{"id":60785,"date":"2026-08-10T00:01:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T04:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=60785"},"modified":"2026-08-09T22:27:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T02:27:40","slug":"girls-und-panzer-last-ditch-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=60785","title":{"rendered":"Girls und Panzer: Last ditch effort!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Episode 9 of Girls und Panzer<\/em>: Last ditch effort! starts with a flashback: the Japanese Ministry of Education and a bunch of other stuff, Bureau of School Ships, has decided to consolidate schools to save money.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

The bureaucrat meeting with the Oarai School Council tells them the Ministry is starting with schools that have no notable achievements or programs. “Oarai used to have an accomplished Sensha-do team, but that’s been gone for a while…” which prompts Anzu to respond, “Oh! So we’ll restart the Tankery program! You wouldn’t shut down the school with the winning team!”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And then we flash back to the church where the Oarai team is sheltering until the Pravda cease-fire ends. A student points out that expecting to win the National Tournament in the first year back is extremely unrealistic. Anzu tells everyone that she assumed in-the-moment that a successful Tankery team would probably have lots of great tanks laying around…only to soon realize all the good ones have been sold. The tanks they’ve been able to find are literally the tanks no one else wanted, that then got “thrown away.” But even then the Student Council couldn’t think of any other way that might work to save the school. At least with the Sensha-do team they had a chance, and they could “go out with a bang”…literally. They wanted to have hope, even if it was unrealistic. Which explains a lot of Anzu’s bizarre happy-go-lucky lines throughout the series. As the various tank teams start realizing they’re at the end of the line, and Rabbit team starts crying, Miho steps in:<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

They haven’t lost yet, so they’ll fight to the end and do the best they can do. “But,” she cautions everyone, “I’m going to do it while keeping everyone safe.” She then orders repairs on the STuG III’s track and the M3 Lee’s secondary gun (the Panzer 4’s jammed turret mechanism is also shown being repaired). “I want to do Tankery at Oarai next year, with all of you.” After getting the entire Sensha-do team fired up, we cut to crowd responses. Shinzaburo is worried, but Hana’s mom tells him to calm down. Orange Pekoe wonders why Pravda isn’t attacking; Darjeeling tells her the Pravda captain (Katyusha) enjoys the feeling of control she gets entrapping people in her plans, because she’s a prideful little snot. Miho’s mom decides continuing to watch this battle is a waste of time, but Maho intervenes:<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Katyusha meanwhile eats some borscht, schemes about what her surrender demands will be, then takes a nap in a GAZ-98 propeller-driven snowmobile. Nonna sings her a lullaby. The Student Council and Miho convene a quick strategy meeting that conveys Miho’s need to know more about how the Pravda tanks are arranged around them. Miho proposes some scouting, which has been Yukari’s strength. Yukari and Erwin are sent out.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

The two sing “Yuki no Shingun,” or “The Snow March” as they walk. The English dub tried to present this in English, which is…a thing they certainly did. Look the song up in Japanese. Please. “Yuki no Shingun” was written in 1895 by a Japanese Army musician, reflecting his experiences around the Battle of Weihaiwei during the first Sino-Japanese war. The song became extremely popular, both with Japanese soldiers and the general public. During the second Sino-Japanese war (which connected directly and is effectively concurrent with what we think of as World War 2) the song’s critical descriptions of the war experience caused it to be banned by the Japanese military, although the extent and applicability of this ban has been questioned by historians. Regardless, the pair singing this song now while Oarai is planning a comeback is a direct response to the idea that this song was detrimental to morale during WW2.<\/p>\n

Also sent out to scout are Mako and Sodoko, because they both have excellent vision (this is actually mentioned). True to form, Sodoko takes charge, telling Mako what to write down…while Mako corrects her and writes down accurate information. This, of course, infuriates Sodoko who ends up throwing a snowball at Mako.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Mako dodges it like the genius she is, but the kerfuffle draws the attention of some Pravda tankers, prompting the two to retreat, spotting Pravda’s KV-2 on the way.<\/p>\n

Back in the church Miho is worried about the scouts considering a snowstorm is starting up. Both scouting teams return at that moment in good spirits. They present information detailing the positions of fourteen Pravda tanks, which of course isn’t accurate. Pravda started with fifteen and lost three in the first part of the battle. Oarai should be facing twelve tanks.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Now, TO BE FAIR, while we’re shown the map made from the scouts’ info, we’re also soon shown an overhead view of the actual scene…and there are TWELVE tanks pictured. And at this point I realized two of the tanks shown on the map…were the marker caps of the two markers Miho was using. So TO BE FAIR…I’m the problem; it’s me.<\/p>\n

Oarai finishes their repairs and preparations with an hour left until the cease-fire ends. As they’re out of food and cold, this allows despair to start creeping in again, despite Miho’s protestations. So she starts doing the Ankou dance, AND singing the song (the punishment from the first practice match against Gloriana). Momo complains that reminding them of that horrible experience (the dance, or the match; it’s not clear) won’t cheer ANYONE up; Ankou Team realizes the easily-embarrassed Miho is doing something that terrible to cheer the Oarai students…and so they join in. Mako quietly questions their reasoning, but shrugs her shoulders and goes along. Soon the entire Oarai team are doing the Ankou dance in the open doors of the church they have been sheltering in. We get crowd reactions again, and Darjeeling has an interesting response: “Khorosho, right?” “Khorosho” is the latinized form of a Russian interjection…probably one you’ve heard in video games. (It usually sounds something like “krusha” or “krusho” to me) and is frequently used the way westerners would say “OK!” “Fine!” or “Good!”<\/p>\n

Oarai is so involved in the performance they don’t notice the Pravda envoy that has approached the church:<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

The envoy asks for Oarai’s answer to Katyusha’s demands, and Miho very politely says Oarai chooses to fight it out. Katyusha is mad; if they weren’t going to accept surrender why did they make her wait? Miho’s plan for Oarai’s breakout is called “Operation Jelly Jiggle.” It may be called something else depending on which translation you use, but this seems to be the most accurate to the original dialogue. See, Katyusha intentionally left a weak spot in her defense, planning for Oarai to move that direction. While she has two lines of tanks facing the church, she will (we assume, to be clear) send the back row off to form the other side of a pincer movement once the cease-fire is over. Here’s the overview of the battlefield:<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

You see how one flank is plugged by Pravda tanks, but the other isn’t? Katyusha believes that will force Oarai to move that direction. We don’t actually get Miho’s plan detailed ahead of time, but we know it involves Turtle Team, the Student Council. Who, if you’ll remember, is NOT the Flag Tank in this battle. Oarai accelerates out of the church and turns to the left, just as Katyusha planned. They manage to avoid the initial volley of shells by Pravda, then turn back to the right and head straight for the middle line. This catches Katyusha off-guard. The Oarai charge, led by Turtle Team, does something else unexpected, now: Anzu orders Momo to switch places with her. Anzu is now operating the Panzer 38(t)’s gun and Momo works as the loader. And we quickly see this is probably how things should have been operating all along.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Anzu, sighting in her 37mm gun, also calls out to Yuzu (the driver) when the Pravda tank they’re headed for seems to be ready to fire. Yuzu then expertly dodges while Anzu brings the turret around to fire a shot as they pass this first tank. Oarai is able to break through the first line of four tanks. The second line of four (see the map above) is still ahead, so either I was wrong about Katyusha’s plan or she never got around to sending this back group around once Oarai changed direction. Miho orders everyone but Turtle Team to turn back to the left, staying in formation…while Turtle Team takes on all four of the tanks facing them. Anzu quietly narrates that the 38(t) can’t possibly damage these tanks at range, but careful, close shots can be effective. And she’s much more able to do this than Momo.<\/p>\n

Turtle Team goes on a rampage, blasting tank treads and turret gaps at less then ten yards. They’re able to disable two of the three Pravda T-34’s then retreat, when the IS-2 nails them:<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

The important thing to know about the IS-2 is that it was a late-war response to German heavy tanks. The IS-1 was a modified and up-gunned T-34, and the IS-2 was an up-gunned and modified version of THAT tank. So in one sense it’s still a T-34, not a *completely* different tank, but at the same time it wasn’t *just* a modified T-34. (The extent of the hull, turret, and armor modifications vary depending on the source I’ve read; and I’m certainly not terribly knowledgeable about this tank. Just being forthcoming.) The BIG difference is its 122mm gun. This was one of the most powerful tank guns used in WW2, outclassing almost everything. Nothing Oarai is fielding, in fact nothing we see in the original series, survives anything but a glancing shot or a lucky mistake.<\/p>\n

As she did during the Saunders battle, Miho is looking for the Pravda flag tank rather than focusing on fighting all Pravda’s tanks, which is effectively pointless. As Oarai escapes the valley they have been trapped in for the last few hours she has Ankou and Hippo hide behind the crest of the valley while the Duck Team, shielded by Mallard and Rabbit, continue leading the current chase. Ankou and Hippo head back to the village as the most obvious hiding spot, but can’t find anything. Miho asks Yukari to disembark and scout for Pravda’s flag tank.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Yukari climbs a tower (previously not shown anywhere) and spots Pravda’s Flag Tank parked behind a small building. She radios Miho, but Pravda soon realizes the Panzer 4 and STuG III are headed that way, and the Flag Tank scrambles. It was shown earlier that the Flag Tank crew wanted to join the main group of Pravda tanks, but Katyusha nyet-ed that idea, wanting them to stay hidden. Once again they ask to join with Pravda’s main forces and Katyusha again tells them if they have to move, then just drive around the area. After all, they also have the KV-2 (mentioned previously, another heavy tank with a HUMONGOUS bunker-buster cannon) protecting them. The Flag Tank chooses to use this option and drives past the KV-2, which fires at the pursuing Oarai tanks. The shot misses and the Oarai crews take advantage of the KV-2’s long reload time to stop and aim appropriately. Both shots hit, disabling the KV-2.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Back with the chase group Nonna has disabled Mallard and Rabbit with the IS-2, a familiar trope in this series. The Ducks, probably the second-most competent team in the least-capable tank, are left dodging Pravda shots hoping to give Ankou and Hippo time to disable the Pravda Flag Tank. Miho quickly realizes the Flag Tank is just making laps around the village (following Katyusha’s orders) and tells Hippo to abandon the chase. Ankou uses their own shots to “steer” the flag tank in the direction they want, until at the last second, just as in the Saunders match, the IS-2 fires a shot that hits Duck team at the same time SOMETHING hits the Pravda Flag Tank.<\/p>\n

And that’s where the episode ends!<\/p>\n

Seriously!<\/p>\n

So I’ll show you how the battle ends at the beginning of episode 10.<\/p>\n

As the smoke clears, the Duck Team in their Type 89 are still moving, barely; despite being de-tracked by the IS-2 (the animation of the “hit” seems to show the IS-2’s shell impacting the ground in front of the Type 89):<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Then we see what happened to Pravda’s Flag Tank:<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

Hippo team quickly buried their STuG in the snow and blasted the belly of the Flag T-34 at point-blank range; a shot that would debilitate anything of the era, and almost anything now.<\/p>\n

Katyusha’s response is immediate…<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div><\/p>\n

…but she pulls herself together and goes to congratulate Oarai. She challenges Miho: “I intentionally left one side of the siege weak so you would attack that way. If you had just done what I expected I’m sure we would have won.” Miho deflects, saying Pravda could have easily beaten them with massed fire. Katyusha disagrees; she doesn’t think that would have worked. She dismounts from Nonna’s shoulders, reversing her actions before the match, and shakes Miho’s hand as the losing party.<\/p>\n

This sets up the final battle in the series, against Kuromorimine; Miho’s sister. Maho and Shiho, still in the stands, disagree about the conclusion. Shiho says Miho got lucky; her opponent let her guard down. Maho responds that Miho’s decision-making and adaptability won the match…she’s not afraid to abandon a strategy and do something different. Shiho calls this “heresy” and tells Maho to beat Miho in the final match with doctrinal purity.<\/p>\n

But here’s the thing, folks: there are FOUR MORE EPISODES of this series. Although one of them is a another recap, so it doesn’t count. I haven’t planned the review of this section yet, and I suspect the three episodes of content, especially the contents of the final battle itself, can be…compressed…a bit. Sure, there is A LOT of prep going into the finals. We just now learned Turtle Team can *actually be good*. There’s an *entire tank* that hasn’t even been used by Oarai, yet. And you want the REAL kicker? Sure, *that* tank needs a team, but we actually add ANOTHER entire team besides! Which means there’s *another* tank we haven’t even seen yet!<\/p>\n

So, you know, *maybe there are* three more write-ups, or more. I guess we’ll see!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Episode 9 of Girls und Panzer: Last ditch effort! starts with a flashback: the Japanese Ministry of Education and a bunch of other stuff, Bureau of School Ships, has decided to consolidate schools to save money. The bureaucrat meeting with the Oarai School Council tells them the Ministry is starting with schools that have no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[638],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paige-writes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60785"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60795,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60785\/revisions\/60795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}