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Difference between revisions of "Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow"
Alex T Snow (talk | contribs) (WIP. Saving the screenshot update first, expanding all the descriptions will come next.) |
Alex T Snow (talk | contribs) (Another one done!) |
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In July of 1945, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and allied naval fleet destroyed the Neuroi hive over Venezia, liberating the country (the climatic events of ''[[Strike Witches 2]]''). After this victory the 501st JFW was disbanded. Most Strike Witches members were reassigned to fronts in or around their homelands, while Yoshika Miyafuji has entirely retired from service due to draining her magic reserves in order to destroy the hive over Venezia, and is now living a quiet, ordinary civilian life; Mio Sakamoto remains in IFN service, though as she's aged out of her magic abilities Mio is no longer a witch. | In July of 1945, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and allied naval fleet destroyed the Neuroi hive over Venezia, liberating the country (the climatic events of ''[[Strike Witches 2]]''). After this victory the 501st JFW was disbanded. Most Strike Witches members were reassigned to fronts in or around their homelands, while Yoshika Miyafuji has entirely retired from service due to draining her magic reserves in order to destroy the hive over Venezia, and is now living a quiet, ordinary civilian life; Mio Sakamoto remains in IFN service, though as she's aged out of her magic abilities Mio is no longer a witch. | ||
− | ''Operation Victory Arrow'' primarily follows three groups of Strike Witches members across its three episodes. ''Saint-Trond's Thunder'' is set half a month after the end of ''Strike Witches 2'', with Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, Gertrud Barkhorn, and Erica Hartmann, along with night witch Heidemarie W. Schnaufer stationed at Saint-Trond airbase in the Kingdom of Belgica; they're also joined by Erica's twin sister, the genius engineer Ursula Hartmann. ''Goddess of the Aegean Sea'' involves the continued adventures of Francesca Lucchini and Charlotte Yeager, joined by Hanna-Justina Marseille and Raisa Pöttgen, as they attempt to take out a stubborn Neuroi that's hiding ''inside'' the island of Delos, and save the ancient | + | ''Operation Victory Arrow'' primarily follows three groups of Strike Witches members across its three episodes. ''Saint-Trond's Thunder'' is set half a month after the end of ''Strike Witches 2'', with Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, Gertrud Barkhorn, and Erica Hartmann, along with night witch Heidemarie W. Schnaufer stationed at Saint-Trond airbase in the Kingdom of Belgica; they're also joined by Erica's twin sister, the genius engineer Ursula Hartmann. ''Goddess of the Aegean Sea'' involves the continued adventures of Francesca Lucchini and Charlotte Yeager, joined by Hanna-Justina Marseille and Raisa Pöttgen, as they attempt to take out a stubborn Neuroi that's hiding ''inside'' the island of Delos, and save the ancient ruins on the island; the commander of all witch forces in Africa, Edytha Neumann, as well as General Rommel himself also appear. ''Arnhem Bridge'' follows Pierrette-Henriette Clostermann and Lynette Bishop, along with Amelie Planchard as they continue to aid in rebuilding Gallia after its liberation in September, 1944 [[Strike Witches|at the end of the first season]]; the story primarily revolves around the orphaned Dutch children Julius and Rose, who Perrine takes into her care. |
Additionally, each episode features a short post-credits scene of Yoshika receiving or sending a letter to the witches featured in that episode. The last episode also features a post-credits cameo of Eila Juutilainen and Aleksandra Litvyak visiting the Brave Witches' frontline base, as well as Mio Sakamoto working on a certain pet project. | Additionally, each episode features a short post-credits scene of Yoshika receiving or sending a letter to the witches featured in that episode. The last episode also features a post-credits cameo of Eila Juutilainen and Aleksandra Litvyak visiting the Brave Witches' frontline base, as well as Mio Sakamoto working on a certain pet project. | ||
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[[Image:SWova191922.jpg|600px|thumb|none|The Lucchini vineyard in Sicily, where the pair have been on vacation for a few weeks. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWova191922.jpg|600px|thumb|none|The Lucchini vineyard in Sicily, where the pair have been on vacation for a few weeks. (Ep.2)]] | ||
[[Image:SWova19193.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Browning slung across her back, Francesca bids her mother farewell as she embarks on another adventure. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWova19193.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Browning slung across her back, Francesca bids her mother farewell as she embarks on another adventure. (Ep.2)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWova19194.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Aboard the wrecked | + | [[Image:SWova19194.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Aboard the wrecked Liberty ship, Shirley and Francesca check their bombs while waiting for the opportune moment. (Ep.2)]] |
[[Image:SWova19195.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Francesca holds her M1919A6, shocked that the Neuroi saw the bombs coming and swatted them out of the air with a pair of beam blasts. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWova19195.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Francesca holds her M1919A6, shocked that the Neuroi saw the bombs coming and swatted them out of the air with a pair of beam blasts. (Ep.2)]] | ||
[[Image:SWova19196.jpg|600px|thumb|none|A very determined Francesca presses on harder and harder to get to the Neuroi. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWova19196.jpg|600px|thumb|none|A very determined Francesca presses on harder and harder to get to the Neuroi. (Ep.2)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWova19197.jpg|600px|thumb|none|The next day, Raisa and Francesca fly over the fleet, with Francesca using the handle on the ammo box as a grip, as usual. (Ep.2)]] | + | [[Image:SWova19197.jpg|600px|thumb|none|The next day, Raisa and Francesca fly over the fleet, with Francesca using the handle on the ammo box as a grip, as usual. This also gives an excellent top-down view of a ''Zara''-class cruiser. (Ep.2)]] |
[[Image:SWova19198.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Francesca drops in with a shield to protect Shirley and her winch cable. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWova19198.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Francesca drops in with a shield to protect Shirley and her winch cable. (Ep.2)]] | ||
[[Image:SWova19199.jpg|600px|thumb|none|A great side shot of the M1919A6, as Francesca zooms along ahead of Charlotte, leading her safely to the Neuroi. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWova19199.jpg|600px|thumb|none|A great side shot of the M1919A6, as Francesca zooms along ahead of Charlotte, leading her safely to the Neuroi. (Ep.2)]] | ||
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==MG 34== | ==MG 34== | ||
− | The Africa-based witches Hanna-Justina Marseille and Raisa Pöttgen of the 31st JFS, as well as Edytha Neumann, commanding officer of all witches in the African theatre | + | The Africa-based witches Hanna-Justina Marseille and Raisa Pöttgen of the 31st JFS, as well as Edytha Neumann, commanding officer of all witches in the African theatre use the [[MG34|MG 34]] as their weapon of choice, as opposed to the MG 42 preferred by Karlsland witches in Europe. |
[[Image:Mg-34man-portable.jpg|thumb|none|400px|MG 34 - 7.92x57mm Mauser]] | [[Image:Mg-34man-portable.jpg|thumb|none|400px|MG 34 - 7.92x57mm Mauser]] | ||
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[[Image:SWovaMG347.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Raisa dives in to take over shield duty from Francesca. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG347.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Raisa dives in to take over shield duty from Francesca. (Ep.2)]] | ||
[[Image:SWovaMG348.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Tina (as Raisa calls her) showing good trigger discipline as a new ally enters the battle... (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG348.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Tina (as Raisa calls her) showing good trigger discipline as a new ally enters the battle... (Ep.2)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWovaMG349.jpg|600px|thumb|none|... | + | [[Image:SWovaMG349.jpg|600px|thumb|none|...General Rommel himself, flying his personal Fi 156 Storch, escorted by Edytha Neumann and her MG 34. (Ep.2)]] |
[[Image:SWovaMG3410.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Hanna and Raisa watch as Rommel jump-starts the winch generator with a pair of jumper cables attached to his Fi 156. The Storch's identification code is DL+AW, the same as Rommel's in reality. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG3410.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Hanna and Raisa watch as Rommel jump-starts the winch generator with a pair of jumper cables attached to his Fi 156. The Storch's identification code is DL+AW, the same as Rommel's in reality. (Ep.2)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWovaMG3411.jpg|600px|thumb|none|With the Neuroi | + | [[Image:SWovaMG3411.jpg|600px|thumb|none|With the Neuroi struggling fiercely against the winch, Hanna's MG 34 joins Shirley's BAR on the deck as the pair of them move to pull the cable. (Ep.2)]] |
[[Image:SWovaMG3412.jpg|600px|thumb|none|The Neuroi now extracted from its den, Edytha orders the fleet to open fire. (Ep.2)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG3412.jpg|600px|thumb|none|The Neuroi now extracted from its den, Edytha orders the fleet to open fire. (Ep.2)]] | ||
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[[Image:SWovaMG424.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Erica Hartmann fires a training MG 42 in the skies over Belgica. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG424.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Erica Hartmann fires a training MG 42 in the skies over Belgica. (Ep.1)]] | ||
[[Image:SWovaMG4255.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Gertrud Barkhorn returns fire with her own pair of training MG 42s. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG4255.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Gertrud Barkhorn returns fire with her own pair of training MG 42s. (Ep.1)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWovaMG426.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Erica's MG 42, uniform, and Bf 109 K-4 striker sit by a river as she | + | [[Image:SWovaMG426.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Erica's MG 42, uniform, and Bf 109 K-4 striker sit by a river as she goes for a swim. Note the distinctive Hartmann black tulip paint scheme. (Ep.1)]] |
[[Image:SWovaMG427.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Flying fast and low, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke trades fire with Heidemarie Schnaufer. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG427.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Flying fast and low, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke trades fire with Heidemarie Schnaufer. (Ep.1)]] | ||
[[Image:SWovaMG428.jpg|600px|thumb|none|With the base's Neuroi alarm sounding, Gertrud and Minna take off to investigate. Erica is currently grounded due to her striker being broken, as a result of the failed test of Ursula's Bf 109 Zwei Link paired striker; it was entirely Erica's fault. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG428.jpg|600px|thumb|none|With the base's Neuroi alarm sounding, Gertrud and Minna take off to investigate. Erica is currently grounded due to her striker being broken, as a result of the failed test of Ursula's Bf 109 Zwei Link paired striker; it was entirely Erica's fault. (Ep.1)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWovaMG429.jpg|600px|thumb|none|As the Neuroi emerges, Gertrud opens fire; the | + | [[Image:SWovaMG429.jpg|600px|thumb|none|As the Neuroi emerges, Gertrud opens fire; the dirndl was a gift from Ursula, and Trude was unlucky enough to be trying it on when the scramble alarm sounded. (Ep.1)]] |
[[Image:SWovaMG4210.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Minna hipfires at the Neuroi, discovering its armour is too strong for bullets at that range. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG4210.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Minna hipfires at the Neuroi, discovering its armour is too strong for bullets at that range. (Ep.1)]] | ||
[[Image:SWovaMG42111.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Trude and Minna play defensively as they brainstorm how to deal with the troublesome Neuroi. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG42111.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Trude and Minna play defensively as they brainstorm how to deal with the troublesome Neuroi. (Ep.1)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWovaMG4212.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Minna's MG 42 dumps brass as she harasses | + | [[Image:SWovaMG4212.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Minna's MG 42 dumps brass as she harasses the Neuroi from range, causing it to retreat back into the cloud. (Ep.1)]] |
[[Image:SWovaMG4213.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Gertrud suggests they return to base and retrieve the MK 214 cannon and Me 262, as it would be effective at such a range. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG4213.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Gertrud suggests they return to base and retrieve the MK 214 cannon and Me 262, as it would be effective at such a range. (Ep.1)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWovaMG4214.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Minna stays to keep the Neuroi occupied, but a powerful blast hit hits her shield hard, and her chilling scream knocks some sense into Erica, who's been sulking back at base | + | [[Image:SWovaMG4214.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Minna stays to keep the Neuroi occupied, but a powerful blast hit hits her shield hard, and her chilling scream knocks some sense into Erica, who's been sulking back at base and listening to the battle on comms. (Ep.1)]] |
[[Image:SWovaMG4215.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Gertrud makes a run for Saint-Trond, asking the base to ready the jet striker and cannon, and to load the latter with armour-piercing shells. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG4215.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Gertrud makes a run for Saint-Trond, asking the base to ready the jet striker and cannon, and to load the latter with armour-piercing shells. (Ep.1)]] | ||
[[Image:SWovaMG4216.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Dropping back to distract the small-types, Gertrud does a slo-mo flip over one and blasts it to bits. They may be "small-types", but Trude being within an arm's reach of one shows it's still pretty darn big. (Ep.1)]] | [[Image:SWovaMG4216.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Dropping back to distract the small-types, Gertrud does a slo-mo flip over one and blasts it to bits. They may be "small-types", but Trude being within an arm's reach of one shows it's still pretty darn big. (Ep.1)]] | ||
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[[Image:SWovaPIAT1.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Perrine's PIAT makes its combat debut, with a close-up of the first shaped charge firing. The charge is drawn too wide here, as it's supposed to be loaded from the rear and slid through the ring (as Perrine does later). (Ep.3)]] | [[Image:SWovaPIAT1.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Perrine's PIAT makes its combat debut, with a close-up of the first shaped charge firing. The charge is drawn too wide here, as it's supposed to be loaded from the rear and slid through the ring (as Perrine does later). (Ep.3)]] | ||
[[Image:SWovaPIAT2.jpg|600px|thumb|none|A rather badass stitched image of Perrine showing up to rescue Julius, having just fired the PIAT. (Ep.3)]] | [[Image:SWovaPIAT2.jpg|600px|thumb|none|A rather badass stitched image of Perrine showing up to rescue Julius, having just fired the PIAT. (Ep.3)]] | ||
− | [[Image:SWovaPIAT3.jpg|600px|thumb|none|After ditching her Bren and taking cover, Perrine recocks the PIAT's spring by hand, showing off witches' enhanced strength; the PIAT has a draw weight of 90kg / 200lbs. (Ep.3)]] | + | [[Image:SWovaPIAT3.jpg|600px|thumb|none|After ditching her Bren and taking cover, Perrine recocks the PIAT's spring by hand, showing off witches' enhanced strength; the PIAT has a draw weight of 90kg/200lbs. (Ep.3)]] |
[[Image:SWovaPIAT4.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Loading the second shaped charge into the launcher, using the correct method mentioned above. (Ep.3)]] | [[Image:SWovaPIAT4.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Loading the second shaped charge into the launcher, using the correct method mentioned above. (Ep.3)]] | ||
[[Image:SWovaPIAT5.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Perrine gives Julius a reassuring smile as they prepare to make another escape attempt. (Ep.3)]] | [[Image:SWovaPIAT5.jpg|600px|thumb|none|Perrine gives Julius a reassuring smile as they prepare to make another escape attempt. (Ep.3)]] | ||
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[[File:SWova88.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Gertrud, Erica, and Minna at a base defended by a few FlaK guns. Note the two-piece barrels. (OP)]] | [[File:SWova88.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Gertrud, Erica, and Minna at a base defended by a few FlaK guns. Note the two-piece barrels. (OP)]] | ||
− | ==Bofors 40mm== | + | ==Bofors 40mm L/60== |
Saint-Trond airbase is heavily defended by large AA batteries which appear to be oversized twin-mounted [[Bofors 40mm|Bofors]] guns. | Saint-Trond airbase is heavily defended by large AA batteries which appear to be oversized twin-mounted [[Bofors 40mm|Bofors]] guns. | ||
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==Naval Weapons== | ==Naval Weapons== | ||
− | + | A Venezian/Romagnan fleet appears prominently in ''Goddess of the Aegean Sea'', as does the ''Liberty''-class cargo ship SS ''Peter Skene Ogden''. In addition, battleship ''Yamato'' makes a cameo in a post-credits scene at the very end of ''OVA'', and several other battleships appear in the opening credits. The Liberty ship is armed with one 3-inch gun at the bow, one 5-inch gun at the stern, along with eight [[Oerlikon 20mm Cannon|Oerlikon 20mm cannons]]. A full list of armament for the rest of the ships can be found [[Strike Witches 2#Naval Weapons|on the second season page]]. | |
− | [[File:SWovaN1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(OP)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A ''Littorio''-class battleship, ''Bismarck'', ''Yamato'', a ''King George V''-class battleship, and HMS ''Prince of Wales'' in the opening credits. (OP)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN2.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(OP)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN2.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Mio Sakamoto stands atop one of ''Yamato'''s turrets, as she turns to face the camera. (OP)]] |
[[File:SWovaN3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|With Mio having lost her magic, so to did her personally forged katana, Reppuumaru, which is now simply an ordinary sword. (OP)]] | [[File:SWovaN3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|With Mio having lost her magic, so to did her personally forged katana, Reppuumaru, which is now simply an ordinary sword. (OP)]] | ||
− | [[File:SWovaN4.jpg|thumb|none|600px|''Peter Skene Ogden'', | + | [[File:SWovaN4.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A top view of SS ''Peter Skene Ogden'', with all her armament visible. A 3-inch gun is at the bow, with an Oerlikon either side of the forward mast, four surrounding the bridge, and two next to the rear 5-inch gun. Built as an emergency measure and technically civilian vessels, Liberty ships didn't have particularly standardized armament in terms of details; the deck guns were usually assorted leftover pieces from WWI, making any specific identification exceptionally difficult. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN4-1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(Ep.2)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN4-1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|The Neuroi on Delos peers out of its cave, preparing to strike its latest prey. The ship's 3-inch gun and one of the Oerlikons are visible here. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN5.jpg|thumb|none|600px| | + | [[File:SWovaN5.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A ''Navigatori''-class destroyer is split in two by the Delos Neuroi, as seen in the mission briefing. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN6.jpg|thumb|none|600px| | + | [[File:SWovaN6.jpg|thumb|none|600px|The now-wrecked ''Peter Skene Ogden'', her 3-inch gun and one of the Oerlikons visible. The ship was named for a Canadian explorer and fur trader, and her real world counterpart was torpedoed off Algeria in February '44 by submarine ''U-969'', along with her sister ship SS ''George Cleeve''; both managed to beach, but were declared total losses and scrapped. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN6-1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(Ep.2)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN6-1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A rear angle of a ''Zara''-class cruiser, this one flying a Romagnan flag. The fleet has the same composition as the fleet seen near the beginning of ''Strike Witches 2''; this presents a bit of a problem, as with only four ''Zara''-class ships built and ''Zara'' and ''Pola'' having been sunk during the second season, there should be at most two present here. The simplest explanation is they are merely reused assets (as with ''The Movie'') and canonically at least one should be considered to be a different, similar class of cruiser. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN7.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(Ep.2)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN7.jpg|thumb|none|600px|The fleet arrives at Delos, with the Neuroi already engaging the four witches. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN7-1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(Ep.2)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN7-1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Charlotte flies past the Liberty ship's bow, giving a rather detailed look at the 3-inch bow cannon. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN8.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A ''Navigatori''-class | + | [[File:SWovaN8.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A ''Navigatori''-class fires her 120mm bow guns, with a ''Littorio''-class in the foreground. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN9.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(Ep.2)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN9.jpg|thumb|none|600px|One of the Zara-class ships prepares to fire her forward 203mm guns. (Ep.2)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN10.jpg|thumb|none|600px| | + | [[File:SWovaN10.jpg|thumb|none|600px|SS ''Samwinged'' in Calais, with a couple more Liberty ships off to the right. (Ep.3)]] |
− | [[File:SWovaN11.jpg|thumb|none|600px|(Ep.3)]] | + | [[File:SWovaN11.jpg|thumb|none|600px|''Yamato'' being repaired at Kure Naval Arsenal. This shot is based off a historical photo of the real ''Yamato''. (Ep.3)]] |
+ | [[File:Japanese battleship Yamato fitting out at the Kure Naval Base, Japan, 20 September 1941 (NH 63433).jpg|thumb|none|600px|For comparison, a photo of ''Yamato'' under construction in Kure, September 20, 1941. The position of the primary and secondary barrels, the covers on the barrels, and the small buildings on the deck are identical. (Photo)]] | ||
{{Strike Witches}} | {{Strike Witches}} |
Revision as of 01:57, 30 April 2022
In July of 1945, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and allied naval fleet destroyed the Neuroi hive over Venezia, liberating the country (the climatic events of Strike Witches 2). After this victory the 501st JFW was disbanded. Most Strike Witches members were reassigned to fronts in or around their homelands, while Yoshika Miyafuji has entirely retired from service due to draining her magic reserves in order to destroy the hive over Venezia, and is now living a quiet, ordinary civilian life; Mio Sakamoto remains in IFN service, though as she's aged out of her magic abilities Mio is no longer a witch.
Operation Victory Arrow primarily follows three groups of Strike Witches members across its three episodes. Saint-Trond's Thunder is set half a month after the end of Strike Witches 2, with Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, Gertrud Barkhorn, and Erica Hartmann, along with night witch Heidemarie W. Schnaufer stationed at Saint-Trond airbase in the Kingdom of Belgica; they're also joined by Erica's twin sister, the genius engineer Ursula Hartmann. Goddess of the Aegean Sea involves the continued adventures of Francesca Lucchini and Charlotte Yeager, joined by Hanna-Justina Marseille and Raisa Pöttgen, as they attempt to take out a stubborn Neuroi that's hiding inside the island of Delos, and save the ancient ruins on the island; the commander of all witch forces in Africa, Edytha Neumann, as well as General Rommel himself also appear. Arnhem Bridge follows Pierrette-Henriette Clostermann and Lynette Bishop, along with Amelie Planchard as they continue to aid in rebuilding Gallia after its liberation in September, 1944 at the end of the first season; the story primarily revolves around the orphaned Dutch children Julius and Rose, who Perrine takes into her care.
Additionally, each episode features a short post-credits scene of Yoshika receiving or sending a letter to the witches featured in that episode. The last episode also features a post-credits cameo of Eila Juutilainen and Aleksandra Litvyak visiting the Brave Witches' frontline base, as well as Mio Sakamoto working on a certain pet project.
Chronologically, Operation Victory Arrow takes place after Strike Witches 2, and is followed by Strike Witches: The Movie, which was released before OVA, in 2012.
For more in-depth explanations of the lore and setting of the World Witches universe, see the first season's page.
Warning: Some descriptions and images are spoilers for the series, read at your own risk.
The following weapons were used in the anime series Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow:
Pistols
Gendarmerie Sidearm
A member of the Gendarmerie Nationale in Pas-de-Calais chases after Julius, an orphaned refugee from Nederland who stole some cold medicine for his little sister Rose. Given the variety of possible sidearms available at the time, it's impossible to say for sure what's in his holster.
Shotguns
Over/Under Shotgun
In a flashback to the beginning of the Neuroi invasion, a group of Dutch civilians attempt to hold back the Neuroi on a bridge at Arnhem, Nederland, armed with nothing but double barrel shotguns.
Assault Rifles & Rifles
StG 44
Ursula Hartmann arrives at the Saint-Trond base with loads of gifts and equipment to test, among them is an StG 44 fitted with a Krummlauf (curved barrel) attachment. A witch needing to shoot around corners in the sky seems rather questionable, but that's also the point of this scene, with a bunch of Ursula's fancy tech being various levels of silly. All of them are based on or inspired by real world experimental German tech, and are included in this same entry.
Boys Mk I*
Lynette Bishop continues to use a Boys Mk I* as her signature weapon, though in an ironic reversal, in Arnhem Bridge she uses one borrowed from Perrine, who normally uses borrowed Britannian weapons. The Pantaloni Rossi trio from the 504th JFW make a cameo in a slideshow briefing by Group Captain Edytha Neumann about the Neuroi on Delos; the Ardor Witches are seen attempting to attack it directly, with no success.
Machine Guns
Bren Mk 1 (M)
While Pierrette-Henriette Clostermann doesn't regularly carry around her Bren Mk 1 (M) at this point, due to being well behind the lines aiding in rebuilding Gallia, her butler Jean-Paul had a hidden weapon locker installed in the Clostermann residence in case of emergency.
Browning M1918A2
Charlotte Yeager continues to use a BAR as her standard weapon, though she doesn't so much as fire a shot with it in Operation Victory Arrow, opting to use bombs, unconventional methods, and her mastery of mechanical devices instead.
Browning M1919A6
The Liberian-made Browning M1919A6, modified with a fixed and easily swappable ammo box, remains Francesca Lucchini's weapon of choice.
MG 34
The Africa-based witches Hanna-Justina Marseille and Raisa Pöttgen of the 31st JFS, as well as Edytha Neumann, commanding officer of all witches in the African theatre use the MG 34 as their weapon of choice, as opposed to the MG 42 preferred by Karlsland witches in Europe.
MG 42
The witch-version MG 42, modified to use Patronentrommel 34 drums, continues to be used by all the usual witches, such as the Karlsland trio, Eila Juutilainen, and some of the Ardor Witches.
Type 99-2 Model 2 Kai
The iconic World Witches version of the Type 99 cannon only gets a cameo in Operation Victory Arrow, prominently held by Yoshika Miyafuji in the opening credits. With Yoshika having drained her magic, and Mio having aged out, there aren't any Fuso witches that appear who are capable of using it, at present. For the rather lengthy technical explanation of the witches' Type 99-2 Model 2 Kai variant, see its first season entry.
Launchers
Fliegerhammer
In Saint-Trond's Thunder, Ursula Hartmann uses the rocket launcher she herself designed, the nine-barrel Fliegerhammer; Aleksandra Litvyak is also seen with one in the opening credits. The Fliegerhammer was inspired by (both in-universe and out) the Fliegerfaust, while its boxy shape is reminiscent of the M202 FLASH.
PIAT Mk I
Along with the Bren and Boys, Perrine's hidden armoury also contains a PIAT, with three rounds, which Perrine brings in addition to her Bren.
Autocannons
MG 151/20
Night witch Heidemarie Schnaufer uses an MG 151/20 cannon as her weapon of choice; she is only seen using a training MG 151/20 in Operation Victory Arrow. Similar to the other large cannons wielded by witches, the MG 151 has been modified with a top-mounted vertical pistol grip, a horizontal grip for the off-hand, and a detachable drum magazine; the weapon is otherwise essentially unmodified.
MK 214
A MK 214 cannon was brought by Ursula to Saint-Trond for testing, alongside a refined version of the Me 262 Schwalbe jet striker. This massive cannon is similar to the BK 5 that appeared in Strike Witches 2, as in reality both were developed in parallel as aircraft versions of the 5cm PaK 38 anti-tank cannon; the BK 5 was Rheinmetall's project, the MK 214 was Mauser's.
506th Joint Fighter Wing, Noble Witches cameo
Four members of the Noble Witches appear in the smallest of cameos, as simple silhouettes flying far overhead. Given the composition of the 506th, this is certainly A-unit, stationed in Sedan, comprising of Heinrike Prinzessin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (MG 151), Adriana Visconti (MG 42, or a pair of Fliegerhammers), Kunika Kuroda (MG 42), and Isabelle du Monceau de Bergendal (Boys). These four, plus Noble Witches commanding officer Rosalie de Hemricourt de Grunne, all make proper cameos in Strike Witches: The Movie.
Vehicle-Mounted & Stationary Weapons
Breda-SAFAT 12.7mm machine gun
A pair of P.108B bombers are seen having attempted to take out the Neuroi on Delos in Edytha Neumann's briefing, however both were destroyed. The P.108B is armed with a total of six Breda-SAFAT machine guns chambered in 12.7mm, with one nose gunner, one ventral gunner, and a twin turret in each outboard engine nacelle, controlled remotely.
Type 97
Having aged out of her magic, Mio Sakamoto is seen flying an A6M3 Reisen in the opening credits. The Zero is armed with a pair of Type 97 aircraft machine guns in the engine cowling, as well as a pair of Type 99 cannons in the wings.
Type 99
In addition to its Type 97 MGs, the A6M is armed with a Type 99 cannon in each wing.
MG 34 Panzerlauf
A Tiger I is seen in the opening credits, and while they're not visible from the rear, it would be armed with a pair of MG 34 Panzerlauf variants, one in the coaxial mount, one hull-mounted, as well as its 8.8cm KwK 36 main cannon. This Tiger is actually a pre-production version of the H1 variant, specifically marked as Tiger 100, with "100" and white elephant markings; this is the same model seen in The Movie.
8.8cm FlaK 36
A trio of the iconic "eighty-eights" are seen in the opening credits.
Bofors 40mm L/60
Saint-Trond airbase is heavily defended by large AA batteries which appear to be oversized twin-mounted Bofors guns.
2cm Flakvierling 38
The Brave Witches' small frontline base near Petersburg is defended by several Flakvierling 38 quad-cannons. As Brave Witches is set before Strike Witches 2, this scene takes place much later than the events of Brave Witches.
A Venezian/Romagnan fleet appears prominently in Goddess of the Aegean Sea, as does the Liberty-class cargo ship SS Peter Skene Ogden. In addition, battleship Yamato makes a cameo in a post-credits scene at the very end of OVA, and several other battleships appear in the opening credits. The Liberty ship is armed with one 3-inch gun at the bow, one 5-inch gun at the stern, along with eight Oerlikon 20mm cannons. A full list of armament for the rest of the ships can be found on the second season page.