Brave Witches (2016-2017)
The story of Brave Witches begins in September, 1944, shortly before the destruction of the Neuroi hive over Gallia by the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, the Strike Witches. Witch-in-training Hikari Karibuchi, younger sister to veteran witch Takami Karibuchi, volunteers for deployment to Europe to bolster witch forces in the ever-worsening conflict with the alien Neuroi. After managing to (technically) pass her acceptance trial, Hikari is assigned to the Suomus Independent Volunteer Aerial Squadron (set to be reorganized into the 507th JFW, the Silent Witches) while Takami is assigned to the 502nd JFW, the Brave Witches; the Karibuchi sisters depart for Europe on the same day news of the Gallia hive's destruction reaches Fuso newspapers.
After three weeks of travel through the Arctic Ocean, their carrier group comes under attack by Neuroi, and Takami ultimately ends up comatose after using her Absolute Magic Eye ability to decimate most of the Neuroi. Hikari volunteers to take Takami's place in the 502nd, a high-risk frontline assignment, despite Hikari herself having relatively low magic ability, which she also has poor control over. The story of Brave Witches follows Hikari's struggle to prove herself as a witch in the harsh environment of the Eastern Front, and to fit in with a squadron she was never supposed to be a part of.
Chronologically, Brave Witches takes place after Strike Witches, and before Strike Witches 2.
For more in-depth explanations of the lore and setting of the World Witches universe, see the first season's page.
Warning: Some descriptions and images are spoilers for the series, read at your own risk.
The following weapons were used in the anime series Brave Witches:
Pistols
FP-45 Liberator
An additional spoiler warning: This pistol is key to events in the series finale, something avoidable on most other Witches pages due to the climax usually not directly involving a firearm.
An FP-45 Liberator is shipped to the 502nd JFW base in Petersburg, Orussia along with other weapons and supplies. Hikari takes a liking to the strange-looking pistol, at first not realizing it's even a gun. Waltrud Krupinski plays along and convinces Hikari it's actually a "Celtic magic talisman" as it's "shaped like a rune". Hikari wears it around her neck for the mission to Murmansk, during which she gives it back to Waltrud still thinking it's a good-luck charm. Some time later, Waltrud returns the Liberator to Hikari, who places it in her pocket and forgets about it...
FP-45 Liberator - .45 ACP
As Nikka Katajainen checks out an StG 44, Naoe Kanno inspects the Liberator's hollow grip (which can hold ten spare rounds) and is disappointed to find the nearly-useless pistol doesn't even have any ammo. Naoe refers to the pistol by name: "Liberator". (Ep.8)
Waltrud gives Hikari the cute good luck charm, as Nikka and Naoe look on in disbelief. (Ep.8)
Hikari drops the Liberator down her shirt before the same four witches depart for Murmansk. (Ep.8)
When Waltrud opts to take on half of the giant sea mine Neuroi alone, Hikari gives her back the "charm" for good luck, which Waltrud tucks into her breast pocket. (Ep.8)
The Liberator ends up saving Waltrud's life when it takes the impact of a small-type Neuroi crashing into her at the end of the battle. Note that being a single-shot pistol, the damage to the grip area does not prevent it functioning. (Ep.8)
Waltrud returns the FP-45 to Hikari (who learned what it really was from Nikka in the meantime) and loads it for her. Waltrud does indeed follow the proper steps for loading the pistol, rotating the striker out of the way, opening the breech block, inserting a round, closing the breech block, and rotating the striker back again. (Ep.11)
Hikari thanks Waltrud, and tucks the little pistol into her pocket. (Ep.11)
In a perfectly executed Chekhov's Gun, the Liberator slips out of Hikari's pocket when all other options have failed her. (Ep.12)
As the pistol floats past her face, Hikari grabs hold of it. (Ep.12)
Hikari aims the FP-45 at the core of Grigori. (Ep.12)
Concentrating all her magic power into the pistol's single cartridge, Hikari fires the Liberator... (Ep.12)
...destroying an entire Neuroi hive with that one shot, the air filling with a beautiful shower of purple and white Neuroi shards. (Ep.12)
Submachine Guns
KP/-31
At least one KP/-31 submachine gun is among the supplies sent to the Brave Witches' base. It's likely intended for use by Nikka Katajainen, the only Suomus witch in 502nd, though it's not seen used in the show. The KP/-31 was a mainstay weapon of many Suomus witches earlier in the war and prominently seen in the Witches of Aurora manga, which focuses on Nikka, Eila Juutilainen, and other Suomus witches of LLv.24, including Eini Luukkanen, Laura Nissinen, and Hanna Wind, as well as Eila's sister Aurora, a tank witch.
A KP/-31 and StG 44 sit unloaded as Nikka and Naoe finish unpacking supplies. The KP/-31 has a pair of stick magazines, as opposed to the more iconic drum. (Ep.8)
Nikka and Laura Nissinen flying B-239 strikers and using KP/-31 SJRs fitted with drum mags in official artwork set during Nikka's time with LLv.24. The SJR variant features a muzzle brake. (Art)
MP 40
Karlsland soldiers operating artillery and supporting other elements of Operation Freyja are mostly armed with MP 40 submachine guns.
Grigori looms over the infantry and Panzer IVs. (Ep.12)
Neuroi shards flutter to Earth over the allied troops, providing a decent look at one of their MP 40s. (Ep.12)
Assault Rifles & Rifles
StG 44
Flying Officer Waltrud Krupinski uses a Sturmgewehr 44 as her weapon of choice, while Squadron Leader Gundula Rall also uses one on occasion. The StG 44s are sometimes equipped with a fictional grenade launcher based on (and likely developed from, in an in-universe sense) the Leuchtpistole 34; the grenades fired from the launcher are rocket-propelled.
Leuchtpistole 34 - 26.65mm
Some troops on guard duty at an observation post in Petersburg appear to be armed with StG 44s. (Ep.6)
Nikka and Naoe inspect a crate of shiny new StG 44s. (Ep.8)
Disappointed it's not a crate of food, Nikka loads an empty magazine into one of the StGs. (Ep.8)
Waltrud inspects her StG's bolt during a late-night trip to the range, while having a discussion about combat experience with Edytha Rossmann. (Ep.8)
Inspecting the bolt carrier, Waltrud explains how she wants Nikka, Naoe, and Hikari to get more experience, so they aren't as reliant on the veteran witches like herself and Edytha. (Ep.8)
Having fully field stripped and inspected the rifle, Waltrud lays all its parts down on the bench. (Ep.8)
But after Waltrud semi-jokingly suggests she also picked Hikari for the mission for
other reasons, Waltrud grabs the stripped StG's receiver assembly and points it at Waltrud in annoyance, who feigns being shot. (Ep.8)
Taking on one half of the giant sea mine Neuroi threatening the Britannian supply fleet, Waltrud readies her launcher-equipped Sturmgewehr. (Ep.8)
Waltrud and Hikari blast their way through hordes of small-type Neuroi, heading for its main body. Waltrud definitely fires more than 30 rounds through this fight, though usually with enough cuts between events that it's ambiguous whether she has a "bottomless magazine" or is simply reloading off-screen. (Ep.8)
After locating the core by
kicking a small-type into the main Neuroi, Waltrud immediately fires her grenade launcher. (Ep.8)
The rocket-propelled grenade flies straight and true, hitting the the core directly, destroying the sea mine Neuroi. (Ep.8)
Waltrud holds her rifle after firing, showing what the launcher looks like without a grenade loaded. (Ep.8)
Waltrud using a training-type StG 44 against Takami Karibuchi, which as usual is painted entirely orange to denote that it fires paintball/simunition type rounds. (Ep.10)
Gundula Rall strikes a badass pose with her StG 44 as she orders the Brave Witches to take off. (Ep.11)
Leading the charge, Gundula opens fire with her Sturmgewehr. (Ep.11)
After salvaging a shard of the core of
Gustav's magic-infused high-explosive shell, Gundula jury-rigs it onto her rifle's grenade. The launcher is mostly unchanged from the original Leuchtpistole, the notable difference being the lack of a pistol grip. (Ep.12)
Gundula takes off, giving a good look at the improvised magic grenade as well as her brand new Bf 109 K-4 striker, picked up by Waltrud and company during the mission to Murmansk. (Ep.12)
The special grenade is fired. Being a small shard of the original magic crystal, it only has the power to punch a small hole through the hive's clouds rather than disperse them entirely, but that's enough. (Ep.12)
Blocking a lighting attack from Grigori, Waltrud leads the way into the depths of the hive. Waltrud uses a regular StG 44 without a launcher during this battle. (Ep.12)
A front-end view of Waltrud's rifle as she helps thin out Grigori's snake-like defences. (Ep.12)
Karabiner 98k
The firing range at the Brave Witches' base in Petersburg features a number of Karabiner 98ks, presumably for use by the base's non-witch personnel. Rather bizarrely, in one specific shot they turn into lever-action rifles; given the setting they are most likely Russian-contract Winchester Model 1895s.
Karabiner 98k - 7.92x57mm Mauser
A detailed shot of the Kar 98ks in the opening credits; these rifles can also be seen in any scene at the firing range. (OP)
In this shot, specifically this angle at this time of day (as in, this piece of background artwork) they turn into lever-action rifles. (Ep.8)
Solothurn S-18/100
Flight Lieutenant Takami Karibuchi wields a Solothurn S-18/100 fitted with its scope as her weapon of choice. A powerful precision weapon such as the S-18 pairs well with Takami's Magic Eye and Absolute Magic Eye abilities, which allow her to see Neuroi cores, and see multiple cores from a distance, respectively. Takami's rifle is also temporarily used by Hikari, and Gundula Rall later uses one as well.
Takami Karibuchi prepares for takeoff, S-18/100 in hand. Note that she's using two fingers for the trigger, as designed, and also using one of the bipod legs for off-hand support. (Ep.2)
The S-18's massive muzzle flash, as Takami opens fire on the large group of Neuroi threatening the fleet. (Ep.2)
A
gorgeous look at a medium-type Neuroi disintegrating from well-placed shots by Takami. (Ep.2)
Getting a bit desperate, Takami starts taking a few more shots than before to down each Neuroi. (Ep.2)
Left with no alternatives, Takami uses her Absolute Magic Eye ability, letting her see and target
all of the Neuroi cores, but at the cost of severely weakening her shield and being extremely taxing on her body and mind. (Ep.2)
Takami opens fire on the five remaining medium-type Neuroi. Throughout this battle, Takami manages to fire 23 rounds from her S-18/100, which only has a 10-round magazine. She fires 11 rounds (a full magazine plus a round in the chamber) before a hard cut to another scene for a potential off-screen reload, however after this she fires 12 rounds without reloading. (Ep.2)
Takami takes down the five Neuroi with one shot each, and then, utterly spent, crashes back onto the carrier's deck. (Ep.2)
It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Hikari took up her sister's rifle. As well as Takami's beloved N1K4-J striker, named
Chidori. (Ep.2)
Hikari opens fire with the S-18/100, not used to its heavy recoil. Making even more use of the S-18's apparently bottomless mag, Hikari fires 15 rounds from its 10-round magazine. (Ep.2)
After colliding with one of the Neuroi, Hikari discovers that she has what would later be identified as Contact Magic Eye, allowing her to see Neuroi cores, but only if she makes physical contact with the Neuroi. (Ep.2)
After three months in a coma, plus a three week return trip, Takami Karibuchi arrives in Petersburg. (Ep.10)
During a competition to determine which Karibuchi sister will remain with the 502nd, Gundula uses an S-18/100. (Ep.10)
Gundula dodges Neuroi beams as the group discusses how to solve the core-inside-a-core problem. (Ep.10)
A fantastic look at the rifle's front end and residual muzzle blast, as Gundula takes out the Neuroi for good. (Ep.10)
Takami fights her way towards Grigori, alongside the rest of the Brave Witches. (Ep.11)
Back-to-back with her old partner, Takami and Naoe lay waste to a group of Neuroi. (Ep.11)
Out of Neuroi and with its protective cloud dissipated, Grigori deploys its last line of defence. (Ep.11)
Takami drops her Solothurn on the disabled
Dora railway gun, intending to retrieve and deliver its enormous magic-infused armour-piercing shell manually. (Ep.11)
Now with her rifle, Takami again makes use of her Absolute Magic Eye. (Ep.12)
Although she succeeds in locating the core-within-a-core, the effort again takes its toll, as Takami and her Solothurn fall back to Earth. (Ep.12)
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