Achtung Panzer Generals! We are only one week away from Axis Operations 1946 arriving, and so we have one more Dev Diary to share with you as a final preview to what’s coming.

So far we’ve looked at many examples of new aircraft, American equipment, and even Landkreuzers, but with more than 50 new models being added for Axis Operations 1946, we still have even more to showcase! Today we’ll be looking at not just new German equipment, but also some other Axis equipment.



German Equipment

The first order of business is to look at the whole E-series of vehicles. Not only do we have models for them all now, but we have a pretty specific concept for approaching their stats and balance.



As a quick preamble, let’s talk a little bit about logistics. Everyone likes to say the Sherman was not a very good tank, and they’ll go to pointing to stats like needing a dozen Shermans to take on a single Tiger, as the Sherman 75mm gun was just not able to penetrate the frontal protection of a Tiger at any range, and needed to close in for a side or rear shot for any chance at knocking out a Tiger tank.

While all that is well and true, it has to be remembered that Sherman tanks needed to be very transportable, not just crossing the English Channel, but starting their journey all the way in the United States before travelling across literal oceans to fight in European or Pacific Theaters.

Given the entire purpose of the German E-series was to create streamlined designs that were easier to mass produce and less prone to mechanical failure, we thought this was a perfect opportunity to put the shoe on the other foot, and give the E-series of tanks more varied stats than just increasing their power over existing designs such as the Panzer VII Lion or Panzer VIII Maus.

But rather than work our way up, let’s start big with the E-100 and work our way down!



First off, we have the E-100 Heavy Tank. Before we talk about the tank, let’s compare its stats to the existing Panzer VIII Maus:



So right away, we can see there is a bit of give and take going on here. While the E-100 has undeniably weaker attack and defensive values with a higher prestige cost doubling the existing Maus, it also has an incredibly low slot cost, even lower than a Tiger I. And compared to the venerable old Tiger I, the new E-100 has superior stats in every category except Soft Attack!

Like the Huckebein we saw before, the E-100 is a vehicle we want to coexist alongside existing German Heavies in the 1946 campaign. While a tank fleet of Lions or Maus with respective CORE slots weighing in at 9 and 10 will VERY quickly eat up your slot limit, the slightly leaner E-100 is a very combat effective alternative with a much lighter logistical footprint on your forces. Of course, it does carry that insanely high prestige cost to purchase (and repair!) so better make sure you grab a few bonus objectives to pay for your shiny new E-series tanks.

We’ve had the E-75 in Panzer Corps 2 for a while now, so we’ll move ahead to the E-50.



Where the E-100 might be considered a streamlined Maus, and an E-75 is a refined and upgrade Tiger II, the E-50 is definitely a next generation Panther tank.

With very similar stats to the new Panther II we introduced previously, the E-50 comes in at a shocking 4 CORE slots, giving it the logistical footprint of a late model Panzer III M! So if you want something with Panther speed and power but the slot cost of a Panzer III, the E-50 is your weapon of choice. Just keep in mind, this sleek and streamlined tank platform might struggle against the heaviest American equipment, as your E-50 has become the ocean travelling design while something like an American Longstreet is a heavy beast that is made to defend the land it was built on!



Further down the line, we have the E-25, an anti-tank platform in the E-Series.



Like the E-100 and Maus comparison, the E-25 faces a similar relationship with the existing Jagdpanther. The Jagdpanther’s stats definitely far exceed the relatively diminutive E-25. Our one saving grace for the E-25 is that it comes in at half the slot cost of the Hunting Panther, and that makes it a very cheap and reliable vanguard unit that you can deploy en masse, as you can literally deploy twice as many E-25s as you can Jagdpanthers. And compared to the workhorse StuG IIIG, the E-25 is a pure upgrade in every sense, including a lower slot cost than the StuG IIIG.

Lastly, we have the E-10, another anti-tank platform.



Like the Hetzer, a similar lighter self propelled anti-tank design, the E-10 somewhat struggles to find its place amongst bigger and more lethal platforms like the Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger. Even so, this unit serves its role as a slot inexpensive unit to deploy, the perfect sort of unit for protecting distant objectives that need a watch over, as slot expensive units are ill-spent on garrison duty type tasks. Expect to see the E-10 a few times in this defensive role, and there’s definitely one very specific scenario the E-10 and E-25 absolutely shine in, but we don’t want to spoil that particular battle! Let’s just say it’s the kind of battle you want a... expendable delaying force to take the brunt of enemy attacks, instead of risking your elite veteran units in their big slow Jagdtigers or Maus in such a dangerous position.

Up next we’ll look at a few non-German Axis units starting with one very special piece of...

Nationalist Spanish Aid

As with the Second World War proper, the role of Nationalist Spain is going to be extremely limited in Axis Operations 1946. But we have not forgotten about Germany’s Spanish allies, and so their contribution to 1946 comes in the form of a very special and original concept tank made exclusively for Panzer Corps 2: the Verdeja 3!



So basically the story goes in our Alternate Timeline is that, much like in our History, Germany shared the spoils of captured Allied equipment with its fellow Axis Nations. While Nationalist Spain ostensibly remained neutral in the Second World War, we thought they could lend their aid to Axis Operations 1946 by marrying the hull of their Verdeja 2 design with a new turret taken from stocks of captured Soviet KV-85s.

And I have to say, I think the hull size and shape looks very cool with this larger KV-85 turret on it!



One more thing we should note, the Verdeja 3, given its Spanish origins, is not available for purchase as a normal unit during Axis Operations 1946. So how do you get a Verdeja 3? I’d start looking at some Elite Objectives if you want to get your hands on this very special reward! Did I mention it has some pretty insane stats?



The only way we could keep stats this good and slot cost that low was to make it available in limited amounts and also place the unit behind the wall of Elite Objective completion!

Japanese Units in 1946



So joining Japan in a mutual Axis invasion on the Western Coast of the United States is a little bit of a conundrum. We listened to Spanish Civil War feedback, and we’ve opted to NOT make Japan an AI controlled ally that you need to heavily rely upon. As interesting and thematic as that concept was for the Spanish Civil War, we have to agree it was frustrating for players to rely on a unit as critical as infantry in the hands of an AI ally you could only give vague instructions to. Either way, such a relationship between Germany and Japan would be inappropriate for 1946, so we’re approaching them a little bit differently.

You’ll see Japanese AI units in several scenarios, especially early on as the Japanese Combined Fleet assists in naval operations at the start of the invasion. But these units have their own orders and instructions, and it should not interfere with your Primary, Bonus, or Elite Objectives.

Here for example, we see the newly produced Nagato Class Battleship, in all of its super-sized model glory!



To use your own Japanese units, well we also wanted to keep that door open, and so we made acquiring a few new Japanese units possible through Elite Objective rewards. Have fun finding out what kind of rewards are sprinkled throughout the multitude of Elite Objectives present in practically every scenario of Axis Operations 1946!

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed these previews of so many of the new units arriving alongside Axis Operations 1946. This campaign has been an absolutely monumental work of total passion to produce, and we’re incredibly eager to get it into your hands to enjoy very soon!

Get ready for Axis Operations 1946, launching November 30th:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393021/Panzer_Corps_2_Axis_Operations__1946/

Hello again Gamers!

As Axis Operations rapidly approaches its November 30th launch date, we have yet more previews to share with you. Today I want to talk about the new three tier objective system, and we’ll look at the new hardware employed by the Americans to resist the Axis invasion.

Revamped Objective System

So there are actually four items to get into regarding this system. First and foremost, because it is so often requested, we’re happy to say that for players who do NOT enjoy fighting against the clock, practically every single of Axis Operation 1946’s huge 30 scenario campaign will allow you to DISABLE the mission timers if you prefer to play without this time pressure element.



To properly support this style of gameplay, we had to revamp Panzer Corps 2’s objective system, which we’ll get into right now.

Primary Objectives:

These are the traditional bread and butter objectives that fans of the Panzer General series have come to know and love: Battle for territory control as you advance your armies across the United States.



These objectives are required for campaign progression, and are designed to be manageable for all players. Note that as soon as your Primary Objective is completed, the current scenario will end, so if you want to hunt for bonuses, you will need to prioritize accomplishing them before completing your Primary Objective!

Bonus Objectives:

Different from previous Axis Operations bonus objectives, 1946 bonus objectives are locations that are off the beaten path. Players looking to scour for extra prestige resources will find abundant bonus objectives to pursue to make sure their Panzer Corps is well maintenanced and ready for combat.



These objectives have been designed with one and only one concept in mind: To give you, the player, better control over your prestige resource.

In the past, prestige has generally been an automatic function. You get a set allotment to begin a given scenario, and you’re expected to make do with that, generally having little control during the scenario to manipulate this number. A scenario might give a per turn prestige allotment, but again, this number is out of player control. So a player swimming in tens of thousands of prestige just keeps accumulating more, but a player who is starving and out of prestige would have no recourse to get their CORE back in fighting condition if the scenario allotments were inadequate for their gameplay style/difficulty settings.



By putting prestige rich bonus objectives into every single scenario, players will be able to better exercise a measure of control over their resource management. Players who have abundant prestige might have the freedom to not divert their forces to secure these bonuses they don’t need, while a prestige starved player has a vital lifeline they should absolutely prioritize going after if they need more resource injections!

All bonus objectives are purely optional.

Elite Objectives:

These objectives are designed to be tackled by veteran players with deeply imported CORE forces. Expect to see brutal enemy hero combinations, massively overstrengthed enemies, and potentially much worse...



But the rewards for these brutal elite objectives will always be special units that you can otherwise never acquire via normal purchasing. If you ever want to deploy your own Atomic weaponry, additional Landkreuzers, and other special equipment, you better be prepared to earn them through elite objective completion!



All elite objectives are purely optional.
We hope you’re looking forward to 1946’s revamped objective system, and now on to some new units!

American Armor

We’ve already covered several new American aircraft that will appear in the 1946 campaign, so today’s focus will be on new American armored forces. One thing to note is that when you see a name in parenthesis (), it means it is a designation that is original to Panzer Corps 2’s Alternate History Timeline!

We picked these names to give more personality to new American tanks, without them merely being referred to as M number or T number. No one calls the most iconic American tank an M4, everyone says Sherman tank! And in American naming traditional, all of the names we picked are derived from American Civil War Generals.

First up we’ll look at a new recon vehicle, the M38 Wolfhound.



The Wolfhound was designed to serve as a direct upgrade over the venerable M8 Greyhound. Though it still carried the same 37mm main gun as the Greyhound and Chaffee, it was thought that a larger ammunition capacity and massively improved sloped armor would afford much greater staying power to the Wolfhound compared to the thinly armoured Greyhound.

While only a few prototypes were ever actually built before the end of WWII ended Wolfhound production, in this Alternate History, the Wolfhound serves as the premier US recon vehicle of the 1946 conflict.

M6A1 Heavy Sherman



The so-called Heavy Sherman is actually a very early war design from 1941, being an attempt to design and create an American Heavy Tank. Like many early war heavy tank designs such as the German Neubaufahrzeug or Soviet T-35, it proved to be very underwhelming. By 1946, the main 76mm gun was woefully obsolete, so it is unlikely the few tanks of this type you will encounter will pose much of a threat.



Watch out for the upgunned M6A2E though, marrying the protection of a Heavy Sherman chassis with a 90mm main cannon is a serious threat.

T14 (Sumner)



Joining the ranks of Panzer Corps 2’s 1 range Close Support Tanks, we have the T14 Sumner. As is typical for an Assault Tank, extreme levels of protection combined with support fire capabilities characterize the Sumner. While nothing will approach the insane levels of a Sturmtiger, the Sumner provides the Americans with a solid vehicle with roughly the performance profile of a German Brummbar.

We choose the name Sumner for this CS tank after Union General Edwin Vose Sumner, who despite his advanced age, was apparently quite the tough cookie!

T21 (Pickett)



The primary light tank of the American forces in the 1946 campaign, the T21 Pickett acts like a Chaffee on steroids, with improved protection and a larger 76mm main cannon. While not any serious threat to the likes of a German Maus or E-100, these speedy light tanks can certainly be dangerous if they manage to outflank your heavy panzers and attack your infantry and artillery forces. As the Pickett is classified as a tank, it trades away the recon movement of the Chaffee for the ability to perform overrun attacks.

We choose the name Pickett for this light tank after Confederate General George Edward Pickett, who is infamous for leading Pickett’s Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg.

T23 (Sheridan)



While we are well aware there is already a Sheridan vehicle in our history, the M551 Sheridan is a 1960 vehicle design, so applying the name in this Alternate History of 1946 leaves it quite available to use in defense of a United States just fighting to survive to get to the 1960s intact!

The T23 Sheridan is basically a Super Sherman, acting as a solid medium tank platform produced in large quantities. Expect to encounter this vehicle everywhere in the 1946 campaign, as the Americans phase out their older Shermans in favour of this new and improved medium tank.

From internal testing, this tank was definitely a favourite for re-use as captured equipment, thanks to its well balanced stats and superior movement speed capabilities.

We choose the name Sheridan for this medium tank after Union General Philip Henry Sheridan, who is infamous for his scorched earth tactics against the South.

T29 (Longstreet)



As you noticed by now, we don’t have many new American ultra heavy tanks on roster for 1946. The Super Pershing, T28 Super Heavy, and T34 Heavy cover this niche quite well, all three of those tanks already well ready to go toe to toe with the likes of a Panzer VII Lion or Panzer VIII Maus. The T29 Longstreet is not a design meant to power creep even further over the likes of the T34 heavy, it is meant to be a lesser, but still very potent, American heavy tank adversary. The Longstreet rides the line between slow 3 and 4 speed heavy tanks and the swifter 6 speed light and medium tanks with a comfortable 5 move speed, while still boasting defense values that firmly put it in the heavy tank category.

We choose the name Longstreet for this heavy tank after Confederate General James Longstreet, second-in-Command to the honorable General Robert E. Lee.

M40 (Johnson)



The last vehicle we’ll be covering today is an anti-tank self propelled gun, the M40 Johnson. This unit serves one purpose and one purpose alone, to make absolutely certain the American possess an anti-tank weapon more than capable of harming the heaviest of the new German heavy tanks. Even the mighty Maus will suffer significant damage if it attempts to engage a target protected by the anti-tank support of a Johnson.

This overwhelming power comes in the form of a dedicated 155mm cannon that has no alternate artillery swap mode. Additionally, the Johnson is very vulnerable with a paltry ammo total of just 2, and it also lacks serious armor protection. Think of it as a super charged Nashorn; very lethal in ambush, but very vulnerable when under direct fire.

We choose the name Johnson for this anti-tank unit after Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, a capable but often overlooked figure during the Civil War.

Conclusion

We hope you all enjoyed this reveal on just some of the new vehicles being added to Panzer Corps 2 for its upcoming 1946 Axis Operations campaign. Just remember these are just a few of the new designs being added to Panzer Corps 2, and there are even more coming that we have not covered today!



So be ready for even more American equipment to be included and don’t forget to add Axis Operations 1946 to your wishlists as it is quickly approaching its November 30th launch!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393021/Panzer_Corps_2_Axis_Operations__1946/

Axis Operations 1946 lands on November 30th, we’re a mere month from launch as of this writing!

On top of that, we have an extra special focus on the BIGGEST ground units ever seen for today’s Panzer Corps 2 Dev Diary: Landkreuzers!



For the first time in the Panzer Corps series, we’ll be bringing these behemoth vehicles to the battlefield in the upcoming Axis Operations 1946 Campaign. For anyone who doesn’t know, the concept of a Landkreuzer was to make what was essentially a mobile fortress. While super heavy vehicles such as the Karl-Gerat mortar were intended for long range fire support, the Landkreuzer was envisioned to participate in the thick of combat. Armed with battleship-grade main guns, a Landkreuzer could easily smash any Allied tank without contest. Should entire formations of enemy vehicles challenge this super tank, the Landkreuzer boasted many secondary weapons to fight with, all protected by unsurpassed armor thickness.

This uncompromising design of outrageous firepower and unparalleled protection meant Landkreuzers were designed to be more than 1000 tons in weight, so heavy that they needed U-boat diesel engines to power the tank. To attempt to bring this monster vehicle into Panzer Corps 2, we definitely had to make some unique rules just for Landkreuzers.



Landkruezer Special Rules

To make Landkreuzers work in Panzer Corps 2, we couldn’t just give them more stat inflation over say a Maus tank. Just adding more attack and defense values is insufficient for how insane the concept of the Landkreuzer really was.

The first thing we needed to do was to give Landkreuzers a ranged attack, similar to a Karl-Gerat mortar, to properly represent the range and power of its battleship-grade 280mm primary guns. This range attack is absolutely devastating to even the heaviest Allied tanks, which cannot even retaliate at extended distances.



But to prevent the Landkreuzers from being an invincible titan on the battlefield, we’re experimenting with giving it a non-standard unit strength value. By inflating this number past the default 10, we can make a Landkreuzer a target that can be swarmed and defeated by enemy tanks who manage to get in close, as opposed to giving a 10 strength Landkreuzer impenetrable 40 or 50 ground defense ratings.



In addition, the Landkreuzer acts more like a naval vessel, in that it is a single entity. This means that regardless of its strength value, it attacks and defends itself with a set number of attack rolls. This will further allow swarms of enemy tanks that managed to close range with the Landkreuzer to be able to effectively engage it, without the Landkreuzers retaliation fire instantly obliterating its assailants.

We’re in the final stages of the process of testing the exact stats and traits of Panzer Corps 2’s massive Landkreuzers, but getting these vehicles into the game has been a dream since Panzer Corps 2 first launched, so we’re going to give them all the love and attention they need to be amazing new units for Panzer Corps 2 players to enjoy!



A Unique Landkruezer

But wait, there’s more! We have a very unique announcement to make. Even more special than revealing the existence of Landkreuzers in Panzer Corps 2, we are even going to have a completely original Landkreuzer design added to Panzer Corps 2.

In the bizarre German tradition of naming larger and larger vehicles after smaller and smaller creatures (Maus/Mouse, Ratte/Rat), we have christened our original design as the Landkreuzer P.1600 Meerschweinchen.


Image Credit Google Images

Oh wait, that’s not the right image of our Meerschweinchen, it’s this one!



The main difference between a ‘normal’ Landkreuzer Ratte and the new Meerschweinchen is an even more absurd upgrade of the main armament. The Meerschweinchen utilizes a turret from a Yamato Class super-battleship, with whopping 460mm main guns! How exactly this turret ended up on a Landkreuzer, you’ll just have to see for yourself inside of the upcoming 1946 campaign.



Final Musings

Before we end this Dev Diary, I actually wanted to just share some musings about Landkreuzers with our readers.

Did you know we actually planned to add Landkreuzers to Panzer Corps 2 right after the 1.0 launch back in early 2020? I’ve wanted to add this very unique and special vehicle to the game for a very long time now, because so few games include them in their roster of units.

We discussed plans and prototypes to get Landkreuzers working in Panzer Corps 2 quite extensively. The original idea was for Landkreuzers to be true multi-hex units, with the front of the vehicle acting as the ‘head’ of a snake that the ‘tail’ unit was forced to follow in whatever path the ‘head’ moved along. While this idea worked great in many ways, especially to control the orientation of the two pieces to ensure they always remained in sync, it proved to be untenable in other ways, such as properly linking the health of the two halves together. Personally, I thought it would have been amazing to see the front half of a Landkreuzer reduced to a burning wreck, while the Maus Turrets and FlaK weapons of the back half continue to operate and fight, but alas it was not to be.

Our experiments with super-sized naval vessels proved this concept could be done so, and so we ultimately choice that option to deal with some of the more complicated aspects of implementing Landkreuzers into Panzer Corps 2.

One thing we should say though, the images you see here of our new Landkreuzers models aren’t 100% complete, we’re still making final adjustments to the formulas around these monster machines to get them nice and polished for the upcoming game release. So their size as seen here might differ from what we end up with in game. Me personally, I hope they get EVEN BIGGER, but I suspect we might have to tone down their size a little bit to better accommodate the game’s unit selection and targeting mechanics.



But not only will players have access to two different Landkreuzers, there just might be some strange circumstances where you just might encounter hostile Landkreuzer under American control. Taking on this monster vehicle and its escorts could prove to be the ultimate Elite Objective!



Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this sneak peak into the Landkreuzers that are coming to Panzer Corps 2. Be on the lookout for our next Dev Diary, where we’ll be taking a look at even more new units that are being added to Panzer Corps 2 for its Axis Operations 1946 campaign!

So get ready for Axis Operations 1946, launching November 30th:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393021/Panzer_Corps_2_Axis_Operations__1946/

Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe are invading Panzer Corps 2! In the first of four Dev Dairies for the upcoming Axis Operations 1946, we’re going to have an in-depth preview on some of the new aircraft and new aircraft mechanics being added to Panzer Corps 2.


The first aircraft we want to highlight today is the Focke-Wulf TA 183 Huckebein.



When adding new units for Axis Operations 1946, we wanted to attempt a different design philosophy. Rather than continue to just to power inflate, we instead wanted to create more interesting alternative options, and the Huckebein is a great example of this. Let’s compare its stats to the current best German jet fighter, the Gotha 229:



As you can see, it’s actually inferior in almost every stat and costs more than twice the prestige, but
this is actually quite deceptive on first glance. The two stats the Huckebein trumps the Gotha over are movement speed, which is very important for airfield based aircraft in Panzer Corps 2, and more interestingly, it has an incredibly low 4 slot cost. Compared to a 5 slot FW-190 D-9, the Huckebein stats completely outclasses the FW-190 D-9.

So the end result is that we aren’t out to replace the Gotha, but we’d like to see the Huckebein coexist alongside the Gotha or Me-262 as a valuable low slot cost alternative, as fleets of just Gothas and Me-262s will very rapidly fill up a scenario’s slot limit very quickly!

Next up, we have the Ju-187, or ‘Super Stuka‘



While the Huckebein would like to co-exist alongside existing German fighters, the Super Stuka is absolutely meant to be the ultimate German Tactical Bomber. The venerable Stuka has been in every Axis Operation campaign since Spanish Civil War, and lately it has absolutely shown its age and vulnerability to interception. It’s long past time for it to get a major upgrade, and we have that now with the Super Stuka. Note that very crazy looking inverted tail, which was actually designed to rotate mid flight into this position for better control during dive bombing!

The last German aircraft we’ll look at is a flying wing. But it’s not just any flying wing, it’s a proper Amerika bomber, the 6 jet engine Horten XVIII.



We don’t want to spoil too much about this incredible machine, but I’m sure some of you have seen that gif of that other very special variant of the Horten Amerika Bomber with a rather unique payload that will also be available in Axis Operations 1946...


Two of the new Japanese aircraft we want to highlight today are a fighter and a strategic bomber.



First off, we have a very unique fighter aircraft design in the Shinryu II. Basically, think of this design as someone who looked at the Me-163 and said ‘more rockets please’. This thing is just made of rockets, rockets, and just rockets. It’s rocket powered, and armed exclusively with anti-air rockets designed to shoot down American bombers such as the B-29. There’s not a machine gun or cannon to be found anywhere in this aircraft’s armaments.

To bring this unique design to life in Panzer Corps 2, it has a stat page completely unique from all other fighters. An insane 25 air attack value combined with an integrated Rapid Fire trait will make mincemeat of any American bombers, but its pitiful 5 initiative leaves it incredibly vulnerable to enemy dog fighter aircraft. In addition, it has a paltry 2 ammo count, meaning that if it takes a shot at an American B-29, it has a mere 1 shot left to defend itself from enemy fighters with, before all
following fighter attacks on the Shinryu II attack it without any fear of return fire.

Next up, we don’t just have the infamous 6 engine Fugaku, but we also have a very special variant of the Fugaku coming to Panzer Corps 2.



This special variant is borne as a result of the direct cooperation between the Axis Powers. This special Fugaku has been armed with German wire guided Fritz X missiles, making it the first, and only, aircraft in Panzer Corps 2 that has a ranged attack!



The American Pacific Fleet is going to be in for a very nasty surprise! They’re about to discover its CAP of Hellcats and Corsairs protecting its Essex Class Fleet Carriers from torpedo and dive bomber attacks can’t reach these Fugaku bombers that are raining down guided missiles on the American fleet from a most unexpected distance.


Last but certainly not least, we’ll look at just some of the new American aircraft being pressed into service to challenge the joint German-Japanese invasion of the United States. First off, we have a wooden conscript aircraft, the XP-77.



Pressed into service in the face of invasion, the XP-77 is not a high performance aircraft in the slightest. Out performed by the venerable P-51, the XP-77 was instead meant to effectively be a conscript aircraft, something that could be produced cheaply and in mass quantities very rapidly. So while the XP-77 might not seem to be a major new threat, the numbers this aircraft will appear in could be a challenge of its own kind to overcome.

Next up we have the XP-55 Ascender, or the aircraft that was seemingly ‘built backwards’:



We’ve stat-ed this new fighter fairly conservatively, looking to make it a nice new adversary for players to encounter that is about on the power level of the P-51H. Testing is still ongoing, however, so watch out for this aircraft might get a new trick up its very unusual sleeves sometime between now and the launch of 1946! Design of the Me-163 seems to be popular today, because next we have another aircraft with a very similar visual profile, the XP-56 Black Bullet.



Unlike the Me-163 and its pilot melting rocket fuel engines, however, the Black Bullet was power by an aft mounted prop engine, similar to the rear mounted prop of the Do-335 Pfeil. Historically, this diminutive fighter wasn’t exactly designed for an Me-163 performance profile, it’s small and unique designs were actually to test the concept of using Magnesium instead of Aluminium to build the aircraft with.

We better wrap up this Dev Diary though, because we’re definitely getting hungry, and the shape of the Vought XF5U is only making us think of one thing... pancakes!



Historically, the hope for the very strangely shaped ‘Flying Flapjack’ would be to potentially usher in the next generation of piston engine aircraft. Whatever improvements these designs may have provided to piston engine aircraft were however moot, as the emergence of jet aircraft superseded propeller driven aircraft. But in Panzer Corps 2’s alternate history of 1946, we’ll be seeing this aircraft pushed into service in the defense of the United States against the joint German-Axis invasion!


We hope you all enjoyed this first reveal on just some of the new aircraft being added to Panzer Corps 2 for its upcoming 1946 Axis Operations campaign. Just remember these are just a few of the new designs being added to Panzer Corps 2, and there are even more coming that we have not covered today!



So be ready for even more new aircraft to be included and don’t forget to add Axis Operations 1946
to your wishlists

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393021/Panzer_Corps_2_Axis_Operations__1946/

Do not miss the chance to sign-up to the new October Chess Tournament which will feature the 3 multiplayer chess maps.

You can sign-up here.

The tournament follows Swiss Tournament rules: you can find the full list of rules here.

The first round will commence on Friday, 6th October 2023. No further entries can be accepted after the tournament has begun.

The tournament will last 3 rounds, 10 days each. Games are paired, so each matchup will be played both ways. All you need to do is sign up, then the system will pair you with opponents and create your PBEM games. You will be notified by mail of when the tournament is starting and when it will be time to play your turns.

It is said that every end is a new beginning, and Panzer Corps 2 is about to embark on an unprecedented journey. Building upon the alternate history established in previous DLCs, we are delighted to announce Axis Operations - 1946.

Wishlist now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393021/Panzer_Corps_2_Axis_Operations__1946/

This monumental expansion invites players to explore an original and expansive campaign, where the Axis Powers launch a joint invasion of the United States.

Prepare your Wehrmacht invasion forces for their ultimate battles as they confront the mighty United States in a colossal 30-scenario campaign spanning from coast to coast across the Continental US.

Players can expect a truly unique narrative as they navigate the intricacies of this captivating alternate history. While Axis Operations 1946 draws upon the rich lore of its predecessors, it has been meticulously designed to welcome both new and veteran players. The introduction of a tiered objective system adds depth to the gameplay, including Primary Objectives, Bonus Objectives, and Elite Objectives.

Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations 1946 introduces exciting gameplay elements, including:

• Special extra-large unit models for warships, such as the Japanese Super Battleship Yamato
  
• American Atomic B-29 Bombers
  
• German Atomic-armed V-2 Rockets
  
• Japanese 6-engine Fugaku bombers modified with Fritz X Missiles
  
• Several entirely original unit designs created exclusively for Panzer Corps 2
  
• Landkreuzers!

In addition to these extra special units and their new mechanics, the release of Axis Operations 1946 will also be adding a wealth of more than 50 new, high quality, 3D unit models to the game's extensive roster of World War II vehicles and aircraft!

As with previous Axis Operations DLCs, players can import their core forces from the previous Axis Operations 1945 East campaign or utilize a preset core force to embark directly on the Axis Operations 1946 Amerika campaign.


We are recruiting new participants to test Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations - 1946. Give us your feedback and sign up for the Beta on the Slitherine Website here

Will you rewrite the course of history, or will the United States prevail against the mighty Axis forces? The fate of nations awaits your command, stay tuned for more updates.

Everyone,

Another Panzer Corps 2 article is on its way! Get ready to meet Kerensky, who will provide us with an exclusive sneak peek into the upcoming Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations - 1946.

You can find this Slitherine editorial, titled "The Insider," on our Slitherine website.


We will be releasing more information about Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations - 1946 soon, so stay tuned

Hello everyone,

As Marco revealed during the last Tea Time, we are going to release some information about Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations - 1946 soon!



In the meantime, we have now published our exclusive Slitherine Editorial format, "The Insider," on our Slitherine website. It includes a First Preview and Behind the Scenes look at Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations 1946.

Don't miss this chance to read the preview about Axis Operations 1946 on the Slitherine Website now!

Do not miss the chance to sign-up to the new Summer Chess Tournament which will feature the 3 multiplayer chess maps.

You can sign-up here

The tournament follows Swiss Tournament rules: you can find the full list of rules here

The first round will commence on Tuesday, 18th July 2023. No further entries can be accepted after the tournament has begun.

The tournament will last 3 rounds, 10 days each. Games are paired, so each matchup will be played both ways. All you need to do is sign up, then the system will pair you with opponents and create your PBEM games. You will be notified by mail of when the tournament is starting and when it will be time to play your turns.

Hi Panzer Generals,

We are delighted to announce that Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations 1945 is out now.

Players will take part in these critical battles, confronting the harrowing realities and decisions faced by the Wehrmacht.



The historical campaign of 1945 East serves as the centerpiece of this expansion, shedding light on the final battles on the Eastern Front and the surrounding context. Operation Bodenplatte and Spring Awakening, among others, are explored, highlighting the desperate measures taken by the Axis powers and the tremendous costs incurred.



Axis Operations 1945 includes an alternate campaign, building upon the victory at the Battle of Ploesti, players find themselves in a Germany at an impasse. The Western Allied landings at Normandy have been repelled, and the Soviet invasion of Eastern Europe halted, but total victory remains elusive. Another major offensive looms on the horizon, raising questions about its potential outcome and the toll it will exact on all involved nations.

Tune in today to our Slitherine Twitch Channel at 17:30 - 19:30 GMT+2, where we will showcase the new DLC.

Don't miss out on the special sales for the Panzer Corps 2 saga, with discounts of up to 50%!

Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations 1945 is now available here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393020/Panzer_Corps_2_Axis_Operations__1945/

PANZER CORPS 2 - AXIS OPERATIONS BUNDLE

Play the entirety of World War II from the German perspective in a huge linked campaign, carrying your army over from one DLC to the next:

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18273/Panzer_Corps_2__Axis_Operations_Bundle/