- "I look up to him a lot. He was part of the reason why I chose this job."
- ― Hans Grimm,[3] referring to his brother
Captain Hans Grimm (ハンス・グリム Hansu Gurimu), callsign "Archer", was an Osean pilot, captain, and the fourth member of the Osean Air Defense Force's Wardog Squadron (later Razgriz Squadron). Although he was still training to become a replacement pilot at the time, Grimm took off in defense of Sand Island Air Force Base on September 27, 2010, and officially joined Wardog mid-battle.
Grimm was the youngest and most inexperienced of the Wardog pilots. Although he was often unsure of himself, Grimm possessed courage, an unwavering sense of hope, and a strong conviction to end the war with as few casualties as possible. He was a quick learner, and over the course of the war, his piloting skills dramatically improved.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Grimm was born in the Osean Federation in early January 1991.[4] His older brother, who was serving in the Osean Army, and whom Grimm viewed as a role model, inspired him to enlist as well.[3] At some point, Grimm joined the Osean Air Defense Force and, after reaching the rank of Airman First Class, began pilot training at Sand Island Air Force Base. While in training, Grimm worked with the mechanics of the 703rd Maintenance Company to maintain and repair aircraft, and eventually befriended Pops.[5]
Circum-Pacific War[]
When the Circum-Pacific War erupted on September 27, 2010, Grimm was stationed on the ground, working in the hangars. At dusk that day, Sand Island fell under attack by Yuktobanian aircraft. As the situation became increasingly desperate, Grimm commandeered a spare F-5E Tiger II and began taxiing for takeoff. Despite intense enemy fire and the control tower's efforts to call him back, Grimm took off and joined the three Wardog Squadron fighters attempting to defend the base. Following the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Ford, Grimm was assigned to Wardog's number four position, as Blaze rose to assume the role of flight leader.[5]
Over the coming weeks, Grimm participated in many of the war's early defining engagements, including the sinking of the Scinfaxi submersible carrier[6] and the Osean invasion of mainland Yuktobania. For his actions in sinking the Scinfaxi, Grimm received a promotion to 2nd Lieutenant.
On November 4, Grimm and his squadmates reported to Oured for questioning in regards to an unauthorized attack on Yuktobanian civilians that had occurred two days earlier. Wardog, which had been the only known OADF unit operating in the area at the time, became the suspected culprits. During the hearing, Grimm testified that the true malefactors had identified themselves as the "8492nd Squadron"; Grimm's statement was disparaged by the tribunal, which firmly reasserted that the air force did not possess any squadron with that designation. When reports reached the courtroom that Yuktobania had launched a series of retaliatory attacks on Osean civilians, Grimm and the rest of Wardog were sent to suppress them.[7]
After the Hrimfaxi was sunk by Wardog on November 14, he and his squadmates earned the nickname "Demons of Razgriz".[8] Grimm was deeply affected by the loss of Alvin H. Davenport on November 29;[9] he often reminisced about his fallen wingman and good friend in the weeks after Davenport's death.
Betrayal and escape from Sand Island[]
On December 6, Grimm and his remaining wingmen were ambushed by the 8492nd—now revealed as Belkan operatives—over the Vladimir Mountains.[10] Grimm survived the ordeal and safely returned to Sand Island. As Blaze and Nagase went to inform adjutant base commander Allen C. Hamilton of what had happened, Grimm returned to the crew quarters and told Pops and Albert Genette.[11]
Grimm, who was unaware that Hamilton was once a member of the 8492nd, was startled by their reaction to the news. Oblivious to what was unfolding, Grimm followed Pops and Genette as they went to inform base commander Colonel Orson Perrault. Upon arriving at Perrault's office, however, Grimm and the others were held at gunpoint under suspicion of being Yuktobanian spies. When Blaze and Nagase cut the building's power, Grimm and the others dashed from the room, narrowly avoiding Perrault's frenzied gunfire.[11]
Grimm and his fellow fugitives eventually escaped Sand Island by commandeering four unguarded Hawk training jets.[11] They were eventually intercepted and pursued by the 8492nd through the Solo Islands, until Cpt. Marcus Snow arrived and took over the pursuit.[12] Grimm decoded Snow's signal light, which informed them to trust him and bail out. Grimm ejected from his aircraft shortly before it was shot down;[13] official OADF records state that he was "Killed in Action".[14]
The Ghosts of Razgriz[]
After being rescued by the Sea Goblin helicopter team,[15] Grimm and the other fugitives were brought to the OFS Kestrel, under the command of Captain Nicholas A. Andersen.[16] Two days later, Grimm helped free Osean President Vincent Harling from his confinement in southern Belka. Following this, Grimm was promoted two ranks to Captain and placed under the president's direct command as the fourth member of the renamed Razgriz Squadron.[17] Over the coming weeks, Grimm helped eliminate the nuclear warheads that the Grey Men planned to use on Osea and Yuktobania, destroyed the Arkbird, and supported the effort to free the Yuktobanian Prime Minister from his imprisonment in northern Yuktobania.
On December 30, Grimm participated in the Battle of Sudentor, which resulted in the destruction of Gründer Industries' tunnel network beneath the Waldreich Mountains and the SOLG control facilities within it.[18] The following morning, Grimm and his fellow Razgriz pilots engaged the Belkan aggressor squadrons over Oured Bay and destroyed the falling SOLG before it could annihilate Oured.[19]
Postwar[]
Following the war, the squadron has not been deployed again[20] and Grimm left the Osean Air Defense Force sometime after the conflict.[21]
Gallery[]
Grimm's OADF profile
Trivia[]
- During "The Unsung War", Grimm mentions that his birthday is "next week". Since the mission takes place on December 31, 2010, which is a Friday, Grimm's birthday falls between January 3 and January 9.
- This could be a reference to his English voice actor, Johnny Yong Bosch, whose birthday is on January 6.
- In Ace Combat Zero, there is a Belkan ace named Meinrad Grimm, who appears in "Mayhem" as the named pilot GrauOrca 2; his relation to Hans Grimm, if any, remains unknown.
- Grimm and his brother are likely references to the famous Brothers Grimm, a pair of influential 19th-century German philologists who gathered and recorded a number of well known folktales.
- Grimm's name also suggests that he is possibly of Belkan origin, as Belka is the Strangereal equivalent of Germany.
- This theory is further reinforced by the fact that much of AC5 revolves around a Belkan fairy tale.
- Hans Grimm is also the name of a German writer.
- Grimm's voice dialogue ("Target acquired, all set, go!") is reused in Ace Combat Xi during the mission "Skies of incursion".
References[]
- ↑ F-14A Tomcat `Ace Combat Wardog Squadron` (Plastic model) Package3.
- ↑ Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A "Wardog" plastic model kit decal sheet.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Desert Lightning, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ WORLD / OSEAN FED / H. Grimm, ACES WEB. Published February 29, 2004. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 First Flight, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Front Line, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 11, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Demons of Razgriz, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Journey Home, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ 8492, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Cutscene 18, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Final Option, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Ending cutscene, Final Option, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ "Aces, Demons, and Ghosts: Mysterious Heroes of the Belkan Conflict", OBN Journal. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ↑ Cutscene 19, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 20, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 21, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ ACES, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ The Unsung War, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 29, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
- ↑ Green Hills, Aces At War: A History (2019), page 56