> Greatest Tank Battles: Pony-Griffon War > by cellum95 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Battle of Great Plains > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was now three years since the Pony-Griffon War started, to the surprise of the Equestrians. Their home, beautiful, and kept in peace and love was untouched by war for a thousand years before the Griffons started a surprise attack, invading the southern provinces of Equestria. Shocked, the ponies of the south goes to the north, in the sanctuary of the northern provinces. The Royal Guards and the Wonderbolts, comprised the police and military force of Equestria, tried their best to keep the Griffons out of the northern provinces. But because of thousand years of no warfare, they are outclassed, outgunned and outnumbered from the war-experienced Griffon Army. They were defeated, battle over battle, and started retreating towards the Celestial Line, stretching from the remains of the eastern coast to the western coast of Equestria. With their backs behind the northern provinces, all hope of stopping the Griffon juggernaut is lost, until, at one day, the ponies will have reinforcements. >Battle of Great Plains, Day 1< At the Great Plains, forty miles southwest of Ponyville, the Royal Guards 1st Vanguard Battalion is tasked on defending the Great Plains from the enemy Griffons. Commanding them, is Captain Boneyard Light, a brash and overconfident commander, thinking that those Griffons will not go through. "So Bone, any commands yet?" Sergeant Tucker In asked the Captain. "None yet Tucker, just keep a look out for those enemy Griffons." He replied, getting a salute and an 'aye sir' reply from the young Sergeant. It was just another typical day in the Celestial Line, just patrol duty and sometimes defending time from enemy Griffons. But it was nerve-racking for the ponies, as their backs is now the Everfree Forest, and no pony doesn't want to go in to that really scary and mostly dangerous forest of Equestria. Suddenly, out of nowhere, and to the surprise of the 1st Vanguard Battalion, scores of arrows were flying sky high, intending to hit them. It was a message clear: the Griffons is now gonna attack the Great Plains. The arrows came into contact to the battalion's base, and two Royal Guards are put out of action. Out of nowhere, battle cries were heard from the distance, and when the ponies got to turn their heads, they could see a massive Griffon division charging with wings flapping almost to ground level and are now pushing towards their position. The Royal Guard archers are firing their arrows as well, but missing their target was their greatest horror. The Griffons are now closer and closer, and the battalion, including Captain Boneyard Light, is getting paranoid. Their minds are now flicking with questions, but the peculiar one is obvious: Will they die here? Not anymore. Suddenly, a loud bang noise, possibly an explosion, was heard with both sides were wondering still, Griffons advancing. Two more explosions were heard, this time, a column of dirt was in the air, but the Griffons were still charging. The ponies on the other hoof have no idea where did that explosions come from, but they got answer when 'beasts' suddenly came out of the hill in their northeast, and started charging towards the Griffons. They were colored gray, having a black cross on their 'heads', with a pipe sticking out of it. More of them charged down the hill, completely oblivious from the Griffon Army because of their loud battle cry. But the Griffons have no idea that their new enemy is almost impervious to their attack: the Panzer III. The Panzer III is a German Tank, with an armor being 2 inches thick, and having a long-barreled 5 cm KwK 39 gun, making it a deadly foe, and one of their targets is the Griffons. The Panzer III's charged at the Griffons, with their noise now heard by the Griffons. When they turned their heads, and for the ponies shock and horror, the tanks fired at their enemy, intent on their complete and utter destruction, using their Bliztkrieg tactic. The Griffons diverted their attention from the ponies to the German tanks, one-hundred and nine of them, and started shooting arrows at the tanks, hoping that they will die. But to their utter disbelief, their arrows were being shrugged off by the Panzer III's like it was nothing. Their arrows got contact with the Panzer's 2 inches of armor, but their arrows were being broken off. The Griffons even threw their spears at the Panzer III's to kill them, but again, it was simply shrugged off. The lead Panzer III stopped, and fired it's 50 mm Gun at the Griffons, mere inches away of killing several of them. The other Panzer III's were doing the same thing: just stop, shoot their main guns, and move again. The Griffons have no idea where did these tanks come from, including so the ponies, who were now just watching the carnage that is present to them by the Germans. The Panzers, undaunted by numerous arrow and spear attacks, charge at the now terrified Griffons, who were now desperately trying to kill them, but to no avail. The German tanks swarmed the ranks of the Griffon division, encircling them like hungry wolves. The Griffons, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. A bundle of five Griffons, stuck per group, was being targeted and slaughtered by the massive guns of the Panzer III's. The Griffons armor have no use against the shells of the Panzers, while their shields are useless against them. The Panzers casually stops and fire at the group of Griffons tightly packed, and the Germans are now like wolf packs. The ponies are now trying to get their brains to function as to why it's now total chaos and destruction they are now facing with. Panzers are now circling the Griffons, killing them as much as they want to. A few Griffons did manage to escape the carnage, but comes at a high price. The division lost ninety-five percent of it's strength, and the Panzers have scored a victory in the Battle of Great Plains. With their victory, the Panzer III's go up in the hill, disappearing like ghosts from the ponies perspective. But it's just the first victory for Equestria from the tanks, but one question remains: Where did these 'beasts' come from? > Siege for Hoofington > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the Germans strikes a victory in the Battle of Great Plains, at Hoofington is an entirely different story. The Griffons are now besieging the entire Equestrian City, and the Royal Guards are now being pushed back towards the Hoofington River. With all hopes lost, the Royal Guards are now praying hard that reinforcements would come to their rescue, hoping that the siege would end. What they don't know, is that their prayers would be answered. >Hoofington, 5th Day of the Siege< The Royal Guards are now at the verge of being run over like a wheel by the Griffon juggernaut. They are now holding the line against the Griffons, most are young recruits, inexperienced in combat. But at the east of the besieged city, a Russian tank Battalion is rushing towards Hoofington to lift the siege. The Russian 6th Tank Battalion is comprised of ten-thousand men, one-hundred artillery, and one-hundred tanks. Outnumbered by the mighty 10th Griffon Army, the Russians fearlessly charge at the Griffons, hoping to lift the spirits of the besieged 12th Royal Guard Division. The Russians, knowing that time is running for their pony comrades, race in, turning towards the bridge to make their move. At 12:00 noon, with the Griffons pushing, and the Russians now at the east side of the river, that's what exactly the Russians do. The Royal Guards are now hearing 'booming' noises, that it's hitting the ground, more like the siege of the Griffons before them. But this time, when they saw the Griffons, the Griffons were being killed by it. Russian Artillery continues to barrage the city, killing as much Griffons as possible for their tanks to have little trouble fighting them. As the Russian artillery barrage settles down, the Royal Guards are now hearing squeaking noises from behind, and when they turned their heads, they could 'beasts' crossing the river, with bipedal creatures crossing with them. The Russian tanks are now pouring in towards Hoofington, making the Royal Guards job to defend the city much easier. The Russian T-34 is the backbone of the Soviet armored core. Weighing just 26 tons and having the 76 mm Main Gun, it it is the workhorse of the Red Army. The Royal Guards, on the other hand, are now blankly staring at the 6th Tank Battalion. One of the bipedal creatures, presumably their leader, is now walking towards them. Sergeant Van Hoof walk forward, greeting: "Hello! My name is Sergeant Van Hoof. What is your name?" The bipedal creature stopped, kneeling to eye level and replied: "Hello Van Hoof. My name is Lt. Alexander Khrisilov, leader of the 6th Tank Battalion. Your the leader of this army?" "Yes. Unfortunately, the 12th Royal Guard Division is having heavy casualties, and I could not afford it." Alexander stood up, not even replying to Van Hoof's statement, and commands the battalion in Russian to charge at the enemy, the Griffons. The Russians, with a last preparation check, attacks. The Griffons were caught off-guard to see hundreds of T-34 Tanks charging at them, and they know throw spears, arrows and anything that would kill the Russian tanks. Sadly, it didn't even work. The Russian tanks storms the Griffon Army., and the Griffons are now, originally the hunters, now became the hunted. The T-34 Tanks fires their Main 76 mm Gun, often killing multiple Griffons at the time. The Griffons, desperate to stop the Russian menace, still keeps firing their arrows, but it's no use for them. The sloping armor of the T-34's just shrug off the incoming attack, like it was just nothing to compare with. With guns still blazing, the T-34 tanks, with infantry support, charge fearlessly, and they will fight to the death if they have to. With ninety-percent of their army wiped out, the remaining Griffons tried to flee to the south, but they have a bigger problem. Rushing in from the south-west is the Russian 8th Tank Battalion. With their KV-1's ready, they begin their counter-move. The KV-1(Kliment Voroshilov) Heavy Tanks is a 45 ton monster, with 90 mm of armor and a deadly 76 mm Gun, it's all impervious to Griffon attacks. The Griffons, shocked to see the 8th Tank Battalion, the Griffons turns around, only to find out that the T-34's are still chasing them. The KV-1's and the T-34's fire their 76 mm Main Gun, utterly wiping out the Griffon Army for good, lifting the Siege of Hoofington. The Royal Guards, totally watching the carnage, cannot believe their eyes. The Russians, not fearing of death, charged at the Griffons and wiping their enemy's army out of action. With their victory against the Griffons, the Russians heads out, leaving the Royal Guards wondering where are they going. > Battle for Ponyville > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the ponies were celebrating for their victory in the Great Plains and in Hoofington, in Ponyville it was much different. The Royal Guards have a hard time defending Ponyville because it's big, and it might overstretch their defenses too much. Ponyville is a town near Canterlot, and it's strategically important because of it's railroad tracks, and also houses the Elemental Bearers of Harmony. Out of them though, Fluttershy is the most vulnerable to Griffon attack, but the Royal Guards are still debating whether or not to go out there, thinning the line even more. For the Griffons, unaware that the line is thinning, hatch a bold and decisive plan to have another victory after two defeats in a row. Their plan, is to attack south from Applejack's orchards and the Everfree Forest simultaneously, kill all of the Guards there, and capture the city. The Elements of Harmony are scattered along Ponyville, making it difficult for the guards to defend them all. But Ponyville will be adequately defended by something out of the ordinary. >Attack Begins< At the twelve o'clock, the Griffons charged at the thinly defended line that will safeguard Ponyville. At the western attack, the Griffons must first probe Equestrian Lines, now defended by the American 180th Tank Destroyer Battalion. With them is the 34th Royal Guards Division, extremely nervous with the Tank Destroyers. Their commander, Dexter, is having the nerve. "Sir?" One of his soldiers asked. "What is it soldier?" But before the soldier that was asking him could reply, a loud cry was heard, and that sound was something that the Equestrians dread about. That is the indication of a Griffon attack. But when Commander Dexter notice the TD's, they were completely calm, no indication of fear or whatever. The Griffons advanced, and the ponies readied themselves for an impending battle. However, when the Griffons are now a thousand yards away, a boom was heard, and when the ponies look around, they could see one of the Tank Destroyers have fired. The M36 'Jackson' is one of America's tank destroyers built during World War II. It is protected by 4.25(or 4.3) inches of frontal armor, but it's most deadly feature is it's powerful 90 mm Main Gun, capable of knocking out several griffons. The M36 Tank Destroyers fired their main guns, raining havoc across the attacking Griffons. The ponies were not believing this. This 'humans' that introduced themselves a while back to assist them, could not believe that they are capable like this. The Griffons are now thinning, tries to throw on the ranks of both humans and ponies. But the spears just broke in two, like it was nothing, in the armor of the American Tank Destroyers. The ponies are now confused as in how in Tartarus could these 'humans' shrug off spear attacks. But even with that, the Jackson's continue firing their gun, killing other Griffons caught on the crossfire. While the western line was having their own battle, the eastern line was also having their own battle. With the 78th Royal Guards Division is the 45th American Tank Battalion. The 78th's commander, Alloy, is now getting nervous, with his soldiers, when the Griffon war cry was heard, but for the Americans, it's nothing. The Griffons, like their western counterparts, are now advancing at terrifying speeds, getting the ponies scared to death. But then, a boom was heard in the eastern line, and the Americans fired their tanks at the advancing Griffons. The M4A3E8 Sherman is a variant of the famous Allied tank. With a 76 mm Main Gun, it's a deadly killing machine like the M36 Jackson. The Sherman's fired their main guns at the Griffons, killing several at the process. Now, the Americans fire their machine guns at the Griffons, killing them effectively in a hail of gun fire. With both Griffon division down, the ponies thought that it was over, but it was not. Hovering towards the line is the Mark III Zeppelins, the Griffons 'flying machine'. The Mark III Zeppelin is a blimp designed to rain down arrow fire, making it a deadly foe to the Equestrians. The ponies spotted the the zeppelins, and they are now cringing in fear. However, noises are coming in from the south, and to their shock, another group of 'flying machines' are now flying, this time towards the zeppelin group. With that as a signal, the Americans advance forward, trying to meet up with the other tankers at their meeting point. The 'flying machines' fired their arrows. The P-51 Mustang was the standard aircraft of the United States Air Force. Armed with six .50 caliber Browning machine guns, it is truly a deadly foe. The P-51 Squadron fire their machine guns at the zeppelins, who in turn fire back with arrows. However, it was not effective as the zeppelins goes out one by one, and in a few minutes later, they were defeated. With their victory, the last of the Americans goes to the south, leaving the ponies with the victory. And with that victory, the Griffon juggernaut is now at a halt. This is the time that the ponies will regain their lost lands from the Griffons. > Battle for Appleloosa-Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After their humiliating defeat in the hands of the humans, the Griffon Army had retreated going south, all the way back to Appleloosa. Appleloosa is where most of the relatives of the Apple Family resides in, and all of them are hiding in their Apple bunker, safe for now. The Royal Guards realized that in order to get the Griffon Army out of the Equestria, they must strike quickly, and decisively. In Canterlot, the untouched capital, the Mane 6 and the Royal Guards are now planning to get the southern part of Equetsria back. "So all of us are planning to recapture Appleloosa?" Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guards, asked. "Yes sir. In accordance to that, we have to rescue Applejack's relatives from the Griffons grasp." Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts, replied. The reply wanted to make Applejack cry, but she couldn't. She must be strong to be here. "Captains, which to speak, did anyone of you know the force of the Griffons in Appleloosa?" Princess Twilight asked. In truth, none of the Captains ever done a recon mission before, because they were too preoccupied for the defense of Equestria. In response, they just shook their heads as a 'no' reply. "Hmm....We have no idea how many Griffons are there in Appleloosa, and we didn't even decided yet on how to recapture it. We must think about it." Princess Celestia said. While the ponies are still pondering on how they could recapture the lost southern province, elsewhere, the Allies have a plan. Their plan, is to use the German Blitzkrieg in accordance with artillery, air and, if possible, sea support. The humans are gearing up for the upcoming battle, and they are massive in accordance to the strength of the Griffons. With over 5.6 million troops, 34,000 heavy guns, and over 10,000 tanks, the humans are prepared to attack Appleloosa. But first, they must address the possibility of air attacks by the Griffons. They knew, thanks to the Americans, that Griffons have the ability to use zeppelins, and could possibly be a threat to their attack. The only solution is to eliminate them, and the answer is an air strike. At 7:15 am, thousands of aircrafts were deployed to destroy the zeppelins at their air bases. The griffons were still sleeping, so when the air attack commenced, their loud snoring causes everyone to be deaf at the destruction of their zeppelins. Thousands of zeppelins, used for troop transport and heavy support, were destroyed at ease by the superior aircrafts of the Allies. After the successful air attack, the humans could now address another problem, the crossing of the River Equis. The River Equis is a river system wherein it divides the desert lands of Appleloosa to the lands of the north. If the Allies could cross this, they could secure their bridgehead for the attack. And their Egyptian allies is a master of river crossing thanks to their practice in the Suez Canal. The entrance to the desert lands were flat, so they could see that none of the Griffons were smart enough to hold their advance. The Egyptians moved in to secure vital bridgeheads for the Allies to cross with. While they were doing it, the Egyptians and their allies are in constant alert, weary that the Griffons could attack them at any time, anywhere. But there was none, and soon the bridges Iver, Osiris, Re, Seth and Victoria were set. The Allies began their crossing of the Suez Canal, and soon enough, they made it, in one piece at least. Now, it's time for their attack. Their plan, is to divide and destroy Griffons ranks, and secure Appleloosa to ensure that the Griffons will not come back. In the west, masses of Israeli men and armor charge at lightning speed in accordance with the plan. Their objective, is to capture the strategic port city of Applevine. At 10:50 am, the Israeli army were now closing at their objective. The griffons were now awake, but still drowsy, and are now beginning their exercises when the noises of tanks are now heard.When they have visions of it, they were shocked to see the mysterious army were now charging at them, firing their weapons as they come closer and closer. Masses of Griffons were now scrambling for them to get their equipment, but when they now got to wear their armor, the buildings were they are now collapsed, killing all of the Griffons inside. For four days and three nights, Israeli Army and the Griffons Army clashed, to see which would control the port city. Weapons were fired, blood were splashed around, and finally, in the fifth day at dawn, the Griffons Army was utterly wiped out, leaving the Israeli's victorious with their speedy advance. With the capture of Applevine, the Griffons grasp in Appleloosa started to crumble, as other armies of the Allies will crush them, one by one, building by building, and securing victory for the Equestrians.