OVA
Description
Gertrud Barkhorn, also known as Trude or Trudy, is a veteran Karlsland witch serving as second-in-command of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. Born in Kaisersberg near Libau, she volunteered for military service before the Neuroi invasion and graduated from the Karlsland military academy. Initially assigned to Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG2) before transferring to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG52), she steadily advanced in rank through combat experience.
Her personality blends stoicism, rationality, and strict military discipline with a deep-seated passion that surfaces during emotional stress. This intensity erupted when her younger sister, Christiane Barkhorn, fell into a coma after an injury during the Karlsland evacuation war, driving Gertrud to near-suicidal recklessness in combat and bitterness towards others. Her demeanor stabilized after interactions with Sergeant Miyafuji and her sister's recovery, leading to regular visits with gifts during deployments. Gertrud maintains a cat-and-dog relationship with Erica Hartmann, enforcing strict discipline despite their long friendship while showing greater leniency to comrades like Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. She exhibits a pronounced protectiveness towards individuals resembling her sister Chris in appearance, like Yoshika Miyafuji, or those she perceives as "raised by a gentle elder sister," like Sanya V. Litvyak, excluding more boisterous personalities such as Francesca Lucchini.
Gertrud's combat capabilities focus on her inherent magic, Herculean Strength (超身体強化), which vastly surpasses standard Witch enhancement. This telekinesis-lineage ability circulates magic internally for low expenditure, enabling prolonged combat with heavy armaments like dual-wielded MG42 machine guns modified with 75-round drum magazines. It allows her to tear iron chains, briefly lift multi-ton steel frames, and halt high-speed Neuroi barehanded. Her tactical expertise includes drafting operation plans, resource management, and desk work, making her an effective adjutant and archivist.
Her service history includes commanding JG52 Gruppe II during the Gallia evacuation war, where only she and Erica Hartmann remained by the conflict's end. She became a founding member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing in June 1941 alongside Minna and Hartmann. After the 501st's initial disbandment, she relocated to Sint-Truiden, Belgica, for Karlsland recapture operations. She achieved the third Karlsland record of 250 Neuroi shot down, earning the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. During the 501st's reformation in Romagna, she test-piloted the experimental Me262V1 Jet Striker but crashed due to a defect causing excessive magic drain.
Notable personal habits include maintaining minimalistic, "tasteless" room decor and enforcing a physical boundary called the "Siegfried Line" against Erica Hartmann's clutter. Her culinary specialty is Eisbein, though she prioritizes taste primarily when cooking for her sister. She struggles with complex machinery, especially driving, often deferring to Hartmann for ground transportation.
In Operation Victory Arrow, she operates as part of the main combat team alongside Minna, Hartmann, Lynette Bishop, Perrine Clostermann, and Charlotte Yeager. Her Striker Units include the FlakWolf Fw190D-6 prototype, Messerscharf Bf109G-6 (as a spare), mass-produced Fw190D-9, and the ill-fated Messerscharf Me262V1 jet prototype.
Her personality blends stoicism, rationality, and strict military discipline with a deep-seated passion that surfaces during emotional stress. This intensity erupted when her younger sister, Christiane Barkhorn, fell into a coma after an injury during the Karlsland evacuation war, driving Gertrud to near-suicidal recklessness in combat and bitterness towards others. Her demeanor stabilized after interactions with Sergeant Miyafuji and her sister's recovery, leading to regular visits with gifts during deployments. Gertrud maintains a cat-and-dog relationship with Erica Hartmann, enforcing strict discipline despite their long friendship while showing greater leniency to comrades like Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. She exhibits a pronounced protectiveness towards individuals resembling her sister Chris in appearance, like Yoshika Miyafuji, or those she perceives as "raised by a gentle elder sister," like Sanya V. Litvyak, excluding more boisterous personalities such as Francesca Lucchini.
Gertrud's combat capabilities focus on her inherent magic, Herculean Strength (超身体強化), which vastly surpasses standard Witch enhancement. This telekinesis-lineage ability circulates magic internally for low expenditure, enabling prolonged combat with heavy armaments like dual-wielded MG42 machine guns modified with 75-round drum magazines. It allows her to tear iron chains, briefly lift multi-ton steel frames, and halt high-speed Neuroi barehanded. Her tactical expertise includes drafting operation plans, resource management, and desk work, making her an effective adjutant and archivist.
Her service history includes commanding JG52 Gruppe II during the Gallia evacuation war, where only she and Erica Hartmann remained by the conflict's end. She became a founding member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing in June 1941 alongside Minna and Hartmann. After the 501st's initial disbandment, she relocated to Sint-Truiden, Belgica, for Karlsland recapture operations. She achieved the third Karlsland record of 250 Neuroi shot down, earning the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. During the 501st's reformation in Romagna, she test-piloted the experimental Me262V1 Jet Striker but crashed due to a defect causing excessive magic drain.
Notable personal habits include maintaining minimalistic, "tasteless" room decor and enforcing a physical boundary called the "Siegfried Line" against Erica Hartmann's clutter. Her culinary specialty is Eisbein, though she prioritizes taste primarily when cooking for her sister. She struggles with complex machinery, especially driving, often deferring to Hartmann for ground transportation.
In Operation Victory Arrow, she operates as part of the main combat team alongside Minna, Hartmann, Lynette Bishop, Perrine Clostermann, and Charlotte Yeager. Her Striker Units include the FlakWolf Fw190D-6 prototype, Messerscharf Bf109G-6 (as a spare), mass-produced Fw190D-9, and the ill-fated Messerscharf Me262V1 jet prototype.