Owl

*Owl* is the callsign for the Mojave Rose Tankery Team's Panther II. It is commanded by Paige Aikyō, a girl who joined the team midway through the US National Tournament. Armed with the mighty 88mm Kw.K.43 L/71, it is one of the most powerful tanks on Mojave Rose's roster. Paired with its respectable speed, the Panther II is a formidable medium tank that can excel both offensively and defensively.

## Former Affiliation

Vehicles that participate in tankery are either manufactured during wartime that soon found their way into tankery teams modified to have protective carbon linings or accurately reproduced by engineering firms for the purpose of being sold to teams.

For Mojave Rose's Panther II, it was manufactured in 2013 by Patton Heavy Duty Engineering, an American company that made its name for accurately reproducing armored fighting vehicles for them to be used in tankery teams the world over. The tank was created to be a prize for winning an armored car race that was held at Houston, Texas for the 2013 US Tankery Convention. Mojave Rose's Puma participated in the affair and after an intense race, finished in first place.

Armed with an 88mm cannon mounted in the eye-catching Schmalturm turret, in addition to attached night-vision gear for the commander and driver, the Panther II was without question one of the top tanks any team could hope to obtain.

## What's in a name?

Though the whole Mojave Rose Team refer to the tank as 'Panther II', in actuality, it's a Panther mit 8.8cm. Patton Heavy Duty built the tank following the specifications by Krupp, a German firm that was active in a project to up-gun the Panther with an 88mm gun. The *real* Panther II was planned to be a successor to the Panther with the following improvements; Thicker hull armor, a more powerful engine, and a new turret. *However*, this new turret was not the Schmalturm, as that turret was designed after the Panther II project was cancelled.

The genesis for the Panther II project was to improve the survivability of the Panther, mainly from anti-tank rifles whose penetrative power was enough to piece the Panther through the area of the side hull where the roadwheels were. However, it was found that mounting side-skirts provided the wanted protection and were quickly implemented. This move made the Panther II project unnecessary and was subsequently cancelled. Only a hull survived the war and is currently on display at a museum in Kentucky.

It's to be understood that the Panther II project and the Panther mit 8.8cm project were entirely separate entities.

Nonetheless, the name 'Panther II' has remained as the standard nomenclature to refer to the Panther mit 8.8cm Mojave Rose have. The answer why is simple; advertising. Patton Heavy Duty Engineer was keenly aware that what they were producing was not a true Panther II, however, the tank is very popular not just among tankery athletes, but among tank enthusiasts in general. Especially in tank combat video games, where the Panther II is a popular tank to play with. Because of this high popularity, Patton Heavy Duty advertised the tank as such as it was a name more people were familiar with, and catchier, compared to Panther mit 8.8cm.

## Under Mojave Rose's ownership

The Panther II was a unique machine for the Mojave Rose team for a few reasons. One, was that it was brand new, greatly contrasting the other tanks on the team that were each decades old and have seen genuine warfare. Two, it was the only tank on the team that sported night-vision equipment. Three, it was painted in a camouflage that was adored by its crew and was the envy of everyone else. It's turret only had the red primer while its hull was properly camouflaged in colors that suited European terrain. The rationale behind the paintjob can be found in an advertisement by Patton Heavy Duty of the Panther II in the weeks leading up to the armored car race,

> *"An Alternative Europe, 1946. The war has entered its grueling seventh year. Germany has been fought to a corner, but even a cornered animal can still be dangerous. Ferocious. Desperate. Introducing the Panther II. Armed with the legendary 88 and included night vision equipment, this cat has one hell of a bite. Painted in colors that reflects Germany's pure desperation as they did anything and everything to win a war that was all but lost. Win the Panther II for your team at the armored car race in Houston, Texas. Win and let other teams know what happens when they corner a Panther."*
>
>

The Panther II has its callsign painted on the left side of its turret. It's a minimalist depiction of an owl perched on a branch, painted in a white colors, save for eyes, that are painted in a deep red, painted in a way that they look directly into the viewer.

*Owl* is operated by a crew of five;

* Paige Aikyō *( Commander )*
* Esther *( Driver )*
* Eli *( Gunner )*
* Melody *( Loader )*
* Lily *( Radio Operator )*

## Trivia

* Though the Panther II is Mojave Rose's only vehicle supremely suited for night time combat, the tank, so far, has not had that opportunity. Moreover, their night vision equipment has a terrible habit of being shot off, be it on purpose or not, which greatly irritates the Paige and her crew.
* The gunner, Eli, is one of the few male members of the team. With the Juniper's crew, Nathan from the Skink, and Cody and Noah from Tumbleweed, it brings the total number of male members to eight. The boys are greatly outnumbered by the amount of girls on the team, who number fifty-five.