It takes place on an alternate earth in World War II-era and focuses on a government-assembled air force squad formally named "Strike Witches." It may seem interesting on the surface, but what we expected was far from what we got.
I am completely aware that this anime was heavy on the fan-service. But when the fan-service eclipses any traces of intended plot, the series will drag on for what feels like eternity. Every time I thought that things were about to get interesting, the creators instead slapped me with more insignificant loli ecchi. You can do fan-service right, but the creators in question exceeded the acceptable limit ten-fold. Strike Witches beat the dead horse and inconveniently used characters that could only realistically consent in third-world countries. Eventually you come to a point where you sense the disappointment radiating from your deceased ancestors and you will find yourself contemplating whether or not this life on earth is all that there is.
There is definitely a target-audience for this type of series, but I just want to point out that if every girl was replaced with a middle-aged man, there would be a unanimous distaste for the progression of the plot. If you've been challenged to try out a fan-service anime like I was, stay far away from this one.
To conclude, I really wouldn't recommend this anime to my worst enemy. I gave it a 2 because despite everything terrible about it, there was a lot of production and effort that went into this. But still, save yourself the 5 hours.
