Fan Characters/OCs

Nachtsider wrote:Woah woah woah. Easy, dude.

Destroyer of Worlds ;D wrote:Okay, I give up on trying to find some redeamable part of the axis powers. THey were evil with nothing good about them at all, happy?

The Axis DID have some redeemable qualities, hard to believe as it seems. They came up with some of the most startling achievements in military technology, many of which thoroughly revolutionised warfare. Quite a few of their personnel were not monsters, but honourable soldiers - Rommel and Yamamoto come immediately to mind in terms of the commanders, and we have Eric Hartman, Simo Hayha and Saburo Sakai as examples of the ordinary trooper. And if there was an Axis country to be wholly admired and not reviled at all for heinous conduct, it would be Finland. They joined forces with the Germans only out of convenience, to protect themselves against the Soviet threat, and fought a valiant fight against the Soviets.

*takes a few deep breaths* Okay, I'm relaxed now. I hnestly have no idea why I try to look for the good in everything and defend things. I should see a head Ddoctor. You know, I'm begging to think I should have done a school projoct and some of the positive aspcets of the axis, t'would be fun, methinks.

Nachtsider wrote:

Destroyer of Worlds ;D wrote:I'd forgotten about that. I'd primarily based my opinion on the comments on her from the SW wiki from the other Witches, more specifically, these ones...

(snip)

Okay, they don't really support my point, but she isn't useless. Capable, but a a fuckwit. That should be even ground, hmm?

Fair enough an assessment, I suppose. There's talent in her that could be put to very good use; she needs moulding. Mio needs to keep a closer eye on her; letting her out of her section might have been premature.

Pun intended? Because Mio has an eye patch .

Nachtsider wrote:

Awinnell wrote:Japan may have had legitimate grievances against the presence of the western powers in the east ,but a military strike against the US and the British Empire was stupid in the extreme,

they lacked the resources to sustain a long war against either power and totally depended on capturing further resources as part of their early war effort

None of Japan's grievances against the Western powers' presence in the East was legitimate. They started off with a war of aggression against China, and then got all butthurt when the US imposed an oil embargo on them when they did not comply with demands to stop beating China up.

I remain convinced, however, that Japan might have had a decent chance of victory if they chose to go to war with Britain and the Netherlands alone, or even the Netherlands alone, for that matter.

I think Japans main fear was the control the west had over oil in the region,Japan has very few natural resources within its own borders,and needed oil and coal to maintain its modernisation

the war in China was just the Japanese military flexing its muscles at the rest of the world powers,and committing mass murder and biological warfare along the way

Personally I think Germany could have had their cake and ate it,if they had not gone down the road of anti semitism and had attacked the Soviet Union from the start then in all likely hood the rest of Europe would have gone with them as the Communists were considered a much bigger threat at the time

June 22, 1941 Operation Barbarossa commenced. A War with the Soviet Union a massive industrial powerhouse, Which is a tough fight but winnable by the Germans alone, even easier if the Japanese helped.

BUT Someone decided that its a good idea on December 7, 1941 to attack Pearl Harbor and bring the second most industrially capable country on Earth into the equation.

Its all downhill from there.


On the good things. The Nazi Party did bring the most broken and battered country in central Europe from the harsh treaty conditions and the following dreadful depression into one of the most advanced superpowers ever seen in just a few years. Hitler just bit off a little more than he could chew.

And How has this thread so horribly derailed now?

Not a freaking clue ach but maybe tonight I can get it back on track by posting some more info on my fan characters but now its time to do some organic chemistry tutoring

This is a lot to put on my plate. With internet down at home, its slow goings, but give me a while and I'll figure something out. I think I may have three in mind.

A big mistake for the Axis was Germany declaring War on the United States. That allowed Roosevelt to take the gloves off and give the United Kingdom (and by extension, the Commonwealth) with all the support they needed to not just keep the Axis at bay, but actually start knocking them back.

If Germany had not declared War, Roosevelt would have been forced to focus on Japan and would have been more limited in the scope and amount of support he could have give Britain. This could have allowed the Axis to better secure Africa and the southern Med and/or allowed them to concentrate more on the Soviets.

A'right, a'right. More fan character discussion, less WWII talk.

Charon, get back in here and tell us more about Gwen Boyington.

Name: Diana D. “Tough Nut” McLachlan

Rank: Wing Commader

Role: Company Commander

Age: 16

Eye Colour: brown

Hair Colour: sandy

Height: 4’ 11”

Identifying Marks: scarring on lower right torso, slight limp from farming accident

Familiar: sheep dog

Build: short, bony, and fragile looking

Magic: Iron Woman – capable of withstanding pain and exhaustion that would kill a normal Witch. The drawback however, is that after use, the pain and exhaustion catches up, putting her out of action for anywhere between one hour and one month, depending on the extent of the powers use.

Striker Model: CAC Boomerang

Affiliation: Royal Australis Air Force, 666th Joint Strike Force or “Hell’s Witches”

Service History: Conscripted into RAAF after first Neuroi attacks on Europe, she got along well with all in her company, and is often called upon to round up the others in her company and other companies after and sometimes during leave. Appointed leader of her unit due to her experience with coordinating an effort on a sheep station that easily transferable to the battle field. Wounded during first attack on Darwin where over half of her unit was killed. While recovering, the rest of her unit died in the second attack. Being unable to cope with the pain of not being there for her unit when they were killed, she requested a transfer to Europe where she continues to provide assistance in the coordination of Britannian, Gallian, and Karlslander units as leader of the 666th JSF.

Weapons Training: Austen submachine gun, Vickers Machine Gun, Welbey Mk IV revolver, Owen submachine gun

Psych Profile: Charismatic, friendly, and firm. Get’s on well with most people, and likes to dress in an enlisted man’s uniform over an officer’s uniform so that her troops can feel more comfortable around her. Expects the orders she gives to be followed, and frequently argues with the European officers she is assisting. In combat, she is cold and calculating, not giving the enemy another chance to kill her team.

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Name: Amber “Sheila” O’Brien

Rank: Bombardier

Role: Anti-armour specialist

Age: 19

Eye Colour: green

Hair Colour: white

Height: 5’ 5”

Identifying Marks: Unusual white hair, unhealed broken nose from first bar fight

Familiar: red kangaroo

Build: Strong, muscular

Magic: Anti 1st – Newton’s first law states that, “an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted on by an outside force”. This is not true for Amber’s bullets. She has the ability to reshape the round just as it exits the muzzle to make it half a micron small at the point and three times the density. However, the rounds become much less accurate and are only useful when the location of the Neuroi core is known to the user.

Striker Model: Cruiser Tank Mk. 1 “Sentinel”

Affiliation: Royal Australis Army, 666th Joint Strike Force or “Hell’s Witches”

Service History: Like her commanding officer, was conscripted at the start of the European attack, however into RAA instead of RAAF. Described as her first commanding officer as a “piece of shit slacker and a waste of fucking time”, though this was how her drill sergeant described most of the recruits. After her transfer to the Darwin garrison, was rounded up from pubs and bars by her current commanding officer, Diana, no less than thirty times. During first attack on Darwin, was saved by Diana, and killed two Neuroi that day, and a further three during the second attack. After she heard that Diana was transferring, and feeling a debt for having her life saved, and requested a transfer with Diana. Was refused several times, but finally the transfer was approved and Amber was transferred to the 666th JSF.

Weapons Training: Vickers Machine Guns (dual wielded),M1 Bazooka, Mills bomb, Stokes mortar, Owen submachine gun

Psych Profile: A real party girl who loves a good drink, or just any drink. Coupled with the fact that she is not afraid to speak her mind she has gotten in trouble countless times and ended up in an infirmary half those times. That is only off the job though, during training and on mission, she is one of the most disciplined and merciless Witches to come from the southern hemisphere.

Oh, Aussie witches? Interesting. I was kind of expecting the leader of the 601 to be an absolute monster, though. She seems very personable, quite at odds with what the group is described as being - a bunch of holy terrors.

Props for using the Sentinel; that tank had potential, even though it never saw service. And until you mentioned it, I had absolutely no idea that Boomerang even existed.

I'm very, very iffy on Di being an Air Vice Marshal at the tender age of sixteen. Minna, older than Di at eighteen and highly experienced, is but a Group Captain.

Nachtsider wrote:Oh, Aussie witches? Interesting. I was kind of expecting the leader of the 601 to be an absolute monster, though. She seems very personable, quite at odds with what the group is described as being - a bunch of holy terrors.

Props for using the Sentinel; that tank had potential, even though it never saw service. And until you mentioned it, I had absolutely no idea that Boomerang even existed.

I'm very, very iffy on Di being an Air Vice Marshal at the tender age of sixteen. Minna, older than Di at eighteen and highly experienced, is but a Group Captain.

Hmm, you make a good point about Diana "Tough Nut", but the guy I based her on an Air Vice Marshal so...
Guess, I can change it to something a little lower.... a Wing Commander. Can't go any lower otherwise there'll be someone of equal rank to her, and I can't have that.
Oh, and I used the Sentinel because it had two Vickers, so that way Shiela can duel wield them for a good reason, and the Boomerang was the only Aussie made aircraft, so it got the job.
The Aussies are the friendliest of the bunch, but that's because Aussies are a fairly laid back peoples. The other memebers once I finish with them (especially the SS Witch) are the true brutes. Diana "Tough Nut" is just willing to do what is needed to end the war to so that no that no other people (such as her former comapny) have to die. Your little band of pirates are disrupting supply lines which in turn will extend the war which will mean more people die. Diana would crush them into the dirt.

The basic gist is that they can be pleasant out of uniform (except the Gestapo), but in the uniform... follow orders, don't get caught doing anything that could impede the war effort, and for the love of God, don't try and desert. If you desert, best case scinario is you're shot in the back, worst case... a slow and very, very painful death dealt to you by the Gestapo. Oaky, I gotta go finish the other four.

Name: Simone “White Death” Häyhä

Rank: Vänrikki (Second Lieutenant)

Role: sharpshooter

Age: 17

Eye Colour: hazel

Hair Colour: black

Height: 6’ 1”

Identifying Marks: disfigured jaw

Familiar: Arctic Fox

Build: thin

Magic: Light filtration – able to make both visible and most non-visible light “ignore” her so that she appears invisible. Does not work when moving however as there is a “lag” as the light slows when passing through her, meaning that she will be at least a second or two behind the rest of the moving background.

Striker Model: Renault FT

Affiliation: Infantry Regiment 34, 666th Joint Strike Force or “Hell’s Witches”

Service History: Joined the local militia at age 12, after having trained with a rifle for most of her young life, at the breakout of the Winter War. Racking up more destroyed cores than any other sniper unit, she earned the nickname “White Death” due to always wearing white and being the most lethal soldier in her unit. Was transferred to the 666th JSF after Diana read her file.

Weapons Training: M/28 "Pystykorva", Lahti L-39

Psych Profile: Courteous off duty and heartless on. Willing to do what is required for victory. Expresses wish to she her lover again, but knows it will likely never happen as the war and casualties escalate.

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Name: Oksana “Ace of Diamonds” Zaytsev

Rank: Sergeant Major

Role: Sharpshooter / spotter for “White Death” / medic

Age: 16

Eye Colour: brown

Hair Colour: curly brunette

Height: 5’ 3”

Identifying Marks: minor scarring from war injury on chest

Familiar: Amur tiger

Build: average

Magic: healing – able to increase the growth rate of cells in a person amd decrease the cell replication cycle from 24hours to just 30min. This pus immense strain n both the patient and Oksana, and in some cases may kill the patient.

Striker Model: Katyusha

Affiliation: Orussian Navy, 1047th Rifle Regiment of the 284th Rifle Division of the 62nd Army, 666th Joint Strike Force or “Hell’s Witches”

Service History: Conscripted at the start of the war, she trained herself to use a sniper rifle and became a hero at the Battle of Stalingrad, killing over 50 Neuroi cores. Spent two years fighting the Neuroi in a guerrilla war until being transferred the the 666th JSF.

Weapons Training: Mosin-Nagant rifle, PPSH-41, PTRD 1941

Psych Profile: hardened by many years fighting in the harsh Orussian winters, Oksana is cold to both her enemies and her allies. When she does decide speak, she is shy and timid, except with Simone, who she competes with to see who can get more kills. Despite aggressive nature, is a fan of poetry and it is not uncommon to find her reading either Emily Dickinson or Robert Frost’s work.

Kind of ironic, how such a brutal killer has a healing special ability. 'Oksana' is a bit removed from 'Vassily', I'd have gone with 'Valeria' or some other V name; that's just me, though. But 'Simone' Hayha? Absolutely brilliant.

The Renault is an odd choice, given its obsolescence, but I suppose that could tally with the real life Simo using an old Nangant. I had to chuckle at how tall you've made Simone, in light of the fact that her namesake was diminutive. And her stealth ability is pretty cool, too. You might want to consider giving her a light automatic weapon; perhaps a Suomi KP31. Unless, of course, Oksana acts as the backup in that regard. I wonder how well the Russian and the Finn work together, which also makes me ponder whether or not the Winter War took place between Orussia and Suomus before the Neuroi rolled up.

Nachtsider wrote:Kind of ironic, how such a brutal killer has a healing special ability. 'Oksana' is a bit removed from 'Vassily', I'd have gone with 'Valeria' or some other V name; that's just me, though. But 'Simone' Hayha? Absolutely brilliant.

The Renault is an odd choice, given its obsolescence, but I suppose that could tally with the real life Simo using an old Nangant. I had to chuckle at how tall you've made Simone, in light of the fact that her namesake was diminutive. And her stealth ability is pretty cool, too. You might want to consider giving her a light automatic weapon; perhaps a Suomi KP31. Unless, of course, Oksana acts as the backup in that regard.

I called her Oksana becase that's the only Russian girls name I know beside the ones like Ursula and Olga. (Actually one of my mates step mother's name). And I didn't know that Hayha was short, Wiki didn't tell me much. I just hope I got the hair and eye colour kinda right, black and white is hard to tell sometimes.

Nachtsider wrote:I wonder how well the Russian and the Finn work together, which also makes me ponder whether or not the Winter War took place between Orussia and Suomus before the Neuroi rolled up.

You just wrinkled my brain... Actually, I hope so, otherwise the Red October may never exist!

Also, I'm changing it from the 601st JSF to the 666th JSF, I thought it would suit "Hell's Witches" better.

Yeah, Simo stood only five-foot-three and was slim of build. And you got the hair and eye colours right, no fear. There's actually a number of colour photos of the guy floating around the web, which are easily found.

I'm going to work two other fanchara Witch profiles - an American and a Japanese. Also, you've made me feel like listening to some Iron Maiden.

Nachtsider wrote:Yeah, Simo stood only five-foot-three and was slim of build. And you got the hair and eye colours right, no fear. There's actually a number of colour photos of the guy floating around the web, which are easily found.

I'm going to work two other fanchara Witch profiles - an American and a Japanese. Also, you've made me feel like listening to some Iron Maiden.

I look foward to hearing about them.

Six, Six six, the number of the beast
hell and fire, are going to be the least
(guitar bit)
torches blazed and sacred chants were made
can this still be real, or just some kind of hell
six, six six...

Someone needs to make an IL-2 Sturmovik Witch... and of course, an accompanying Ju-87 Sturzkampfflugzeug Witch...

Coz Tanks are fun... but make them fly and theyre even better

..... GOD YES. Sturmovik-chan, Stuka-Chan, Mosquito-Chan, Typhoon-Chan and Thunderbolt-Chan FTW!

Unless I'm mistaken, the greatest Stuka pilot ever (and also the greatest ground-attack pilot ever), Hans Rudel, actually has a Witch counterpart, albeit a Witch who's part of the SW 1991 project. Maybe somebody could come up with a WWII era Witch who was her grandmother or something like that.

Nachtsider wrote:Charon, get back in here and tell us more about Gwen Boyington.

Ahem.

See my post in the "How has your day been" section on that score.

I came up with Gwen in like 5 seconds, brah... I'll sit down and flesh her out appropriately, giving her a more fitting write-up. I promise!

Ah, shit, I didn't see that, man. My apologies. I didn't mean to be rude; it was a mock display of anger more than anything else.

*chuckles* I know, brah. honeslty, I've been meaning to sit down and write her up properly.

Nachtsider wrote:Unless I'm mistaken, the greatest Stuka pilot ever (and also the greatest ground-attack pilot ever), Hans Rudel, actually has a Witch counterpart, albeit a Witch who's part of the SW 1991 project. Maybe somebody could come up with a WWII era Witch who was her grandmother or something like that.

Remember that Strike Witches is a multimedia project. There are a lot of character that haven't appeared in the TV series. Hanna Rudel is one of them. (The Judith Rudel in SW 1991 is her non canon granddaughter.)

The Strike Witches wiki is a good place to look up info on the multitude of characters in the different media.

Hanna Rudel is in the SW universe. And actually has an entire chapter in the World Witches Africa dedicated for her (Unfortunately I dont have this yet so apologies if I cant put it up)

Rudel is a beast. No other person can ever compare.

In over 2500 missions, which has never been match before or since

800 Light vehicles destroyed. Cars, trucks ect.

over 500 tanks. Thanks in part to the Ju-87 G series's 37mm cannons

about 150 artillery pieces. AT guns, AA and Howitzers

a Destroyer

2 Cruisers

The Battleship Marat, which is a shared kill

70 landing craft

4 armored supply trains

and 9 aircraft which he shot down (not including the kills his rear gunner made)

He was even involved in the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

Hartmann received the Knights Cross with Oak leaves and Swords and Diamonds, along with 26 other personnel of which 10 were generals.

Rudel was the sole recipient of the Knights Cross with Golden Oak leaves and Swords and Diamonds.

One interesting thing tho was his career started rather late.

crazyidiot78 wrote:Name- Catharine Balalaika

Wouldn't happen to be named after Balalika from Black Lagoon would she?

-ACHTUNG- wrote:Hanna Rudel is in the SW universe. And actually has an entire chapter in the World Witches Africa dedicated for her (Unfortunately I dont have this yet so apologies if I cant put it up)

Statistical stuff

He is a badass . I want one.

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Name: Joan Malcolm Thorpe Fleming "Mad Jane" Churchill

Rank: Major

Role: Groundside CO / “morale boosting” shock trooper

Age: 17

Eye Colour: hazel

Hair Colour: black with a touch of brown

Height: 5’ 7”

Identifying Marks: stiff upper lip, scar on right thigh from Neuroi beam in Yugoslavia

Familiar: mountain goat

Build: heavy

Magic: wrap-around-shield – unlike a regular Witches shield, Joan’s wraps around her creating a full barrier between her and the rest of the world, however this is only ever done in extreme situation when she is surrounded as it draws much more magic than a regular shield, which she is still capable of producing.

Striker Model: Cromwell Mk VIII Cruiser

Affiliation: Britannian Commandos, 666th Joint Strike Force or “Hell’s Witches”

Service History: Enlisting as an officer when war broke out, she joined the Witches even though she didn’t know what they were because it sounded dangerous. Later requested a transfer to the 666th JSF because it sounded more dangerous. Since joining, she has been instrumental in preventing routes and keeping the Neuroi on their side of the Alps.

Weapons Training: Longbow (magically hardened barbed tip and explosive), magically reinforced Scottish Broadsword, Bagpipes

Psych Profile: Most people who see her in combat believe her insane, those who meet her out of uniform also believe her insane. The truth is, she’s simply ‘enthusiastic’. Gets on well with Sheila who is also her partner in the field. Out of all the Witches of the 666th JSF, she is by far the most profound, and the most ridiculous. Also the only Witch reluctant to kill deserters on the spot, as she believes they should be court marshalled.

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Name: Julie “Spectre” Dettmann

Rank: Obersturmführer (Lieutenant)

Role: Tough Nut’s wingman / disciplinary officer / Core locator

Age: 15

Eye Colour: blue

Hair Colour: blond

Height: 5’ 7”

Identifying Marks: diagonal scar running across face, black eye patch over right eye that scar intersects

Familiar: wolverine

Build: thin, bony

Magic: EM Sight – Ability to see all light in the electro magnetic spectrum, though much like Mio’s magical eye, cannot be used while performing any other actions or moving. Able to see faint Gamma rays emitted by Neuroi cores

Striker Model: Messerschmitt Bf 109

Affiliation: Schutzstaffel (SS), Luftwaffe, 666th Joint Strike Force or “Hell’s Witches”

Service History: Enlisted into the SS at just ten years old. Assisted in the elimination or capture of over seventy dissidents, the most infamous of which was one Anne Frank, before being drafted into the Luftwaffe. Became an invaluable weapon in the defence of Karlsland. Transferred because of her coldness towards others causing a lack of moral, she is now the second newest and youngest member of the 666th JSF. Spectre was assigned disciplinary officer because of her unforgiving nature.

Weapons Training: Luger P08, Walther P38, MG 42, MP 40, StG 44, VG 1-5, FG 42

Psych Profile: Unforgiving, cold, calculating, heartless. Only takes her SS uniform off to sleep or wash, and never smiles. Sees no difference between killing a Neuroi and killing a person besides the amount of ammunition required to do so. At best, she will act professional towards the other Witches, however believes she does not receive the respect she deserves due to her age, being the second youngest member of 666th JSF. Often causes disturbances with the youngest member of the 666th JSF by calling her “the negro”.

The 'insane' thing I can understand with her being so gung-ho, D, but I think you'll need to explain Joan being 'profound' and 'ridiculous'. I'm assuming it's the good kind of 'ridiculous', however; the fact that you mentioned bagpipes makes me envision her playing them in the night just to troll everyone on the base. Her longbow reminds me favourably of Rambo; also, I believe she's the first Witch I've ever seen with a bovid familiar.

And so the hitherto nameless individual responsible for Anne Frank's demise finally gets a face. I wonder how many are truly aware of the crimes Julie committed, or how they might react if they find out. It would be interesting (if in a morbid way) to see how she interacts with other personnel she regards as untermenschen, including those of Jewish and Russian descent. I'd also like to know what sort of formative experiences went into creating a mindset like that. While know you did not intend for her to be such, and did not do any sort of copying, Julie strikes me as being very much like Ruth, if Ruth had no heart.

Piero wrote:Remember that Strike Witches is a multimedia project. There are a lot of character that haven't appeared in the TV series. Hanna Rudel is one of them. (The Judith Rudel in SW 1991 is her non canon granddaughter.)

The Strike Witches wiki is a good place to look up info on the multitude of characters in the different media.

Huh, didn't realize that. I need to delve into this thing and see if we're suggesting characters who already exist. I see, however, that there are some fanchara profiles on that wiki, which unnecessarily complicates things.

Nachtsider wrote:The 'insane' thing I can understand with her being so gung-ho, D, but I think you'll need to explain Joan being 'profound' and 'ridiculous'. I'm assuming it's the good kind of 'ridiculous', however; the fact that you mentioned bagpipes makes me envision her playing them in the night just to troll everyone on the base. Her longbow reminds me favourably of Rambo; also, I believe she's the first Witch I've ever seen with a bovid familiar.

That was actually a last minute thing. I posted her profile and realised she didn't have a familiar yet. Since she's a land unit and they would be fighting in the Alps, I thought 'mointain goat' .
Profound because her Archetype "Mad Jack" Churchil said some pretty profound things (or at least I think so)

Nachtsider wrote:And so the hitherto nameless individual responsible for Anne Frank's demise finally gets a face. I wonder how many are truly aware of the crimes Julie committed, or how they might react if they find out. It would be interesting (if in a morbid way) to see how she interacts with other personnel she regards as untermenschen, including those of Jewish and Russian descent. I'd also like to know what sort of formative experiences went into creating a mindset like that. While know you did not intend for her to be such, and did not do any sort of copying, Julie strikes me as being very much like Ruth, if Ruth had no heart.

I don't think I'll ever delve into Spectre's background much. The Gestapo were a secrative bunch.

Final member of the 666th:


Name: Frederline C. “Rookie” Branch

Rank: Corporal

Role: Juggernaut and Dreadnaught class Neuroi consultant / close anti-aircraft ground support / general purpose fighter

Age: 12

Eye Colour: brown

Hair Colour: black

Height: 5’ 5”

Identifying Marks: Minor scarring on both legs from Strikers exploding during engagement with Dreadnaught class Neuroi, pilot goggles on forehead and red bandanna around neck. One of few African Liberion Witches. Tattoo of "Smeper Fi" on left shoulder.

Familiar: Hyena

Build: slightly above average muscle mass, round face, still has some baby fat

Magic: Hyper reactive fragmentation – called a “cluster fuck in a can” by the Rookie, allows her to make the fragments from her rifle grenades explosive in order to deal increased damage and poses light weight anti-aircraft capabilities.

Striker Model: M4 Sherman / M18 Hellcat (depending on mission)

Affiliation: LMC (Liberian Marine Core), Central Intelligence Agency, 666th Joint Strike Force or “Hell’s Witches”

Service History: after six months of training, Rookie’s company was sent to reinforce the Pacific. After a month, the island they were stationed on at the time was attacked by a new super heavy class of Neuroi. She was the only survivor out of five companies of soldiers, one company of Witches, four warships and one aircraft carrier. The CIA quickly ‘asked’ her to debrief them on the events of that day. Shortly after the debrief, Rookie was reassigned to the 666th JSF due to rumours of the new super heavy class of Neuroi having been spotted near the Alps defence line.

Weapons Training: Colt M1911, M1918 BAR, M1919 Browning machine gun, M2 Browning, M1 Bazooka, M1 Garand, Rifle grenade launcher M7, 22mm rifle grenade, Smith & Wesson M1917, 76mm gun M1, Thompson M1 A1

Psych Profile: Still shaken from her first encounter with the new Dreadnaught class of Neuroi, she is easy to aggravate and often acts without thinking. Least experienced, youngest, and least disciplined of the 666th, she looks to both Wing Commander Tough Nut and Bombardier Sheila as role models and admits she sti;; has much to learn and is most taught by those two. Sometimes at odds with the members of the 666th JSF that aren’t from English speaking nations, and is not above playing pranks on them. Always at odds Spectre, because as much as she finds the name Rookie demeaning, she finds being referred to as “The Negro” even more demeaning and has come very close to assaulting the Karlslander. Addicted to coffee, finds it hard to start the day without one.

The continuing success of Freidrike's One off Ta-152 C-3Z designed and built by Kristina Tank compelled a small group of officers within the Luftwaffe that these, "Magic Enhanced standard Equipment" may hold promise on the battlefield. A petition for creating a group centered around the operation of these yet unnamed class of equipment was granted and thus the 701st Joint Strike Squadron was formed. Operating vehicles that were previously unwanted, as wartime production priorities were taken over by those of existing vehicles and striker units, those who were delving into research of new systems were the minority. Apart of course in the reverse engineering of Neuroi technology, which seem to be the most supported research of these new systems.

Their projected mission is of the heavier variety compared to their strikerborne counterparts, equipped with much heavier armament, they are to strike anywhere where they need to. Either high altittude operations far above the operational ceiling of striker units, to ground attack through heavily defended territory against high value point targets, as fireteams to act as the vanguard against either a large scale attack or defense. Thus lead to their nickname the "Great Witches".

These witches were selected because of their difficulty in operating standard striker units. Some have their magical abilities impaired by a past injury, others just simply couldnt be supplied with Strikers. Since the production facilities for their equipment simply did not exist, they utilize existing and often surplus equipment already on production, Jury rigged on site by none other than Kristina Tank herself, who was put in charge of the logistics and technical aspect of the group. Freidrike, although young, was appointed as the squadron leader of these rag tag collection of "Improved" Vehicles.

Though they operate far larger and more primitive equipment than strikers, they are by no means easy to use. The strain put upon the operators on "Combat Power" is enormous, So much so that a typical single seat fighter piloted by the average witch has no more than 5 minutes of Combat Power under magic enhancement before she passes out due to exhaustion. However, in these short window of time, the once run of the mill vehicle, be it a tank or a plane has its performance increased to truly incredibly levels.

-ACHTUNG- wrote:

701st Joint Strike Squadron (Great Witches)
"Standard Equipment Squadron"

I think that's a really good idea. And from what I gather, it works for any vehicle, not just planes? Having an M18 hellcat one would prove invaluable if no nothing other than the insane speeds it will be able to reach. It was already faster than an M1 Abrams, juryrig it for a Witch... it would be kick ass. Go with it man, I look ofward to reading it.

Due to an increasing number of 'hit and run' attacks on human forces on the European continent, Liberian High Command tasked General Maxwell Taylor with assembling a rapid response unit to deal with these attacks.

The 101st Airborne, while labelled under an infantry regiment, is in fact a Witch unit. All Witches enlisted into the 101st are trained in the use of both land and air Strikers, and are deployed to areas that reinforcements would be otherwise unable to get to. Their most common mode of deployment into a combat zone is being dropped from an aircraft. Those who have land Strikers glide down, and those who have air Strikers take off from the doorway.

Although they are designed as a rapid response unit, the versatility of being able to use both types of Striker have resulted in many of them being posted in defensive positions, such as the Alpine defensive line that Easy Company holds with the assistance of the 666th JSF and Romangan, Liberian, and Karlslander forces.


Easy Company profiles pending.
And a quick thanks to Nacht for his inspiration.

Freda (yeah, I'll call her that for convenience's sake) has a really impressive arsenal and a deadly power. She's got a lot of potential as a warrior; I predict her being a hit-and-run-type fighter, as per her Striker's namesake.

The Hellcat was fast and nippy, yes, but had armor that was like only 30mm thick. One hit from a Panzer IV? Blazing scrap. Let's not even talk about a hit from a Panther or a Tiger. It'll be like that one traffic accident that happened near my place, where I overheard a cop saying: "I can't tell if it's a car or a van, sergeant, but I'm pretty sure there's a motorcycle involved, too."

James McConville? Bah, I was expecting Maxwell Taylor, the IRL leader of the 101st. Land strikers parachuting down might be a tad slow; I'd prefer to outfit them with disposable glider wings for them to swiftly glide into the landing zone. Look up airborne tanks; the IRL airborne tank projects were severely limited by having to make the tanks as light as possible, but the fact that these are Striker units will probably render all those problems void.

Glad to have been of inspiration, mate.

Nachtsider wrote:Freda (yeah, I'll call her that for convenience's sake) has a really impressive arsenal and a deadly power. She's got a lot of potential as a warrior; I predict her being a hit-and-run-type fighter, as per her Striker's namesake.

The Hellcat was fast and nippy, yes, but had armor that was like only 30mm thick. One hit from a Panzer IV? Blazing scrap. Let's not even talk about a hit from a Panther or a Tiger. It'll be like that one traffic accident that happened near my place, where I overheard a cop saying: "I can't tell if it's a car or a van, sergeant, but I'm pretty sure there's a motorcycle involved, too."

James McConville? Bah, I was expecting Maxwell Taylor, the IRL leader of the 101st. Land strikers parachuting down might be a tad slow; I'd prefer to outfit them with disposable glider wings for them to swiftly glide into the landing zone. Look up airborne tanks; the IRL airborne tank projects were severely limited by having to make the tanks as light as possible, but the fact that these are Striker units will probably render all those problems void.

Glad to have been of inspiration, mate.

I will admit, very, very little ersearch went into picking an American leader dude. And by IRL, do you mean Republic of Ireland?

And I never said the Hellcat could take a hit, just that it was difficult to do so. I was planning to show that sort of thing by having the Rookie's shields stronger and bigger when using the Sherman, but she's faster with the Hellcat. ANd yeah, you basically got her tactics right. The sherman is for defense, and she uses whatever is neaded for the mission. If anti-air is required, she'll likely use the M2 Browing in her Sherman, M1919 in her Hellcat, and if she'll be on the move a lot, she'll use the M1918. For ground type Neuroi, she'd use the bazooka, cannon, 22mm grenade rifle, etc, etc. So yeah, whatever suits the job.
And if you want conveniance, just call the by thier nickname/callsign, it's what i've been doing.
Gliders you say? Wilco, gliders it is (actually makes more sense than my idea). And thier aircraft will all be Sikorsky R-6's. Not exactly fast, but I recall the heli-Striker discussion, so they'll be more manouverable.

And thanks for being inspirational ,

IRL = in real life. Internet slang. You're going to get that a lot here, where we're comparing and contrasting Strike Witches with the real (IRL) world. I would expect an SW division to be led by an analogue to its real-life leader, should it be based on a real-life unit.

Are you saying that the choppers that transport the Witches to the target area will be Sikorsky R-6s? That won't really work; the R-6 is a single seat machine. I would expect some gigantic aircraft, along the lines of the Messerschmitt 323. Or are you saying that their Striker units are based on the Sikorsky? If so, that would be a little redundant, as Striker units based on regular (i.e. non-helicopter) aircraft are already capable of hovering and can do all the things that a helicopter can do.

Nachtsider wrote:IRL = in real life. Internet slang. You're going to get that a lot here, where we're comparing and contrasting Strike Witches with the real (IRL) world. I would expect an SW division to be led by an analogue to its real-life leader, should it be based on a real-life unit.

Oh, I see where you're going now. Maxwell Taylor. Gimme a sec while I Google him... m'kay. His Google checked out, replacing Jmes is getting the boot. Thanks for the tip . And I feel like an idiot because I already knew what IRL meant, but got confused because we're talking about the millitary of WWII, more specifically the Americans, which lead me to think of the Thompson, which I knew was used by the IRA. So yeah, carzy train of thought.

Nachtsider wrote:Are you saying that the choppers that transport the Witches to the target area will be Sikorsky R-6s? That won't really work; the R-6 is a single seat machine. I would expect some gigantic aircraft, along the lines of the Messerschmitt 323. Or are you saying that their Striker units are based on the Sikorsky? If so, that would be a little redundant, as Striker units based on regular (i.e. non-helicopter) aircraft are already capable of hovering and can do all the things that a helicopter can do.

The Striker. And I recal somewhere we were discussing heli Strikers and figured they'd simply be much more naouverable than the regular ones, if slower. That's where I was going with that. And I don't want them being too fast fighting it out in the Alps and all that. Wouldn't be fitting to have Lt. Winters crash into a mointain and die, she'd have to die special ways. Like in a giant fireball or holding back a Neuroi horde while her team mates fallback, not crashing into a big hill.

I still think heli Strikers seem a tad redundant given what an ordinary Striker unit can do. An ordinary Striker unit is essentially a helicopter/plane that you can wear. But if you can introduce them in such a way that they confer some startling advantages, then by all means, go ahead.

Given the fact that the 101st are airborne infantry and work in very close conjunction with the ground forces, perhaps the heli Striker is more suited to ground support than the regular plane Strikers are. And perhaps they can pull off certain stunts that a plane Striker cannot.

To that end, I reckon the design for a heli Striker should be different from a plane Striker. What I'm running with is a sort of tri-rotor design (see picture below), although I'll be damned if I can figure out what it would look like.

http://api.ning.com/files/5fFIbcK06ksqgsKbzjchnSU6ktJUKoX2FvqC0-76uQwJ8z8W1tw8fvUEs0mBq6G9w0WAtoJcl8fGiBDlgBatVLjS5qLMzRtP/hexarotor_assembly1.jpg

Rachelle Winters ain't gonna make it? FFFFUUUU-

Nachtsider wrote:I still think heli Strikers seem a tad redundant given what an ordinary Striker unit can do. An ordinary Striker unit is essentially a helicopter/plane that you can wear. But if you can introduce them in such a way that they confer some startling advantages, then by all means, go ahead.

Given the fact that the 101st are airborne infantry and work in very close conjunction with the ground forces, perhaps the heli Striker is more suited to ground support than the regular plane Strikers are. And perhaps they can pull off certain stunts that a plane Striker cannot.

To that end, I reckon the design for a heli Striker should be different from a plane Striker. What I'm running with is a sort of tri-rotor design (see picture below), although I'll be damned if I can figure out what it would look like.

http://api.ning.com/files/5fFIbcK06ksqgsKbzjchnSU6ktJUKoX2FvqC0-76uQwJ8z8W1tw8fvUEs0mBq6G9w0WAtoJcl8fGiBDlgBatVLjS5qLMzRtP/hexarotor_assembly1.jpg

Rachelle Winters ain't gonna make it? FFFFUUUU-

I never said she wasn't gonna make it, it was just an example. (though she might carc it depending on whether I think it will help the story ). And I did call her Rachelle actually, good guess .

But yeah, the heli Strikers will be slower than he plane variety ('cause helis are slower than planes to begin with), but are better suited to tight manouvering and can bring thier weapons to bear quicker. This gives them an advantage over smaller Neuroi craft in tight spaces such as New York (assuming the Neuroi didn't just laser the buildings) or the valleys and canyons of the Alps. (Just in case there's someone who hasn't caught on yet, my story is set in the Alps)
Until now, I hadn't really thought about the design much, but I guess I'd probably just replace the tiny wings with tiny tail rotors. And I haven't decided what aircraft they'd drop from, but 'll probably pick something American, though that'll have to wait for another story since they are already deployed.

Okay, the first of the Svreaming Witches... and please correct me if I got the hair colour, eye colour, or height wrong.

Name: Rachelle Winters

Rank: First Lieutenant

Role: company executive officer

Age: 18

Eye Colour: blue

Hair Colour: brownish orange

Height: 5’ 9”

Identifying Marks: not fully healed bullet wound in left thigh

Familiar: red fox

Build: thin

Magic: Area Analysis – poses an enhanced awareness of her surroundings allowing her to pinpoint the exact locations of enemies, friendlies, and objects within a half a kilometer

Striker Model: Sikorsky R-6 / M18 Hellcat

Affiliation: 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st airborne, E Company, Screaming Witches

Service History: One of the first to enlist in the all volunteer squadron Screaming Witches. A veteran of several major battles on the European continent. Currently posted in Alps as part of the Alpine defence line, working closely with the 666th.

Weapons Training: M1918 Browning automatic rifle, M1911 Colt automatic pistol, Mills bomb

Psych Profile: looked up to by all the Witches in her unit and is often at odds with the company’s former executive officer Sobel. Acts professional to the 666th CO but does not like her, or most other members of the 666th and tries to keep herself and her unit clear of them if possible.

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Name: Henrietta Sobel

Rank: Captain

Role: instructor/logistics officer

Age: 19

Eye Colour: brown

Hair Colour: black

Height: 5’ 11”

Identifying Marks: none

Familiar: hamster

Build: average

Magic: enhanced shield – capable creating a much larger shield than other Witches

Striker Model: Sikorsky R-6 / M18 Hellcat

Affiliation: 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st airborne, E Company, Screaming Witches

Service History: Despite lack of skill as a tactician, is an excellent instructor. Right before being sent to engage Neuroi in initial assault to retake Gallia, she was resigned from E company executive officer to an instructor at the Chilton Foliat jump and flight school. Later transferred to Romagna assist in the training of their own squadron of Airborne Witches, and soon after transferred to the Alpine front to assist in running supply lines as it is considered a higher priority than the training of the Romagnan Witches.

Weapons Training: M1918 Browning automatic rifle, M1911 Colt automatic pistol, Mills bomb

Psych Profile: dislike by every Witch in the regiment, and a bit of a hard ass. Still sour about being set to training others and being taken out of the field, and about her command having been ‘stolen’ by Lieutenant Winters.

Despite this being a Strike Witches thread, I figured this might be a good place to fit some of my 'Speed Witches' characters even if they're not going to be involved in any kind of RP, so let's start with one of the most well-known (in the universe of Speed Witches).

Name: Ariana Senna (Full name Ariana Senna da Silva)

Nationality: Brazilian

D.O.B/D.O.D: 3/21/1970--5/1/1994

Age: 24 (1994)

Hair: Dark brown/black

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5'6"

Weight:154 lbs

B/W/H: 35C-24-36

Familiar: Puma

Team affiliation: Williams-Renault (1994)

Striker Unit: Williams-Renault FW16 Formula 1 Speed Striker (Merlin Race Engineering/Renault MRS6 V10) (1994)

Career History: Anyone who followed Formula One racing in the 1980s and 1990s knew the name Ariana Senna. From humble beginnings in karting as a child, Ariana made the transition to open-wheel racing at just 10 years old, and the young prodigy would win her first Brittanian Formula Three championship three years later. In 1984, Ariana made her debut on the Formula 1 circuit with the Toleman-Hart racing team at the height of the Formula 1's 'Turbo Era' after months of testing for rival constructors Williams, McLaren, and Brabham. However, her first truly defining moment in the series was at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, where after starting the race in 13th, she clawed her way through torrential rain and rival competitors (including that year's eventual world champion, Nikki Lauda) to finish second behind future teammate and rival Elaine Prost, with many speculating that Senna could have won the race had the race not been called at the 31st lap.

Ariana defected from Toleman to Lotus in the 1985 season (amidst some controversy, since she had to pay the balance of her two-year Toleman contract, and the move had been unannounced, souring her relationship with her former team), where it was hoped that she would finally be able to supplement her evident talent with a better Speed Striker than Toleman could offer, and her first race of the 1985 season in Rio de Janeiro saw her set the first of a record 65 pole positions, but ultimately an electrical problem forced her to retire. Her first-ever Grand Prix win came at Estoril in Portugal, during yet another race plagued by rain, where Senna showed her brilliant ability to race in the rain as well as a unique trait that may have played a part in her now-famous performance at Monaco the year prior-- slowed and dissected camera replays revealed that a magic aura enveloped her Speed Striker, apparently deflecting the incoming raindrops so as to protect not only her vision, but to reduce the amount of water affecting her tires, as well. However, race officials did not penalize Senna, citing that this was a driver's ability and not an unfair advantage granted by the machinery involved. After this secret was revealed, other drivers attempted to copy Senna's water-repulsion technique, but only Ariana had the magic reserves, stamina, and willpower to carry on the technique for a whole race. However, continued mechanical failures meant she would finish her 1985 season in 4th place of the driver's championship. The next season with Lotus was somewhat improved, as she briefly held the World Championship lead after an amazing win at the Hispania GP (holding off Nina Mansell by just .014 of a second for victory), though despite the increased consistency of her Renault-powered Speed Striker, continued mechanical gremlins conspired to end her season in fourth place again in the driver standings. The 1987 season saw a switch to more powerful Honda engines from Fuso after Renault decided to step out of Formula 1 that year. This season saw Ariana win the Monaco GP (the first of six consecutive victories at the principality leading to the moniker 'Mistress of Monaco') and the Liberion GP at Detroit one after the other, once again giving her the World Championship lead. However, while it seemed the Lotus-Honda unit was on par with the Williams-Honda units of Nella Piquet and Nina Mansell, Piquet was blessed with consistency that Senna was unable to match, and a disqualification at the Australis GP due to illegal brake duct size meant that she would finish her last season with Lotus in third place in the final standings.

However, Senna had managed to build up a deep relationship with Honda throughout her last season with Renault, which paid off when McLaren came calling with an offer. In 1988, Senna began her now-famous relationship with McLaren alongside two-time world champion Elaine Prost, which led to an equally-famous rivalry that led to a number of dramatic race incidents between them. The 1988 season saw McLaren win 15 out of 16 races and Senna achieving her first World Driver's Championship. The next year, the rivalry between Senna and Prost intensified into on-track clashes and a war of words off the track. The tension between them increased during an incident at the 1989 San Marino Grand Prix, involving Senna violating a pre-race agreement by overtaking her teammate at the restart of the race. She would go on to lead the championship thanks to victories in San Marino, Monaco, and Mexico, though mechanical unreliability and collisions placed the title in Prost's favor. At the 1989 Fuso Grand Prix at Suzuka, which Senna needed to win in order to remain in contention for the World Driver's Championship title, a well-known incident occurred at the chicane following the 130R corner where Senna attempted to make an inside pass on Prost, who cut her off, and the resulting contact resulted in their two Speed Strikers becoming entangled and stalled in the chicane escape road. While Prost assumed the championship was over and gave up, leaving her McLaren unit, Senna gestured to the marshals hurrying to clear their race machines to give her a push down the escape road, allowing her to use the forward momentum to restart the magic engine once again, and after pitting in to replace the damaged main front wing of her McLaren, quickly fought her way back to first place, passing Romagnan Alessandra Nannini of Benetton in just two laps after pitting in. However, Prost had gone to the marshals' office to protest Senna's rejoining of the race, and Ariana was disqualified, denying her the win even though she finished in first place. When Senna and McLaren went to appeal the decision in Gallia later that week, not only was the decision upheld, but she was also fined LD $100,000 and ended up with a six-month suspension on her FIA Super License, while Prost eventually won the title.

The next season, Prost had left McLaren for Ferrari, and Senna wasted no time in building up a commanding lead of six wins, two second places, and three third place podiums. However, a crucial Ferrari win in Hispania reduced the gap between Prost and Senna to 11 points. At Suzuka, where the two had collided the previous year, Senna arguably got her revenge on Prost. Though Senna had qualified for pole position, FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre gave Prost the better, racing-line start position leaving Senna's pole position on the right-hand side of the track with less grip. Prost made a better start as a result, but Senna aggressively kept her inside line, and ended up making contact with Prost's Ferrari as the latter turned in at 270 km/h, putting both their Speed Strikers out of the race, and securing the World Driver's Championship for Senna (her second championship title). She would later explain her actions as wanting to make clear she would not accept the unfair decision-making by Balestre, citing her 1989 disqualification and her incorrect pole position at Suzuka.

In the 1991 season, Ariana, despite beginning to feel the start of her magic powers waning with age, still managed to pull off amazing feats of driving talent, as proven by the season's second race in her home country of Brazil at Interlagos Circuit. Having led the race practically from start to finish, progressive failure of her manual gearbox forced Senna not only to contend with deteriorating weather conditions, but also keep her Speed Striker from stalling and losing power altogether as her McLaren was stuck in sixth gear with just several laps to go. The combination of maintaining her position, feeding more magic power than usual to the engine to keep it from stalling around sharp corners, and having to maintain control at high speed on a rain-soaked track would have taken down lesser racing witches, but through sheer grit and determination, Ariana took the checkered flag on the final lap, 2.9 seconds ahead of Roberta Patrese in the second-place Williams-Renault before passing out due to magic depletion and exhaustion. Senna was in such a worn-out state that she needed to be bodily lifted from her Striker and brought to the podium in the medical car. Throughout the season, due to Elaine Prost being saddled with an uncompetitive Ferrari unit, Senna's biggest rival was Nina Mansell, who drove a more technologically advanced Williams-Renault unit. However, Senna encouraged Honda to step up development efforts and McLaren to make improvements to the Speed Striker, allowing her to make a push that netted her three races to secure the championship, which was decided at Suzuka when Mansell's Williams unit had an off in the first corner while running third into the gravel trap. Senna handed off the race victory to teammate Gertrud Berger as thanks for the Ostmarker's support throughout the season. Senna was planning on transferring to Williams for the 1992 season, but with the CEO of Honda pleading with her to stay at McLaren, Senna delayed her move out of a sense of loyalty.

Unfortunately, Senna's 1992 season resulted in a lot of disappointment, as Williams-Renault had FW14B Speed Strikers that were the most technologically advanced units to ever grace the Formula 1 scene. With active suspension and traction control built into their design, these technical advancements allowed Williams drivers Nina Mansell and Roberta Patrese to leave Senna in their dust for much of the season whilst Ariana's talent was hampered by the limitations of her McLaren unit, which lacked the power, reliability, and technology to pose a serious threat to the Williams team, resulting in a fourth-place finish overall in the driver's championship. Notably, during the qualifying session of the Belgican Grand Prix, Ariana was the first to arrive at the crash scene of Gallian witch Erica Comas, leaping out of her Speed Striker, running across the track and disregarding her own safety to come to the aid of a fellow witch, whom she later visited in hospital.

The 1993 season saw Ariana's last with McLaren. Initially intent to finally sign on with Williams, Senna was barred from joining the team due to a clause in Elaine Prost's contract with Williams forbidding Senna from being her teammate. Honda had also bowed out of Formula 1 engine supply at the end of 1992, and pre-season testing with a Lamborghini V12 unit had amounted to nothing. After a deal to secure Renault V10 magic hybrid engines fell through, McLaren were forced to take a supply of Ford V8 engines that were two specifications inferior to Benetton, Ford's factory team. The lack of power had to be rectified with mechanical sophistication, including an active suspension system that would actually work. Team manager Rose Dennis managed to persuade Senna to come back to McLaren, but Ariana only agreed to drive for them on a per-race basis, with the Transvaal Grand Prix allowing Senna to assess if the new McLaren unit was competitive enough to let her put in a good season. Senna found the new unit had potential, although it still lacked power and was no match for Prost's FW15C Speed Striker, which had anti-lock brakes in addition to the active suspension and traction control already built into it. Rain at Interlagos in Brazil and Donington in Brittania allowed Senna to score some wins, with her performance in the latter race being regarded as 'The Greatest Lap in Formula 1 History'. In the first lap of the race at Donington, Senna overtook Carla Wendlinger, Michelle Schumacher, Dana Hill, and Elaine Prost in succession, relying more on her driving skill than magic power at this point in her racing career. In the dry, however, Senna was simply unable to hold off the dominance of the Williams team, resulting in second place overall in the driver's championship.

In 1994, Senna was finally able to sign on with Williams, as Prost's contract clause only covered the 1993 season, and the Gallian reluctantly retired from Formula 1 rather than face a potential repeat of the animosities of hers and Senna's time at McLaren. However, with the onset of the 1994 season came rule changes from the FIA banning driver aids like active suspension, traction control, and anti-lock brakes-- the very devices sought by Ariana Senna when she had signed onto Williams. There was a mad scramble to build a compliant Speed Striker, resulting in the FW16, a powerful and quick but often unwieldy machine that never quite settled properly on the track. Senna managed to place the FW16 on pole in both the Brazilian and Pacific Grands Prix, but never finished either of the races due to offs and accidents.

Senna's last race was the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola circuit in Romagna, considered to this day to be the blackest weekend in the history of Formula 1 racing. On Friday, April 29, 1994, Rubina Barichello, Senna's protege and compatriot, was involved in an accident during qualifying that knocked her unconscious. Barichello returned to the driver's meeting the next day, but a broken nose and plastered arm meant she would be sitting out the race weekend. The weekend at San Marino took a darker turn when Ostmarker Rosa Ratzenberger, driving for Simtek-Ford, was killed in a fatal accident during the second round of qualifying. A distraught Senna had gone to see the accident scene for herself, and was met at the accident site by the FIA's Medical Chief, Professor Sydney Watkins, who recalled Ariana breaking down and crying on her shoulder. Watkins attempted to persuade Ariana to at least avoid racing the next day, even suggesting on that occasion that both she and Senna should quit racing for a while and go fishing--a hobby the two of them shared, but Senna insisted that she had to race on race day, as she felt she could not bring herself to quit.

At the very start of the race on Sunday, May 1, 1994, an accident occured between J.J. Lehto of Benetton and Petra Lamy of Lotus that caused bodywork and tires to fly into the air, and minor injuries to spectators occured when parts flew over ther safety fencing designed to protect spectators at the starting line. The safety car was deployed until the debris was cleared, though its slow speed caused tire temperatures to drop, and Senna even pulled alongside and gestured for the driver to go faster. On the second lap after the race was restarted, Senna,leading against Schumacher, lost control at Tamburello corner after slowing from 306 km/h to 211 km/h, hitting the concrete wall violently. The race was stopped with a red flag, and Sydney Watkins arrived at the crash scene to treat Senna, who had already lost nearly 5 liters of blood and had sustained serious head trauma. Senna's injuries warranted an onsite tracheotomy to artificially maintain her breathing whilst other medical witches tried to heal Senna with their own magic until a medical helicopter arrived to bring her to Maggiore Hospital in Bologna. During this time, driver Erica Comas was accidentally let out of the pit lane, attempting to rejoin the already red-flagged race, and frantic waving from the marshals thankfully prevented her from colliding with the medical helicopter landing at Senna's crash scene. The race continued after the crash scene was cleared, but Senna was announced dead at 6:40 P.M. local time, two hours and twenty minutes after the race was finished. The cause of senna's death, as established by an autopsy, was that a piece of her Williams-Renault's front suspension had broken off in the impact and pierced her helmet and skull. However, her time of death was said to be at 2:17 P.M. local time, the exact moment when she hit the wall at Tamburello corner, meaning she was killed instantly, and this detail caused a great amount of controversy over the following years. A blood-soaked and furled Ostmark flag was found in the cockpit of her Speed Striker, which Senna had intended to fly at the end of the race in dedication to Ratzenberger.

Ariana Senna's death was regarded in her home country of Brazil to be a national tragedy, and the government had declared three days of national mourning. Hundreds of Romagnans lined the streets as her coffin made its way to the airport from Bologna, whereupon her coffin, covered by a large Brazilian flag, was loaded into the passenger cabin rather than cargo of a Varig MD-11, accompanied by her younger brother, Leonardo and close friends. When the plane touched down in Brazil, an estimated three million Brazilians flocked to Senna's hometown of Sao Paulo and lined the route of her funeral procession to the Legislative Assembly, where 200,000 people filed past to pay their respects to the fallen national heroine. On the way to the cemetery where Senna was interred, a 21-gun salute and an air force flyover also paid tribute to Senna at her funeral. A number of prominent motorsport figures attended her funeral, among them team managers Kelly Tyrell, Rose Dennis, and Williams-Renault's Francine Williams. Senna's pallbearers included several fellow witches, among them Elaine Prost, Dana Hill, Gertrud Berger, Michelle Alboreto, Jacqueline Stewart, and Amelia Fittipaldi. Senna was buried at the Morumbi Cemetery in Sao Paulo, where her grave bears the epitaph, "Nada pode me separar do amor de Deus," which translates to "Nothing can separate me from the love of God," a reference to Romans 8:38-39 in the Holy Bible.

Ariana Senna was the last witch to die in Formula 1 racing. After her death at San Marino, many changes had been made over the following years to improve safety in Formula 1, including the introduction and eventual requirement of the Head And Neck Support device to prevent abrupt, violent head movement in an accident that would cause a basilar skull fracture, in addition to the immediate introduction of magic-charged cockpit and helmet runes at the suggestion of former WWII Strike Witch and Formula 1 advocate Charlotte Yeager, who took inspiration for the safety measure from her own experiences during WWII when fighting in the 501st Joint Fighter wing against the Neuroi. Many speculate that had such an idea been suggested well in advance, Ariana Senna would have survived her crash at Tamburello corner at Imola.


Character Traits and Personality/ Personal life: During her racing career, Ariana Senna had a reputation for being the most aggressive and ruthless witch on the track. Her sparring and dueling with Elaine Prost during their tumultuous years at McLaren are proof of this, and after the crash at Suzuka in 1990, Senna was accused of bringing a 'video game mentality' to win at all costs. In an interview with Jacqueline 'Jackie' Stewart in the months that followed, Ariana famously responded to a comment from Stewart that Senna had far more collisions with other witches than other great racing witches in the sport with the following:

By being a racing driver you are under risk all the time. By being a racing driver or witch means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing, we are competing to win. And the main motivation to all of us is to compete for victory, it's not to come 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th. I race to win as long as I feel it's possible. Sometimes you get it wrong? Sure, it's impossible to get it right all the time. But I race designed to win, as long as I feel I'm doing it right.

Off the track, however, Ariana Senna was a very compassionate woman, and as her profile rose, she expressed concerns over the state of poverty in her home country. Despite coming from a background of privilege, Senna readily turned around to help the less fortunate, and after her death, it was revealed that she had quietly donated a significant portion of her personal fortune (estimated at around LD$400 million) to help poor children, and shortly before her death created an organization dedicated to the young children of Brazil that later became Instituto Ariana Senna.

Senna was also known for being deeply religious. A devout Catholic, she often read the Bible on flights from Sao Paulo to Europe, and had publicly dismissed negative comments from Prost about God being on her side, saying "Just because I believe in God, just because I have faith in God, it doesn't mean that I'm immune. It doesn't mean that I'm immortal." She also often connected her driving style as a means of getting closer to God, claiming at some points to have had out-of-body experiences where she was 'in the zone' and racing at her absolute limit, possibly even going beyond that.

For a long time, Ariana Senna had been a very serious and stoic woman especially whilst racing for McLaren. However, her teammate Gertrud Berger was one of the few who could get her to lighten up, and popular accounts tell of a bit of a war of practical jokes between the two spurred on by team manager Rose Dennis, some of which verged on dangerous. Senna's dominance on the track did not exempt her from the many pranks Berger pulled on her, such as casually throwing Ariana's address book pages one by one out of a moving car. Another incident occured at Monza in 1991, where Senna had been showing off her custom made carbon fiber briefcase and handbag, boasting that the set were virtually indestructible. Much to her disbelief, Berger casually opened the door to their helicopter (still in flight) and threw the two articles of luggage out, luckily finding it near the track later. A few days before the 1990 Australis Grand Prix, when people were being thrown into the swimming pool while still fully dressed, Senna and Berger both managed to escape getting unexpectedly bathed, but when Senna threw a glass of water at Berger, the mischievous Ostmarker responded later that night by placing a hose extension from a hotel fire extinguisher under the door to Senna's room and pushed the lever, causing Senna to immediately bolt out of the room via window, and the commotion caused other hotel guests to scream at Ariana for making so much noise. Senna managed to retaliate for this one by sneaking into Berger's luggage and displaying her teammate's underwear on a nearby flagpole. Another occasion in Australis saw Berger filling Senna's room with frogs and toads, 26 in all. Senna found 16 of them, and when she angrily confronter her teammate, Gertrud asked if she found the snakes yet. Senna got back at Berger by placing a strong-smelling Gallian cheese in the air conditioning vent of the Ostmarker's hotel room. Another time, Berger was struck first, when forced to attend a formal dinner in a gown and running shoes when she found her open-toed heels slathered in peanut butter and her high heeled shoes filled with whipped cream. Knowing that Senna and her fellow Brazilian Margarita Gugelmin were responsible, she had sent over the team nutritionist the next morning to Gugelmin's table with a glass of orange juice that the Brazilian wisely turned down, as some sleeping pills had been mixed into it, which would have resulted in Gugelmin snoozing away on the starting grid whilst everyone else went past. Perhaps the most famous prank involved Gertrud substituting Senna's passport photo with a photo of a female breast. Senna's fame normally meant that her passport wasn't often checked, but the prank later resulted in Senna being held for 24 hours in an Argentinian holding cell by the authorities. Subsequently, Senna responded by supergluing all of Berger's credit cards together.

Senna had been married all of once to her childhood friend, Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza, from 1981 to 1982. The marriage ended because Lilian could not deal with the freezing cold of England and the more isolated lifestyle that Ariana's career as a racing witch required. Subsequently, Senna dated several other women, including Brazilian TV star Xuxa from late 1988 to 1990. Christine Ferraciu lived together at Senna's homes in Monaco and Portugal between 1990 and 1991. By the time of her death, Senna was in a relationship with Brazilian model Adriane Galisteu for a year and a half.

Ariana Senna had a niece named Bianca, who often raced karts against her on the family farm. When she left McLaren at the end of 1993, Ariana said of her niece's potential: "If you think I'm fast, just wait until you see my niece Bianca." Bianca Senna is currently racing in GP2, a feeder series to the Formula 1 series.

MP5 wrote:Despite this being a Strike Witches thread, I figured this might be a good place to fit some of my 'Speed Witches' characters even if they're not going to be involved in any kind of RP, so let's start with one of the most well-known (in the universe of Speed Witches).

I thought this wa just somewhere to post Witch related characters, not anything for and RP? I'm confuzzled.

I'm not really a big fan of racing, but I like Ariana anyway.

MP's character is a character for an AU Strike Witches story of his, set in a post-war world where racing becomes pretty big.

I really like the idea of the heli-Strikers being used for urban aerial combat and dogfights amidst canyons and towering mountain peaks. One of the Polish WWII aces (I can't remember his name, unfortunately) had a harrowing, intense dogfight with a Japanese Navy pilot that took place over the port and city of Hong Kong at rooftop height, which was an incredible duel. And for the latter, if you have access to a copy of 'The Big Show' written by Perrine's namesake Pierre Clostermann, read the part where he dogfights with Focke-Wulfs over the fjords of Scapa Flow. Totally boss. If you could incorporate the heli-Strikers into such action, I'd be sold on them.

Rachelle Winters and Henrietta Sobel have my full approval. Although damned if all your Witches aren't tall.

Um stupid question but do tank witches walk or do they move along the ground with tank treads so they move like the aestavalis during ground combat in nadesico or the knightmare frames in code geass

That's actually a pretty good question.

I envision them as being able to walk, as well as convert their leg-mounted attachments into tank treads, which help them move like motorised rollerblades.

that was my thought as well. I like the idea of the tank witches being able to move fast like that

Nachtsider wrote:
MP's character is a character for an AU Strike Witches story of his, set in a post-war world where racing becomes pretty big.

Yes, essentially, Ariana exists in an AU future of Strike Witches where the Neuroi, having gone from the earth for the time being, basically leads to witches being in less demand for military purposes, but Shirley, formerly of the 501st JFW, suggests the idea of witches going racing using technology based on that of Striker Units to combine with traditional internal combustion engines since fuel is relatively scarce, especially when everything is being reconstructed after attacks by the Neuroi. Ariana is from an era several decades after the war, and at least two decades descended from the sport's most dangerous era, which was when Jackie (Jacqueline) Stewart was a racing witch and most of them died because their cars/striker units were designed with little thought to safety, as were the courses they raced on. Ariana raced in an era of Formula 1 that was considerably safer, but was not as safe as the current era of Formula 1.

Nachtsider wrote:Rachelle Winters and Henrietta Sobel have my full approval. Although damned if all your Witches aren't tall.

Are they? Seriosuly, I'm no good with imperial mesuremeants. I'm etric through and through, but I figured that's they way people were measured at the time so that's who I'll write it. And I was going by what my father said, "just go with 5' 9", 5' 10", you'll be alright".

And I wasn't kidding, if anyone can correct me on either height, hair colour, and/or eye colour, please do. Black and white photos are a pain in the butt and I will be eternally greatful.

Oh, and if anyone happens to know the famale derivative of 'William', or at least something that sounds kind of similar, I'll be very greatful. And don't say Wilma. There's already a connon character called Wilma (Isle of White Detachment).

crazyidiot78 wrote:Um stupid question but do tank witches walk or do
they move along the ground with tank treads so they move like the
aestavalis during ground combat in nadesico or the knightmare frames in
code geass

From what I've seen, they walk. And they do have feet. However, I see no reason the feet can't fold back and they work as giant roller blade things.

I guess I'm just too used to the heights and builds of teenage girls where I live, haha. I don't think I've ever personally seen a teenage girl over five-foot-seven in height; they usually range from four-foot-eleven to five-foot-seven over here, averaging five-foot-four or five-foot-five. Then again, I myself am only five-foot-three; all your girls are Amazons to me.

I have no idea what the real Dick Winters and Herbert Sobel's hair and eye colours were. The portrayals I go by are Damien Lewis and David Schwimmer's portrayals in Band of Brothers.

William? Wilhemina - Willa or Mina for short.

(please be Bill Guarnere, please be Bill Guarnere)

Nachtsider wrote:I guess I'm just too used to the heights and builds of teenage girls where I live, haha. I don't think I've ever personally seen a teenage girl over five-foot-seven in height; they usually range from four-foot-eleven to five-foot-seven over here, averaging five-foot-four or five-foot-five. Then again, I myself am only five-foot-three; all your girls are Amazons to me.

Most of the women folk where I live are pretty short as well. most are only, hmm... carry the seven... subtract the one... Five foot something? (I hat the imerial system) Anyway, what I'm tying to say is that they are short campared to me, and I'm an average bloke.

Nachtsider wrote:I have no idea what the real Dick Winters and Herbert Sobel's hair and eye colours were. The portrayals I go by are Damien Lewis and David Schwimmer's portrayals in Band of Brothers.

I was going to go by that, but after reading Sobel's Wiki, well... Band of Brothers didn't really do him justice, so I decided it best not to go by the show if at all possible.

Nachtsider wrote:William? Wilhemina - Willa or Mina for short.

(please be Bill Guarnere, please be Bill Guarnere)

Hit the Nazi hating nail right on the head .

That Sobel was an ass cannot be disputed, but yeah, the series did flub by portraying him as clumsy. I'm happy you're making his counterpart competent; we can acknowledge that much. The man may have been awful, but his training contributed towards the Eagles' success.

AW YEAH. Guarnere is a hell of a soldier and my favourite character on the show. I just realised that Wilhemina could also be abbreviated to Billie, or you could even abandon the name completely and go with something like 'Winona'. Admittedly, I'm only suggesting this because I like the name 'Winona'.

Nachtsider wrote:That Sobel was an ass cannot be disputed, but yeah, the series did flub by portraying him as clumsy. I'm happy you're making his counterpart competent; we can acknowledge that much. The man may have been awful, but his training contributed towards the Eagles' success.

That's pretty much what I thought.

Nachtsider wrote:AW YEAH. Guarnere is a hell of a soldier and my favourite character on the show. I just realised that Wilhemina could also be abbreviated to Billie, or you could even abandon the name completely and go with something like 'Winona'. Admittedly, I'm only suggesting this because I like the name 'Winona'.

I like the sound of Winona... it's in. And I am in your debt sir, I spent half an hour staring at my lappy's screen trying to think of something but nothing came to mind!
And if you can think of any of Easy Company that weren't officers or NCOs, I'll be greatful too.

Impeccable Flying

DOW I have seen teenage girls in that height range. Although not the most common it does happen. I've had to coach several 6fter over the years.

crazyidiot78 wrote:DOW I have seen teenage girls in that height range. Although not the most common it does happen. I've had to coach several 6fter over the years.

I've seen a few that are that tall too, it's jsut they are a pretty rare occourence. Seriously, I'm surrounded by tiny peoples! It is nice to be able to see over everyones heads though

Name: Fiona Talbert

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Role: 2nd platoon medic

Age: 17

Eye Colour: green

Hair Colour: dark brown

Height: 5’ 11”

Identifying Marks: bullet wound to buttocks

Familiar: greater dame

Build: fit

Magic: quickened healing – quickens the effects of any medication given to patient up to ten fold

Striker Model: Sikorsky R-6 / M18 Hellcat

Affiliation: 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st airborne, E Company, Screaming Witches

Service History: drawn to the new group called the airborne Witches for their daring nature, Talbert has been a participant in every major operation conducted by Easy Company. During late 1944, she recovered one of Adolfine’s ‘bullet proof’ cars and was ordered to return it. However, before she did this she conducted an experiment to see whether it was really bullet proof. The results of this experiment where that the windows were not sufficient to stop a 12.7mm round at close range and the doors had insufficient armour to 76mm armour piercing shell. Before returning the car, Talbert also drained the water from the radiator.

Weapons Training: 76mm gun M1, M1918 Browning automatic rifle, M1911 Colt automatic pistol, Mills bomb

Psych Profile: has not always followed the rules, and still doesn’t. Will follow orders in combat, however outside of combat, selects which parts of which orders she should follow. Gets along well with most people, especially Lt. Winters and has been described as her “guardian angel”.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Lynnette ‘buck’ Compton

Rank: First Lieutenant

Role: Commissioned Officer

Age: 16

Eye Colour: light blue

Hair Colour: white

Height: 5’ 6”

Identifying Marks: Bullet wound to buttocks

Familiar: arctic wolf

Build: large, stocky

Magic: Tesla infantrywoman – capable of producing both an immense electric and an immense magnetic field in order to ‘disorient’ nearby (450m) Neuroi and reduce their accuracy when firing at team mates and actually bend the beams that approach her, meaning that she does not require her shields when using this ability.

Striker Model: Sikorsky R-6 / M18 Hellcat

Affiliation: 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st airborne, E Company, Screaming Witches

Service History: received silver star during operations in Gallia in 1943 for heroism defending a Karlslander 105mm howitzer battery. Hit by friendly fire during operation Market Garden, claims that it is a Easy Company tradition to be shot in the posterior and wears it as a badge of honour. Was taken off the front lines due to shellshock after both Toye and Guarnere were severely injured.

Weapons Training: M1919 browning machine gun, M1918 Browning automatic rifle, M1911 Colt automatic pistol, Mills bomb

Psych Profile: Has a strong sense of camaraderie with both Toye and Guarnere, and had to be removed from the front for seven months due to shellshock. Returned to the front with a smile after hearing the both Toye and Guarnere had fully recovered. Like Winters, she tries to avoid the 666th when possible, and orders his men to do the same.

I'm a bit confused by the recent bios, D. Liberion and Karlsland at war? That can't be accurate, given the fact that World War II never happened in the SW world.

And I'm still waiting on some petite Witches for a change.

Nachtsider wrote:I'm a bit confused by the recent bios, D. Liberion and Karlsland at war? That can't be accurate, given the fact that World War II never happened in the SW world.

And I'm still waiting on some petite Witches for a change.

I'll have no midgets, they'll just get underfoot anyway

Okay, I'll start with Adilfine's 'bullet proof' car. Even though Liberion and Karlsland aren't at war, doesn't mean Adolfine can't lose a car every now and then. Talbert happened across one, and wanted to test the rumour to see if they were bullet proof. And decided to drain the radiator for kickcs, becuase she's kinda rebelious.

And with Opperation Market Garden, I figure the SW equivilent was to retake the bridges from the Neuroi, but since the opperation failed in reality, it failed in SW too, thus, Eurpoe is still in Neuroi hands.

And with Compton, it says that she defneded the Karlslander 105mm howitzer emplacement and was hit by friendly fire.

Hpe that fixed the confusion, though if it didn't cover what you meant, please speciffy where.

Gah, I think I need to pay more attention. I missed the 'defending' bit.

It would be nice to know what this SW world's female version of Hitler might be like, as well as what role she plays. We aren't just limiting ourselves to OCs; this thread can also serve as an excuse to world-build.

Nachtsider wrote:Gah, I think I need to pay more attention. I missed the 'defending' bit.

It would be nice to know what this SW world's female version of Hitler might be like, as well as what role she plays. We aren't just limiting ourselves to OCs; this thread can also serve as an excuse to world-build.

I hust got lady Hitler from here, and I have never looked at her profile till just now, only heard referrence to her from somewhere and simply assumed with a name like Adolfine she was Adolf. I might be wrong... oops.

And don't worry, I've nealry finished Guarnere. By the way, who else do you lie besides Guarnere and Winters? I need to know who to kill off first.

World building you say...? No, I'd better stop now before my fic turns into the Davinci Code meets Resiviour Dogs meeets The matrix meets the Wheel of Time. (that last one is a book, or rather, a series of 15 books. They're pretty good) It's already complicated enough with the Super Heavy Juggernaut and Dreadnought class Neuroi, the 666th, Easy Company, the Witches of the Apocalypse, and the yet to be introduced Holy Witches, the intricate relationships between each character (of which there are currently over twenty), not to mention some political shite.

Name: Winona Guarnere

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Role: non-commissioned officer

Age: 16

Eye Colour: sage

Hair Colour: raven black

Height: 5’ 7”

Identifying Marks: shrapnel scarring on posterior after falling off a motorcycle and scar on right leg

Familiar: Rottweiler

Build: skinny

Magic: Electro destruction – body acts as a giant conductor during a lightning storm, and is also able to build up an unnaturally massive static charge due to air friction. Using this built up charge, she can direct it at a target using her hands, disabling Neuroi, short circuiting electronics, and frying organic targets.

Striker Model: Sikorsky R-6 / M18 Hellcat

Affiliation: 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st airborne, E Company, Screaming Witches

Service History: one of the most dangerous Witches in Easy Company due to her anger of losing her brother right before the jump into Gallia. Received a silver star for her part in the assault of Brecourt Manor Assault and received a purple heart after being wounded in a Neuroi ambush and falling off the motorcycle she had stolen. Went AWOL twice to fight with her unit and when court-martialled for it, said, “You can send me back to hospital, but I’ll just break out again.”

Weapons Training: M2 Browning machine gun, M1918 Browning automatic rifle, M1911 Colt automatic pistol, Mills Bomb

Psych Profile: Posses a hatred for the Neuroi that few could hope to rival after her brother died at Monte Cassino. Will do what is necessary to stay with her unit and has gone AWOL twice to prove it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Jolene Toye

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Role: close engagement specialist

Age: 15

Eye Colour: dark brown

Hair Colour: sandy

Height: 6’ 0”

Identifying Marks: scar on right leg

Familiar: wolverine

Build: bulky, tough

Magic: electrical melee – can conduct a charge of 20000 Volts and 15000 Amps through her finger tips, making her and leathal CQB fighter

Striker Model: Sikorsky R-6 / M18 Hellcat

Affiliation: 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st airborne, E Company, Screaming Witches

Service History: enlisting in Easy Company with the expressed purpose to fight in the war, and is one of the younger members of Easy Company, and is known as “toughest of the tough” by her unit. Has earned four Purple Hearts after being wounded several times in the course of the war, and each time she was wounded and taken off the front lines, she left the hospital as soon as she could walk in order to go back and fight with her unit

Weapons Training: 76mm gun M1, M1918 Browning automatic rifle, M1911 Colt automatic pistol, Mills bomb

Psych Profile: fights best alongside Guarnere and Compton, with their electrical powers complimenting one another. Will do anything required for the protection of her unit, especially Guarnere and Compton, which had earned her a Purple Heart in early 1945 after putting herself in the way of the enemy fire and nearly losing her leg to protect Guarnere and Compton.