came along, and the 5 finished all the general checkups they needed to get done, they climbed in their new shiny Panther and drove to the starting point, along with the other 19 tanks Kuromorimine had fielded: in total, there were ten Panthers, one of which belonged to Koume and one to Michael, two Königstigers, one of them commanded by Erika, a Ferdinand, Natsuka's Jagdpanther, a Jagdtiger, two Tigers, belonging to the Nishizumi sisters, a Panzer IV and 2 Langs, or if you wanted to be extra precise, Jagdpanzer IV/70's. 
                          
The battlefield was very large and offered many opportunities and different ways of fighting: there were open fields, hills, woods...anything you could think of. The key location for Kuromorimine's commander, though, was another one: on the easternmost side of the battlefield there was a very wide and deep river, skirted by a road which had been deemed to be crucial by Maho. Gaining control of said road first would have meant being able to open up a big hole in the enemy's flank. While Kuromorimine's main force would have been sent to take control of said road, there were a few other points of interest nearby that needed to be held, for example a small group of houses on top of a hill. Around this hill there was a not so deep but not so shallow pond, and the only way for a Panther, which was Kuromorimine's "lightest" tank, to access that vantage point was through a small stone bridge, which linked the small village to another more rocky hill, easier to climb up. Knowing that Michael not only was a good tanker, but a good lone wolf, and that he had a good tank, Maho decided to send him out there alone, since she wouldn't have wanted to take away any more tanks than needed from her main force: it was going to be a bloody battle. 
                          
Michael, as soon as the match started, paired up with Natsuka, who had been assigned a position not far from his, and gave Ren the directions he needed. The Panther's engine sounded way more loud and powerful to him, making his heart rate increase a little. 
                          
"Remember, kid, keep your cool and don't get cocky. A Panther might seem invincible, but there's more weak spots than you think. Never overextend, that's the first rule. Panthers have horrible reverse speeds, since those geniuses from MAN decided to give them only one reverse gear. Second, never show even a bit of side armor to the enemy, got it?"