Hello commander!

This DevBlog was delayed by 24 hours due to the release of WARNO's latest milestone, but don't worry, we haven't forgotten you ...

Following on our previous Versus DevBlog from last week, we will focus today on two more new divisions from the upcoming Steel Division 2: Men of Steel expansion: the British 1st Special Service Brigade (or 1st SSB), a darling division to our SD:44 veterans, against the German-Dutch Kampfgruppe von Tettau.

Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk's release

But first, some news from Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk!
As you may be aware, a beta version was already being tested and streamed by the Strike Team for some times. The DLC is now complete, and a release date has been set for ... drum roll ... March 16th. That is Thursday next week!


You can already check its Steam page here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2155260/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_6__Siege_of_Dunkirk

A new Steel Division 2 chapter

Before we continue, a little reminder about Steel Division 2: Men of Steel. The next major expansion will not focus on a specific theatre of war, but rather put the spotlight on a number of very interesting fighting formations from all across warring Europe.

Steel Division 2: Men of Steel will offer:

• 8 new divisions from 7 nations, including a brand-new minor nation.
  
• With units from 12 nations in total!
  
• New Aces.
  
• New Unit Traits, which will be made available to all existing Steel Division 2 divisions as well.

Today, we will detail the elite British 1st Special Service Brigade (1st SSB a.k.a. Commando Brigade), which landed on Sword Beach on D-Day, and the German-Dutch Kampfgruppe von Tettau, a scratch-built force which played a pivotal role in the failure of the British airborne assault on Arnhem during Operation Market Garden.

1st Special Force Brigade

Honor to the veterans ... and we are not just referring to the brigade's combat experience. Steel Division: Normandy '44's seasoned players will remember this battlegroup fondly, since it first appeared then!



Birth of the Commandos
While Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British army from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, was deemed a success, it saved the men but not their equipment. Consequently, Britain was left with barely no heavy weaponry and no way to return to continental Europe before long. Yet, in order to keep the Germans under pressure nonetheless, a new type of unit was created: the Commandos.

Born from the mind of spymaster Lt-Colonel Dudley Clarke (you know, that cross-dressing colonel recently depicted in Rogue Heroes, who also invented the SAS) and inspired by the Boer Kommandos, they were meant to bring the war in enemy territory and develop a "reign a terror" (according to Churchill himself!) by hitting fast and hard "then run to fight another day".



By the end of 1940, about 2.000 men had been recruited from every branch of the British armed forces as well as foreign volunteers, by ruthlessly screening them and keeping only the fittest and most motivated. For the next two years, they would lead daring raids all along continental Europe's coasts, especially Norway and France, culminating with Operation Chariot.



But so successful were they that the Germans started reinforcing every inch of the Atlantic Wall, which was counter-productive when the planning of Operation Overlord had already started. Therefore, the commando raids stopped and the men were regrouped into an assault brigade, 1st SSB, with the intention of using them as shock troops in the upcoming landing in France.

D-Day …
On June 6th, 1944, D-Day, the Commando Brigade (as the men called themselves, hating the "SS" moniker attached to "Special Service") was to land on Sword Beach with the second assault wave. Leaving the 3rd Infantry Division to deal with the Germans there, its mission was to immediately secure Ouistreham, on the extreme left of the invasion force.



From there, it was to breach out of the beachhead in order to link up with and reinforce Major Howard's small force at Pegasus Bridge. Which it did, two minutes behind schedules, a delay for which the commando leader, Lord Lovat, duly apologized!

1st SSB was composed of the British 3, 4 & 6 Commando, Royal Marines 45 Commando and the French half of the 10 Inter-Allied Commando. Each commando will be represented ingame by a specific unit with its singularities. Small in size, the brigade was supported by a battery of Royal Marines' Centaurs as well as elements from 13/18th Hussars (Sherman DD & Stuart) & 80th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (SP, medium & heavy AA) which landed with the assault elements to secure the beach.



… and beyond
For the next three months after D-Day, 1st SSB will fight alongside the 6th Airborne Division on the left flank of the Allies’ front in Normandy.



Pulled back in England to replenish its losses and retrain, it was sent back to the continent after the Battle of the Bulge, leading the way for British forces in several river assault crossings.



The German capitulation found the (now officially renamed) 1st Commando Brigade in Lauenburg … beyond the Elbe River which was supposed to be the separation line between Western & Soviet forces in Germany.

Kampfgruppe von Tettau

Market Garden
KG von Tettau's history is inextricably linked to Operation Market Garden. Launched on September 17th, 1944, this major Allied operation involved the air drop of two American & one British airborne divisions over the Netherlands, while an armored column attacked from the ground.
The airborne troops were tasked with capturing and holding various bridges over the many Dutch rivers & canals until joined by the mechanized forces, paving the way for a lightning armored strike up to the Rhine at Arnhem.



As anyone having watched the excellent movie “A Bridge too far” knows, things went wrong from the planning of the operation and the over-confident Allies only managed to drive, with great difficulties, two third of the way before being forced to a halt, dooming the British paratroopers still trapped in Arnhem.

German reaction
Besides bad planning and faulty intelligence analysis, Market Garden’s fate was also sealed by the Germans’ spirit of initiative.
After a short period of amazement, General Christiansen, German commander in the Netherlands quickly dispatched orders to counter the offensive: while II. SS-Panzerkorps was to divide its two divisions between the recapture of Arnhem’s bridge itself, and the defense of the highway against the spearhead of XXX. Corps ; territorial commands were to gather all available troops and form them into battlegroups assigned specific missions.



Kampfgruppe von Tettau
KG von Tettau is such provisional battlegroup created in emergency on September 17th, the very first day of the Allied airborne assault. It was named after its commander, Generalleutnant Hans von Tettau, head of operation & training in occupied Netherlands, and its mission was to attack the British landing zones West of Arnhem.



The troops under von Tettau’s command on the first days were a patchwork of what was available locally, a few elite units rubbing shoulders with a lot of the worst:

• The best came from SS-Unterführer-Schule Arnheim, forming a small battalion of SS-Junker (SS NCO cadets), all men being young, motivated and with at least one year’s fighting on the Russian front under their belt. The cadre was of an even better quality. The school lacked heavy equipment, but had access to a lot of various infantry weapons for training purpose.

• KG Krafft also included several SS training units, but still merely recruits. It was only assigned to von Tettau on the first day, being reassigned the next morning, but played a pivotal role in preventing most of the British first wave (but Lieutenant-Colonel Frost’s 2nd Para Battailon) from securing the Arnhem bridge by coup de main.
  
• Finally, the third major component was SS-Wach-Bataillon 3, regrouping concentration camps’ guards: those Dutch & Soviet auxiliaries barely had any combat training, were equipped with British leftovers from the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 (Lee Enfield, Bren, …) and had no will to fight.

On the picture above, you can see one of the German soldiers firing at falling paratroopers with ... a Bren LMG!

Getting bigger
As the battle dragged out, KG von Tettau’s composition evolved a lot, depending on the reinforcements made available … or removed as KG Krafft. And as such, it will be a phase-locked battlegroup: while the original troops above will be immediately available, more will be added with each phase.

Over the next days, von Tettau was given command over many isolated or training units, in order to not only besiege but overrun the British landing zones.

• artillerymen/clerks-turned-infantrymen, … regrouped collectively as Ersatztruppen
  
• Dutch collaborationists known as the SS-Landstorm

• naval personnel retreating from evacuated Channel harbors, and regrouped into Kriegsmarine units.
  
• some armors from Panzer-Abteilung 224 and elements from Panzerjäger-Abteilung 657, in the form of R35, Somua & B1 bis tanks, most of the latter being converted to flamethrower tanks.

Finally, in the last days of the battle, KG von Tettau was tasked with crushing the remaining British paratroopers’ resistance in Oosterbeek from the West, while mechanized forces freed from the battle in Arnhem itself attacked from the East. Those included:

• one infantry battalion from “Hermann Göring” Panzerdivision’s training school.
  
• elements from s.Panzer Abteilung 506, meaning … Königstiger!

To sum up, KG von Tettau will be a Korük-like scratch-built battlegroup combining a few elite and a lot of second echelon troops, including Dutch-speaking ones, although this time phase-locked … and with Königstiger.

See you on the battlefield

That’s it for the second Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus post. Let us know what you think!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander.

Hello commander!

In case you haven’t heard: we are working on a major new expansion, Steel Division 2: Men of Steel. And as promised in last week’s reveal, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the new divisions in today’s (and coming) DevBlogs.

Veterans of Steel Division 2 and previous DLCs and expansions should know of our traditional Versus format. In these posts, we highlight two new divisions, one from each side, from a historical point of view. Where possible, we try to include more concrete gameplay details. However, more in-depth arsenals and unit lists will come at a later stage.

Without further ado, let’s get going with the first Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus, pitting the Axis 715. Infanterie-Division against the Allied 1st Airborne Task Force.

A new Steel Division 2 chapter

Before we continue, a little primer on Steel Division 2: Men of Steel. The next major expansion will not focus on a specific theatre of war, but rather put the spotlight on a number of very interesting fighting formations from all across warring Europe.

Steel Divison 2: Men of Steel will offer:

• 8 new divisions from 7 nations, including a brand-new minor nation.
  
• With units from 12 nations in total!
  
• New Aces.
  
• New Unit Traits, which will be made available to all existing Steel Division 2 divisions as well.

In today’s Versus, we detail an Axis reserve formation that fought hard and long to contain the Allied amphibious invasion at Anzio; and an Allied airborne provisional battlegroup that provided crucial paratrooper support during Operation Anvil-Dragoon in southern France.

715. Infanterie-Division

First up is the Axis 715. Infanterie-Division. Now, Eugen, you might say, why is this particular reserve formation so damn interesting? Let’s tell you why! Some of our Steel Division: Normandy 44 veterans will recognize a cousin of this formation, raised from the same mobilization wave, the 716. Infanterie-Division. The 715. Infanterie-Division was raised in 1941 as part of the same 15. Welle (Wave) mobilization, destined for occupation duties in Western Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, France).

This mobilization wave called upon men unfit for general combat duties, being too old, too sick or too scrawny, or with large families, for instance. Divisions were all marked in the 700-series, severely lacking transports (not needed when static) and low on the rung for equipment.



However, 715. Infanterie-Division was rather special. While made up of the same general cadre (and quality) of men, compared to other 15. Welle divisions, it featured motor transports, being considered a “mobile reserve” in France. As a result, it was smaller and weaker than comparable static infantry formations, with one fewer infantry regiment and artillery battalion but more mobile. Most of its motor pool consisted of locally acquired French transports, with a few captured armored vehicles thrown in the mix.



Trials of combat
Fast forward to the Allied landings in Anzio in early 1944. German High Command looked everywhere for reserves to prevent the fresh Allied troops from advancing out of the Italian beachhead. The small and mobile 715. Infanterie-Division was a perfect choice. Hastily transported to Italy, it was thrown piecemeal into battle to contain the Allies.



Understrength, made up of second-rate inexperienced troops and lacking support, the division suffered terribly. Yet, even though the Axis failed to throw the Allies back to the sea, they prevented them from breaking out. At this point, the 715. Infanterie-Division was reinforced with various smaller, independent units. This made up for losses in manpower and equipment, improving its combat effectiveness considerably.

Reinforced and end of war
Among the formations temporarily attached, the 715. Infanterie-Division gained a company each of StuG self-propelled guns and heavy Tiger tanks. The parent division of these companies, 76. Korps, also contained Ferdinand tank destroyers (from one company of 653. s.Panzerjäger-Abteilung), Brumbär and Borgward.



Furthermore, a reserve Panzergrenadier regiment, a Luftwaffe penal battalion, and heavy artillery all reinforced and were merged with the 715. Infanterie-Division. Later on, even RSI troops from the fascist Italian naval special forces, the Decima Mas, were attached as well.



Until June 1944, the formation remained near Anzio. When the Allies finally broke out, the 715. Infanterie-Division was brought to the rear and reformed as a regular infantry division. It would remain in Italy until January 1945, when it was sent to Upper Silesia to face the Soviets. The 715. Infanterie-Division would finish the war in Czechoslovakia.

1st Airborne Task Force

The 1st Airborne Task Force was a provisional Allied paratrooper division brought to life for Operation Anvil-Dragoon, the landings in Provence, in the summer of 1944. This formation was created from scratch from several available independent airborne formations operating in the Mediterranean theater. The forces attached included:

• The British 2nd (Independent) Parachute Brigade.
  
• The American 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team, as well as three other independent parachute and glider battalions.
  
• The Canadian-American 1st Special Service Force (FSSF), more commonly known as the Devil’s Brigade.
  
• The Japanese-American (Nisei) 442nd Infantry Regiment’s anti-tank company
  
• Elements from the French 1er Régiment de Chasseurs-Parachutistes.

It is unsure if the picture above is a genuine one or from a reenacting group, so perfect it is at representing the diversity of 1st ATF: the four men with their back to the barn are British Paratroopers, while the two seated with black berets are French Chasseurs-Parachutistes. The final four are American Airborne Rifles.

Remains one major component from the 1st ATF missing from this picture: the Devil's Brigade, or officialy 1st Special Service Force.
This was a unique unit: a binational (Canadian and American) special forces brigade raised as a commando unit originally intended to land behind enemy lines and sabotage key infrastructure (chiefly in Norway in 1942). This never came to fruition.
Instead, the mountain-focused training steered the FSSF first to the Aleutian Islands in the Pacific theater. They took back this territory without loss, as the Japanese had already evacuated the islands. The formation was then sent to Italy. Here, in the Mediterranean, the force earned its reputation for daring and cunning.



You think you already saw that patch somewhere? Check the GiF at the end of this DevBlog ... ;)

As American forces formed a large part of the task force and were under the command of an American general, the 1st Airborne Task Force will be listed as an American division, even though it was truly an Allied one.
Besides, this mixed battlegroup allows us to reintroduced the (much requested!) American airborne troops, absent from the game since Steel Division: Normandy 44. With the changes brought with Steel Division 2, the 82nd or 101st Airborne Division couldn't fit by themselves in the game, being both much too light in equipment AND not having enough variety of units. With 1st ATF, we're bringing back almost all the units that made up SD:44's 101st Airborne Division, but in smaller number, with plenty of units from other nations to back them up and bring diversity.

Operation Rugby
The 1st Airborne Task Force’s mission during the amphibious landings in southern France was codenamed Operation Rugby. Dropped in-land, the formation was to secure the Argens river valley and prevent German reinforcements from moving up towards the assault beaches.



Save from one village, Le Muy, which wasn’t secured but besieged, the 1st Airborne Task Force captured all the primary objectives and hold them against counter-attacks for 48 hours. The paratroopers were later joined by ground forces from the U.S. 36th Infantry Division.

The criminally unsung Devil’s Brigade landed and secured the islands of Port Cros and Hyères, 24 hours before the launch of Operation Rugby. Having been ferried to the mainland, these commandos would join the 1st Airborne Task Force.

About a week after the ground forces teamed up with airborne troops in Provence, the British brigade was redeployed to Greece (as was agreed upon during 1st Airborne Task Force’s creation). The rest of the formation moved to cover the Alps. It was here the 1st Airborne Task Force was disbanded in November 1944.

See you on the battlefield

That’s it for the first Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus post. Tune in for a new one next week. Let us know what you think!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander.

Hello commander!

We hope you like surprises because we sure have one for you today! Ready for a new Steel Division 2 experience? Then prepare for Steel Division 2: Men of Steel, the next major expansion currently in development!

What, who, where, how, when? Keep reading to find all the answers to these questions and more!

A new major expansion

Steel Division 2: Men of Steel is the next big chapter of our World War II battle simulator. We are still going strong, even four years after Steel Division 2’s official launch! In this new major expansion, we will put the hardy combat soldier center stage, from all corners of warring Europe, offering:

• 8 new divisions from 7 nations, including a brand-new minor nation.
  
• With units from 12 nations in total!
  
• New Aces.
  
• New Unit Traits, which will be rolled out to certain existing units in older Steel Division 2 divisions as well.

In size, this expansion follows the lines of our previous Tribute to… DLCs, but unlike these types of expansions, we don’t focus on a specific theater of war. Instead, we spotlight interesting divisions or battlegroups from all over Europe, notable for their unique infantry and armored forces (and taking advantage of the new Unit Traits system).

Why Steel Division 2: Men of Steel?

You might be wondering why we wanted to create another expansion? We are far from done with the battlefields of World War II, always finding new inspiration for units, formations, campaigns. But there was another reason for producing a new expansion. We wished to leverage the most recent gameplay developments and advancements made by the Cold War cousin of Steel Division 2, WARNO. Which is?



One of the major new features of WARNO are Unit Traits, a system that could already be found in Steel Division 2 but which we have greatly expanded. The new Unit Traits allow us to characterize infantry better. Bringing this new experience as part of Steel Division 2: Men of Steel makes extra sense, as it offers a much more satisfying and in-depth approach to making infantry unique and exciting.

A sneak preview

We will look at each new division in more detail in the upcoming Versus DevBlogs. We can lift the tip of the veil on how Unit Traits would look like with Steel Division 2: Men of Steel.

The following Unit Traits from WARNO would make their way into Steel Division 2, not only in the new battlegroups but retrofitted to existing divisions in a free update.

• Shock - This trait will inflict more suppression on the enemy at very close range (think close combat in cities and woods). In Steel Division 2, it will be featured by all kinds of special forces (Rangers, Brandenburgers, OSNAZ, etc.) or by dedicated assault troops (Sturmpioniers, Avtomatchiki, etc.).
  
• Tank Rider - Units with this trait will get a “suppression shield” when fighting in close vicinity to vehicles with the same trait (this is similar to WARNO’s IFV trait). This will finally allow us to depict soldiers dedicated to accompanying tanks, such as the Soviet Tankodesantniki or German Begleit.
  
• Security - This trait will be applied to rear-echelon security troops typically employed to fight partisans. This trait gifts an optic bonus, like recon units, but only when the unit is not moving. Units with this trait will remain in the INF category. Think of units such as Sicherungs, Schupo, and so forth.
  
• Sniper - These special units will get a stealth bonus when static. This will affect all 1- or 2-man sniper teams.

The Jubilee League Season

Before we leave, a message from Protosszocker about the next Steel Division 2 League's season:

"The Simulated Divisions League Team'is happy to announce that the Steel Division 2 League is returning in March for Season 10, the big jubilee! This season will keep a very similar structure, with a few rule changes, as the base system is tried and tested. Get ready for some hot 1v1 action on all skill levels and for supporting events like another Generals Lounge, and the 2nd Edition of SD Millionaires!

All infos and sign up: https://playsdl.com/tournament/sd2-league-season-10"

See you on the battlefield

We will start highlighting the new Steel Division 2: Men of Steel divisions in the next upcoming Dev Blogs. We are very curious to hear what you think of the new expansion!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you, commander!

Good morning, commander!

This past two weeks, we have been detailing the two upcoming battlegroups from Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk: Czechoslovakian CIABG & Axis Festung Dunkirchen.

But when will it be released, shall you ask? It is no secret that our two previous DLCs for SD2 have been suffering from some delays, therefore we've made sure to be better organized for this one.

Models & skins

We are happy to announce that all new models and existing models' reskin required for this DLC have been finished this week.



Straight after that, we have completed all the units & weapons' card & profile, but also what usually takes much more time: infantry cards.
Those are more time-consumming to create, for they require to "photograph" separate parts (chest, face & headgear) of infantry 3D models, then recompose the soldier with the proper background. But all this is done too!

Voice acting

That part has been our previous DLCs' Achilles' heel.
In order to avoid such delays with Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk, it has been one of the first task we got into with this DLC. All the voice lines have been translated in Czech and Slovak, at a 2/3 vs. 1/3 ratio.


Yet, despite our best efforts, it remains the most time-consumming job, since once everything is translated, we have to scout for proper voice-actors, have them record samples, pick the good ones, record all the lines (and often order retakes) and then apply a post-treatment to make them sound like they're talking in a radio or on a battlefield.
Some delays can't be shortened!

So far, we've got all the Czech ones done and integrated, but Slovak ones are taking a bit longer, due to the difficulty to find good actors when dealing with a "minor" nation. No offense meant by that, just that it is more difficult and/or takes longer to find suitable actors within a restricted pool of speakers.
But we are working on it.

What remains to be done?

Aside from the Slovak voice-acting mentionned above, the next (and final) step is to test and polish the divisions. This will be the Strike Team's job and honor to do so, since they got their hand on the first Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk's version this very week.
They will be allowed to stream it soon, so you should be able to follow the DLC's progress by yourself in no time!

What else?

Three weeks ago, we revealed that we had plans for a next major expansion for Steel Division 2.
Next week's DevBlog will be dedicated to lifting (part of) the veil on this upcoming new content.

See you on the battlefield

That’s all, commanders. We can’t wait to hear what you think of the latest Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander,

We hope you are well. Last week, we detailed how the Czechoslovakian troops of the Allied CIABG battlegroup would look in the upcoming Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk. Today it’s the turn of the hardy and aggressive Axis garrison of Festung Dunkirchen.

We’ll detail each category of the battlegroup. Keep reading to find out more.

Festung Dunkirchen in Steel Division 2

The nucleus of this scratch-built formation was formed by the recently drafted but very green and small 226. Infanterie-Division, which gives Festung Dunkirchen its coat of arms. The battlegroup was bolstered by the Kriegsmarine garrison, as well as Luftwaffe ground troops.



Hot on the heels of the successful Allied offensive out of Normandy, Dunkirk was surrounded by the first Commonwealth forces in early September. Hemmed in at the critical port were an array of units, from exhausted stragglers to raw recruits and the previously mentioned Luftwaffe anti-air defense troops and Kriegsmarine forces.

Only a few worn-out tanks were available. On the other hand, a whole slew of artillery, AA, and other stationary emplacements could be effectively used against the surrounding Allied units of the CIABG. Because of the harsh discipline and effective leadership of the Kriegsmarine garrison leader, admiral Frisus, frequent raids on the enemy kept up morale. This went on for the entire duration of the siege, with Festung Dunkirchen troops even going on the offensive in the dying days of World War II.

Festung Dunkirchen detailed

The following is still work-in-progress, but let’s look at how Festung Dunkirchen holds up in each Steel Division 2 unit category.

All new units are bolded.

RECON
Not one of the most impressive categories for Festung Dunkirchen, with an average number of slots, all being expensive and not featuring many choices.

• The standard BMW sidecar with AUFKLÄRER and SPÄHTRUPPEN.
  
• The new KM JAGDKOMMANDO is a Kriegsmarine landing party turned recon, historically used to launch surprise amphibious raids before returning to their “fortress.” Dunkirk was home to large weapon depots, allowing the garrison to organize heavily equipped infantry units. This particular unit is a heavy 9-man recon squad with 3x MP-40 and 2x l.MG-34.

INFANTRY
A good and varied category with a wide range of different units and squads with varying quality and experience levels. These include Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe Flaktruppen, and Kriegsmarine personnel.

• Your regular ERSATZ, GRENADIER (including Leader variants), and PIONIER squads.
  
• Luftwaffe LW-JÄGER (and Leaders), as well as new LW-FLAKKAMPFTRUPPEN, well-equipped, including Panzerschreck, but still carrying the Disheartened trait.
  
• Kriegsmarine KM LANDESSCHÜTZEN, KM MARINE INFANTERIE (including Leader), KM PIONIER.
  
• A new unit are so-called fortress infantry, which are large 15-man Disheartened FESTUNGS-GRENADIER armed with Lebel rifles and FM 24/29.
  
• Other new units are STOSSTRUPPEN (PzF) with MP-40, MP-28, Panzerfaust and explosives, as well as heavy JAGDKAMPF squads with 4x MP-40, G43, 2x l.MG-42 and a Panzerschreck.

TANK
Well, what can we say? Few tanks survived to retreat to Dunkirk, and the ones that did… didn’t last long within the encirclement. Still, you can deploy a very limited amount of armor. Slots are restricted to two and only in Combat Phases A and B.

• Tanks available include the PANZER IV H and STUG III G.

SUPPORT
A solid category with a good amount of cheap slots and plenty of choices.

• ]Festung Dunkirchen has access to lots of MG teams, from KM MG-08 and MG-34 to the new LW-S.MG 271 (F) (a Hotchkiss 13,2mm) and even the ERDKAMPFLAFETTE 43. This last unit is a plane’s MG-151/20 20mm cannon used as a ground automatic weapon - a 20mm HMG!
  
• Several cards of KM KÜSTENPOLIZEI military police. Admiral Frisus maintained the garrison’s morale with an aggressive spirit and ruthless discipline, hanging anyone suspected of defeatism.
  
• Standard IG 18 and IG 33 infantry guns.

ANTI-TANK
A pretty decent category with a regular number of slots and a fair price.

• First off, you’ll get your PANZERSCHRECK and PAK 37mm, 50mm, and 75mm.
  
• Followed by a handful of self-propelled MARDER.
  
• And the cherry on the cake is a single hard-worked elite JAGDPANTHER. This specimen was likely a leftover from the retreat out of Normandy. Allied reports mention German counter-attacks from the garrison supported by an “SP-88mm”, which ought to be a Jagdpanther. And now you get to play with one too!

ANTI-AIR
One of the best Festung Dunkirchen categories, with plenty of cheap choices.

• This includes the standard FLAK 38 20mm, FLAKVIERLING, FLAK 43 37mm, FLAK 41 88mm, and FLAK 38 105mm. Self-propelled anti-air vehicles are lacking, though.
  
• New units include the FLAK 28 (p) 40mm (which is a captured Polish BOFORS) and the FLAK 31 (r) 88mm, a Soviet 85mm AA gun rebored to 88mm. The latter unit is slightly less powerful than the FLAK 41.

ART
Once again, a solid category with lots of options, both cheap and varied.

• As before, we have the standard 81mm and 120mm mortar units.
  
• Towed pieces include the Czech-built FK-30 (T) 76,2mm, the German Le.FHM 105mm, and the French-captured (and new unit) K 419(f) 155mm. This last unit is identical to the GPF 155mm found in the CIABG, as some were recaptured (so a double recapture) and put to use by the Free French forces.
  
• The BEO KUBELWAGEN (164mm) and (194mm) variants, which represent off-map fire support based on beached naval guns and coastal batteries.

AIR
Not that astounding. Of course, with the Luftwaffe planes being out of reach, most of the time, only long-range aircraft could provide a token of assistance. So, this category has only a few slots, and is quite expensive.

• The garrison’s own AR 196 A-3 floatplane acts as a cheap recon in Combat Phase A, which can be used as a makeshift fighter.
  
• Historically, the two closest Luftwaffe squadrons (before being overrun) were a recon and night fighter one. So, the only planes available in Combat Phase A and B are ME 410 A-3 recon and JU 88 G-1 heavy fighters.
  
• From B onwards, only JU 88 A-4 and DO 217 K-1 bombers can be deployed.

Festung Dunkirchen is a battlegroup with strong AA and ART units, supporting a versatile and heavy infantry force. Decent anti-tank capabilities make this division a powerful defensive formation, but it only has minimal offensive abilities.

See you on the battlefield

Let us know what you think. Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk’s release is getting ever closer!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander.

Hello!

As promised in last week’s DevBlog, in today’s new preview of Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk, the Czechoslovakian troops of the mixed armored CIABG battlegroup get their turn in the spotlight.

Let’s look at what the new division brings to the table with each new Steel Division 2 category.

CIABG in Steel Division 2

The CIABG stands for Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group, a formation created out of Czechoslovakian soldiers in Great Britain in 1940. The early war years were spent training before the formation was upgraded into an armored one. Having landed in Normandy in 1944, but too late to see any combat during the campaign and successful break-out of Allied troops into France proper, the CIABG played its part in the drive up the French coast of the English Channel, arriving at the (already) besieged Axis-held port of Dunkirk in September 1944.



The CIABG could never rely on many infantry, instead focusing on its armored firepower. Interestingly enough, as the besiegers, it had to be augmented by local Free French partisans turned “general” combat soldiers, as well as leftover Commonwealth troops. Encircling the Dunkirk garrison in its entirety, the CIABG could count on plenty of tanks, heavy AA pieces, artillery, and even siege guns, and captured German equipment to boot. The CIABG would sit out the remaining war years in and around Dunkirk, never overcoming the staunch Axis defenders.

CIABG detailed

Note that most of the following overview is still work-in-progress. Expect some things to change. Also, while diacritics specific to the Czech and Slovakian languages may be missing in this preview, they will be in-game!

Let’s go through each category and see which new units you’ll be able to encounter in CIABG’s arsenal:

RECON
A rather average category with a medium number of slots, but pricey. There are quite a few choices, such as:

• The standard 4-man Czech, PRŮZKUMNÍCI (scouts), French 6-man FFO FUS-MARINS assault scouts, and mixed Czech-French BOJOVÁ HLÍDKA (combat patrol) heavy 12-man squads fielding captured German equipment.
  
• For wheeled scout support, commanders can deploy the new HUMBER LRC Mk. II and DAIMLER OV as, respectively, a light and heavy armored car.
  
• Recon tanks are also available: either the M5A1 or the CROMWELL.

INFANTRY
Not the best of categories, with slots getting quite expensive quickly. The choice is very diverse, however.

• Czech. Infantry is rather rare, with only one card of veteran MOTOSTŘELCI and MOTOSTŘELCI VELITEL (leader variant) available, as well as one (Combat Phase A-only) card of ŽENISTÉ, which are 12-man assault engineer squads.
  
• The bulk of the infantry forces are formed by French FFO FUSILIERS (including command version), equipped with a mix of British, captured German, and old 1940 French small arms. Substantial in numbers, they are all veterancy-locked.
  
• The British provide large 15-man security troops as CONV. GUNNERS (featured the Task Force 45 battlegroup) and the new CONV. RAF, which are airfield security forces. These latter units have been shipped from the United Kingdom, converted into line infantry, and sent to the front. Unlike their Gunners counterparts, the RAF soldiers carry the Disheartened trait but are equipped with a K-Gun LMG.

TANK
This is where the CIABG shines. A good category, considering that when the brigade combines its tanks with those of the attached British 7th Tank Regiment, the CIABG will have enough armor to be regarded as a full-fledged tank division. This is one reason why this battlegroup can count on 10 slots, with only the last ones being more expensive than your standard armored division.

From the CIABG side of the battlegroup, commanders will deploy the light M5A1 (and leader variant).

• The medium CROMWELL, plus leader, as well as the heavier and new CROMWELL VII, including subvariants and leader versions.
  
• One card of FIREFLY Ic tanks.

From the British 7th Tank Regiment side, we will feature:

• the CHURCHILL IV (6-pdr) and the CHURCHILL VI (75mm).
  
• And last, you can also deploy the heavy CHURCHILL VII.

SUPPORT
A classic category, with a good selection of HMGs and close support tanks.

• There is the standard Czech. VICKERS HGM, but also captured (and new) FFO MG-42 units.
  
• Support tanks include the CHURCHILL V and the CROMWELL VI (which is a CROMWELL IV/V with a 95mm support gun) and its up-armored cousin, the new CROMWELL VIII (built on the heavier CROMWELL VII).
  
• Commander units are distributed as the KOMANDÉR infantry unit, the new AEC ACV command truck, and the CROMWELL IV KOMANDÉR.
  
• The category is rounded out by a series of standard Bedford Supply trucks.

ANTI-TANK
Not one of the best categories, with few and expensive slots and limited choices, none of which are self-propelled.

• The Czech. PIAT and captured PANZERSCHRECK.
  
• Czech 6- and 17-PDR. towed AT guns.

ANTI-AIR
Anti-Air features lots of availability and options, all being reasonably priced.

• This includes the Czech. POLSTEN 20mm and 40mm BOFORS towed guns, as well as the self-propelled CRUSADER MK.2 AA tanks.
  
• Not only a handful of captured FLAKVIERLING, but also a single FLAK 41 88mm can also be deployed.
  
• The British bring even more BOFORS guns.
  
• While the Canadians contingent of the battlegroup features the TRI-POLSTEN 20mm and heavy QF 3,7-inch (94 mm) AA guns. The latter comes in two different cards: the standard one already featured with the South-Africans or British, and in its Mk.42 variant. This was a special anti-tank sight equipping some of the guns, making it much more accurate in this latter role.

ART
Very similar to the above ANTI-AIR category in terms of slots' costs & numbers, with:

• Czech. 3-inch MORTAR and 25-PDR towed artillery guns.
  
• French FFO (re)captured (and new in-game) GPF 155mm howitzers.
  
• British LONG TOM 155mm and the new BL 7,2-inch 182,9mm heavy guns.

AIR
Not one of the best categories, with limited slots and quite expensive. Historically, with no chance for Luftwaffe interception and the presence of a LOT of AA (see above) limited the requirement of air support to this battlegroup.

• Czech. RAF SPITFIRE MK. IXc fighter and its MK.Vb recon fighter variant.
  
• British SPITFIRE MK. IXe in fighter and “Spitbomber” roles.
  
• British TYPHOON Mk. IB with bombs and rockets (both AP and HE) loadouts.
  
• British MITCHELL II (designation for the B-25) medium bomber.

The CIABG is an unusual armored division with many tanks and support options but lacking in anti-tank, air and infantry forces.

See you on the battlefield

That’s it! For next week’s DevBlog, we’ll look at the other Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk division, Festung Dunkirchen.

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

Hot on the heels of our latest expansion, Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania, it’s time to look ahead. What can you expect to come to Steel Division 2?

What’s in the pipeline?

As we all know, Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania suffered some production delays, focused on the localization and voice-over recordings colliding with development for WARNO. Good news: this blocking issue didn’t prevent us from progressing on the next mini-expansion for Steel Division 2. Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk is coming along nicely.

What’s the current state of our incoming mini-expansion?

• In order to avoid the same mistakes, we started translating and recording the Czechoslovakian dialogue and acknowledgments as soon as possible. This is currently ongoing. Hopefully, this means we won’t have the same bottleneck as we encountered previously.
  
• All the new vehicles, weapons, and infantry models have been completed.
  
• We are in the process of making new skins for existing models, to faithfully recreate some of the authentic Czechoslovakian paint jobs.
  
• We will be able to share more details soon!

That’s not all

So, if ever you thought we would be done after Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania and Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk you are sorely mistaken!

As a matter of fact, the Eugen team is working on the next major expansion for Steel Division 2. We can’t share any specific details yet, but we can only tell you that we wanted to use some of the development for Steel Division 2’s more modern cousin - WARNO - for our next big DLC.

Keep an eye out. Expect more information to come in the near future!

Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania

In case you missed - and really, you shouldn’t have - Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania is the latest major expansion for our World War II battle simulator and is out now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1571580/Steel_Division_2__Blood_Feud_in_Transylvania/

What can you find in this expansion?

• A new Army General campaign focussing on the conflict between two allies turned enemies in September 1944. Read more about the Army General campaign in this blog post here.
  
• Six new divisions. Two will be Axis Hungary and one German, while three are Allied Romanian.
  
  • The 2. Páncéloshadosztály (2nd Armored Division), Axis Hungary’s best-equipped formation in the summer of 1944.
    
  • The 25. Hadosztály (25th Infantry Division), a formation primarily made up of Romanian-speaking recruits.
    
  • The Germans are represented with Sperrverband von Kessel, an ad-hoc battlegroup formed around the charismatic commander Mortimer von Kessel.
    
  • The Divizia 9 Infanterie, a large and well-trained battlegroup, reinforced with the armored “Jupiter” detachment.
    
  • The Divizia 8 Cavalerie Motorizata, a partially motorized division, denuded of its tanks, but counting on the disgraced ex-bodyguards of the former Romanian Axis dictator, Ion Antonescu, within its ranks.
    
  • Corpul 6 Teritorial is a reserve formation hastily thrown into combat, with a wide range of infantry, but few tanks and heavy artillery, including Soviet back-up.
• One new map, Oarba, which is a 2vs2 map inspired by the actual battlefields of the battle of Oarba de Mureș. The new level will be delivered to the entire community alongside the expansion.
  
• Two new Aces: the Hungarian tank commander Lieutenant Ervin Tarczay and Romanian fighter ace Captain Dan Vizanti. Read more about them in this dedicated DevBlog here.

See you on the battlefield

That’s all for this week. We hope you are enjoying the fruits of our labor with Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania. Let us know what you think!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Good news, everyone!

Today is the day that the latest major expansion hits Steel Division 2’s shores; get ready for some Romanian versus Hungarian action in Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1571580/Steel_Division_2__Blood_Feud_in_Transylvania/

Get going and start downloading. While you wait for the expansion to finish installing, be sure to check out all the new good things being brought to you by Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania.

Blood Feud in Transylvania has arrived!

Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania is the latest major expansion for Steel Division 2, focusing on a heavily contested campaign between two former allies: Axis Hungary and recently turned Allied Romania. The mythical Transylvania is the scene of the battlefield.

What can you play with in the new Steel Division: Blood Feud in Transylvania expansion?

• A new Army General campaign focussing on the bloody conflict in Transylvania between the two “frenemies” in September 1944. Read more about the Army General campaign in this DevBlog.
  
  
  
  
• Six new divisions, with two being Axis Hungarian and one German, and three being Allied Romanian.
  
  • The 2. Páncéloshadosztály (2nd Armored Division), Axis Hungary’s best-equipped formation in the summer of 1944. Expect to find a host of armor, from recon Panzer III M and heavier Parduc and Tigris tanks (Hungarian designations for Panther and Tiger), Nimrod self-propelled AA guns, and well-armed motorized squads.
    
  • The 25. Hadosztály (25th Infantry Division), a formation primarily made up of Romanian-speaking recruits. A few Zrinyi II assault guns provide fire support, while Raba Vr self-propelled anti-air trucks and off-map 105mm guns with a WM-21 Solyom biplane spotter can also be deployed. In late phases, it gets some support from German 23. Panzerdivision.
    
  • The Germans are represented with Sperrverband Kessel, an ad-hoc battlegroup formed around the charismatic commander Mortimer von Kessel. Lacking tanks and with a varying mix of soldiers, the formation excels in its support units, from Csendor Hungarian gendarmerie with CV.33 tankettes to flamethrowing SdKfz. 251/16 half-tracks and StuH 42s.
    
  • The Divizia 9 Infanterie, a well-trained battlegroup, reinforced with the “Jupiter” armored detachment. A mix of German equipment from SdKfz. 222 armored recon cars to Panzer IV and Stug III armor can be found in this formation.
    
  • The Divizia 8 Cavalerie Motorizata, a partially motorized division, denuded of its tanks, but counting on the disgraced ex-bodyguards of the former Romanian Axis dictator, Ion Antonescu, within its ranks. Some anti-tank units, including Romanian Tacam R-2, Hetzer tank destroyer, and Resita towed guns, can be used.
    
  • Corpul 6 Teritorial is a reserve formation hastily thrown into combat, with a wide range of infantry, but few tanks and heavy artillery. Soviet troops reinforce this formation, including T-70 recon tanks, Strelki squads, and T34/85s.
  
  
  
  
• One new 2vs2 map, Oarba, inspired by the actual battle of Oarba de Mureș. The new level will be delivered to the entire community alongside the expansion.
  
  
  
  
• Two new Aces: the Hungarian tank commander Lieutenant Ervin Tarczay and Romanian fighter Captain Dan Vizanti. Read more about them in this DevBlog here.

Disclaimer

We noticed a few graphical issues with this version:

• one Hungarian tank (command TURAN I) has a WIP production icon
  
• some Hungarian tanks in Army General are missing their side view picture in their stat sheet.
  
• Hungarian air squadrons in Army General have a placeholder (Panzer-Lehr) coat-of-arms.

Those issues are already fixed on our end but couldn't be included in this version without dlaying it. Therefore they will be quickly hotfixed.
We apologize for the inconvenience.

See you on the battlefield

We can’t wait to hear what you think of Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania.

With this major expansion finally released, Eugen’s cookie jar is not finished yet. Tune in next week to find out what we are working on next.

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

It’s great to be back. And we are the bringer of good news. Get ready for a new chapter of Steel Division 2: the latest expansion Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania will launch next week on January 19th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1571580/Steel_Division_2__Blood_Feud_in_Transylvania/

Of course, our heartfelt apologies for the continued delay, but with the contested Romanian battlefields drawing ever nearer, today’s DevBlog is a recap of all the new features, divisions, units, and Army General campaign you’ll get to play with Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania.

An overview

Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania is the latest major expansion for Steel Division 2, focusing on an often overlooked series of battles fought between two former allies: Axis Hungary and recently turned Allied Romania. The battlefield: Transylvania, where blood has flowed more than once.



What will Steel Division: Blood Feud in Transylvania feature?

• A new Army General campaign focussing on the first stages of combat in Transylvania between the two “frenemies” as it historically happened from September 5th to 15th, 1944. Read more about the Army General campaign in this blog post here.
  
• Six new divisions. Two will be Axis Hungary and one German, while three are Allied Romanian.
  
  
  • The 2. Páncéloshadosztály (2nd Armored Division), Axis Hungary’s best-equipped formation in the summer of 1944. Expect to find a host of tanks, from recon Panzer III M and heavier Parduc and Tigris tanks (Hungarian designations for Panther and Tiger), Nimrod self-propelled AA guns, and well-armed motorized squads.
    
  • The 25. Hadosztály (25th Infantry Division), a formation primarily made up of Romanian-speaking recruits. A few well-regarded Zrinyi II assault guns provide fire support, while WW1 vintage Raba Vr self-propelled anti-air trucks and off-map 105mm guns with a WM-21 Solyom biplane spotter can also be deployed. In late phases, the division gets some support from German 23. Panzerdivision's elements.
  
  
  
  
  • The Germans are represented with Sperrverband Kessel, an ad-hoc battlegroup formed around the charismatic commander Mortimer von Kessel. Lacking tanks (but not StuGs!) and with a mix of German and Hungarian soldiers, the formation excels in its support units, from Csendor Hungarian gendarmerie with CV.33 tankettes to flamethrowing SdKfz. 251/16 half-tracks and StuH 42s.
    
  • The Romanian Divizia 9 Infanterie, a large and well-trained battlegroup, is reinforced with the “Jupiter” armored detachment. A mix of German equipment from SdKfz. 222 armored recon cars to Panzer IV and Stug III armor can be found in this formation.
    
  • The Divizia 8 Cavalerie Motorizata, a partially motorized division, denuded of its own tanks, but counting on a few captured Hungarian armored vehicles. It also welcome the disgraced ex-bodyguards of the former Romanian Axis dictator, Ion Antonescu, within its ranks. Some anti-tank units, including Romanian Tacam R-2, Hetzer tank destroyer, and Resita towed guns, can be used.
  
  
  
  
  • Corpul 6 Teritorial is a reserve formation hastily thrown into combat, with a wide range of infantry, but few armor of its own. Soviet troops later reinforce this formation, including T-70 recon tanks, Strelki squads and T34/85s.
• One new map, Oarba, which is a 2vs2 map inspired by the actual battlefields of the battle of Oarba de Mureș. The new level will be delivered to the entire community alongside the expansion.

• Two new Aces: the Hungarian tank commander Lieutenant Ervin Tarczay and Romanian fighter ace Captain Dan Vizanti. Read more about them in this dedicated DevBlog here.

See you on the battlefield

It’s been a long time coming, but we sure hope you can’t wait to get playing with Steel Division 2: Blood Feud in Transylvania. Let us know what you think.

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

As always: see you on the battlefield, commander!

• fixed the AB CAN. PARAS gone missing from 6th Airborne Division
  
• fixed the BRANDENBURGER gone missing from Unternehmen Rossesprung
  
• increased FFI RALLIES' price from 20 to 25