“The will for victory which gives a commander the strength to see a grave crisis through is something very different from Hitler's will, which in the last analysis stemmed from a belief in his own 'mission'.” (c) Erich von Manstein, in “Lost Victories” memoirs.

Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein (24 November 1887 – 9 June 1973) was a German commander of the Wehrmacht. He attained the rank of field marshal.

One of the most prominent German strategists of the time. Adolf Hitler chose Manstein's strategy for the invasion of France in May 1940.


“But it is a well-known maxim of war that whoever tries to hold on to everything at once, finishes up by holding nothing at all.” (c) Erich von Manstein, in “Lost Victories” memoirs.

Germany's fortunes in the war had taken an unfavorable turn in December 1941, and in the following year during the catastrophic Battle of Stalingrad, Manstein commanded a failed relief effort ("Operation Winter Storm") in December.

Later known as the "backhand blow", Manstein's counteroffensive in the Third Battle of Kharkov (February–March 1943) regained substantial territory and resulted in the destruction of three Soviet armies and the retreat of three others.

He was one of the primary commanders at the Battle of Kursk (July–August 1943). His ongoing disagreements with Hitler over the conduct of the war led to his dismissal in March 1944. He never obtained another command and was taken prisoner by the British in August 1945, several months after Germany's defeat.

In Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg Erich von Manstein will be one of the key characters throughout the campaign.

Do not forget to wishlist Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to show us your interest in the project and stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
With best regards
Starni Games development team

“The V-1 flying bomb (German: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") — also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb, or doodlebug, and in Germany as Kirschkern (cherry stone) or Maikäfer (maybug), as well as by its official RLM aircraft designation of Fi 103 — was an early cruise missile and the only production aircraft to use a pulsejet for power.”

First employed in 1944 this weapon was aimed at laying waste to the United Kingdom and forcing it to surrender. However, its combat potential was overestimated. A high percentage was destroyed by the anti-aircraft defense forces. According to Albert Speer’s memoirs, it was not more effective than the conventional bombers bombing runs, in fact even less so, in terms of payload.

Still, it was a new and revolutionary technology of the time. Many German scientists who worked on the V-1 and V-2 projects moved to the US after the war as part of Operation Paperclip. For example, Wernher von Braun. In 1960, his group was assimilated into NASA, where he served as director of the newly formed Marshall Space Flight Center and as the chief architect of the Saturn V super heavy-lift launch vehicle that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. In 1967, von Braun was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering, and in 1975, he received the National Medal of Science.

In Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg this weapon is represented as a Headquarters ability to launch such missiles at a target. However, it becomes available only at the very end of the game for the last couple of battles. We hope that this will be an interesting new experience for the players.

Do not forget to wishlist Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to show us your interest in the project and stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress.

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With best regards
Starni Games development team

In this update, we would like to share with you a couple of city maps screenshots.
Will your troops arrive in time to prevent the British troops’ evacuation from Dunkirk?


Will your troops be able to take Leningrad without a protracted siege?


Will your troops overcome the stubborn Soviet resistance and take the city of Stalin against all odds?

Let us know in the comments: which historic (or planned but canceled) operation of WW2 in Europe are you looking forward to playing the most?

Do not forget to wishlist Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to show us your interest in the project and stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress.
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With best regards
Starni Games development team

This GIF* is just a quick glimpse at our future cinematics. This is an iconic moment of German troops crossing the Polish border, not knowing they are starting a horrific 6-years-long world war.

You can expect much more cinematic-related content in the coming weeks, as we are finalizing all the materials.

Do not forget to wishlist Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to show us your interest in the project and stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/

With best regards
Starni Games development team

*GIF images have a lower quality than the cinematics due to compression.

Tiger tanks entered the war in late 1942 as an answer to the powerful Soviet KV-1 and KV-2 heavy tanks as well as T-34 medium tanks, which were far superior to the German Panzer III and Panzer IV of that time in terms of both armor and armament.

In 1941 the Wehrmacht was unpleasantly surprised with the achievements of the Soviet tank building industry and was forces to look for the new tank models to counter the enemy’s heavier tanks with bigger caliber guns.

There were two main solutions: 1) upgrade the existing production lines for Panzer IV tanks to produce newer models with bigger guns and better armament. 2) Create fully new tank designs from scratch, which resulted in heavy Tiger tanks and medium Panther tanks.
Germany proceeded with both these solutions.

The downside was that the German industry lacked the resourced to mass-produce these new tanks in large enough quantities. Thus their deployment was in low numbers and quite sporadic, which dramatically lowered their potential impact on the overall course of the war.
In Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg you will be able to fit your tank troops with Tiger tanks right before the Battle of Stalingrad.

Tiger II (or Königstiger) was an even more powerful version of Tiger tanks that entered the war only in 1944 and in relatively small numbers. Thus we were unable to present them to you in our previous project - Panzer Strategy.

This time, however, the last operation will feature several Königstiger units. We are not happy that the players will only get to command these beasts for a short time but that is what making a historically accurate game means… Still, we hope that you will enjoy seeing and commanding this rare guest on the battlefield.

Do not forget to wishlist Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to show us your interest in the project and stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
With best regards
Starni Games development team

Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte prototype tank model in Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg.

Those of you who played Strategic Mind: The Pacific may know that even though our games are very thorough in terms of history, we like to add the possibility to explore some “what if” situations and add some prototype units where possible. For example, the Japanese campaign featured three “what if” scenarios and some rare or prototype units, like unfinished historically Super-Yamato (or A-150) class battleship with 510 mm guns.

In Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg we decided to follow the same track and add a couple of prototype units. One of them being the famous Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte tank - a 1000 ton (no mistake here, mind you) tank! Konigstiger (Tiger II), for example, had a weight of 70 tons. (And the rest of the tanks of that time fell in between 20 and 70 tons) This unimaginable monstrosity was not only heavy - it has the height of a 5-story building.

Armed with two 280 mm battleship guns borrowed from the Scharnhorst class battleships, it would have been a terrible force on the battlefield. And that is not all, as its secondary armament included one 128 mm anti-tank gun, eight 20 mm AA guns and two AA autocannons.

Additionally, just when you thought that this unwieldy thing must be stationary, it must be said that this “tank” was supposed to move at a 40 km/h speed.

To reflect all of its marvelous parameters in the actual gameplay we had to implement it in the following ways:

• There can be only one Ratte unit. (Otherwise, the game would be too easy)
  
• The speed of 40 km/hour means average tank speed of the time, so it has 6 Move points.
  
• Different guns mean that it is modular (like all ships in Strategic Mind), and its different parts have their own HP etc. (It has Main gun, Second gun, AA gun, Engine/Tracks, Hull and an Infantry squad)
  
• It has Hull HP of 20 (like a heavy cruiser would)
  
• Due to its very large size, it has to occupy 6 hexes at once. (Just look at this screenshot!) So make way for Ratte!
  
• Its 280 mm guns have a 6 hexes firing range. (Like the Scharnhorst class battleships)
  
• It also has several innate abilities that make him stand out from other tanks, namely:
  
• “Superheavy armor” - all attacks against Ratter deal 0 damage.
  
• “Scary as hell” - makes all enemy units that have Ratte within their Spotting range retreat instantly.
  
• “The roads are where I go” - if Ratte enters a hex - it becomes a road.
  
• “Big guns” - all Ratte attacks instantly evaporate enemies.
  
• “Squash them!” - when a Ratte enters hex with another unit, no matter allied or enemy, that unit is destroyed instantly.
  
• “The Great Leveller” - when a Ratte enters a City hex, this hex becomes Clear instead.
  
• “On a humorous note” - if you launch the game on the 1 April date, the Ratte disappears making fun of you.

Stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress.
Please add the new upcoming title - Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
With best regards
Starni Games development team

“There are no desperate situations, there are only desperate people.” (c) Heinz Guderian

“Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "Blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of the panzer division concept. In 1936, he became the Inspector of Motorized Troops.

At the beginning of the Second World War, Guderian led an armored corps in the Invasion of Poland. During the Invasion of France, he commanded the armored units that attacked through the Ardennes forest and overwhelmed the Allied defenses at the Battle of Sedan. He led the 2nd Panzer Army during Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. The campaign ended in failure after the German offensive Operation Typhoon failed to capture Moscow, after which Guderian was dismissed.”

“To imitate the ostrich in political matters has never been a satisfactory method of avoiding danger; yet this is what Hitler, as well as his more important political, economic and even military advisers, chose to do over and over again.” (c) Heinz Guderian

His dismissal was partially due to his outspoken manner (even in front of Hitler), and partially due to him disregarding the high command orders if he saw them unfit (usually he would ignore them to save his men from certain death, in case of his timely retreat during the Battle of Moscow, or to the contrary - he would carry on with the unauthorized attack to keep the initiative and momentum and thus minimize his units losses during the offensive).

“You hit somebody with your fist and not with your fingers spread.” (c) Heinz Guderian

Guderian was a prominent advocate of armored units and their offensive employment. In Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg tanks will also play a major role - being an ideal unit for swift offensives due to high movement points, tracked movement type, high defense/attack values, and the Overrun ability.

Unlike many other games, in Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg almost all the tank models (except those having only small-caliber guns, like Panzer II) have an attack range of 2, allowing you much more tactical freedom - your panzers can attack from a distance with a range penalty, or perform a frontal assault depending on the situation.

Stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress.
Please add the new upcoming title - Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
With best regards
Starni Games development team

Screenshot 1: Admiral Doenitz explains the Kriegsmarine battle plans.

We are working hard to deliver you the best quality cinematics that will immerse you into the epochal events and make you an eyewitness of what was supposedly going on in the German high command at that time. Here are some screenshots from the cinematics we produce for the Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg.

Screenshot 2: A field headquarters during the occupation of France.

In case you are curious as to our working process, it is as follows:

• Scriptwriting.
  
• Motion capture (of all characters for all scenes) of both body and face.
  
• Polishing of the captured animations.
  
• Creating all the locations using UE4.
  
• Modeling all the characters.
  
• Modeling all clothing, awards, insignias, etc.
  
• Voice over at the studio for all the characters fitting the lip sync.
  
• Putting together locations, characters, clothing, animations, and sound using UE4 (Like creation a virtual shooting set). Then we place virtual cameras in the editor and “film” our cinematics like one would in real life.
  
• Then we prerender all the scenes not to load your PC with this task when you play the game, and to make sure everything is done correctly.

Screenshot 3. Heinz Guderian looks at Rommel appraisingly.

We are constantly working on improving our technology and working process. We expect to produce significantly better results compared to our previous projects and will keep working on further improvements.


Screenshot 4. Erwin Rommel at the headquarters meeting.

As you know, the coronavirus lockdown disrupts many businesses and processes throughout the world. So far we have successfully switched to the remote work and are going at the same pace as before.

We wish you all good health. We will keep you informed about our progress and share more materials with you as the release date approaches. Stay safe and stay tuned.

With best regards
Starni Games development team

Please add the new upcoming title - Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to your wishlist!

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“There were daily quarrels all summer. The point upon which we had our final disagreement was the decision of an offensive on the Caucasus and Stalingrad - a mistake, and Hitler didn't want to see it. I told him the Russians would put in another million men in 1942 and get another million in 1943. Hitler told me that I was an idiot - that the Russians were practically dead already. When I told Hitler about Russian armament potentials, especially for tank materials, Hitler flew into a rage of fury and threatened me with his fists.” (c) Franz Halder, April 12, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn

Franz Halder was appointed Chief of the Army General Staff on 1 September 1938, precisely a year before the start of WW2. Halder was reluctant to wage aggressive war on multiple fronts, but he chose to follow orders and keep his oath of loyalty. Despite following Hitler’s orders, he often criticized Fuhrer’s ideas and often tried to argue with him about war plans - a thing almost nonexistent closer to the end of the war.

“The Führer confirms my impressions of yesterday. He would like an understanding with Great Britain. He knows that war with the British will be hard and bloody, and knows also that people everywhere today are averse to bloodshed.” (c) Franz Halder, May 30, 1940 diary entry

Even after the occupation of France, many German generals harbored hopes for peace negotiations soon to follow, and the cessation of all hostilities, especially against the British Empire. That would have probably been the most prudent course of action at that moment. It seems Halder was sharing this point of view.

“The Russian colossus...has been underestimated by us...whenever a dozen divisions are destroyed the Russians replace them with another dozen.” (c) Franz Halder, August 1941

After the German Blitzkrieg has finally bogged down in Russia, and upon several attempts to renew the offensive in 1942, which had very limited success, in September 1942 Hitler removed Halder from command and retired him to the Führer Reserve.

“Whenever I go and see the Führer, I've got a loaded pistol in my pocket.” (c) Franz Halder, explaining his fear of Hitler

“On 23 July 1944, after the failed 20 July assassination attempt on Hitler's life by German Army officers, the Gestapo arrested Halder. He was imprisoned at both the Flossenbürg and Dachau concentration camps. On 5 May 1945, Halder was arrested by the advancing American troops and was interned awaiting trial or release. He was relieved not to be part of the Nuremberg Trials; instead, he was tried in a German court on charges of aiding the Nazi regime. Halder denied any knowledge of the regime's atrocities and claimed to be outside the decision-making process; he was found not guilty.”

“During the trial, the prosecuting attorney gained access to Halder's personal diary which detailed his formulation of the Barbarossa Decree and Commissar Order so he was subsequently sent for retrial. Halder was working for the American Historical Division providing information on the Soviet Union, and the Americans refused to allow the retrial. It was dropped in September 1950.”

“Rear Admiral Walter Ansel who had worked with Halder while researching Operation Sealion, the planned Invasion of England, recommended he become an associate of the United States Naval Institute. In 1961 Halder was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for this work. This award was bestowed by Major General Edgar C. Doleman on behalf of President John F. Kennedy. Halder thus became the only German to be decorated by both Adolf Hitler and an American president. (He had received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross from Hitler in 1939.)”

Stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress.
Please add the new upcoming title - Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
With best regards
Starni Games development team

The Lend-lease or the equipment supplies from Great Britain and the US to the USSR have played a pivotal role in the course of WW2 in Europe.

When German troops invaded the USSR, and their swift advance became apparent, Allies decided to support the USSR however they could to prevent Germany from establishing total domination in Europe.

The first tanks and aircraft units armed with lend-lease machinery reached the frontlines during the Battle of Moscow’s early stages in autumn 1941.



Here you can see the British Matilda II tanks as well as US M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman models. While Matildas and Stuarts were available in 1941, M4 Shermans joined the fray later on in the war.

“By the end of 1941, early shipments of Matilda, Valentine and Tetrarch tanks represented only 6.5% of total Soviet tank production but over 25% of medium and heavy tanks produced for the Red Army.

The British tanks first saw action with the 138 Independent Tank Battalion in the Volga Reservoir on November 20, 1941. Lend-Lease tanks constituted 30 to 40 percent of heavy and medium tank strength before Moscow at the beginning of December 1941.”



Aircraft were also instrumental in tipping the scales in USSR’s favor. British Spitfires and US Airacobras were common lend-lease models to be delivered to the USSR.

Stay tuned for more information about new content and game development progress.
Please add the new upcoming title - Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
With best regards
Starni Games development team