Hello commander!

It’s good to be back. In today’s post, we’ll be going over some of the many exciting projects we have in store for Steel Division 2.

At Eugen, we have been working hard on Steel Division 2 for years, and we have no intention of letting up any time soon! Rest assured, we plan to support and develop Steel Division 2 for the foreseeable future.

Now, let’s see what you can expect in the coming weeks and months. Some things you might know, others are a surprise…

Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

We are very close to release our latest History Expansion, Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics[/b]. From next week onwards, April 29th, you’ll be able to dive deep into one of the last successful German counter-offensives of the war - Operation Doppelkopf! Burning Baltics brings eight new battlegroups, two new Nations, over 120 new units, and two new Aces.

A new 10v10 map: Tannenberg

Yes! We heard you (loud and oh-so very clear): a new 10v10 map is on the way. Get ready for Tannenberg, which will launch as a FREE DLC at the same time as Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics[/b].

Situated in northern Estonia, this map is freely inspired by the real battle of Tannenberg Lines (also known as the Battle of the Blue Hills) where the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” made its famous rearguard stand against overwhelming odds. Excited? We sure are!

Nemesis: Storming Toulon

In our last post, we detailed the new units which will ship with our upcoming Nemesis: Storming Toulon expansion, which features the new battlegroups Verteidigungsbereich Toulon and 1e Division Française Libre.

The units and divisions of Nemesis: Storming Toulon are finished and being beta-tested by the Eugen Strike Team as we speak. It will only require a few balance tweaks, some new licks of paint, polish, and updated pictures of various unit cards. Expect to hear more soon!

Read about Nemesis: Storming Toulon’s first reveal here or a more recent detailed unit and battlegroup breakdown here.

Nemesis: Raid on Drvar

Our other Nemesis DLC is still being prodded and hammered on in the ever-busy Eugen workshop. Nemesis: Raid on Drvar brings the action from the partisan-run Balkans, offering the unique Unternehmen Rösselsprung and the NOV or Yugoslav Liberation Army as playable battlegroups. The army list has been finalized while our 3D artists are handling the new unit models and associated paint jobs.

Read about the first reveal here. A more detailed breakdown of the new units will come in the future.

Army General Coop Mode

The long-awaited Army General Coop Mode is just around the corner. This cooperative mode, which we are putting the finishing touches on, will allow three players in Army General to team up and compete against the AI.

In our Army General Coop Mode, the host will be in charge of calling reinforcements, but all participating players will be able to perform other actions in Strategic Mode. Some… sort of agreement might be needed in deciding who moves what or attacks where, but this shouldn’t be far removed from the whole concept of “co-operation”.



Once within a tactical battle, each player will choose a battalion to command, with the option to switch entire companies from one battalion to the other. This allows everyone to fight with a balanced battlegroup. If there are more players than battalions engaged, empty battlegroups will be created, and companies passed around until all players have a good selection of forces.



A couple of other mechanics and features of this new mode are still being worked on - or tested - but before detailing them to you, we want to validate them first in-depth.

A final note: Army General Coop will not be released with Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics, but the launch of this mode is not very far around the corner.

Tribute to the Liberation of Italy

Following in the footsteps of the successful Tribute to D-Day and with the keen interest shown by the community for the Italian theater’s divisions, we are working on an entirely new expansion: Tribute to the Liberation of Italy.

The Italian campaign is an unsung theater of operations during World War II, easily overlooked, and we wanted to shine the spotlight on a host of new divisions and units who fought in Italy during the summer of 1944. Tribute to the Liberation of Italy will feature troops from nine different nationalities, including four new ones, plus plenty of new units. These nations will have their own flag and voice acting, although some will be featured as minor partners in multinational battlegroups.

We’ll detail more about the upcoming new battlegroups, we are doing our utmost to make the new Tribute to the Liberation of Italy battlegroups exciting, realistic, and accurate Steel Division 2 formations.

A new Army General Campaign

And last but not least: we are working on the next Army General campaign. We have heard your feedback for less overwhelming and utterly massive battlefields, and as such, this time around, we decided to go for something a little bit more contained. Our new Army General campaign will be closer to the original Steel Division 2 strategic campaigns in size.

We can’t say much more, only that the new campaign will still be set on the Eastern Front, but with less of a focus on the main Soviet or Germans formations… Who, what, where?

Let us know what you think through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

That’s it for today. Don’t forget, we have updated our schedule and will now post every two weeks.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander,

It’s good to be back! We’ll be looking at Nemesis: Storming Toulon today, our fourth Nemesis DLC, which won the popular vote late last year.

We are still sweating away in Eugen’s workshop to get this mini-expansion in your hands, so no release date yet. In the meantime, we can share some more exciting details about the two new battlegroups and the host of new units Nemesis: Storming Toulon will feature.

Keep reading to find out more!

Nemesis: Storming Toulon

The French Riviera: in normal times, a stretch of Mediterranean coastline blessed by natural beauty and abundant sun. In the summer of 1944, the war is also set to arrive in this idyllic part of Southern France. Operation Dragoon, the Allied amphibious invasion, kicked off on August 15th. With local Axis troops either overwhelmed or retreating fast, liberating the critically important port of Toulon fell to the 1e Division Française Libre (DFL) or the 1st Free French Division.

Opposing the rapidly advancing Allied soldiers was a motley collection of German and Italian defenders centered around the Axis garrison of Toulon. Reinforced with a substantial amount of local artillery and AA guns, Verteidigungsbereich Toulon was a defensive force determined to make its stand of the port as long - and costly for the Allies - as possible.

Heavy urban combat followed when the Free French breached the city’s perimeter. While initially envisioned to take two months, the Allied units’ surprise and speed allowed the total liberation of Toulon to be achieved within days. Even though the port was ruined for the time being, it was repaired by September. This greatly helped the Allied drive to the north, which in turn aided the liberation of the rest of France before the year’s end.

Verteidigungsbereich Toulon

Verteidigungsbereich Toulon - meaning Defensive Perimeter Toulon - is an impromptu formation made up of various units in Toulon or its environs. The core of the battlegroup is made up of the 242. Infanterie-Division, a reserve division “upgraded” to regular status in 1943. A variety of Kriegsmarine garrison units and Italian naval infantry and scattered special forces, and even stranded U-boat crews, join the fight. A large quantity of captured heavy weapons, including AA and artillery guns, can also be found in its arsenal.



What can you expect of the Verteidigungsbereich Toulon?

• The Recon tab is limited in terms of slots and options but features some original units such as numerous Scharfschützen (snipers), as well as MEK (Marineeinsatzkommandos) squads, elite Kriegsmarine special forces.
  
• The Infantry category is where Verteidigungsbereich Toulon really shines, with lots of unique choices. From new Grenadier (MG 099), armed with Italian Breda 30 LMGs and Ost-Legionäre (introduced in Nemesis: Battle of Rimini) to new Kriegsmarine Landesschützen, KM Marineinfanterie, KM Führer (large 8-men command squads with two LMGs), KM Pionier, and Italian Maro (full SMG naval infantry) squads. Other units include elite Brandenburg special forces (with Raider trait), Sicherungs and Pionier troops. By far, one of the more original options is the new KM Boot Besatzung, which are stranded U-boat submarine crews, highly disciplined and indoctrinated (with the Fanatical trait), carrying three MG-34s and featuring a bearded officer with a captain’s cap!
  
• The battlegroup’s Tank category has only a few card slots, often limited to Combat Phase A or B. The only units on offer are old French Beute R-35 and H-39, plus a handful of StuGs.
  
• Support forces are regular, with Bef.Traction as a commander unit. The new GebK. 285(j) Yugoslav mountain gun is featured in place of the IG 18, and the new KM Kustenpolizei acts as a large military police squad armed with the French MAS-36.
  
• The battlegroup’s AT arsenal consists of several Panzerjäger RSO and Marder I self-propelled guns which (slightly) compensate the lack of tanks. Furthermore, PaK 177(i) (introduced in Nemesis: Battle of Rimini), as well as PaK 36(r) 76,2mm (Soviet F-22 used in AT role) and even a few PaK 43 88mm can be found.
  
• The AA category is very well represented, with many cheap slots and a large variety of (towed) guns on offer. These include Flak 20mm, Flakvierling 20mm, Flak 37mm, the new & deadly Flakzwilling 37mm, Flak 88mm, and the new heavy Flak 105mm.
  
• The Artillery units on offer are likewise very good, with several captured examples deployable. Once again, only towed units are featured, but the slots are cheap and plentiful. From new Italian 100mm and 149mm guns to French 105mm, new Yugoslav 100 mm, Soviet 152mm, as well as the nimble Ar 196A-3 floatplane (to be introduced first with the upcoming Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics History Expansion) which acts as the spotter plane for heavy 340mm off-map coastal artillery.
  
• Air units are rather limited, with the Luftwaffe mostly absent from the skies. Only a few Me-109 and Fw-190 in fighter or fighter-bomber roles can be deployed, backed up by Do-217 and Ju-88 bombers.

Being a static garrison division, Verteidigungsbereich Toulon is rated C (low offensive power) but features quite a few new defensive structures, deployable during Breakthrough games. These include the new Panzerstellung bunkers, which mate a tank turret to a concrete casemate. They come in three different variants: Panzerstellung Panzer II (20mm), Panzerstellung 35R (37mm), and Panzerstellung 35S (47mm).



Verteidigungsbereich Toulon is an excellent defensive battlegroup with many versatile units but lacks offensive armored firepower.

All of our Kriegsmarine and Brandenburg squads will feature brand-new voice acting, including new marching songs!

1e Division Française Libre

The “real deal” of the Free French fighting forces: the 1e Division Française Libre (DFL) or the 1st Free French Division. This illustrious veteran formation took part in battles ranging from Narvik to East Africa, Operation Exporter (Syria-Lebanon, 1941), North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia) before heading towards the Italian front and later France during Operation Dragoon.

The DFL embodies Free France in its truest form, regrouping almost all the nationalities of the French colonial empire (and beyond) and armed forces which answered general de Gaulle’s call to keep on fighting.



What can you expect of the 1e Division Française Libre?

• This battlegroup’s Recon tab is well-stocked with options and plenty of choices. This includes FFI sidecar, the new M6 Fargo heavy jeep with 37mm AT gun, as well as Greyhound, Stuart, and the new Commando d’Afrique squads. The latter are French airborne special forces, heavily armed with Garand, Thompson, and a Bazooka.
  
• The Infantry forces are very strong, with lots of variety and cheap slots. These include the new Artilleurs AA (AA gunners converted to foot soldiers), FFI Maquisards (with Raider trait), elite Légionnaires (with Fanatical trait) and Légion. Sapeurs-Pionniers (with obligatory beards). Other new units are veteran BIMP motorized infantry with two LMGs, more lightly equipped AEF (Central African) and AFN (North African) Tirailleurs squads, and Chocs (Parachutistes de Choc) units which are veteran SAS-like light infantry squads with the Raider trait.
  
• A decent selection of Tank units, but with a limited amount of slots. Players can choose between Stuarts (normal and command version) or Sherman tanks. One special tank unit is the M10A1 R.C.A. from the Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique, which used the M10 Wolverines tank destroyers in a traditional tank role.
  
• Support forces feature a few original new options, including the FFI Traction as a commander unit and the FFI DMA as a light logistical truck. You’ll also find Légion MG with Fanatical trait, M8 Scott, and the novel use of the M3 Howz. 105mm as a direct fire support unit. This gun is already available in the US 2nd Infantry Division “Indianhead” - the change of this unit from the Artillery tab to the Support category affects both battlegroups.
  
• The AT tab is rather average, with a decent number of slots but only light towed guns being featured. These include the new 37mm AT gun, the 57mm version, some Bazooka units and the new FFI Partisans (with captured Panzerfausts). Some leftover TD M10 R.C.A. can also be found here.
  
• The AA units are likewise very average with only two open slots, both expensive. The only unit featured is a Bofors gun.
  
• The Artillery features plentiful of units, including mortars, HM2 105mm and HM1 155mm (Long Tom) howitzers.
  
• The battlegroup’s Air forces are quite strong, with plenty of American or British-made planes flown by Free French Air Force pilots (and as such carrying the FAFL liveries). These include P-39Q, B-26G, P-47D, and Spitfire Mk. Vb trop. The new F-5B-1 recon variant can also be deployed. Furthermore, British carrier-borne Fleet Air Arm planes are also featured, including the new Seafire, Hellcat and Wildcat.

The 1e Division Française Libre excels as a boots-on-the-ground battlegroup thanks to its battle-hardened and versatile infantry.

Our new Tirailleurs infantry squads (North and Central African) will have their own voice acting.

Nemesis: Storming Toulon’s new units and models

The following new units can be found in Nemesis: Storming Toulon:

New Units

• Marine-Einsatzkommando 71 - recon special forces
  
• Grenadier (MG 099) - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Marineinfanterie - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Landesschützen - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Führer - infantry leader
  
• Kriegsmarine Pionier - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Boot Besatzung - featuring Fanatical trait
  
• Kriegsmarine Kustenpolizei - military police
  
• Italian San Marco naval infantry - SMG squad
  
• GebK. 285(j) - Yugoslav mountain gun
  
• PaK 36(r) 76,2mm - AT gun
  
• Flakzwilling 37mm - AA gun
  
• Flak 38 105mm - heavy AA
  
• Yugoslav 100mm - artillery gun
  
• Italian 100mm - artillery gun
  
• Italian 149mm - artillery gun
  
• Panzerstellung Panzer II - new Defensive structure
  
• Panzerstellung 35R - new Defensive structure
  
• Panzerstellung 35S - new Defensive structure
  
• Commandos d’Afrique - recon special forces
  
• M6 Fargo - AT gun on recon light truck
  
• Artilleurs AA - infantry
  
• FFI Maquisards - featuring Raiders trait
  
• Légionnaires - featuring Fanatical trait
  
• Légion. Sap.-Pionniers - featuring Fanatical trait (and beard!)
  
• Tirailleurs - AEF (Central African) and AFN (North African) infantry
  
• Sapeurs-Pionniers - infantry
  
• BIMP - motorized infantry
  
• Chocs - featuring Raiders trait
  
• M10A1 R.C.A. - tank
  
• FFI Traction - commander unit
  
• FFI DMA - light logistical unit
  
• M3 Gun 37mm - light AT gun
  
• FFI Partisans - AT squad
  
• F-5B-1 - recon plane
  
• Hellcat - British carrier-borne fighter-bomber
  
• Wildcat - British carrier-borne fighter-bomber
  
• Seafire - British carrier-borne recon. fighter

Nemesis DLC Overview

Nemesis: Storming Toulon will join a host of other exciting Nemesis DLC already available for Steel Division 2:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1405650/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_1__Sandomierz

Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead is the first Nemesis DLC and available for free! It features the 16. Panzerdivision and the 97th Guards Rifle Division from the Eastern Front, bringing a number of new units, including the most fearsome German tank of World War II, the Königstiger (H).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418230/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_2__Lvov_Offensive

The second Nemesis DLC, Nemesis: Lvov Offensive, is available now for €4.99 / $4.99. This Nemesis DLC contains the German 20. Panzergrenadier-Division and the Allied 10th Guards Tank Corps, bringing new units such as the heavy tank destroyer Elefant, the unique Bef. Tiger (P) and Bef. Panzer V/IV tanks, Muniwagen Panzer III, Flakpanzer T-34(r) and Flakpanzer Panther, and captured T-5 Pantera..

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1477780/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_3__Battle_of_Rimini/

Nemesis: Battle of Rimini is our third Nemesis DLC, available now for €4.99 / $4.99. It features the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division for the Axis, and the combined Allied battlegroup of the 2nd New Zealand Division with the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade attached.

The recent winner of our latest hotly-contested community vote, our fifth expansion Nemesis: Raid on Drvar is currently in active development. Featuring two unusual battlegroups from the partisan-infused Balkan theater, you’ll get to play with the Axis Unternehmen Rösselsprung battlegroup, featuring not only the fanatical SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500 but also supporting Croatian troops. As the Allies, deploy as the unique partisan formation NOV - the the Yugoslav Liberation Army.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

In case you’ve missed the news, our new massive History Expansion,
Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics[/b] will launch on April 29th!

Let us know what you think through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

That’s it for this week’s post. Don’t forget, we have updated our schedule and will now post every two weeks.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander,

Missed us? We sure missed you! We have a bunch of news to share with you today, so sit down, strap in, and enjoy the ride.

What can you find in today’s post? A couple of interesting announcements and more details on two important gameplay changes coming to Steel Division 2 in the not-too-distant future.

Keep on reading to discover more!

Burning Baltics Launches April 29th

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

First off, we have a release date for our upcoming new History Expansion Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics which will be yours to play on April 29th.

What will Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics offer?

• 1 massive new Army General campaign set in the Baltics during Operation Doppelkopf, allowing you to take command of either the attacking Axis 3. Panzerarmee or the defending Allied 1st Baltic Front.
  
• 8 new Divisions, playable solo, coop, or in multiplayer, including 6 which took part during Doppelkopf and 2 divisions from Army Group North’s theater of operations.
  
• 120+ new units, including a variety of new models such as Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) recon tank, Ar 196 A-3 floatplane, Soviet MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortar and the BS-3 100mm heavy AT gun.
  
• 2 new Nations: Lithuania (Axis) and Estonia (Allies) and 2 new Aces.

Be sure to check out various articles that go in-depth into all of Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics’ new features, including detailed breakdowns of all the upcoming Divisions.

• The first Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus looks at the two Armored battlegroups: the Panzerverband Strachwitzcheck and the 19-y Tank Corpus.
  
• The second Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus dives deep into the two Mechanized battlegroups: Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland” and Rezerv 43-y Armii.
  
• The third Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus puts the spotlight on the Infantry battlegroups with the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. and the Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin.
  
• The ultimate Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus highlights two special battlegroups from Army Group North theater of operations: the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” and the 7. Eesti Laskurdiviis (7th Estonian Rifle Division).
  
• Check out the new Aces, which will ship out with the expansion in this detailed blog post here.
  
• Be sure to read up on the new massive Army General Campaign centered on Nazi Germany’s last successful strategic counter-offensive, Operation Doppelkopf.

Combat Ranges Rework

On to the gameplay updates coming soon. One of the elements we have been working on for a while is an overhaul of the Combat Ranges. We detailed some of our earlier thoughts in this October blog post here, but we are now ready to show you some more. Yet, remember work is still in progress, and changes may still occur.

In the current version, most of our guns (tank, anti-tank, etc.) fire at a 2000m max range. The reason for this design choice was for every type of player (from new to history aficionado) to be able to understand quickly a whole variety of WWII weaponry at a glance. However, by allowing a unifying 2000m max range, some guns were firing beyond their real-life capabilities, at which they become ineffective in-game and at best waste ammo, and at worst, get obliterated by their target in an immediate counter-attack.

The main driver behind the Combat Ranges Rework is to make tank and anti-tank engagements more effective, and more gritty, allowing this type of combat to mimic reality closer. What is the change?


We have spread AP rounds from our myriad of tank and anti-tank guns, ranging from 20mm to 152mm, across six different max range settings.

• 750m: <30mm
  
• 1000m: 30-45mm
  
• 1250m: 45-47mm
  
• 1500m: 50-75mm
  
• 1750m: “long” 75 / 75-85mm
  
• 2000m: 88-122mm (plus ISU-152)

As everyone knows: wherever there are rules, there are exceptions. Outstanding guns in their caliber category may be moved up, such as the US “long” 37mm compared to the punny German 37mm. Likewise, others keep their max range at 2000m, including the 17-pdr (76,2mm), Kwk 42 (Panther) and Resita 75mm. On the other hand, short-barreled or low-velocity guns (such as howitzers’ AP rounds) might be moved a step down.

APCR and HEAT rounds usually have a shorter range than their corresponding AP counterparts, although, once again, there are a few exceptions with certain APCR rounds.

Penetration drop-off has been adjusted for each range set to give more realistic results, and the more a gun has lost in range (compared to the current “vanilla” setting) the more accuracy it will gain. Guns reduced in range will have their chance to hit improved. i.e. those reduced to 1000m will have their accuracy increased by an average of 10-15%, for instance.

Example: Pak 38 50mm in the current & beta versions:


What does this mean? Previously, light AT guns firing at 2000m had little chance to hit and hardly any chance to deal damage. With the new Combat Range Rework, these guns will fire at a much shorter range, but when they do, will be more likely to hit on their first shot and have a higher chance to penetrate the target’s armor.

We know that these new ranges is a big change, including the actual combat effectiveness and firepower of a unit. That’s why certain unit prices will be reconsidered, especially for those tank and anti-tank guns which retain a 2000m maximum range.

New Efficient Shot

Hand in hand with our Combat Ranges Rework, we are also tackling our Efficient Shot mechanic. We have completely redesigned this feature to make it more intuitive and powerful to use. Again, remember work is still in progress, and changes may still occur.

Efficient Shot only works for penetrating weapons, designed to defeat their target’s armor. The new Efficient Shot only considers the chances of penetrating armor while the old mechanic also took into account the chance of hitting a target. The reason for this change was because a gun gains precision with any additional shot fired, and what matters to the player is if you have a real chance of penetrating the heavy armor in front of you.

The new Efficient Shot now features five distinct values, with each percentage indicating the threshold to penetrate the enemy’s armor. These values are 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%. If you set it at 20%, your gun will fire when it reaches this value or higher. This granularity gives you much better control of when a gun will fire, and if your weapon is going to be effective or not.



Depending on the percentage value chosen, the game will also show you the distance needed for your weapon to be effective.

The new Efficient Shot mechanic can be set individually or for your whole battlegroup. Not only that, depending on the value chosen, a different color icon will be displayed on top of your unit’s icon. And remember, you can always deactivate this mechanic, if you don’t feel like using it.

A new blog post schedule

You might have noticed the absence of our regular post last week. There is a reason behind this. At Eugen, we have been hard at work to develop a new expansion for your other favorite game - Wargame Red Dragon.

To shine a light on the new Wargame Red Dragon - Nation Pack: SADF, we’ll alternate each week between the two titles. This means you’ll get Steel Division 2 post one week, and the other one we dive deep into an exciting new aspect of Wargame’s new Nation Pack or other upcoming contents. After Wargame Red Dragon - Nation Pack: SADF releases, we’ll return to our original schedule.

See you in two weeks!

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!Welcome back, commander.

Welcome back, commander.

Hold the presses; the results are in!

Before we reveal the winner of the Nemesis DLC Run 5, we wanted to express our admiration for the hard-fought propaganda many of you dabbled in this last week. Your efforts to sway your fellow players clearly had some effect; this vote was a very close call all the way to the end.

The winner is...

And the winner of Nemesis DLC Run 5 is…

...Nemesis: Raid on Drvar!



Our fifth Nemesis DLC will take the action to the partisan-controlled Balkans, highlighting the unique [/i]Raid on Drvar[/i] which saw one of the last Axis airborne operations of the war and the subsequent Allied attempt to escape the surprise trap.

To give you the full breakdown of the vote:

• Nemesis: Raid on Drvar beat the competition with 36,3% of the vote.
  
• Number two was Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff with 35,2%. It was close!
  
• Lastly, Nemesis: Slovak Uprising came in third with 28,5%.

What to expect from Raid on Drvar?

We’ll give today’s victor another detailed look. Nemesis: Raid on Dvrar will feature:

Unternehmen Rösselsprung

• The Axis battlegroup is modeled after the real-life forces that participated in the operation, and as such, carries the name of the operation. It includes not only the fanatical SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500, but also regular Grenadier foot soldiers, as well as supporting troops from the SS Prinz Eugen's SS-Gebirgsjäger and the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a puppet state of Nazi Germany.
  
• A small number of Brandenburg special forces can be found in this battlegroup as well. They can count on the Raider trait.
  
• Croatian Air Force covers the sky above, equipped with a mix of old pre-war Yugoslav Air Force planes and Italian (Caproni bombers, Macchi fighters, ...) or German fighters and bombers.

NOV (Yugoslav Liberation Army)

• NOV stands for Narodnooslobodilačka vojska, meaning the Yugoslav Liberation Army. This communist-led partisan force was considered one of the most effective anti-Axis resistance movements in Europe. NOV troops as a whole feature the Raider trait.
  
• The partisans are mostly equipped with salvaged Italian small arms, from Beretta SMGs, M91 Moschetto rifles, Breda 30 LMG and Solothurn anti-tank rifles. Airdropped British weapons (Bren, PIAT, and Sten guns) can also be found.
  
• Heavier equipment all come from captured stocks, such as the German PaK 38 50mm and a handful of PaK 40 75mm AT guns, but mostly Italian Elefantino 47mm guns. Even some armored support is available in the form of light L3/35 Italian tankettes and captured German Beute (R-35 & Somua).
  
• Allied air support from the British-led multinational Balkan Air Force consists of older Spitfire, Mustang and Hurricane fighter, fighter-bomber or tank-buster variants, including the Hurricane Mk.IID with twin 40mm AT guns.

Read all about the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar in this detailed blog post.

What happens next?

At one point, further down the line, the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar will join the other paid Nemesis DLC already on offer or in active development. We will keep you updated!

What happens to the Nemesis DLC Run 5 options that didn’t make the cut? For now, we will put them away in our “ideas” Eugen cupboard. Maybe they will make a return in the future. For now, these Nemesis options have been judged and found wanting…Never say never, though!

That’s it for this week. Let us know what you think! You can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-assDiscord server or Reddit page.

We have something special in store for our Wargame fans. Wha-wait-what? That’s right: expect some exciting news in the not-too-distant future!

Thank you for your dedication to Steel Division 2. Keep up the fight! See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hey commander!

This week’s post will be a break from our installments detailing Steel Division: Burning Baltics. Instead, we are circling back to an event we promised previously: a new round of voting to decide which Nemesis DLC should be released next.

There is something special, though. Each of today’s contenders competed in a Nemesis vote last year. While these silver medalists didn’t make the cut then, today is their second chance!

You’ll be able to cast your vote on the three Nemesis divisions in the new Nemesis DLC Run 5.

Nemesis DLC Run 5

The new Nemesis DLC Run 5 community vote is now live!

You can find the Nemesis DLC voting page by following this link here.

Voting will close on Wednesday, March 10th, at 1:30 PM (CEST) / 12:30 PM (BST) / 7:30 AM (EDT).

As before, you can vote multiple times, but only your LAST vote will count! Be respectful of the vote and your fellow player. No cheating, bullying, or insults will be tolerated. You have been warned!

Before you vote, take some time to give each runner-up option a quick once-over.

Nemesis: Slovak Uprising

The first runner-up is Nemesis: Slovak Uprising. If chosen, this DLC will feature a completely new nation - Czechoslovakia - including new indigenous weaponry, vehicles and units, a complete voice-over, and more. The Slovak Uprising, which began at the end of August 1944, would be represented by this expansion.



If chosen, Nemesis: Slovak Uprising brings:

• A new nation plus one new Axis division, the German Panzerdivision Tatra, and one Allied division, the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) partisans.
  
• A select number of tanks for Panzerdivision Tatra including Panzer IV, StuG III G, StuG 40 and Panzer 38 (t). And exactly three Tiger Es. Soldier squads will be made up of Volkssturm, more reliable Hungarian SS, and elements from Sturmbrigade Frankreich.
  
• The SNP features a large amount of multinational partisans, from escaped Soviet and French POWs, to American OSS and British SOE teams, Czechoslovakian Airborne Brigade, and rebelling Slovak Army troops. New tanks can also be found, such as LT-40, Vz.33 tankette, T-35 (Panzer 35) and T-38 (Panzer 38).

Read all about the Nemesis: Slovak Uprising in this detailed blog post.

Nemesis: Raid on Drvar

Number two on the lists of number twos is Nemesis: Raid on Drvar, featuring a duo of unusual battlegroups from an equally unique front: the partisan-infested Balkan theater.



If Nemesis: Raid on Drvar is the winner, the following will become available:

• A fully-voiced new nation with the Allied battlegroup (Yugoslav partisans) and a minor new nation with the Axis (ally Croatia).
  
• For the Axis, a mixed battlegroup, Unternehmen Rösselsprung, featuring not only the fanatical SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500, but also Brandenburg special forces and SS-Gebirgsjäger. Croatia brings its own infantry units: regular Kro. Legionäre, Domobran (Home Guard soldiers) and Ustashe auxiliaries.
  
• The Allies get the unique partisan formation NOV - the the Yugoslav Liberation Army. NOV troops as a whole feature the Raider trait and can deploy a large variety of captured material, mostly Italian weaponry, with even some limited armor support available! Not only that, they can also count on powerful air support from the multinational Allied Balkan Air Force.

Read all about the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar in this detailed blog post.

Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff

Number three is Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff, highlighting two special divisions occupying a “quiet” sector of the Italian Front in late summer 1944.



By choosing Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff, you’ll get:

• For the Axis: the 20. Luftwaffe-Felddivision with a mix of reluctant Luftwaffe ground crew fighting as foot soldiers, backed up by experienced cavalry officers and paratrooper NCOs.
  
• The Allies get Task Force 45, which very much like its German counterpart is made up of reluctant AA gunners turned infantrymen. Furthermore, it not only introduces the Brazilian Expeditionary Force but also the hard-fighting Japanese-American troops of the 100th Infantry Battalion.
  
• Several new units, including Italian AS-43 (Sahariana) trucks mounting a Flak 38mm, as well as 149mm artillery guns. The Americans will bring the powerful dual-purpose M2 90mm gun. American and British 15-men squads made up of anti-aircraft troops will be available, as well as the 8-inch/203mm howitzer.
  
• Update: it appears that many Brazilians in Task Force 45 fought with the older M1903A3 Springfield rifles. Of course, we will incorporate this to make these soldiers look even more distinct from their American counterparts.

Read all about the Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff in this detailed blog post.

Nemesis DLC Overview

Neme-what? If you have been caught unawares: our Nemesis DLC concept not only brings you new Steel Division 2 in the form of a pair of new battlegroups but puts the decision on which mini-expansion should be released first in your hands.

Each Nemesis DLC option presents two new battlegroups from a different theater of operations or front. New nations and new units are likely to be encountered in these expansions!

The following Nemesis DLCs are already out in the wild.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1405650/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_1__Sandomierz

Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead is the first Nemesis DLC and available for free now! It features the 16. Panzerdivision and the 97th Guards Rifle Division from the Eastern Front, bringing a number of new units, including the most powerful German tank of World War II, the Königstiger (H).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418230/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_2__Lvov_Offensive

The second Nemesis DLC, Nemesis: Lvov Offensive, is available now for €4.99 / $4.99. This Nemesis DLC contains the German 20. Panzergrenadier-Division and the Allied 10th Guards Tank Corps, bringing new units such as the heavy tank destroyer Elefant, the unique Bef. Tiger (P) and Bef. Panzer V/IV tanks, Muniwagen Panzer III, Flakpanzer T-34(r) and Flakpanzer Panther, and captured T-5 Pantera..

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1477780/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_3__Battle_of_Rimini/

Nemesis: Battle of Rimini is our third Nemesis DLC, available now for €4.99 / $4.99. It features the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division for the Axis, and the combined Allied battlegroup of the 2nd New Zealand Division with the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade attached.

Nemesis: Storming Toulon is our fourth confirmed Nemesis DLC. It contains two divisions from Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France in August 1944. Verteidigungsbereich Toulon and the 1e Division Française Libre. The expansion will also feature the new Panzerturm bunker, a casemate mounting a tank turret. We are hard at work on this one - we hope to tell you soon when you can expect it!
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Until next week

The voting booths are now open. Go and let us know your choice! Check in next week to see which option will become the next Steel Division 2 Nemesis DLC!

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

Hello there!

Once again, we are going to shine a light on our upcoming History Expansion, Steel Division: Burning Baltics. This time, we’ll give you an in-depth preview of the new strategic turn-based Army General Campaign that focuses on one of the last victorious German counter-offensives on the Eastern Front: Operation Doppelkopf.

Please note: we are still busy with this Army General Campaign, meaning that the following images and assets are work in progress and subject to change.

Historical Background

All right, let’s zoom out a bit. As you know, Steel Division: Burning Baltics puts Operation Doppelkopf center stage. It is August 1944, and in the Baltics, much like everywhere else on the Eastern Front, the Red Army is advancing. A few weeks previously, in a daring rush, the 1st Baltic Front manages to cut off Wehrmacht’s Army Group Center and Army Group North by reaching the Gulf of Riga. However, the Soviet troops are exhausted after weeks of campaigning, and their lines are dangerously overextended. Further north, the local Axis forces are fighting a desperate battle to block fresh Soviet forces from entering the Baltics through the Narva bridgehead. Here, the German defenses hold but at great cost.

With the connection lost between the two Army Groups, re-establishing the link becomes a top priority for the Wehrmacht. As such, it puts together an impressive armored force by reorganizing and regrouping the last remaining tank reserves in the region. These formations operate under 3. Panzerarmee’s command, and with Kriegsmarine support from the Baltic Sea, a counteroffensive is ready to be unleashed by the middle of August 1944.



Stavka, the Soviet High Command, in the meantime, is trying to replenish its troops and focuses its attention on taking Riga, beginning a siege of the Latvian capital. Several reserve formations, including the 5th Tank Army further southeast, are forced to rest, finally encountering the time to replace their worn-out equipment.

For once, it is the Soviets who are taken by surprise. Operation Doppelkopf kicks off on August 16th, 1944.

The Army General Campaign

Let’s take a look at the strategic Army General campaign map of Operation Doppelkopf.



The precarious wedge occupied by the Red Army between Army Group Center (to the west and south) and Army Group North (to the northeast) is rather obvious. What is also apparent are the number of forces available and how the Axis need to attack hard and drive fast if they want to reach Riga before substantial Soviet reinforcements can be deployed. Simultaneously, the Soviets have to not only fend off attacks on their weak western lines but also keep up the offensive and take Riga. This will cut off any German reinforcements coming from the north.

The Axis forces will be the numerous armored formations of 3. Panzerarmee, commanded by General der Panzertruppen Raus, with additional support from Army Group North. The Allied forces will be the 1st Baltic Front, historically commanded by Army General Bagramyan.

The Axis

The Axis forces ready for the player to command, as depicted from south to north, are:

• Along the southern edge of the Šiauliai-Riga highway, the German 40. Panzerkorps, including the depleted 14. Panzerdivision and the heavy-weight champion and elite Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland.” The 7. Panzerdivision can be deployed later as reinforcements.
  
• In the center, its objective Jelgava along the highway further northeast, is the German 39. Panzerkorps, with 5. Panzerdivision in the lead and the 4. Panzerdivision in support. The 12. Panzerdivision arrives later at this location.
  
• Further north, the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V., represented at the start of the campaign by two lonely battalions trying to hold the line. These are Gruppe Mäder with Lithuanian volunteers and some training units, and SS-Gruppe Hiertes with its Latvian SS soldiers. The rest of the formation will be made available later.
  
• Up north, hugging the Gulf of Riga and attacking from Courland, is Panzerverband Strachwitz with its two distinct brigades. Advancing on the logistical hub at Tukums from separate directions is the SS-Panzerbrigade “Gross” and Panzerbrigade 101.
  
• On the other side of the Soviet salient, in the northeast, we find elements of
  Army Group North defending Riga. This is I. Armeekorps and Korp Kleffel, with 11. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” potentially arriving after the conclusion of the Battle of Tannenberg.

The mighty Grossdeutschland, already a small Panzerkorps by itself.

The Allies

The Red Army is put on the defensive in this Army General campaign:

• The Soviet defenses facing west are very thinly manned and stretched out.
  
• Only a small number of mobile reserves are available. These include the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps around Jelgava (a formation featured previously in another Army General campaign, Berezina). This unit is overextended and weakened from the combat operations since Minsk.
  
• Another reserve formation is the 103rd Rifle Corps further southeast, which forms the basis of our battlegroup Gruppa Fedyunkina. The 19th Tank Corps can be deployed later as reinforcement.
  
• The forces facing Riga are much more substantial. This is especially true for the 43rd Army, which is grouped to the south of the capital city, poised to attack.
  
• Furthermore, the 5th Tank Army is planned to arrive from a southwest axis as reinforcements.

AG Objectives and Moves

The primary objectives for both sides in this Army General campaign are to control the three objective flags along the Šiauliai-Riga highway:

• One objective is located in Šiauliai, in the south.
  
• One objective is situated in the center, near Jelgava, and the river crossing there.
  
• One objective is Riga, the Latvian capital, in the northeast of the map.
  
• As a secondary objective, a fourth flag can be controlled: Tukums. If this Allied crossroads is taken quickly enough by the Axis player (as it happened in real life), a free “Beute” reinforcement battalion, filled with Soviet tanks and equipment, will appear.

The Axis player’s strategy will focus on holding back the Soviet forces besieging Riga long enough for the 3. Panzerarmee attacking from the west to reach them. Army Group Center’s armored and mechanized formations enjoy a massive qualitative superiority. However, they lack infantry, and as they have to advance through less-than-ideal terrain (including urban areas and against fortified units), the tanks are in danger of losing the advantage of their ranged firepower and speed.

Time plays in favor of the Allied player: the longer they hold the Axis offensive back in the west, and the more armored units they destroy or neutralize, the more chance there will be for the 5th Tank Army to become deployable as reinforcements. However, it’s not just about riding out the attack waves, their real objective remains Riga. Not only would it be a major coup for the Red Army if they can overcome Riga’s defenders in a bloody battle, but at the same time, they can also cut off Army Group North reinforcements destined to be deployed later during the campaign.

What can you expect from Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics?

Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics is the latest in-depth History Expansion. It will feature:

• 1 massive new Army General campaign set in the Baltics during Operation Doppelkopf, allowing you to take command of either the attacking Axis 3. Panzerarmee or the defending Allied 1st Baltic Front.
  
• 8 new Divisions, playable solo, coop, or in multiplayer, including 6 which took part during Doppelkopf and 2 divisions from Army Group North’s theater of operations.
  
• 120+ new units, including a variety of new models such as Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) recon tank, Ar 196 A-3 floatplane, Soviet MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortar and the BS-3 100mm heavy AT gun.
  
• 2 new Nations: Lithuania (Axis) and Estonia (Allies) and 2 new Aces.

Be sure to check out various Versus articles that detail a pair of new Divisions each:

• The first Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus takes an in-depth look at the two Armored battlegroups featured: the Panzerverband Strachwitzcheck and the 19-y Tank Corpus.
  
• The second Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus dives deep into the two Mechanized battlegroups: Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland” and Rezerv 43-y Armii.
  
• The third Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus puts the spotlight on the Infantry battlegroups with the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. and the Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin.
  
• The ultimate Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus highlights two special battlegroups from Army Group North theater of operations: the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” and the 7. Eesti Laskurdiviis (7th Estonian Rifle Division).

See you next week

Once more, we bid you adieu! Until next week, commander.

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

Back in business, commander!

In today’s post, we take a look at the two unique Aces which will ship with the new Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics History Expansion. Who? Nothing less than the most decorated German serviceman, Colonel (Oberst) Hans-Ulrich Rudel, and the veteran General Major Georgiy Nefedovich Zakharov.

Steel Division 2 Aces

As with our previous History Expansions for Steel Division 2, two Aces will be featured with Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics. These special gold-rimmed units are unique: they are commanded by real-life war heroes and feature special in-game camouflage patterns to set them apart from their regular counterparts.

Note: our Ace units don’t offer any gameplay advantage over their vanilla versions.

Colonel (Oberst) Hans-Ulrich Rudel

That’s right, Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics will feature one of the most famous German fliers of World War II and the most decorated to boot: the renowned ground-attack pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel. He is the only recipient of the unique Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, an ultra-rare medal intended for the 12 most distinguished servicemen of the Third Reich, to be awarded after the war’s end. Only Rudel received his; U.S. forces confiscated the rest.



As a pilot, Rudel was most famously known as a tank buster, even though he only started flying fighter-bombers in 1941 at the start of Operation Barbarossa. Before this date, he was merely an air observer flying long-range reconnaissance missions. Having retrained as a Stuka pilot, Rudel was famously credited for sinking the moored Soviet battleship Marat of the Baltic Fleet, in an attack during the initial invasion of the Soviet Union in September 1941.

He took part in many famous battles, including Operation Typhoon - the failed German offensive aimed at taking Moscow - Stalingrad, Kursk, Crimea, Romania… and Operation Doppelkopf. During the war, he was credited with destroying hundreds of tanks and vehicles, several ships and landing craft, and over 150 artillery guns. These victories didn’t come easy: Rudel was shot down or forced to land around 30 times, including several occasions behind enemy lines.



In January 1945, he was downed a final time, resulting in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Still, Rudel crawled back into the cockpit, flying again with an artificial leg in the last months of the war, being credited with destroying a further 26 tanks.

Next to flying - and surviving - over 2500 attack missions and becoming the most decorated German serviceman, Rudel will be forever associated with designing the dedicated anti-tank plane Ju-87G “Panzerknacker” a Stuka with two 37mm anti-tank guns under its wings. During the Cold War, American designers would use his memoirs and input to create the legendary A-10 Warthog attack plane.

In Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Rudel will fly his trademark Ju-87G Stuka.

General Major Georgiy Nefedovich Zakharov

Our second Ace is the highly decorated veteran General Major Georgiy Nefedovich Zakharov - the flying General. As a volunteer, he flew his first combat missions (with biplanes) during the Spanish Civil War. He continued to fly, rather unusually participating in the Chinese-Japanese War (before it became part of World War II), where he crash-landed far from home. Zakharov had to wait three days with a shattered arm before being rescued and taken to a hospital.



In 1941, as one of the most experienced pilots and commanders of his generation, he was promoted to Major-General at 33. Despite his high rank, he kept on flying, making as many kills as he did after becoming General as he did flying before. During the Battle of Kursk in 1943, he became the commander of the 303 IAD fighter division, which he would lead up until the end of the war.

This formation became famous due to the inclusion of the Free French Normandy regiment. In 1945, when the French pilots were released from service, they were each gifted personally a Yak-3 fighter by Stalin in person. Zakharov took direct command of them, leading the pilots on their last journey back to France.



Zakharov’s plane was decorated with a horse-mounted lancer slaying a snake with the face of Goebbels. Having shot down ten planes across 150 sorties, our flying General was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin. At the same time, in France, he received the Legion d'Honneur and was made an honorary citizen of Paris in recognition of his achievements during the war.

In Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Zakharov will be found piloting a Yak-3 fighter.

What can you expect from Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics?

Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics is the latest in-depth History Expansion. It will feature:

• 1 massive new Army General campaign set in the Baltics during Operation Doppelkopf, allowing you to take command of either the attacking Axis 3. Panzerarmee or the defending Allied 1st Baltic Front.
  
• 8 new Divisions, playable solo, coop, or in multiplayer, including 6 which took part during Doppelkopf and 2 divisions from Army Group North’s theater of operations.
  
• 120+ new units, including a variety of new models such as Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) recon tank, Ar 196 A-3 floatplane, Soviet MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortar and the BS-3 100mm heavy AT gun.
  
• 2 new Nations: Lithuania (Axis) and Estonia (Allies) and 2 new Aces.

Do you want to know more about the new Divisions? Be sure to check out various Versus articles:

• The first Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus takes an in-depth look at the two Armored battlegroups featured: the Panzerverband Strachwitzcheck and the 19-y Tank Corpus.
  
• The second Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus dives deep into the two Mechanized battlegroups: Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland” and Rezerv 43-y Armii.
  
• The third Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus puts the spotlight on the Infantry battlegroups with the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. and the Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin.
  
• The ultimate Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus highlights two special battlegroups from Army Group North theater of operations:
  the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” and the 7. Eesti Laskurdiviis (7th Estonian Rifle Division).

See you next week

And that’s a wrap! Let us know what you think. We always listen!

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you next week, commander!

Hello!

We have arrived at the latest Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus post. Two slightly different battlegroups will take today’s center stage: the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” and the Red Army’s 7. Eesti Laskurdiviis (7th Estonian Rifle Division).



In comparison to the other Versus formations previously featured, which all fought during Operation Doppelkopf, the two divisions highlighted today were located further north, in Army Group North’s area of responsibility.

Specifically, both the ”Nordland” and the 7th Estonian Rifle Division took part in the hard-fought Battle for Narva campaign, including the infamous Battle of Tannenberg Line.

In case you’ve forgotten:

• The first Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus takes an in-depth look at the two Armored battlegroups featured: the Panzerverband Strachwitzcheck and the 19-y Tank Corpus.
  
• The second Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus dives deep into the two Mechanized battlegroups: Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland” and Rezerv 43-y Armii.
  
• The third Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus puts the spotlight on the Infantry battlegroups with the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. and the Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin.

Historical Background

The Battle of Tannenberg Line forms the second phase of the larger Battle for Narva campaign fought from February to August 1944 in Estonia. This particular battle was preceded by the Battle of the Narva Bridgehead, concluded by July 1944. The struggle focused on the strategically important Narva Isthmus, which provided a way into the northern Baltic country for the Red Army’s Leningrad Front. The narrow battlefield was fiercely defended by a motley collection of Axis troops, including various SS formations which included Scandinavians (part of Nordland) to Dutchmen, Belgians, Estonians, etc. That’s why the Battle of Tannenberg Line is sometimes called the The Battle of the European SS.



This particular engagement was brutal, with near-constant attacks and heavy artillery bombardments from the Red Army, and an almost desperate defense from the Axis troops involved. Exhausted, the Soviets called a halt after horrendous losses and only negligible results. Considered a German tactical victory at the conclusion of this hard-fought battle, which finished around the same time Operation Doppelkopf kicked off further south.

The German victories were short-lived, however. Later Red Army offensives in September overran the defensive lines, which forced the evacuation of the Baltics, including Estonia, and resulted in the pocket at Courland and the siege of Memel.

11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland”

Built around an existing Nordic SS regiment (from “Wiking”) but expanded on a low budget, the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” had to make do with whatever equipment was around. For instance, while this division was supposed to have both a separate Panzer-Abteilung (with Panzer IV or StuG) and a Panzerjäger-Abteilung (with StuG), it never fought with the latter, and all the StuG were concentrated in the Panzer-Abteilung. Nordland was one of the SS volunteer divisions, housing a large contingent of Scandinavian SS troops in its ranks.

Nordland fought mostly with the III. SS-Panzerkorp: around Leningrad and Narva, where it was ordered to defend as long as possible. The division made its famous stand at Tannenberg Line, where it withstood countless attacks. Having held back the enemy, it was moved to Riga but arrived too late to play a significant role in the last phase of Operation Doppelkopf.

During the campaign in the Baltics, it managed to acquire left-over materiel from units sent back to Germany to be refitted. That’s how a dozen worn-out Panthers found their way in Nordland's arsenal. No Panzergrenadier-Division was supposed to field Panthers, which made the SS formation unique. Nordland's workshops worked around the clock to keep these older tanks running.

Some of the Panthers were used as fixed, dug-in positions. This will be represented in-game as a new Panther-Stellung defensive position in Breakthrough mode!

Nordland’s main features

A battlegroup pockmarked by near-constant fighting, Nordland’s equipment might not be state-of-the-art but features plenty of choices.

• The Recon category is one of the strongest for this battlegroup, with several good options including Puma and Schwedenzug. The latter is the grouping of the few remaining Swedes of the division into the same platoon: this is featured in-game as a heavy recon squad equipped with PPSh, SVT, and twin MG-34.
  
• The Infantry category is pretty classic but shines in the number of open slots and their low costs. Due to battlefield conditions and limits of supply, half of the PzGrenadier are armed with the older MG-26 LMG.
  
• Only a few tanks are available. These include Panther D, StuG III and several StuG IV, but all come with combat experience.
  
• The Stuka zu Fuss, a unique fire support vehicle, is featured in the Support category, which is a combination of a SdKfz. 251/9 half-track (with short 75mm) and Wurframen with a 280mm rocket!
  
• One of the drawbacks of the battlegroup can be found in the AT category. With the divisional Panzerjäger-Abteilung having never been formed, the player can only rely on regimental guns, for a good part captured Soviet 45mm or ZiS-3, as well as only a handful of Beute SU-76M.
  
• The anti-aircraft and artillery units are pretty standard for a Panzergrenadier-Division. A noteworthy unit is the Vielfachwerfer MLRS.
  
• Air forces on call are limited, with only a few fighters and Stuka dive bombers available. However, the Arado 234 B-2, the first jet bomber, became active around the summer’s end and could range as far north as Lithuania. As such, this new fast “recon bomber” has been added as a counterpart to the new Soviet Yer-2 bomber.
  
• The other dug-in Panther-Stellung fixed defensive structure is featured in the Defensive category.

It might not be the hardest hitting battlegroup, but Nordland offers plenty of flexibility, allowing you to adapt quickly to most situations and opponents.

7. Eesti Laskurdiviis

The Soviet 7th Estonian Rifle Division was an integral part of the Red Army, under the umbrella of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps. This overarching command also contained another Estonian rifle division (the 249th) and the 45th Estonian Tank Regiment. Formed in 1942, this corps participated in some of the Eastern Front’s bloodiest battles: Leningrad, Velikiye Luki, before participating in the offensive aimed at breaking through at Narva. The formation suffered heavily, in both manpower and equipment, during the war years.

Mostly incorporating ethnic Estonians and officers from the pre-war Republic of Estonia’s Army, the 7th Estonian Rifle Division is a regular Soviet rifle division, but with all its Estonian troops fully voiced!

During the Battle of Narva in 1944, the 7th Estonian Rifle Division directly engaged the Estonians fighting for the Waffen SS. Later, the division’s troops were one of the first to enter the Estonian capital of Tallinn, for which the units received the name of the city as a battle honor.

7. Eesti Laskurdiviis’ main features

The 7th Estonian Rifle Division is featured in-game as it was when spearheading the assault towards Tallinn at the end of September. This means that we have also incorporated elements from supporting formations, such as the 45th (Estonian) Tank Regiment, the 952nd (Soviet) SU Regiment, and remnants of the 152nd (Soviet) Tank Brigade.

• The battlegroup’s recon forces are decent, with rather typical choices and unit availability.
  
• The soldier squads are what you can expect from a regular Soviet rifle division. However, there are fewer regular riflemen and more of the new Cherno squads. These are gang-pressed Estonian recruits, picked up along the campaign trail to make up for battlefield losses, and as such, carry the Disheartened trait.
  
• The 7th Estonian Rifle Division can call on a fair share of tanks, including Estonian T-34/76 and Soviet T-26, KV-1S and Churchill IV. Only the last slots are expensive.
  
• A noteworthy new unit can be found in the Support tab: SMERSH counter-espionage units. These are larger in-game squads, made up of nine military police soldiers. These replace the regular NKVD squads.
  
• One of the drawbacks of this battlegroup is the limited availability of its anti-tank forces, with only 45mm guns and a few SU-76 PT and SU-85 deployable.
  
• Likewise, the AA units are few and far between, with a small number of slots and a high price for each. You’ll get Quad Maxim and 37mm pieces to defend yourself from air attacks.
  
• The 7th Estonian Rifle Division can deploy a sizable amount of artillery units (including some Soviet ones) with usual complement of mortars, 76,2mm and 122mm howitzers, 152mm off-map and Andryusha 300mm MLRS.
  
• The battlegroup can also call on a good mix of air forces, such as fighters, close air support planes, as well as the new Yer-2 long-range bombers (which can also found in Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkina).

The 7th Estonian Rifle Division is a battlegroup geared towards being used on the defensive, even though it lacks sizable AT forces. It compensates this with a strong air force and fielding more tanks than a typical Soviet rifle division.

What can you expect from Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics?

Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics will feature:

• 1 massive new Army General campaign set in the Baltics during Operation Doppelkopf, allowing you to take command of either the attacking Axis 3. Panzerarmee or the defending Allied 1st Baltic Front.
  
• 8 new Divisions, playable solo, coop, or in multiplayer, including 6 which took part during Doppelkopf and 2 divisions from Army Group North’s theater of operations.
  
• 120+ new units, including a variety of new models such as Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) recon tank, Ar 196 A-3 floatplane, Soviet MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortar and the BS-3 100mm heavy AT gun.
  
• 2 new Nations: Lithuania (Axis) and Estonia (Allies) and 2 new Aces.

See you next week

That’s it for this week. We are keen to hear what you think!

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

Welcome to a new Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus post! Today, we will take a look at two Infantry battlegroups featured in our upcoming new History Expansion.

It is time to put the spotlight on the German 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. and the Soviet Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin.



A quick reminder:

• Our first Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus post detailed two Armored battlegroups: Panzerverband Strachwitzcheck and 19-y Tank Corpus.
  
• The second Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus dives deep into two Mechanized battlegroups: Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland” and Rezerv 43-y Armii.

52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V.

52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V might be a bit less glamorous compared to some of the other Axis battlegroups we featured, but this security division played an important role during the war. Keeping the rear clear, supplies moving, hunting partisans, or providing guard duty against potential seaborne or airborne raids were all part of the tasks given these Sicherungs-Division.

While perfect for quieter sectors, these formations were mostly made up of older reservists with obsolete or old equipment to match. Combat effectiveness was accordingly very low. The 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V was built up from the regular 52. Infanterie-Division, which fought in France and Russia before being virtually annihilated in 1943 on the Eastern Front. Reconstituted as a training and security division, the 52. Sicherungs-Division lived on, being positioned in Baranovichi. For Steel Division 2 veterans this place should ring a bell as it was the objective for Operation Bagration’s southern pincer which was featured as one of the original Army General campaigns.

Once again, this division was almost completely destroyed. From its ashes, 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V was hastily formed and sent to the Baltics.

The z.b.V means zur besonderen Verwendung - for “special purposes”. This signified that the formation’s structure was closer to an HQ unit, with officers and communication equipment, but no actual combat troops under its command. When the Soviets broke through and reached the Gulf of Riga, several scattered units were placed under 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. These formations included the 603. Sicherungs-Regiments, Kampfgruppe Böge which managed to retreat all the way from Vitebsk, SS-Kampfgruppe Hierthes and its Latvian SS troops with FlaK guns, and Regiment Mäder with a unique mix of Lithuanian (TAR) volunteers, battle-hardened instructors, Fallschirmjäger veterans, and other security troops.

52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V.’s main features

This battlegroup fields a wide array of soldiers and is phase-locked to represent the combat evolution of the 52 Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. during Operation Doppelkopf.

• A large variety of different combat troops can be deployed in Phase A, with a motley collection of SS-Polizei and Lett. Hilfspolizei (Latvian auxiliaries), TAR (Lithuanian) units, Kriegsmarine Flaktruppen, Sicherungs and regular Grenadier units, Lett. Legionäre (Latvian SS) and even elite Feldjäger (elite Feldgendarmerie) and Fallschirmjäger.
  
• These soldiers are backed up by mostly light AT, medium artillery and a few FlaK guns but not a single armored vehicle is available in Phase A.
  
• Following in the wake of Panzerverband Strachwitz allowed the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. to claim a large amount of Soviet captured war booty in Phase B.
  
• This Red Army materiel, left by the Tukum garrison, includes 45mm, 76,2mm and even ZiS-2 57mm AT guns. In case of the ZiS-2, it is their first use as a Beute unit by the Germans. Additionally, captured 122mm howitzers can also be put to good use.
  
• Arriving too late to join Panzerverband Strachwitz’s race towards Riga, Panzerbrigade 103 becomes available later during a game. Several recon Panther tanks will be available from Phase B, but the rest of the force, including Panther, Jagdpanzer IV and Panzergrenadiers can only be deployed starting in Phase C.
  
• The battlegroup has access to a decent number of Air slots, with a typical selection of Luftwaffe planes. A new unit is Do 217-K1 bomber variant.

52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. shows some similarities with the Korück 559, including the variety of troops and units on offer, but differs in being phase-locked. As such, it is weaker in Phase A before becoming increasingly stronger in Phase B (thanks to Soviet captured equipment) before witnessing a giant boost in armored firepower in Phase C with the arrival of Panzerbrigade 103.

Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin

Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin represents the depleted 103rd Rifle Corps, plus some additional units, commanded by general Fedyunkin. Having fought its way from the start of Operation Bagration at Polotsk to the Gulf of Riga, by the time of Operation Doppelkopf, 103rd Rifle Corps was on its last legs.



The idea that the Red Army could sacrifice an endless stream of green recruits to stem the tide might have been a reality in the early war years, but by summer’s end in 1944, manpower shortages were a real issue. As such, care was taken to limit losses. While Guard divisions were brought back up to full strength as soon as possible, secondary formations had to keep fighting at half-strength for extended periods.

Pulled out of the line and placed in reserve, Fedyunkin’s weak corps had little time to rest as it was rushed to the front to fend off Grossdeutschland’s strong attack in the Šiauliai sector. The 5th Tank Army was ordered to reinforce Fedyunkin by any means necessary, which amounted to just 17 serviceable T-34/85 tanks. Luckily, several heavy gun pieces were able to be moved up, including MT-13 super-heavy mortars and BS-3 heavy AT guns, just the thing needed to repel the advancing Panzers.

Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin’s main features

To represent the unusual composition of Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin, with its amalgamation of various depleted formations and featuring only two battle-weary divisions, we have adapted the official “reduced” Soviet Table of Organization and Equipment.

• The core infantry power comes from this battlegroup’s Strelki squads, with no Strelki (DP) nor Strelki (SVT) available.
  
• The Strelki Komroti are replaced with Stelki Komroti (PTR), a larger 6-men command squad with SVT and PTRD anti-tank rifles.
  
• A new Strelki (DT) squad, representing combat veterans as a 7-men squad with PPSh, SVT, DT machine-gun, and Molotov cocktails.
  
• Several armored units provide additional firepower to the Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin including Emcha and T-34/85 obr. 43 in Phase A.
  
• A small number of T-34/85 obr. 1944 can be deployed from Phase B - these represent the 5th Tank Army’s historical reinforcements.
  
• Some SU-122 from Phase A and ISU-152 from Phase B.
  
• A wide array of AT guns and SU-85 from Phase A. From Phase B, two new units can be deployed: the first operational BS-3 heavy anti-tank gun together with the new YA-12 tractor. This new 100mm AT gun provides the Soviets with a PaK 43 equivalent, slightly inferior in penetration but doubling as a howitzer, much like the ZiS-3.
  
• The new MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortars can be found in the Artillery tab.
  
• Aviation assets include several close air support fighter-bombers. The last remaining Yer-2 long-range bombers flying from Smolensk can also be used.

The Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin is a battlegroup with few reconnaissance units and only a moderate amount of tanks. Where it shines, however, is its infantry, support, AT, and artillery guns. It fields enough firepower to mount limited attacks but is best used on the defensive.

What can you expect from Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics?

Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics will feature:

• 1 massive new Army General campaign set in the Baltics during Operation Doppelkopf, allowing you to take command of either the attacking Axis 3. Panzerarmee or the defending Allied 1st Baltic Front.
  
• 8 new Divisions, playable solo, coop, or in multiplayer, including 6 which took part during Doppelkopf and 2 divisions from Army Group North’s theater of operations.
  
• 120+ new units, including a variety of new models such as Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) recon tank, Ar 196 A-3 floatplane, Soviet MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortar and the BS-3 100mm heavy AT gun.
  
• 2 new Nations: Lithuania (Axis) and Estonia (Allies) and 2 new Aces.

Until next week!

Don’t forget: we have recently launched Nemesis: Battle of Rimini. Get it while it’s still hot!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1477780/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_3__Battle_of_Rimini/

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander.

FEATURES:

• adding a new invite system by code: once inside a multiplayer lobby, you can send a code to a friend to bring him in.
  
• adding the ability to add friends from other platforms (Steam, GoG, Wargaming).
  
• being kicked from a loobby is now considered a ban from it, preventing one to return immediatly

FIXES :

• fixing the APCR cycling exploit: now deactivating the current ammo box (APCR or AP) will immediatly trigger a reload of the other before firing. Besides, switching from an armored (treated with AP/APCR) target to a soft (treated with HE), or the opposite, will also trigger a reload of the proper ammunition.
  
• fixing air reinforcement point Krupki 3v3 & Ilomantsi 1v1 Breakthrough
  
• fixing OSNAZ traits (doublon Radio remplaced with Raider)
  
• fixing Zwiad Konny & Chernyie Bushlaty's number of weapons to match the number of soldier
  
• fixing the Sissi optics/stealth
  
• fixing the Panzer L6(i)'s ammunition loadout
  
• fixing Schwarzlose's spelling
  
• fixing the Reihenwerfer's smoke rounds, which had retained the HE rounds' damages
  
• fixing Morsk. Razvedka's weapon number
  
• fixing graphical issues with the T-26 tracks
  
• fixing a bug preventing M2HB & DShK heavy MG to Fire on Position.
  
• the protection against team change spam doesn't affect solo skirmish lobby anymore

GENERIC:

• setting the price of all commanders in non-armoured vehicle at 100
  
• setting the price of all commanders in armoured vehicle without main gun (<20mm) at 120
  
• setting the price of all infantry commander at 110, but KIVÄÄRI (PKOM) at 115.

ALLIES:

• normalizing Sherman II/M4A2 CMD's availability and veterancy at 2/4/6 (number of cards changed accordingly)
  
• M15 halftrack's availability changed from 1/2/4 to 2/4/- or 2/4/8 depending on original availability. Cards changed accordingly.
  
• decreased SPITFIRE LF Mk. IXe’s speed & roll rate
  
• Saperzy no longer have access to (recon) Universal Carrier
  
• normalizing the SOD's veterancy ratio
  
• normalizing Konnaya Razvedka's veterancy ratio
  
• decreased T-34/85 KOMBAT's price from 160 to 150
  
• increased M4(75) COMMANDER (US & French)'s price from 145 to 150
  
• increased RAM II COMMANDER's price from 130 to 140
  
• nerfing the IS-1's hull rotation speed (forgotten with KT/IS patch)
  
• nerfing the KV-8's hull rotation speed (forgotten with KT/IS patch)
  
• ZiS-3 & SU-76's APCR rounds now have the same suppress value as AP rounds (forgotten from last patch)
  
• (15Scots) Churchill IV CMD's availability changed from 3/4/5 to 2/4/6
  
• (15Scots) AEC Mk.III's veterancy ratio fixed

AXIS:

• decreased Bewährungs.'s price from 35 to 25
  
• decreased Reitende Jäger's price from 25 to 20
  
• increased BEF. PANZER III K's price from 110 to 120
  
• increased PIKKU-SOTKA (PKOM)'s price from 115 to 120
  
• adding radio trait to FJ GrW. 81mm Kurz
  
• Romanian T-4 & T-4 Cercere's HEAT rounds now have the same RoF as AP one
  
• (14Inf) Kanonnier now have access to Kubel. MG
  
• (20Pz) adding Horch 108 as transport option for Stosstrupp
  
• (3FJ) INF slots changed from 1/1/1/2/2/2/2/3/3/4 to 1/1/1/1/1/2/2/2/3/4
  
• (1Blindata) OB. 1936 105mm howitzer can now have the supply Skoda 6 ST-6 as transport option