First Impressions / Girls und Panzer

「強豪・シャーマン軍団です！」 (Kyougou Shāman Gundan desu!)
“An Experienced Sherman Army Corps!”

Every episode of Girls und Panzer is so packed with awesome that it can be hard to figure out where to start. I’ve become so used to anime moving at a snail’s pace (and often suffering because of it) that I feel ridiculously spoiled by the sheer amount of content GuP manages to fit into each episode. It has a lot to cover in its twelve episode run, so it needs to keep moving at a good pace, and yet it has never once felt as though it was rushing. My only hope is that with how quickly preorder points for the series are rising, we might actually see a second season!

I want to start by saying how much I loved the concept of that cafe. It must have been heaven on earth for a tank-fanatic like Yukari, and even I found the myriad of tank-themed cakes, cannon-fire buzzers, and the miniature Dragon Wagon a joy. Here’s to hoping that – like certain cafes did for Fate/Zero and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica – we might actually see some Girls und Panzer themed menus in Tokyo, if only so I can gaze at the pictures longingly.

It was a pity their meal was interrupted by Maho (Tanaka Rie) and her companion, Itsumi Erika (Nabatame Hitomi). To be honest, I didn’t expect to see them interacting quite this early in the series – I thought she would remain distanced for much longer in the same way as Teru did in Saki. They certainly do seem to be very similar, though most of the insults in this meeting came from Erika rather than Maho. With their pride insulted and their worthiness of even being in the tournament put to question, Oarai has to win now, just to prove how wrong Erika is. I’m really looking forward to that inevitable matchup, if only to see Miho manage to dominate her sister and put the elitists in their places!

There were quite a few subtle (and not so subtle) hints at various emotions from the characters this week. Anzu seems to be putting a lot more pressure on Miho than she really needs – it seems a little unfair that she’s essentially declaring that win or lose, all responsibility rests upon Miho’s shoulders. Things seem to be building up to a resurgence of her PTSD, and if the prequel manga is actually canon with regards to the anime, it could be pretty serious. For now though, it seems those fears have been assuaged thanks to Yukari’s amateur espionage – Miho would have been under a lot more stress trying to come up with plans had they not managed to find out what their opponents planned to field. I find something a little touching in just how far the girls are willing to go, both to improve their own skills so as not to hold Miho back, and to reduce some of the burden on her by obtaining information.

Yukari’s father’s shock at seeing her friends was rather comical. It’s a little odd to think that she’s had no friends up to this point due to an obsession with tanks when the way of the tank is apparently such a big thing in this world. But then again, given the lengths to which she pours her being into them (she has quite the collection of models there! A Cromwell, M36, SdKfz 223, and Panzer II to name only a few!) she probably came across as pretty strange to others, especially with that haircut! It’s good that she finally managed to make friends through something she loved.

It’s always pretty entertaining to see how Japan chooses to portray other countries in anime. We have the British still looking and acting almost like royalty, and now the proper introduction of the members of the American team. As you might imagine, their leader Kei (Kawasumi Ayako) is a loud, busty, blonde girl who’s overly informal and has barely any manners. I actually quite like her – she’s funny, particularly when she starts taunting during the battle. She seems to be much more honest and open than the other members of her team, though perhaps a little too much on the carefree side. You might think that they’d consider changing their plans after catching a spy in their midst but, well, it’s not like they really had much of a plan to begin with! Where Miho comes up with an elaborate strategy for the battle, the American team relies entirely on crushing their opposition with sheer numbers, fielding twice as many tanks as Oarai. They also have the benefit of resources on their side, allowing them to use a radio interception balloon so that Arisa (Hirano Aya) could listen in on all their communications. All may be fair in love and war, but in a tournament match, that seems like a pretty dirty trick to pull. At least Miho was smart enough to see through it and come up with a simple (but extremely effective!) counter.

Unfortunately we’re going to have to wait two weeks to see just how Miho and co. manage to win their match – due to unexpected delays, a recap episode of sorts will be airing next week and episode six has been pushed back. It also means that the air date for the finale is left in question. But for now, I’m happy to have seen Oarai finally start to pull together. They finally stripped the garish paint from their tanks (a pity they didn’t add camouflage though), trained to a point where the first year team doesn’t immediately drop out of battle with nothing accomplished, and even got their hands on some pretty badass uniforms! They’re starting to look more and more like a force to be reckoned with!

tl;dr: @MoombaDS – At last, the Oorai team is beginning to shape up and look like a real threat to their competition! #GaruPan

Random thoughts:

  • The director certainly seems to love first person scenes, be they in a tank, or from a video camera!
  • Hello ‘subtle’ yuri undertones! I was wonder when you’d show up!
  • Saunders even has cheerleaders! I really can’t wait to see some of the other teams.
  • Something about the picture of Yukari’s family seems to bother Mako – I wonder what it could be?

Full-length images: 08, 14, 26.

 

ED1.05 Sequence

ED: 「Enter Enter MISSION !」 by 渕上舞、茅野愛衣、尾崎真実、中上育実、井口裕香 (Fuchigami Mai, Kayano Ai, Ozaki Mami, Nakagami Ikumi, Iguchi Yuka)

Preview

128 Comments

  1. https://randomc.net/image/Girls%20und%20Panzer/Girls%20und%20Panzer%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2015.jpg -> I hope those are not live rounds, but even though they aren’t, still…how could she managed to get those?

    Well, for the American team tactics, I think it has been foreshadowed by British team. It’s amazing how Miho could observe that one and make a successful counter-espionage. No wonder the Student Council wanted her so much in the team.

    Kevin Yamagata
    Reply

    2. well Miho is an ex commander of her past Panzerfahren. If you notice, sometimes each time she alone, her mind remember back the past and flashback her situation in the water. Probably she were drawn with the tank (Tiger) maybe.

      SgtKurtz
      Reply

  4. It is so hard to enjoy this show when you keep on pausing just to marvel at the level of research and detail they put in.

    Akiyama certainly has a respectable collection there. At the top (left to right) we have Cromwell, Archilles, that German armoured car and Panzer II. At the bottom (left to right) we have Panzerbefelwagen I (from Tristar), Gepard (from Italeri) and Strumpanzer IV. All of which are in 1/35 scale.

    Beside that rack more “subtle” product advertisment. I can see Tamiya, Eastern Espress (I think) and the top box with a confused identity – Pz 38 (t) from Italeri at the top and a DML model at the side covers

    Those books… Reference books as well as modelling books… All true to life and yes I do collect models as well. Seriously, I’d date Akiyama!

    Ok ok… Back to the show… Panzer Cafe… HELL YEA! I’d go! Lovely staff wearing Panzer uniform and having your food and drinks served on a 1/35 transporter… Awesome concept

    The battle itself… Kampfgruppe Miho’s pulling their act together. She really does have the feel of the battle arena. From realising that they’ve been eves dropped to pulling that feint (similar to what Rommel did) is just plain awesome

    Can’t wait for the rest of the episodes. Oh and WHEN WILL THEY UPGRADE THE GUN ON THAT PZ IV AND SWAP THE M3, TYPE 89 AND 38(T) FOR SOMETHING ELSE!!!!

    c2710
    Reply

    1. That’s not an M10 Achilles (or in the original American, the Wolverine), it’s an M36B2 Jackson Slugger, as shown by the large hull with a much larger glacis plate and the rounded turret with rear bustle.

      SayuriUliana
      Reply

    2. Akiyama was indeed an otaku for Panzer. No surprise if you see her room fill with disable ammo, a few steel wheel, some random boxes ( I believe I saw 3 MG 34 box), wireless 2 set ( where on earth she get them ) and surprisingly a box full of 1/35 scale model. I can recognize the brand of the model;
      1. Trumpeter
      2. Dragon
      3. Tamiya

      those 3 brand are good for tank model. Very detail too. Even more surprise she doing dangerous recon herself abort the Enterprise Carriers ( Sanders Homeland ).

      SgtKurtz
      Reply

      1. You collect models as well Kurtz?

        I’m more familiar with the quality, finesse and PRICE of DML (or Dragon) and the PRICE. Have yet to try Trumpter though…

        Now when will Revell and ICM make an appearance in this anime…

        c2710
        Reply

      2. Yup…I’m a scale modeler for German Panzer 1/35 ( Tamiya and Dragon ). Quality and dead price but worth the price of buying them.

        I even playing World of Tank, using Pz 38(t)…

        SgtKurtz
        Reply

      5. Well, Garupan is definitely pulling me to the dark side, into armor modeling. But commenting about the different brands fo models. Trumpeter, in the aircraft modeler community there’s a saying that Trumpeter and “Accuracy” don’t go in the same sentence. As in their kits are pretty but they make big obvious booboos with each release, comparable to finding an stunningly beautiful girl and when she opens her mouth she has crooked rotten teeth. As for armor it seems they’re relatively good, but not top level or free of inaccuracies.

        Kamui04
        Reply

    3. If you were wandering what that type of transport they used serving the cake is what they call OSKOSH Tank Carrier and Nazi Germany have similar as this and they were called as FAMO.

      SgtKurtz
      Reply

    4. You’re not kidding about the research and attention to detail as others have noted. One thing I noticed was all that all the M4s shown in the “hanger”/storage area during the recon film look like that the same, shorter 75mm canon barrel (none with a muzzle brake). Yet during the briefing, the state one 76mm and one Firefly will take part in the battle. At the start of combat, they do show two M4s with longer barreled canons (76mm has no muzzle brake for some reason, the Firefly’s barrel end is cut off from view).

      I totally want to go to the Panzer Cafe. That place is awesome – from the miniature tank to summon your waitress to the miniature tank carrier delivering your order. Of course the girls in uniform were not bad either ^_^.

      Yeah, they’re starting to get outgunned with the appearance of the M4 76mm, and worse, the Firefly. Even 75mm is better than 4/5 of what they have. Agree 100% with swapping out models you mentioned. As for upgrades,I’d add the Stug III to the list since AFAIK, its the Ausf F with the 75mm L/43 rather than the Ausf F/8 or even AusF G with the L/48 canon.

      daikama
      Reply

      2. The Problem here, not every “railroad” can handle the “Weight” of this Monster. And dont let us talk about “Bridges” 🙂 Thats why it was a real pain to move this Monster…

        Germanguy
        Reply

  6. Metal Gear Panzer: Staring Yukari able to smuggle herself into two boats, infiltrate a school in disguise, acquire crucial information, do some movie editing on the trip back and to top it off, make a random reference to Kelly’s Heroes. Eat your heart out Solid Snake!

    I love Shermans largely because I think they look cute (but effective). I also like how they parallel actual Sherman contributions to WWII. Mainly that they are so damn many of them there can afford to lose a few. A Firefly is deadly though, so I wonder how they are going to deal with that.

    fragb85
    Reply

    1. Don’t worry….even the Shermans and Firefly indeed powerful but the weakpoint are the engine and the fuel they carrying it (High Gasoline Type). Pz IV and StuG III can handle it.

      SgtKurtz
      Reply

      1. Not sure I’d agree that the Panzer IV Ausf D with a low velocity 75mm L/24 canon can really “deal” with an M4. Sure if they can get to point blank range, but in that case, it’s more of the Firefly losing than the Panzer winning since the best tactic for a Firefly is to “snipe” enemy tanks taking advantage of it’s 17pound canon’s range. JMO, but only the StuG III Aus F with the longer barreled L/43 75mm or maybe the M3 Lee despite it’s shorter 75mm M2 canon is have sufficient firepower for attacking at a decent range.

        Two things about the M4 “brewing up” (catching fire). It wasn’t because the tank ran on gasoline. The majority of WWII tanks ran on gasoline – “standard” gasoline, not aviation gas (which I think you mean by “High Type” gasoline). There was barely enough aviation fuel for the ever increasing number of planes (essentially all aviation fuel supplied by US). Using “standard” octane gas for tanks is evident in the lower HP figures for tanks using engines based on aviation designes like the Comet (“Meteor” engined based off the famous Merlin see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Meteor).

        The M4’s had a tendency to catch fire due to the original storage location for the canon ammunition. From Wiki “Fuel fires occasionally occurred, but such fires were far less common and less deadly than ammunition fires. In many cases the fuel tank of the Sherman was found intact after a fire. Tankers describe “fierce, blinding jets of flame,” which is inconsistent with gasoline-related fires but fits cordite flash [i.e. “gunpowder”]”. Furthermore, “United States Army research proved that the major reason for this was the stowage of main gun ammunition in the sponsons above the tracks. A U.S. Army study in 1945 concluded that only 10–15 percent of wet-stowage Shermans burned when penetrated, compared to 60–80 percent of the older dry-stowage Shermans.”

        daikama
        Reply

      2. Daikama,

        The info I have is that the IV could defeat the Shetman’s armor at 800 m but the Sherman could take out the IV at 2000 m. So Miho has a chance but only if her luck and tactics hold.

        Your comments on the controversy over the M4 “brewing up” was enlightening.

        Bear
        Reply

    2. If the Firefly is the one with the flag, then they have to handle it. But if not, they may not need to. This isn’t “extermination” like the exhibition match was. To win, all they need to do is knock out the tank with the flag. Which for Oarai is Turtle team. For the other team, we haven’t seen it.

      Steven Den Beste
      Reply

      1. Excellent point – something I keep forgetting! This isn’t like the “scrimmage” last episode. Taking out the “flag” tank ASAP is the way to go for Miho & Co. FWIW, I’d make the Firefly the “flag” tank and put it somewhere with a wide open view (hull down if possible). Then just shoot anything that approaches. It’s has more range than any other tank on the field.

        daikama
        Reply

  9. well yea trying for tank tournament 5 girl crew having some tank cake & cafe tank area til miho’s sister appear with her sidekick saying you will fail.

    wonder to ready for next match yukari go like sneak in to other school to get info sure got some then run sgt. oddball cause there on to you so after practice, training, re-design tanks, Measuring Day, etc now battle begins.

    10 vs 5 tanks give to chase attack bunny tank til see sherman had spy radio balloon (must be payback for sgt. oddball spying) so new plan cellphone & boom goes a sherman.

    seiger
    Reply

  10. https://randomc.net/image/Girls%20und%20Panzer/Girls%20und%20Panzer%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2022.jpg

    finally M3 Lee, 38(T), Type 89 and Stug III change the color and disband un-reliable thing. Many have learned their lesson and sharpen their skill too.

    https://randomc.net/image/Girls%20und%20Panzer/Girls%20und%20Panzer%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2025.jpg

    I’m surprise the nickname of each team;

    1. Panzer IV – Anko or Anglerfish?
    2. Type 89 – Flying Duck ( can they really fly with the tank? )
    3. M3 Lee – Rabbit
    4. 38(t) – Turtle? ( I curious why Turtle? )
    5. StuG III – Tororo or Elephant?

    SgtKurtz
    Reply

      3. Well volleyball club is Ahiru which refers to the domestic kind of duck. Discipline committee team is Kamo which refers to the wild kind of duck.

        Commie translated Kamo into a goose, which is wrong, Kamo is a duck and not a goose which is another subfamily (just like how a duck, goose and swan are different) Hiryuu fansub decided to go with Mallard which is more reasonable since is one species of wild duck and close enough to the avatar they have on their armbands.

        Kamui04
        Reply

  11. Prez-chan: “What is your squad and rank?”
    Yukari: “Sergeant Oddball, third class!”

    A Kelly’s Heroes reference in my anime?
    Yes. I think this is the anime I’ve been waiting for my entire life to see. It is not deep, nor is it particularly brilliant, but it is mine.

    I’ll be expecting paint rounds and more of dem negative waves in future episodes.

    Rayearth
    Reply

    1. Well, if you a new to “Panzerfahren” (Like me) and need some “Background”, then i suggest you “World of Tanks”. Really. Sadly they dont support “Nippon” Tanks. But Russia, GB, France and German Tanks are there…(Thats why i stared to look inside the Game, too)

      Germanguy
      Reply

      1. World of Tanks is supposed to get a Japanese tech tree line in the future along with Japanese premium tanks, but that’s a long way off. Their latest addition though is the British line, which came out only a couple of weeks ago.

        SayuriUliana
        Reply

  14. there seemed to have been some digs at the “American” team for winning solely through “money and numbers” but I guess they compensated by making them “nice people.”

    …oh, and Americans didn’t use Fireflies. They coulda thrown in some M18’s or M36’s instead.

    Kasrkin519
    Reply

    1. The Americans may not have created the concept of the Firefly, but the Shermans used to make them are from America. This is the same anime where you see three German tanks (one from Czechoslovakia), a Japanese tank, an American tank, and a French tank in the same team. An (faux) American team using a British-modified American tank doesn’t sound so bad to me.

      SayuriUliana
      Reply

      1. Yes, but every competitor they face seems to based on a country and uses exclusively that country’s tanks. Last weeks “British/Commonwealth” team using Matildas and a Churchill (with a Crusader sitting around in a later shot). The Americans using all Shermans…etc. I think that trend will continue which leads me to believe that’s a mistake rather than a purposeful non-American inclusion.

        Kasrkin519
        Reply

      2. It’s more like the countries go on a theme to me. Hence, the Saunders school using just Shermans as their tanks, and including the Firefly for completion despite its origin.

        SayuriUliana
        Reply

  15. Say, it is today Possible to build a Tank, jut out of High Tect Carbone or so? If they use this Kind to build Race Cars (Formel 1), it is not Possible to Build some Parts of Carbone, to reduce the Wight?

    Germanguy
    Reply

    2. Yes, the dark colored tank is the Sherman Firefly. It’s shown thrice in the episode actually, with the best shot being at the end of the episode right after the first Sherman goes down. There, the characteristic muzzle brake and the closed-off hull MG port can be identified.

      SayuriUliana
      Reply

  17. I really didn’t expect to find a character voiced by Rie-Rie or Hitomi that I would dispise with all my might ever. Well played, GuP. The air of superiority of both was so sick that I almost jump of my seat, killing intention flared up. I’m really looking for the finals, as I expect Miho and her merry band put a shell right on to Maho’s overconfident Tiger-rear end. My only fear is that Maho may be the mastermind of the revival of Oorai Panzercraft, as Anzu’s lackeys once again put the “if we lose…” on screen.
    Aside from Yukari putting a black op(CoD MW4: Yukari’s Rise when?), the real cake (not the ones from the Tank Cafe) was the cheating nature of the USA-based school. Not only superior numbers (2 to 1) in (seemingly)superior tanks, but also tampering comms? Way too low. Thankfully, there’s a real batallion commander that is going to make the Saunders’ girls regret it. You got StuG’d twintailed brat!

    SeedStriker
    Reply

    1. In defense of the Saunders team, I have to say that nothing they do is really cheating.

      The tournament allows up to 10 tanks in the first round and they would be stupid not to sign as many as possible, especially because the tank selection is not made official before the day of the round.

      The wiretapping is not forbidden by the rules either and it seems that it’s not actually part of their original tactics, but actually done by Arisa without orders to do so. The conversation she and Kei had during the match makes me think that Kei either knows about it and turns a blind eye to it, or doesn’t know about it at all.

      Zannafar
      Reply

  18. Go Oorai!
    Getting rid of the outlandish paint schemes, training hard and helping each other, this is the spirit of true Panzerfahren! Now if they only could afford some better tanks… Pz IV and StuG are OK, rest is hopeless against even standard Shermans.
    Saunders academy gets every US stereotipe out and drives up to 11. One quibble I have is that firefly would rather fit Brit team as US forces didnt use any…

    ewok40k
    Reply

  19. Itsumi sounds butt hurt if you ask me. I’m guessing Miho was Vice Captain under her sister( a position that Itsumi clearly wanted; hence why she kept shoving dirt in Miho’s face(metaphorically).

    Just a theory since I haven’t read the manga yet, but just in case:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    In any case I’m reserving judgement for now on Maho. Her only comment was a justified one considering Miho never wanted to go near Panzers again. Maho seems to be the type to lead by example so I think Itsumi should follow it and keep her mouth shut.

    A small observation: Yukari looks a lot like her mother in the shot where they enter the barber shot. Not as much in the picture though. Based on Mako’s reaction I’m guessing that since only her grandmother has been mentioned that she is Mako’s guardian and her parents are either dead or away.

    Roguespirit
    Reply

    1. I don’t think Miho was kicked out. I think she quit. There was some sort of event where her tank went into deep water and she nearly drowned. She was sufficiently traumatized by it that she quit the whole business, and transferred to a school which she thought didn’t have sensha-dou, so that she wouldn’t be tempted to participate in it.

      In Maho’s TV interview, which we saw while visiting the tank shop, one of the things Maho said was “I never give up” or words to that effect. She was talking to Miho when she said that. And when they saw each other at the cake shop, Maho said she was surprised that Miho was back into sensha-dou.

      Miho’s PTSD is going to eventually get dealt with, one way or another.

      Steven Den Beste
      Reply

  20. There has been an assumption I think, that these are teams from different countries. This is the National tournament. I think these are all Japanese teams that have adopted the personas and tanks of various countries. Sort of explains the mixture (sometimes) of tanks that we see.

    Also seems that the Saunders team is using earlier variants (A1) Shermans. Makes it a little more equal than the girls fighting later marks.

    bear
    Reply

    1. It is indeed just the National tournament as mentioned many times in the anime. Yukari even mentions this episode that Saunders is good at imitating Americans, implying that everyone they’re gonna be fighting so far are Japanese playing up stereotypes.

      It bodes well for future sequels since they’re not fighting on the International stage just yet.

      SayuriUliana
      Reply

  21. I think what I liked best was St. Gloriana. The Oujo and her second were sitting sipping tea, and they were the only ones who weren’t surprised (let alone shocked) when Oarai made its first kill.

    If you look at the tournament tree from last episode, st. Gloriana is on the other half. My guess is that Oarai will meet St. Gloriana in the final. And the Oujo is hoping for that. She could see Oarai (i.e. Miho) improving just over the course of their exhibition match, and they’re continuing to improve, and I think she’s looking forward to a really worthwhile, yet honorable, opponent.

    Steven Den Beste
    Reply

    1. There is an extremely low chance Ooarai will meet again with St. Gloriana. The British are on the same side of the tournament as Maho and the German team. As cliched as it sounds, the show is building up for a sister vs. sister final. There’s also the Russians who will probably face Miho during the semis. I won’t be surprised if our main characters lose before reaching the finals. (This is a good way of making a foundation for a second season.)

      Lurker
      Reply

      2. While highly unlikely, I think it would make for a great plot-twist if the Black Forest Academy team was crushed in the first round and Oarai had to face their opponents in the finals.

        Zannafar
        Reply

  22. I’m making another post to talk about the battle itself and the tanks.

    First off good job getting rid of the idiotic paint schemes and going back to standard ones. Shows that the teams have matured after beeing bloodied. You learn more from failure than from sucess.

    A bit of a criticism about the choice of some of their emblems. The pink bunny makes a great aiming point. During the invasion of Polland in 1939 Polish anti-tank gunners used the German’s yellow and white tactical markings as aiming points allowing them to get really good shots into the weak side armor of the early Panzers.

    Maho’s decision to scout first and keep the flag tank secure was a good choice, and were it not for the balloon it might have worked fairly well if they didn’t let themselves get surrounded. This initial plan involved luring them to the Stug, taking advantage of it’s excellent gun and low profile to hide and snipe persuing Shermans. Miho went in knowing this would be a battle of attrition and that came from Yukari’s spying. Sun Tzu himself says:
    “What enables an intelligent government and a wise military leadership to overcome others and achieve extraordinary accomplishments is foreknowledge.”

    I should point out at this point that tanks are not ment for forests and tankers generally hate being in them because the trees in hibit turret traversing, and like the city it’s one of the last places a Stug wants to be. However it does complement most of Ooaraa’s tanks agaisnt the longer barreled Shermans. With the exception of the Stug the Ooarai tanks are all short barreled and the two light tanks with their smaller size will give them an advantage over the larger Shermans. Funny how Kei was saying that the Bunny team couldn’t shoot and yet ALL their tanks couldn’t hit a single target.

    Charging by those two blocking Shermans is something I’ve done personally in WoT. It’s a way to escape by outrunning the enemy tanks ability to traverse their turrets and reload time and the tanks persuing them would avoid fireing at them lest they hit their own tanks. The two Shermans they passed would keep going in order to not be caught stopped and vulnerable out in the open; instead they would and did keep going to get behind the cover of their comrades.

    Miho’s deduction that Saunders was using a radio intercept ballon means that she probably encountered something else that was at least similar to this earlier in her career. Her deceptive use of the radio was genious. The idea itself obvious, proper execution, quite difficult. One of the things that Ooarai had on their side was that they were under estimated, which is part of the reasone Saunders fell for it so easily. Don’t know if they’ll fall for it again though. Also if you payed close attention you noticed that Miho used the type of tank(Pzr 38(t)) instead of “Turtle Team”. Ordinarily you would use the team call signs to prevent any enemy that might be listning in understanding exactly which unit(in this case the type of tank) is being sent where. This was a point where the Saunders commander could have realized their ploy but because she underestimated Ooarai it never dawned on her that they might of used this. She had been listning to their comms almost throughout the entire battle so she should have noticed this sudden change.

    Ingenious use of their least adaquate tank to serve as bait with an enhanced dust cloud, and then surrounding their pursuers after luring them into the trap. The Stug had its barrel exposed but I can think of at least two reasons for this.

    1. They need to move that far forward to get enough declination.

    2. They didn’t want to risk destroying their cover(the shell might destory the branches rather than push them out of the way like the barrel could. This is less likely since Tank Destroyers are supposed to shoot and scoot anyway.

    Still Miho should not have focuse fired on a single tank, they could have easily destroyed both at once, or at least had a better chance. I counted three hits on the “destroyed” Sherman: One Turret, one hull, and track. Judgin from the next camera shot and the angles I’m guessing Pnzr IV hit the turret, Stug hit the hull, Lee missed with the turret mounted 37mm and hit the track with the 75mm judging from the explosion that followed the last hit. [Also epic alpha strike dramatic shots.]

    A couple more notes: Saunders(and probably many of their future opponents) continue to underestimate the Ooarai team and while this is somewhat justified there are one or two problems with this.

    First the justification: They are virtually inexperianced and are facing teams that have been practicing Panzerfahren for years; They lost their match against Gloriana(though most of them might not know just how close the match was), their tanks used to have wierd(and rankly stupid) paint schemes, and they have only three tanks that have a chance against most of what the other teams are fielding.

    This doesn’t pain a winning picture but then that’s what it looked like for the Germans when they invaded Poland and France(which was flanked through a forest coincidently with this episode)with fewer numbers and overall less adequate armor(in France at least). The reason was better execution, better troop morale, ésprit de corp, command and control, tactics, cooperation with the Luftwaffe, the list goes on. This brings me to Miho who is the biggest reason the Ooarai team should not be underestimated.

    We don’t know a whole lot about Miho truth be told but every episode we always learn one or two new things about her. But here’s the big thing:

    She was the Vice Commander of a tank team that had one the turnament 9 consecutive times(even if it was her fault they lost last year but we don’t know that yet) she is the younger sister and daughter of two well known figures in the Panzerfahren community, and in her last battle she took a team of total noobs and brough them a near victory.

    Additionally she has the undying loyaly and support of her team, she’s cool under pressure/fire, she’s thoughtful and tactical; quick thinking and as today proved she is well versed in unconventional military tactics used by past commanders and is good enough to make up some of her own. Gloriana recognized this and showed their respect.

    Miho’s credentials are extensive and I can only assume that her actions in the battle in which she nearly drowned lowered her prestige to such a degree that they either write her off or see her only as someone who wasn’t as good as her sister.

    I’m looking forward to the rest of the fight(in two weeks 🙁 ) hopefully we’ll learn a bit more about the back story.

    Roguespirit
    Reply

      1. Or the map is open on her lap or in front of her. Off screen. Memorizing maps are hard. Believe me, I tried. I got hopelessly lost the one time I did at a land navigation course at Quantico. Only after consulting the map did I realize my next marker was now half a kilometer away having mistaken my previous marker.

        Three hours later my Colonel finds me still doing the last leg of a pre-charted land nav course. Last cadet to finish. OTL

        Jusuchin (Military Otaku)
        Reply

      2. It’s possible that she memorized the maps. If she can memorized all her classmates names and birthdays, a map wouldn’t be as far fetched, don’tcha think? Still, we still don’t know the full length of her abilities and experiences as her background info comes bit by bit every episode. Also, she’s very experience and had battles ever since she was ten(refer to Girls und Panzer: Little Army manga).

        Vaan
        Reply

    2. Well, Sauders Commander is a bit “Easy Minded”. She dont ask where the “Enemy Infos” came from. And just take “Woman Intention” as an Excuse. Or She dont wanna know it.

      I am Curious, what She will do when She get to know about this, and the Spectators + Judges

      Well, in Today. US Army has some sort the same thing… But it is Miles away in the Sky. Satellite Observing, Drones and so on…

      Germanguy
      Reply

      2. Radio Interception was a real thing, and the US and UK dedicated tens of thousands of men to it during the war. But it was more at the level of strategic and grand tactical; not so much at platoon level.

        It was one of the major ways that the Battle of the Atlantic was won, for one thing. But it was used heavily in ground operations in Europe. They did “traffic analysis” on the intercepts, and if possible they also deciphered or decoded them to learn what the enemy was saying. If you’re looking for keywords, try “HFDF” (high frequency direction finding) and “traffic analysis”.

        One of the more interesting examples was the fact that the Americans had totally cracked the highest level Japanese diplomatic cipher. They were able to perfectly read every message transmitted in it. Which was really useful in Europe.

        The Japanese ambassador to Germany in Berlin was given access to current top level info about how the German high command viewed the current state of the war. He used that cipher to report to Tokyo — and the Americans read every such message. Eisenhower used that info as part of his strategic planning of the campaign.

        Steven Den Beste
        Reply

    3. Nice exposition Rogue.

      Back to the battle itself… I never really thought much about the forest battle. For all you know they could be recreating the drive through the Ardense.

      And for Miho herself… She might turn out into another “magnificent bastard”. Now I wonder if we’re going to be treated to any fights in the desert. Would like to see teams using tactics inspired from Rommel, Monty and Patton

      c2710
      Reply

    4. Good overview. I think Miho’s trauma was bad enough that she suffered from PSDT and couldn’t function. She may have even lost some team members and blamed herself for it.

      The Pk I’v can take out a Sherman but it is definitely outgunned. Using the Stug to snipe the Sherman’s was the best tactic that I could see. Given the extreme difference in numbers the only hope I think they have is to deduce the flag tank and take it out before they get overwhelmed.

      I am just amazed at the number of tank otakus here! Or should that be otakus? 😉

      Bear
      Reply

    5. While I can see your point about targeting the second tank, I’m not so sure it was a mistake. While the StuG III’s shot alone SHOULD have disabled the M4, it’s not guaranteed – especially given the fact that Oarai’s overall accuracy has room to improve (as shown by the second M4 escaping). IMO, better to make sure you get at least one tank, especially since if you knock it out immediately, it can’t return fire like what happened to the Type 89 last episode.

      One tank (not sure which one) did fire first on the second M4. The big mistake Oarai’s team continues to make IMO is that they have a tendency to fire, pause/look around/celebrate/etc. rather than continuously firing at targets. After the StuG III’s first shot, I kept waiting for it to immediately follow up on the second M4. The StuG III (and M3 Lee’s main canon) should have immediately repositioned to fire on the 2nd M4 leaving some combination of the Panther IV, Type 89 & 38(t) covering the first M4 for a follow up shot if needed. Once the flag pops up, then all tanks fire on the second M4.

      Regarding Germany’s invasion of Poland, sorry, but to compare that to Oarai’s is just wrong IMO. Germany outclassed on every essential point. First, the German army was much more advanced than Poland – Poland used CALVARY in some battles. Poland’s defenses held on as best they could, but the outcome was never in doubt. Everyone knew Poland couldn’t defend itself which is why England and France issued the proclamation that they would go to war with Germany if it invaded Poland.

      The almost inexplicably fast fall of France is another matter. Germany weaponry was technologically superior in most cases, but France certainly had sufficient armor and infantry to put up a serious fight. France lost the war more than Germany won it. French military “leadership” was horrendous – indecisive, overly-cautious, and hugely procrastinating with decisions combined with zealous adherence to WWI tactics. From Hart’s History of the Second World War (p. 70) “It was the French High Command, however, which contributed most to Hitler’s success.” Some credit for the victory should go to Germany, but even then, it was more due to one German commander, Guderian, than German High Command on the whole.

      You might be 100% correct about Miho being the former Vice-Commander at Black Forest and the reason they lost last year. For some reason, I didn’t draw that conclusion though it does make sense. Either way, my impression is that Miho’s talent as a commander has more to do with her innate abilities and family background than her previous school experience. Obviously it’s beneficial if one is part of such a successful team, but I think Miho would be almost or even as good a commander if her previous school was not Black Forest.

      For example, I think Miho discovering the radio interception balloon wasn’t from prior experience (unless she fought Sanders before, and if so, should have expected it from the start), but more so due to experience & instinct. Sanders’ team responded to Oarai’s actions so swiftly and accurately that it was abnormal. There had to be some unknown reason, and upon spotting the balloon, Miho put it together.

      Lastly, you’re 100% right that Oarai’s opponents underestimate them, but assuming Oarai wins (it would be a short season if they didn’t), that won’t happen again. Every other school is watching them, and only the stupidly arrogant would dismiss this impressive underdog victory as simply luck.

      daikama
      Reply

      1. GAH!!! Horrible job proofing. Sorry! Two corrections/clarifications:

        3rd Par. “…compare that to Oarai’s TEAM (missing) is simply…”, delete “First” and CAVALRY not “calvary”

        6th Par. Shouldn’t have used the word “experience” twice. In essence it’s not so much she’s seen a radio interception balloon used in a previous tournament or match, but the sum total of her Panzer technical knowledge and background/”experience” (i.e. old HS, middle school, family outings – whatever) subconsciously tells her that “something’s not with the way Sanders is reacting.”

        Since there seems to be some scale model fans here, wanted to add this: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10202617

        daikama
        Reply

      2. >_<. Very sorry for adding a 2nd post, but watched the "non" German Commie sub's this time and caught the direct reference to Miho being he Black Forest Vice-Commander. Please ignore that part of my comment (1st part of 5th paragraph).

        daikama
        Reply

  23. Some general comments:
    – 5/5 IMO. Another good episode. Less humor (and less Hist Team :<), but barely noticed due to all the action. You know it's a good show when waiting 7 days for the next episode seems more like two weeks.
    – Is Saunder's U/HS on land or on a "carrier"? Maybe just me, but I keep wondering if St. Gloriana's carrier is that huge, how big must Saunder's carrier be to fit all those tanks? It's the "richest school" so financing won't be an issue.
    – Kudos to Yukari for having both the guts and the intelligence to do some well needed recon. Now if she only stopped at after asking which tank is the flag. She had 95% of what she needed, no use taking anymore risk. You can only go to the well so often…
    – Maybe the radio balloon isn't an honorable way to fight, but saying it's "not fair" after Yukari spied on the Saunders' strategy meeting is a bit hypocritical.
    – Did anyone else think that since Yukari was discovered, maybe, just MAYBE Saunders might have altered their plan? If they did not even change which tank is the flag tank (let alone maybe add in a couple 76mm M4s, alter formation, etc.), Saunder's deserves to lose.
    – "Girls intuition"? LOL, Kei (Saunders commander) sure is easy going. Nostradamus would be envious of intuition that accurate. Surprising that Kei is unaware of the radio interception balloon, yet it seems like other schools do know about it. Remember Darjeeling in Ep. 03 saying that St. Gloriana's refuses to fight in a "vulgar" manner. Makes me wonder what "Prada" has up its sleeve…
    – Yes, tactically/strategically/militarily/etc., the pink "animal" icons are stupid, but I LIKE the killer bunny. LOL'd when I saw the completed version… made me think of that scene in Monty Python's Holy Grail. Can't go wrong with a homicidal rabbit mascot. Also LOL at how Team A's mascot is the angler fish. I would have thought Anzu (SC Pres.) would have snagged that. Still, Oarai's tanks look MUCH better now.
    – Gold star to Miho for setting a proper trap with the StuG III, and more importantly, figuring out the radio intercept, discovering a way around it and then using it to set a trap. Now will Saunders catch on to the fact that their radio intercept's been discovered?

    daikama
    Reply

    1. Saunder’s carrier is friggin huge, also has design similarities to the Nimitz. I need to go back and check but maybe Oarai’s is based off the older IJN vessles, while Gloriana from their older classes, because I doubt they’d use their baby flattops due to the ski-jump.

      Also after the gentlemanly/chivalrous fight last episode, this is more in line with a true battle.

      Also, I was squeeing at Saint Gloriana’s ride. HOLY COW!!! SAS Land Rover! Complete with gear! >w<

      Jusuchin (Military Otaku)
      Reply

  24. I did my live blogging format again. Not as refined and collected as moomba, but my thought process is out there to see. ><;;

    That and the moment I clicked publish, I went to vote, grab my paycheck, etc etc and then promptly went back home to sleep.

    Anyways!!!

    Huh, late war Shermans with a single Eggshell? I'm not entirely sure if the M4A1 Sherman (seen with the eggshell-shaped cast hull) is the Firefly. It doesn't have the distinctive muzzle break that the Ordinance QF 17 Pounder has, nor does it have the countershadowing camo which fools enemies to thinking it's a non-Firefly Sherman. To me it's an M4A1 that has been upgunned utilizing the T23 Turret and the 76mm M1A1 gun. The 76mm Guns didn't get a muzzle break until the M1A1C and M1A2 models.

    Now that would mean the flag tank would be the M4A1 Sherman with the 76mm gun. I imagine that the Sherman VC Firefly will be the 'ace' tank much like how the Panzer 4 is Oarai's ace tank. On to the other tanks, I think they're all M4A3E9 tanks, or at least utilizing the late-war hull types, and just swapping/modifying the turrets.

    I had a thought process where I thought of the Saunders team as having something akin to Freshman, JV, and Varsity teams, with Freshmen utilizing primarily 75mms, JV utilizing primarily 76mm, and Varsity utilizing Fireflies. While it seems to hold up, there aren't much similar divisions and it would make sense for the Saunders commander to train with elements of all three teams.

    Nice for Saunders to utilize what was one of the major allied advantages in the war. Allied codebreaking effort did lead to turn the tide of the war, but at the same time, their plan is apples to oranges when compared to the efforts of the men and women at Bletchley Park or the US Navy breaking the IJN Naval Codes.

    As I've noted, Panzerfahren/Tankwondo seems to be like every other sport. Traditions and unwritten rules. Last episode I really lightened up with Anzu and her crew, but that doubt, that 'what the hell are they plotting' nagging voice came back. That said Oarai's inclusion into the national tournament is similar to what my university experienced in 2006. This little known university from Northern Virginia suddenly has a spot in the 2006 NCAA Final Four tournament. Although GMU's loss wasn't a death knell to College Basketball, I sense it is overly different for the 'martial art of tank warfare'.

    And did anyone else catch the Kelly’s Heroes reference? We had A Bridge Too Far last week, and this time Akiyama’s cover was she was Sergeant Oddball. Appropriate methinks.

    I love how the girls are honestly trying to work better as a team. While it reduces pressure not only on Miho and Team A, it still leaves Miho as the true ‘flag’. Kill the Panzer IV and the Oarai team crumbles, which I predict the Saunders team will realize and send the Firefly after it. Kudos to Team Rabbit for actually remembering their M3 Lee has a turret with a 37mm gun. I’m not surprised at the inaccuracy, even though the Shermans were equipped with a gyro stabilizer to enable more accurate fire-on-the-move. Either Saunder’s moving-fire is just as bad, or they do not have the gyros on.

    Sorry for this moomba, just, a 22 minute live blogging turned into three hours as I dissected half the references, and then a German tanker and fellow WoT player added his own analysis in the forum. Which caught me off guard. “A Leopard 2 commander follows my blog?! zksfjhdsadfkh!”

    Jusuchin (Military Otaku)
    Reply

  27. It was a pity their meal was interrupted by Maho (Tanaka Rie) and her companion, Itsumi Erika (Nabatame Hitomi). To be honest, I didn’t expect to see them interacting quite this early in the series – I thought she would remain distanced for much longer in the same way as Teru did in Saki. They certainly do seem to be very similar, though most of the insults in this meeting came from Erika rather than Maho. With their pride insulted and their worthiness of even being in the tournament put to question, Oarai has to win now, just to prove how wrong Erika is. I’m really looking forward to that inevitable matchup, if only to see Miho manage to dominate her sister and put the elitists in their places!</

    Urge to crush Erika’s windpipe… rising…

    I don’t know exactly what happened, but unless Miho nearly got a bunch of other people killed along with herself, and the incident was definitely her fault, Maho and especially Erika were way out of line.

    Wanderer
    Reply

  28. I think Mako’s parents are actually dead, the way she looks at Yukari’s photo kind of show that.
    Almost reaching the PvIV in WoT, 200000 more whatever-the-ingame-currency-is-called and 8000 more experience.

    Whatsht
    Reply

  29. Ah.. I’m starting to get Mouretsu Pirates vibes.. A bunch of girls with war technology.. Not over the top story yet engaging.. The characters have more background compared to Mouretsu however.

    Now this will be the show I will enjoy every week.

    acolyte
    Reply

  30. LOL So they went with the old alternative communications route after they found the enemy is listening in on their radio. Ha, genius.

    It’s kinda weird that her sister’s crony snarked at her using “dirty tactics”. Looks like she’s known to be a sly commander before.

    The Moondoggie
    Reply

  31. Wait just a minute here…

    It’s a dirty, dirty trick to intercept radio communication but infiltrating the other school’s ship and stealing their battle plan isn’t?

    Talk about some protagonist driven morality here. Hardly seems fair for Saunders really.

    Isn’t this exactly the disgraceful behavior that Erika’s talking about?

    A most I consider this the one free cheap shot each side gets.

    Zzz...
    Reply

  33. I liked how in Ep 5, when talking about the “Hotline to Hell” the St. Gloriana Girls were clearly sitting next to an SAS ‘Pink Panther’ Landrover, guessing they use it as a staff car or general drive-about of sorts. Something slightly more modern but still fits in well with the ‘British-ness’ of their school. Nice touch there! The research in this is brilliant, new favourite Anime! 😀

    Alicia_Squad7
    Reply

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