Hello commander!

We are back with some more news about the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion. Like the busy bees we are, our much-appreciated Strike Team is currently hard at work testing and helping us fine-tune our latest offering. We can’t tell you - yet - when the expansion will launch (read the full reason at the bottom of this post… *wink*).

Instead, today we take to the sky with the two new Aces featured in our upcoming expansion. Rather uniquely, we have our high-scoring pilots squaring off from the same nation. These daring flyboys fought for two different sides during the war: Mussolini’s Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR, or National Republican Air Force) and the Allied Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI, or Italian Co-belligerent Air Force).

Let’s welcome to the stage ANR’s Tenente Ugo Drago and ACI’s Sergente Maggiore Teresio Martinoli.

If you want to read more about the airpower included in the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion, check out this detailed DevBlog here.

Ugo Drago

Lieutenant (Tenente) Ugo Drago is our first Ace, fighting for the Axis ANR. He started as a biplane pilot on the CR.42 Falco, scoring his first confirmed kill during the Greek-Italian War where he shot down a Greek biplane fighter. Three weeks after this feat, he single-handedly fought off five enemy biplanes, escaping by the skin of his teeth.



Transferring to a Macchi C.200 and deployed in North Africa in 1941, by the end of the year he had flown 150 missions. When the Armistice was signed in 1943, he didn’t directly join the RSI. Instead, he tried to contact his family but was arrested by the Germans, who pressured him hard to fly in the Luftwaffe. He refused, and as a result, was shipped to a prison camp in Germany. On the way, he escaped. When hearing of Mussolini’s air force, the ANR, he reappeared. Immediately reinstated as a pilot officer, he flew first on the G.55 Centauro before transferring to a German Me-109.

He ended his World War II career with 17 claimed kills, 4 of which he achieved by flying biplanes.

In Steel Division 2, Ugo Drago is featured with the G.55 Centauro.

Teresio Martinoli

Much like his Axis counterpart, Sergeant Major (Sergente Maggiore) Teresio Martinoli started as a biplane pilot for the Regia Aeronautica, once more in the cockpit of a CR.42 Falco fighter. He claimed his first three victories at the beginning of Italy’s entry into World War II in 1940, including a French bomber over Tunisia. He followed his first kill by shooting down an RAF Gloster Gladiator later in the year over Egypt.



He too transferred to the Macchi C.200, flying fighter sweeps over Malta, during which he claimed four British planes in just two months. He claimed a further four in 1942 before rotating back to North Africa, where he shot down four more. Defending Sicily during the Allied invasion in 1943, after the Armistice he joined the Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI). He flew missions against the Luftwaffe over the Balkan, where he fought and shot down at least one more plane.

Martinoli’s total of 22 kills painted on his plane included four different nations, from both sides: France, UK, USA and Germany. During the war, Martinoli shot down an eclectic array of planes, from Gloster Gladiators to Hawker Hurricanes, Spitfires, P-38 Lightning, a B-17 Flying Fortress, and even a Junkers Ju 52. On August 23rd, 1944, he died in an accidental crash while converting on P-39 Airacobra.

In Steel Division 2, Teresio Martinoli is featured with the C.205V Veltro.

Other news

In case you missed it, we have recently released two new free Reinforcement Packs: the new Kostriza map and Lucky 13, bringing two free divisions to our game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810030/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_12__Kostritza/

If you want to read more about the Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the Allied Task Force Butler, be sure to check out this blog post here.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810031/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_13__Lucky_13/

Until next time

That’s it for this week. We know you might be clamoring for more details about our upcoming Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion and the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC, but you need to hang on tight a little bit longer.

What we can do is lift the tip of the veil on something else though. We have been hard at work on our secret project, and we are getting ready for a big call to arms in the very near future! Things are moving fast, so keep a very close eye on our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our Facebook and Twitter channels. Looking for an online game in the meantime? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

New battlefields lie around the corner, commander. Get ready!

Prepare for battle, commander!

That’s right, the second of our promised free Reinforcement Packs is ready for deployment.

Download our Lucky 13 DLC for free and discover two new divisions: the varied Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the rapid Allied Task Force Butler.

Lucky 13 Details

The Lucky 13 DLC will launch today. As our veteran Steel Division 2 players know, in the past we have proposed various Nemesis DLCs. Each option would feature a new theme, focused on a specific battle or region, and two new divisions. The community would vote on which choice out of three alternatives they would like to see developed first. We have had five successful Nemesis DLC so far.

Our Lucky 13 DLC combines two of the most interesting runner-up Nemesis options which didn’t make the cut. Panzerdivision Tatra was featured in Nemesis: Slovak Uprising in Nemesis #4 (won by Nemesis: Raid on Drvar), while Task Force Butler was part of Nemesis: Battle of Montélimar in Nemesis #2 (won by Nemesis: Battle of Rimini).



If you want to read more about the composition of both Lucky 13 divisions, take a look at last week’s blog post.

Other news

A quick update on some of our other projects. We are making steady headway with both the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion and Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC. See some of the progress on the models below!



Also, included in the patch delivered alongside Lucky 13, you’ll find the proper model for the Soviet 72-K AA gun, previewed with 358-ya Strelk. And you’ll see more of it in the future ...

Until next time

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-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

That’s all, commander. Muster your troops, crank up those tank engines - combat awaits!

Hello!

We hope you are doing well. We are busy getting both Nemesis: Raid on Drvar and our next expansion, The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy out of the door, but that doesn’t mean we have lost sight of our other, smaller projects. One of them is in your hands already, while the other is coming next week!

What, where, how? Read on for all the juicy details.

New map Kostritza is out now

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810030/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_12__Kostritza/

In case you missed it, Steel Division 2 has been enriched by a brand-new map - Kostritsa. A repurposed showcase map, it features forests, wide spaces, and a corridor of urban terrain. The map is playable in all game modes, solo, coop, and online. As part of the free Reinforcement Pack 12, download Kostritza now for free.

RP Lucky 13 coming next week

On to our other free Reinforcement Pack 13, which now has an official release date! Make ready as you are going to play with two free new divisions as part of the Lucky 13 DLC on Thursday, December 2nd (that’s next week). In case you want to check out the divisions ahead of time, be sure to tune into some of our Strike Team members from today onward. They will be streaming playthroughs with the Lucky 13 battlegroups until launch day!

Let’s take a detailed look at the two new divisions which will ship: the Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the Allied Task Force Butler. There might be slight differences between how the two were originally showcased as part of their Nemesis DLC offering and how they will appear in-game as Lucky 13 DLC. More research has been done, resulting in the addition of some new units and the removal of others.

Panzerdivision Tatra

Panzerdivision Tatra is an amalgamated battlegroup self-styled as a panzer division, but featuring fewer tanks and more infantry than usual. The units are varied and plenty, but most unit cards will only be available in low numbers.

• RECON - a fairly classic category with the usual complement of Axis recon units.
  
• INFANTRY - lots of well-priced options. Includes the usual Grenadier (plus Leader), Ersatztruppen, Landesschützen Ost (including Leader), Schupo, a few Panzergrenadier and Sturmpionier. The following new units can be found:
  - Volksturm - a 12-man Disheartened squad, with MP-28 and Kar.98K… and a LOT of Panzerfausts!
  - Pionier (MG-26) - engineers with automatic rifles.
  - Panzergrenadier (MG-26) - right now only available with the 25. PzGrenadier-Division.
  Soldiers-in-training equipped with two automatic rifles. These squads form the backbone of Panzerdivision Tatra’s infantry.
  - SS-Sturmgrenadier - a 10-man squad with MP-44 and two MG-42s.
  
• TANK - average in options and costs, with no more than one (at times incomplete) card of Panzer III L, Panzer IV H, and StuG III G (also in Leader variant) and Tiger.
  - Panzer 38(t) - this new unit is featured as this particular variant only in one Army General Romanian battlegroup in the Tiraspol campaign (but not available for multiplayer).
  
• SUPPORT - a pretty good category with a solid amount of cheap slots. Some of the more unusual unit choices are:
  - StuG 40 - currently only in use by the 14. Infanterie-Division. This is a short-barreled version of the ubiquitous StuG III G.
  - Bef.Panzer 38(t) - only available in Back to War DLC with 352. Infanterie division.
  - Feldjäger - only available in Burning Baltics with 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V.. These are elite military police equipped with MP-44.
  
• AT - a good number of cheap options, with quite a bit of choice. There are no new units, but some guns are rather rare, including the PaK 43, PzB 39 and the Jagdpanzer IV.
  
• AA - not particularly strong, with only a few slots and just two options: the Flakvierling and the 88mm.
  
• ARTILLERY - average with a large supply of Czech artillery. New units are:
  - l.FH 14/19(t) 105mm - an older artillery piece.
  - K35(t) 105mm - also known as the Hruby, fielded by the 25. PzGrenadier-Division. A modern gun superior to the ubiquitous German l.FH 18M 105mm (also fielded).
  - Panzerwerfer and Wurfrahmen - one model each of these two rocket launcher systems.
  
• AIR - a pretty decent category with a little of everything. One noteworthy unit:
  - Ju-88G1 heavy fighter, currently only available in Death on the Vistula with 5. SS-Panzerdivision "Wiking".

Task Force Butler

A mobile battlegroup built with an emphasis on speed and maneuver warfare. This division is reinforced by FFI (French armed resistance) from Phase B onwards.

• RECON - lots of slots, with cheap and a vast array of choices. This includes the ubiquitous jeep, M8, and Recon Stuart, but also new units, such as:
  - Cavalry Scouts - 6-man squad with bazooka and smoke, coming in their own M3A1 Cavalry half-track.
  - Commando d’Afrique - making its way over from Nemesis: Storming Toulon. A heavy 10-man commando squad with Thompson and Garands, automatic rifles, and bazooka. Available from Phase B only.
  - FFI Saboteur - 5-man squad armed with MP-40 and M1 Carbines, as well as explosives. They come speeding in with the legendary Traction car.
  
• INFANTRY - a good amount of slots, though Phase A only features a small number of American squads. More FFI units come available in Phase B.
  - OSS Ldr - a large 10-man command squad with UD-M42 SMG and M1 Carbine, plus LMG. They come vetted.
  - FFI Maquisard - currently only available in Nemesis: Storming Toulon. Several cards of a 12-man squad with Sten, Kar. 98K and FM 24/29 automatic rifles, as well as Molotovs. They feature the Raider trait.
  - FFI Ralliés - squads made up of “German” deserters, often Osttruppen or Volksdeutsche, but also some anti-fascist or communist Germans who decided to join the Résistance. Deserting with their weapons and training, they formed a few squads equipped with PPSh, Kar.98K, MG-34, and Panzerfaust.
  
• TANK - an average number of open slots, with the usual complement of Stuarts, M4A1, and M4A1(76) tanks.
  - M8 Cavalry - a new unit is the Greyhound armored car used in a “direct combat” role.
  
• SUPPORT - a well-supplied category, with a large amount of choice, including the M8 Scott, Sherman 105, M1919, and M2HB HMGs, but also some new units:
  - FFI MG-34 - French resistance fighters using a captured HMG with the Raider trait.
  - FFI Mortier 2-inch: light mortar courtesy of British airdrops, featuring the Raider trait.
  - FFI transports - which include Traction (also as a Commander) and DMA truck (also as supply).
  
• AT - not the strongest category, with expensive options and few slots. There are several new units, including:
  - FFI Partisans - 2-man team with a Sten and Panzerfausts.
  - FFI PaK 40 - a few captured German AT guns.
  - FFI Canon AC 25mm SA-L - a new light AT unit that was originally used as a towed version by the French army in 1940. Small, but accurate and with a high rate of fire.
  
• AA - one of the weaker categories with few and expensive slots. These include:
  - Citroen Hotchkiss - a twin 13,2mm AA MG mounted on a police truck.
  - FFI Canon CA 25mm - a mainstay of the French Army in 1940, this light air defense unit is only featured in-game by the Romanians.
  
• ARTILLERY - a pretty decent category featuring only American units, such as mortars, M7 Priest, Long Tom 155mm, and a few off-map 203mm observers riding a M3 Scout Car.
  
• AIR - the battlegroup can count on some very solid air support, with a combination of U.S., British, and French airplanes.
  - US B-26B-10 Marauder and P-47D-22-RE.
  - British Beaufighter Mk.IX rocket (only available in Nemesis:Battle of Rimini) and the Hellcat F Mk.II (from Nemesis: Storming Toulon).
  - French F-5B-1 Lightning and P-38J-15 (both available in Nemesis: Storming Toulon), as well as the B-26G-26 Marauder, a new bomber.

Tribute to the Liberation of Italy

That’s it for Lucky 13 DLC. We are still hard at work on the next expansions. A quick update, but we can let you know that all the Axis vehicle and plane models for The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy have been finished, as well as all the infantry models.

We also have the promised Soviet 72-K 25mm AA gun’s model done, which you will be able to enjoy with the 358th Rifle Division … before it gets added to more divisions.

Adieu, and until next week!

Enough for this week, commander. Drop us a line in 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 soon!

Expand your Steel Division 2 experience for free with the new Kostritza map. This Skirmish map is playable in every game mode, including solo, coop, and multiplayer.

Kostritza features a large clearing surrounded by woods and marshes, located north of the Orsha-Kiev highway.

Reinforcement Pack 12 - Kostritza is free to all owners of Steel Division 2 here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810030/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_12__Kostritza

Hello there!

Let’s call today a little in-between post, but not without substance. We are still hard at work getting you the two free Reinforcement Packs: our new Kostritza map and the Lucky 13 DLC with the Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the Allied Task Force Butler. They are not quite ready yet, though, as they could use another round of testing and tweaking.

In the meantime, we want to take the opportunity to highlight an important aspect of our upcoming major expansion, The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy. Let’s welcome to the stage the daring pilots of the Italian Air Force (that is: both of them).

A bit of history

As you know, after the Armistice in 1943, Italy was divided into two warring states: the Kingdom of Italy in the south joining the Allies, and Mussolini’s fascist Repubblica Sociale Italiana in the north, quickly turned into a puppet state of Nazi Germany. The old Italian Army, including air forces, was also split.

In southern Italy, elements of the original Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) formed the Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI, or Italian Co-belligerent Air Force) under Allied command. In the north, the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana[[/i] (ANR, or National Republican Air Force) under Mussolini’s control.

The Italians were reluctant to engage their former comrades in combat. This meant that ANR fighters intercepted Allied bombers on their air campaigns in northern Italy. ACI planes provided recon or escort duties but limited their ground support sorties. Heavier equipment was mostly used “overseas”: either in the Balkans (ACI) or in anti-shipping roles (ANR).

Italian Air Forces in Steel Division 2

You know that the name of the game - Steel Division 2 - in a more figurative sense has always been about historical accuracy. With our divisions and battlegroups, this works especially well when it comes to the TO&E (Table of Organization and Equipment). Due to the distances involved, we always had a bit more flexibility in bringing planes, formations, and squadrons together from further afield. The same is true for our Italian airmen of the ANR and ACI: while they might not have fought each other directly, both air forces in our upcoming Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion features its historical inventory of fighters, fighter-bombers, and bombers.

Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana

Mussolini’s air force got the lion’s share of the former Regia Aeronautica’s personnel. Most of them joined the fascist puppet state when the Armistice was announced. For years, these pilots had been battling the Allies over the Mediterranean. More recently, their primary task turned to intercept the bomber waves hitting the Italian cities and industries in the north. Skilled and motivated, most ANR airmen not only had to fight against the Allies, but also against a Luftwaffe distrustful of their Italian comrades. The Germans were keen on dissolving the Italian squadrons, taking control of its assets and pilots as a foreign legion of sorts. Fun fact: an attempt was made by the Luftwaffe, which ended up in confrontation between SS and Italian paratroopers, close to deteriorating in open combat.

The ANR recovered a substantial amount of the Regia Aeronautica’s planes and flew them for the duration of the war. In addition, despite their distrust, the Germans delivered some replacement airframes to make up for the losses suffered.

In Tribute to the Liberation of Italy the ANR’s arsenal features:

• C.205V Veltro fighter in several variants
  
• G.55 Centauro fighter
  
• Re.2005 Sagittario fighter
  
• German Bf. 109 G-6 in both fighter and fighter-bomber roles
  
• SM.79-III Sparviero bomber
  
• Z. 1007ter Alcione bomber

Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana

While the ANR laid their hands on most of the Regia Aeronautica’s personnel and planes, the Allied ACI had to make do with scraps (in some cases literally as quite a few of the airplanes were in dire need of repair). All in all, the ACI could only count on 200 airframes, some barely functioning. What’s more, Mussolini’s forces controlled the aeronautical factories and workshops in the north, meaning an acute lack of spare parts for the ACI planes.

The ACI resorted to rebuilding their forces using Allied equipment. This also had the double benefit of not being mistaken by Allied AA and fighters. From the summer of 1944 onwards, the remaining Italian machines were gradually replaced by American and British examples, save for the rather excellent Z.1007 bombers. These were used until the end of the war as night bombers over the Balkans.

In Tribute to the Liberation of Italy the ACI’s arsenal features:

• C.202 Folgore fighter
  
• C.205V Veltro fighter, same as its ANR counterpart
  
• British Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop fighter
  
• American P-39 fighter (several versions)
  
• Re.2002 Ariete fighter-bomber
  
• British Baltimore Mk.V bomber
  
• Z.1007bis Alcione bomber

Before we leave

Before we bid adieu. A little update on our current projects. Get ready because the new Kostritza will launch soon@. The Reinforcement Pack 13, containing our free divisions, will likely release soon after.

The work on Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion and our Nemesis: Raid on Drvar is advancing steadily. Most of the Axis models - which were a lot, as the biggest part of the local Italian equipment was in the hands of the Germans - have been done. More news to come soon, promise!

Meanwhile, meet the cute L3 (aka CV33) family:

Until next time

That’s all, commander. 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-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you next week!

Hello commander!

We're posting this DevBlog one day in advance since tomorrow is a public holiday (end of WW1) in France.

So, in last week’s post, we promised two free new Reinforcement Packs, one being the new Kostritza map. Now, you must be mighty curious about what’s in the other Reinforcement Pack, number 13, bringing two divisions for free!

Aptly named, with the Lucky 13 DLC we present to you two Nemesis DLC runner-ups: the varied Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the rapid Allied Task Force Butler.

Let’s find out more.

Lucky 13 Details

Yes, the Panzerdivision Tatra and the Task Force Butler were both runner-ups in two separate Nemesis DLC offerings. The Axis Panzerdivision Tatra was featured in Nemesis: Slovak Uprising in Nemesis #4 (won by Nemesis: Raid on Drvar), while Task Force Butler was part of Nemesis: Battle of Montélimar in Nemesis #2 (won by Nemesis: Battle of Rimini[b/]).

They didn’t make the cut then, but as hinted at before, we found them interesting enough that we wanted to include them in our game. So, what do the two divisions offer, and (equally important) which new units will you encounter in the Lucky 13 DLC?

Panzerdivision Tatra

Formed as a hurried response to the Slovak Uprising in late August 1944, Panzerdivision Tatra was close to a Panzergrenadier-Division in size and firepower. A large variety of different training, reserve, and militia units were brought together under the command of the 178. Panzerdivision’s (yet another training formation). If you want to read more of Panzerdivision Tatra’s, check out its historical background here.

Nemesis: Slovak Uprising is the second DLC choice revealed

In the Lucky 13 DLC, Panzerdivision Tatra is a well-rounded battlegroup, with a large variety of infantry, as well as a powerful Luftwaffe providing air cover. While only a handful of regular Grenadier and Panzergrenadier are available, more numerous trainee PzGrenadier (MG-26) and Landeschutzen, early Volkssturm and even some veteran SS-Sturmgrenadier can be deployed. The formation also features quite a few tanks, but in limited numbers, such as the Panzer 38(t), StuG variants, Panzer III variants, Panzer IV H, Marder III and Hetzers, and even a handful of Tiger Es. Its tank, support, and anti-tank units are pretty decent but few in numbers, and Panzerdivision Tatra lacks potent anti-aircraft forces.



New Units

• Panzer 38(t) - light tank.
  
• Volkssturm - large and badly armed squads (but with plenty of Panzerfausts).
  
• SS-Sturmgrenadier - squad featuring 8x MP-44 and 2x MG-42.
  
• PaK 37(t) 47mm - AT gun. This unit was featured previously in Steel Division: Normandy 44.

Task Force Butler

Task Force Butler was created after the initial landings of Operation Dragoon in southern France, August 1944. Built around the 117th Armored Cavalry Squadron, this formation aimed to advance rapidly north and pursue the retreating Wehrmacht. It didn’t have enough forces to hold captured territory for long, but speed was deemed more important than boots on the ground. If you want to read more of Task Force Butler, check out its historical background here.

Nemesis: Battle of Montélimar Unveiled

As a division, Task Force Butler has excellent recon units, and a powerful air force on standby, but lacks the number of infantry and armor for a prolonged fight. Veteran Steel Division: Normandy 44 players might remember the DBSAS squads, but this battlegroup will count on French FFI Résistance reinforcements and OSS special forces from Phase B onwards.



New Units

• Cavalry Scouts - heavy recon squads equipped with a bazooka.
  
• M3A1 Cavalry - recon half-track for Cavalry Scouts.
  
• M8 Cavalry Greyhound - as a direct combat “tank”.
  
• OSS - large elite US Special Force squads dropped behind enemy lines. They formed up with Task Force Butler along the way. Like the FFI, they’ll be available from Phase B onward.
  
• FFI Ralliés - squads made up from “German” deserters (mostly Osttruppen) who joined the Résistance bringing their own weapons. This unit was featured previously in Steel Division: Normandy 44.
  
• FFI MG-34 - This unit was featured previously in Steel Division: Normandy 44.
  
• FFI 2-in. Mortar - This unit was featured previously in Steel Division: Normandy 44.
  
• FFI Saboteurs - recon-engineer squad with explosives. This unit was featured previously in Steel Division: Normandy 44.

The airborne Commandos d’Afrique and several Free French Air Force planes from Nemesis: Storming Toulon will also be made available.

The new Kostritza map

After various rounds of testing and feedback, we tweaked the objective placement and some other details in the new Kostritza map. As part of Reinforcement Pack 12, this map will be made available for free to all Steel Division 2 owners.



Here is the final version, currently being tested:

Why does 3D modelling take so long?

We wanted to explain one reason why the last batch of 3D modeling for Steel Division 2 took a bit longer. For workflow efficiency, we have worked on both Nemesis: Raid on Drvar and the next expansion Tribute to the Liberation of Italy at the same time. Both installments feature a lot of Italian equipment, including German, RSI, Croatian (and even Yugoslav) variants. We rolled everything into one, which also means that the delay between both expansions should be pretty short compared to other Steel Division 2 DLCs.

This is the Semovente 47/32 family picture, with both German, RSI & ... Croatian (Drvar) variants.

Until next time

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-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello there!

It’s high time for a general update on the status of several (ongoing) Steel Division 2 DLCs and expansions. Unfortunately, in recent months, we have run into various unexpected roadblocks along the way, which set the team back.

Today’s post is a mea culpa from our side. We promise we make it up to you… keep reading to find out.

Now, a summary of the most recent Steel Division 2 developments.

First things first: we are still on track with the upcoming patch and new Kostritza map, as talked about in last week’s post. Kostritza is being tested by the Strike Team, and thanks to their invaluable feedback, we are making some final tweaks and improvements. More details further below.

We announced both a new expansion - Tribute to the Liberation of Italy - and a new DLC - Nemesis: Raid on Drvar - several months ago. We expected we would have been able to deliver both to you by now. However, in reality, we encountered some detours on our path, which pushed back our projects.



For instance, we tried to do too many things at the same time for Steel Division 2, which included launching Nemesis: Storming Toulon, our Army General Coop Mode, developing Nemesis: Raid on Drvar AND the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion.



On top of that, we were also working on a DLC for Wargame: Red Dragon, the new Nation Pack: South Africa, which we released not too long ago.

And… something else - something pretty big - has been steadily cooking in Eugen’s kitchen for quite some time now. What, how, where, who… hang in tight, but the day is edging closer that we can reveal it. Fair to say that this secret project has taken a fair bit of our attention as well.



As you can read, we have been hard at work. But, in order to iron out any wrinkles our unforeseen delays might have created, we want to offer you - the community - something.

Two new free Reinforcement Packs for Steel Division 2 will be made available soon, one of them being the Kostritza map. The other new Reinforcement Pack will contain two new divisions, hand-picked from the Nemesis DLC options that never made it. These will feature new units (but no new models). We will reveal soon which divisions they will be.

Both of these Reinforcement Packs will be delivered before the release of Tribute to the Liberation of Italy.

See you around

Now, you have to wait a little longer, but exciting things lie on the near horizon. Trust us, lots of interesting news will drop in the not-too-distant future!

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-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

Good news… and some bad. Originally, the intention was to have a new patch await you with today’s post. However, due to some unforeseen data management issues with the new map, Kostritza, the team was forced to postpone the update until a later date. We expect it will be ready soon!

This does mean that the new map is now our number one priority, and we are hard at work getting it ready in tip-top shape. We will ship it to the Strike Team, and depending on their feedback, input, and testing, we will launch Kostritza in the very near future.



To not leave you empty-handed, please check out a preview of some of the patch notes below.

Hinted at before, but we have made some effort to rebalance the current fighter-bomber meta. Their prevalence over traditional bombers (and in some cases even fighters) needed a reevaluation. This means:

• A pass on fighter-bomber and bomber prices across divisions and nations. We have nerfed several of the former and buffed some of the latter.
  
• An increase in planes’ repair times.
  
• An increase in fighters’ availability per card.
  
• A decrease in the damage done through strafing runs.
  
• An increase in AA’s optics and splash damage.

Other substantial changes:

• We have boosted some of the Soviet and Hungarian divisions, as described in detail in our previous post here. The changes include a new artillery unit (the ZiS 3), more artillery radio, the other 72-K 25mm AA gun, an update to the T-34/85 obr. 1943, and a series of infantry and unit card revisions for the 12. Tartalék and 1. Lovas divisions.
  
• A balance pass of the most and least effective divisions in Steel Division 2 (and some others) including nerfing our daredevil paratroopers of the German Fallschirmjäger divisions and the British 6th Airborne Division. On the other end of the spectrum, the Soviet 358-y Strelki Division and 14. Infanterie-Division got a boost in their fighting capabilities.
  
• A check and change on various assault gun unit prices, similar to what we did previously with tanks and tank destroyers.

The launch of our new expansion, Tribute to the Liberation of Italy, is drawing near. In case you have missed it, we detailed all the new divisions in several Versus posts.

• In our first Versus post, we put the spotlight on two new Armored battlegroups: the 26. Panzerdivision with its special AA support and the supersized 6th South African Armoured Division. Check out the Versus blogpost here.
  
• In our second Versus, we looked at two Mountain formations: the German 5. Gebirgs-Division and the specialised 8th (Indian) Infantry Division. Read all about it in this Versus blogpost here.
  
• Our third Versus, we shone a light on two Infantry battlegroups: the Axis 4. Fallschirmjäger and the US-led international Task Force 45. Read all about it in this Versus post here.
  
• In the fourth Versus, we saved the best for last with our look at the two Italian divisions… mama mia!. A nation divided on the battlefield: for the Axis, we have the RSI 4a Divisione Alpini “Monterosa”, and the under the Allied banner, we feature the Corpo Italiano di Liberazione. Read all about these battlegroups in this Versus here.

See you around

That’s all for today. 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-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

We hope you are doing well. In today’s post, we circle back to our upcoming expansion, Tribute to the Liberation of Italy. As we speak, the team is hard at work getting everything in tip-top shape, including the 3D models of several new units.

Let’s preview some of those models, with the Axis division showing off in today’s batch. But keep in mind that they are fresh out of the oven, and may require some polishing ...

One of the most widely used armored vehicles deployed by the Axis in Italy was the Semovente series of assault guns. Not particularly renowned for the quality of its military equipment during World War II (that’s right, we are looking at you, Breda 30 LMG), Italy did manage a few times to produce something superior to its direct counterparts. This included the Beretta SMG, the Breda 20mm AA gun, and a few other designs. The Semovente series of assault guns ranks quite high on this list.

The Semovente (meaning self-propelled in Italian) was inspired by the German StuG, with Italian arms manufacturers quickly creating their own version based on the M13/40 tank. The first variant, the Semovente M42 75/18, was armed with a short-barreled 75mm gun, serving as an infantry fire-support unit. Shipped to North Africa and later deployed in Sicily, it proved very successful in its intended role. And in a nasty surprise for the Allies, it was also used as a makeshift tank destroyer thanks to its HEAT rounds.



Seeing the potential of their design, the Italian engineers continued to work on several Semovente variants with improved armor and firepower. The Semovente 75/34 introduced a long-barreled 75mm gun, closer in role to the StuG III F or G, and a Semovente 105/25 featured a 105mm snub-nosed gun, similar to the StuH 42. A command variant also existed: the Semovente M41 Comando with the gun replaced with a heavy HMG.



Two other Semoventi variants were developed: encountered most often was the Semovente 47/32, a light tank destroyer featuring a 47mm “Elefantino” AT gun mounted in an open-top position on an L6/40 light tank’s chassis. Obsolete against Allied medium tanks by 1944, its small size, mobility, and accuracy still made it a threat to soft-skinned vehicles and opposing light armor. This variant was also developed into a command tank, the Semovente L6 Comando, replacing the gun with an HMG.



The other version was rarer, only built in a handful of numbers: the heavy Semovente 90/53 tank destroyer - featuring the excellent Italian 90mm AA gun rear-mounted on an open-top chassis. Most were destroyed while attempting to evacuate from Rome during the Allied liberation. In the Steel Division 2’s timeframe, at least one of the heavy Semovente 90/53 remained in active duty with the 26. Panzerdivision.



In Tribute to the Liberation of Italy, most of the Semovente variants are under “new management” - having been commandeered by the Germans and distributed among their divisions. Mussolini’s Repubblica Sociale Italiana 4a Divisione Alpini “Monterosa” also retains a number of Semovente 47/32. They will appear under their Beute name. See below for each variant, their role, their German designation, and the division that contains them:

• Semovente M42 75/18 - Support - named as the StuG M42 75/18(i). Featured with the 4. Fallschirmjäger and 5. Gebirgs-Division.
  
• Semovente M42 75/34 - Tank - named as the StuG M42 75/34(i). Featured with the 26. Panzerdivision, 4. Fallschirmjäger, and 5. Gebirgs-Division.
  
• Semovente M43 105/25 - Support - named as the StuG M43 105/25(i). Featured with 26. Panzerdivision and 4. Fallschirmjäger.
  
• Semovente M41 90/53 - Anti-tank - named as the StuG M41 90/53(i). Featured with the 26. Panzerdivision.
  
• Semovente M41 Comando - Tank - named as the Panzer M41(i) Führer. Featured with the 26. Panzerdivision, 4. Fallschirmjäger, 5. Gebirgs-Division, and 4a Divisione Alpini “Monterosa”.
  
• Semovente 47/32 - Anti-tank - named as the StuG L6 47/32(i). Featured with the 4. Fallschirmjäger, 4a Divisione Alpini “Monterosa”, and… the Croatians in our upcoming Nemesis: Raid on Drvar.
  
• Semovente L6 Comando - Support - named as the Bef. StuG L6 47/32(i). Featured with the 4. Fallschirmjäger.

Another area the Italian engineers proved their worth - if not ahead of their direct counterparts - was armored cars. While the Autoblinda 41 and its successor the Autoblinda 43 were well known, the cool-looking Spa-Viberti AS.42 isn’t nearly as famous as it should be. This heavy off-road armored jeep was built on the same chassis as the Autoblinda 41 but without a turret. An excellent vehicle, it was very mobile, well armored, and could carry either a small squad or a light gun.

During desert warfare in North Africa, Italian Sahariana companies were equipped with a dozen vehicles, armed with 20mm ATR or AA guns, 75mm support guns, HMGs, etc. They proved to be more than a match for their SAS counterparts in open battle. The AS.42’s production ceased after the Axis defeat in North Africa. The remaining vehicles in Europe were used against the Allies in Sicily and later occasionally by the Germans and RSI in a reconnaissance role.



In Tribute to the Liberation of Italy, the AS-42 can be deployed in two recon versions: the light AS.42 (armed with one MMG and one HMG) as a recon transport, or the heavier AS.42 20mm sporting a 20mm Breda AA gun. The former can be only found with the4a Divisione Alpini “Monterosa”; the latter in both the 4. 4. Fallschirmjäger and 4a Divisione Alpini “Monterosa”.

A unique unit on the Italian front, and even for the Axis, was the 8.8cm Flak 37 Selbstfahrlafette auf 18 ton Zugkraftwagen - shortened for everyone’s sanity to the FAMO 88mm. This rare vehicle combined an armored SdKfz. 9 half-track with a 88mm Flak gun, with only twelve models built. They were initially tasked with protecting Hitler’s personal train, but the abandonment of the Fuhrer’s means of rail transportation saw these self-propelled AA units sent to the Italian front instead. They were used to great effect by the 26. Panzerdivision for the duration of the war.



In case you have missed it, we detailed all the new divisions of Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion in several Versus posts.

• In our first Versus post, we put the spotlight on two new Armored battlegroups: the 26. Panzerdivision with its special AA support and the supersized 6th South African Armoured Division. Check out the Versus blogpost here.
  
• In our second Versus, we looked at two Mountain formations: the German 5. Gebirgs-Division and the specialised 8th (Indian) Infantry Division. Read all about it in this Versus blogpost here.
  
• Our third Versus, we shone a light on two Infantry battlegroups: the Axis 4. Fallschirmjäger and the US-led international Task Force 45. Read all about it in this Versus post here.
  
• In the fourth Versus, we saved the best for last with our look at the two Italian divisions… mama mia!. A nation divided on the battlefield: for the Axis, we have the RSI 4a Divisione Alpini “Monterosa”, and the under the Allied banner, we feature the Corpo Italiano di Liberazione. Read all about these battlegroups in this Versus here.

See you around

At ease, commander. That’s all. Let us know what you think. 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.

Until next week!

Hello, hello, hello!

In today’s post, we turn towards our Soviet comrade-in-arms and the Hungarian divisions. We have decided that both nations could use a little bit of love in the balance department. The team is currently buffing both the Soviet and Hungarian battlegroups as a whole in Steel Division 2. This update is in the works as we speak and will likely release before our upcoming expansion, Tribute to the Liberation of Italy.

Let’s see what’s in store.

The current status quo

Right now, Steel Division 2’s game balance is better than it ever was, with less than a 1% difference in win ratio between Axis and Allies in 1v1 and 2v2 games. The gap is a bit larger in 10v10 matches (in favor of the Axis), but we are closing this distance with every patch.

However, even with this roughly equal balance, there is some disparity, namely that among Allied divisions, our Soviet battlegroups are lagging behind the Western Allies’ ones in 1v1 and 2v2 win rates. And for the Hungarians, it has been made known that some reorganization of the divisions’ table of organization and equipment is in order.

What can the Soviets expect?

To boost the Soviets, we are developing or testing the following updates as we speak:

F-22 and ZiS-3 artillery

• Stemming from a community request some time ago, we will duplicate and split off the ZiS-3 into a new artillery variant. We’ll keep the existing AT version unchanged as the “ZiS-3 PT”. The F-22 howitzers will also be retained but reduced to one card in those battlegroups that used to have multiple cards of this unit. These extra cards will be replaced by the new ZiS-3 artillery unit. The trade-off is that the F-22 will now receive the Radio trait.
  
• Historically, Soviet artillery regiments didn’t feature even one radio per two-gun batteries, which is why we didn’t give them this trait in-game. By splitting the Soviet 76,2mm artillery into two distinct units (F-22 and ZiS-3) we can give the less numerous ones the Radio trait. This allows a Soviet player to choose between artillery with radio capability (F-22) and more accuracy; or deploy the new ZiS-3 guns without radio but with better RoF and AT capabilities.

The 72-K 25mm AA gun

• It was brought to our attention - through a well-documented report - that while officially not part of the Red Army’s TO&E in 1944, the Soviet Union kept producing and using its 72-K 25mm AA gun late into the war. It was used as a stopgap measure for the 37mm AA guns, which the Soviet industry couldn’t produce in enough numbers.
  
• We will reflect this in-game by replacing some (depending on the division up to one-third) 37mm AA guns with the new 25mm AA units. This will happen as soon as the model is ready - which is done simultaneously as the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy batch of models.
  
• This will give Soviet battlegroups more anti-aircraft options and a unit similar in performance to the Romanian 25mm AA gun. A detail, but this new 72-K 25mm AA gun is a single gun version of the truck-borne twin 25mm AA guns currently featured in-game with the 9th Cavalry Division and the 126th Light Mountain Corps.

T-34/85 obr. 1943

• Another detail brought to our attention: the T-34/85 obr. 1943 was only built in relatively low numbers, quickly replaced by the T-34/85 obr. 44 on the frontline. This is not well reflected in our current Soviet armored battlegroups.
  
• We will shuffle the T-34/85’s distribution in our divisions, with the obr. 44 becoming more numerous. The obr. 44 comes equipped with APCR rounds, which are now less impactful with the recent range update. This special ammunition will be passed from obr. 44 to the obr. 43, which will be rarer but hit slightly harder now.

Furthermore, we are considering some Action Point slot changes, unit distribution, etc. to make certain Soviet divisions more historical (based on the new research provided to us) and more efficient in-game.

What can the Hungarians expect?

We are rebalancing both 12. Tartalék and 1. Lovas. We understand that the Hungarian’s infantry organization, as depicted in Steel Division 2, follows the pattern as it existed in 1943, with 4-squad platoons where all the platoon’s LMGs are gathered in the fourth squad. Due to manpower shortages, by 1944, this historic layout had changed to 3-squad platoons, each individually equipped with their own LMG.

12. Tartalék

• This battlegroup’s infantry will be reorganized with Golyószórósok squads being removed entirely. Lövész squads will see their size reduced from 13 to 12 soldiers but with two of the rifles replaced by one 31M Solothurn MG and an extra Danuvia SMG.
  
• A new Tártalek Lövész squad will be added. This unit represents reservists not yet fully trained, with 12-man squads featuring a Madsen automatic rifle, useful for close-quarters combat.
  
• The battlegroup will also see a change from one 5/10/15 StuG card into two cards with 5/10/- availability.
  
• There will also be one card added of a German PaK 40 (3/5/8), as well as a German Marder III M (4/8/-).

1. Lovas

• We found out that 1. Lovas had replaced almost all its light AT guns with “heavy” ones (meaning 75mm) just before being sent to face the Soviet steamroller. As such, it will receive an additional card of PaK 40 (for a total of 3).
  
• The battlegroup will also get a card of PaK 97/38M 75mm AT guns.
  
• In turn, the 40M 40mm AT gun will be reduced to one single (A/B phases only) card.
  
• Since one cavalry squadron was entirely rearmed by the Germans, a new unit will be added: two cards of new Huszarok (MG-42) with MP-40, G-43 and MG-42, available in phase B/C only.

Additional generic changes include:

• Turan II’s HEAT round penetration will be increased from 75 to 90mm. This is the same as the PaK 97/38M.
  
• Turan II’s anti-tank rounds will be distributed evenly between AP and HEAT ammunition.
  
• PaK 97/38M’s anti-tank rounds will likewise also be distributed evenly between AP and HEAT ammunition.

See you around

That’s it for this week. We love to hear what you think. 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.

Take care and see you soon!