The Waves Don't Forget

Tankery

"Tanks?!" Washington stood up immediately. "Hell yeah! Tanks are the shit!"

"Language Washington, don't make me slap you silly."

She sat down just as quickly, calming herself at Kurfürst's threat. Kurfürst cleared her throat and pet the Meowfficer still in her lap, taking a sip of water before getting ready.

"Now, the term 'Tank' is synonymous with the massive war machines today, but back then, we had no such terms for the vehicles. The universal term was originally Landships, as they were armored transports with large weaponry, exactly like a Warship."
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We never knew what they were until they came upon us that day, as we believed them to be water tanks designed for Troops to gather water while deep in the Trenches, a notorious issue.

The day was September 15th, and the infamous "Battle of the Somme" was well underway, with many casualties having already been accrued on both sides.

Following the failure of Verdun, Kurfürst elected to stick on the frontlines with her troops more often, her mere presence helping to boost morale after the horrific losses at that battle. Today was seemingly no different than any other day here, as gunfire still rained down on everyone, and the artillery caked everything in mud and soil.

Kurfürst was in a bunker at the moment, speaking with other officers about their next plans for the coming nightfall. Charges at night were much more common than the day, as the cover of night can assist in getting as close as possible before being spotted in No Man's Land.

We weren't far into the discussion before a young man burst into the room, somewhat panicked and out of breath.

All eyes turned to the door as the young soldier burst through. He held a letter in his hand, which he slowly held up.

"A letter...General..."

Kurfürst took the letter from his hand, gently helping him stand straight. "Get some rest, you look winded."

He saluted as best he could, before leaving the room and the Officers alone once again. All eyes were on Kurfürst's letter, which she opened to read and figure out what was so important.

The contents slowly made her eyebrows raise, all the way to the final line, where she hummed and set the paper down. "It seems there's a new weapon on the British side. A 'Tank' as they heard them shout."

"A Tank?"

"Yes, and it seems to be an armored weapon, a Landship of sorts."

The chatters came up, all questioning what this could have been about, considering that a ship on land sounded impractical. Whatever the case may have been, for the man who delivered the message to be so panicked and breathless meant that these were a bigger deal than she originally thought.

Oh, how right I was...

Some time had passed, and now, in late November of 1917, Kurfürst was well on her way traveling towards Cambrai, where transmissions have been sent by many that a large number of British Tanks have rolled through in the middle of the night, flattening their defensive lines and forcing many back while losing much of their own tank divisions.

The trench wasn't much farther ahead, and she fully expected to be caught in a battle with full Tank groups all firing on both her lines, and soon herself once she appears. This will be her first time seeing a Tank in action, but photographs and reports have helped her get an idea on what has to be done.

'Avoid the front gun, disable the tracks, and peel open the vehicle to get at the crew inside.'

A simple plan that can end in death of anyone...anyone that wasn't her.