For my sins, I've been assigned to the Third Special Base Unit on Betio island in the Tarawa Atoll. Just as the Americans are due to pay a visit, in strength. To welcome them appropriately, I have a platoon of three Type 97 Chi Ha medium tanks, of the Shin-hoto variety (new turret with a decent gun). The sim as you can see is Steel Fury, here with the STA 3.4 donationware mod, though there are also Japanese missions in the Japanese Community Modpack.



The Yanks have arrived on the beaches just beyond our defensive positions. I need to get over there, across the airfield, and join the party. Seems straightforward enough. I'm soon on my way, to the accompaniment of a fierce naval barrage which is falling somewhere near the beaches, up ahead



The problem is that my other two drivers seem to be having serious difficulties manoeuvring their tanks out of the jungle in which we've been concealed. Perhaps their Bushido spirit has been affected by all that noise and clamour. As the old (Scottish?) proverb says, no man rushes to a market where there is nothing to be bought but blows.



I pause and try different orders; finally, they both lumber out of the trees and we're good to go. Banzai! We're coming to get you, Americans!



Unfortunately, the Americans are also coming to get us. Pairs of their aircraft are working us over, with bombs, MGs and rockets.



Get those hatches closed! A Sturmovik disabled my tank commander, even though he was inside the turret, due to an open hatch in my last mission, and that was in a King Tiger. So I'm taking no chances this time.



I see that up ahead is a long trench. I'm reluctant to waste more time detouring around it and therefore speed up to cross it. Fortunately, it's unoccupied at that point.



I've rarely had any serious trouble crossing trenches in Steel Fury's AFVs but this time it's different. The tracks just sink into the sandy soil and we're stuck solid. No amount of jiggling or backing up produces the slightest movement, except for spinning tracks.



My other two tanks rumble off to death or glory on my right, while rockets and other ordnance rains down from above. I can't even depress my gun far enough to act as a pillbox. Oh, the shame of it all!

Another lesson learned, this time about the Chi Ha's trench-crossing abilities, or lack thereof - in Steel Fury anyway. Or maybe I just had a bad driver. I didn't think to take over the driving myself. Next time!