The battle between Kuromorimine Girls' Academy (bracket number 13) and Continuation High School (bracket number 16) was a match in the quarterfinals of the 63rd National High School Senshado Tournament. Kuromorimine had fought Chihatan Academy in the first round and Continuation had fought Blue Division High School. The match grounds were a desert environment. The match ended in a victory for Kuromorimine Girls' Academy.
Battle[]
Premise[]
This match was one of the most anticipated in the quarterfinals, because according to Kuromorimine's former vice-commander "Continuation was a tough nut to crack even for Kuromorimine."
Unfortunately for Continuation, the battlefield selection landed opposite of what they wanted - a desert environment as opposed to a wintery one. Continuation's crews were accustomed to drifting and maneuvering in the snow, but not on soft, sandy ground. Kuromorimine gained the upper hand even before the beginning of the match, as knowing that their opponent was weaker in this kind of environment boosted their morale.
Panzerkeil[]
Kuromorimine's first move was to send the Panzer III out for reconnaissance while the rest advanced in "Panzerkeil" formation towards Continuation's position two kilometers away. Kuromorimine started to use one of their key tactics on the Continuation tanks - "shoot and scoot," in which tanks stop briefly to fire then keep moving to avoid being hit and keep gaining ground.
Quick Learners[]
Continuation showed their adaptability when their tank drivers learned to drift in sand, thereby dodging many Kuromorimine shells with their superior driving skills. Mika ordered the Sturmi, T-34s, T-26 and Panzer IV to fire from behind a dune to provide covering fire to her BT Squad (BT-5 & BT-7 tanks) to permit them to perform a pincer movement and dash into the enemy's formation, using their smaller size and higher mobility to engage in close quarter combat with bigger tanks and thus disrupting Kuromorimine's shooting. During the shoot-out the BT-42 destroyed a Panther and the rest of the BT Squad managed to shoot down the Panzer III and another Panther.
Fierce Fight! It's the Continuation Battle![]
Unfortunately for Continuation, their driving skills were still no match for the Kuromorimine tanks' superior quality. They weren't able to stop Maho's Tiger or Erika's Tiger II and thus their tanks were decimated, leaving only the flag tank still standing. Despite Mika valiantly fighting to the bitter end, she was ultimately shot down.
Aftermath[]
Even if Kuromorimine's victory was clear from the start, the spectators also praised Continuation because of their brilliant fight and persistence against a superior team, especially in a hostile environment, managing to knock out two Panthers (something few other schools could achieve). Kuromorimine would fight St. Gloriana Girls' College during the semifinals.
Trivia[]
- The Panzerkeil was a tank formation used by Germany during World War II. This is a wedge-shaped formation with heavy tanks forming the tip and base and less heavily armored tanks forming the wings. The tactic forced enemy anti-tank gunners to constantly adjust their ranges due to the depth of the formation, and it allowed more vulnerable tanks to be safer from enemy fire behind the protection of heavy tanks in the front.
- Continuation using a Panzer IV Ausf. J against Kuromorimine is a reference to the Lapland War. When Finland was still a Germany ally they bought fifteen Panzer IV Ausf.J that arrived too late to see action against Soviets but were used against Germany when Finland switched side.
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