Jun 6, 2024

Steel Division 2 - [EUG] Gal Marcel Bigeard

Hello commanders!

We return with the last installment of Nemesis #7, with today’s Nemesis #7.3. In this DLC option, we focus on a previously not-covered sector during Operation Market Garden in September 1944.

Let’s look at the British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division and the German Kampfgruppe Walther.

Nemesis 7 DLC Vote

The Nemesis DLC is back with Nemesis #7. We have already detailed two paired offerings, one from the Axis and one from the Allied side. These battlegroups are typically thematically or historically linked, often based on special or unsung battles of World War II. Very soon, we will open the vote so you can decide which Nemesis DLC should be developed next.

Nemesis #7 kicked off with the Italian-themed Nemesis #7.1 featuring the Allied US 1st Armored Division “Old Ironsides” versus German Axis 71. Infanterie-Division. Check out all the information in this dedicated DevBlog.
In the second option, we highlighted the Dodecanese Islands and the special Italian-British Egeomil plus the Axis German Sturmdivision Rhodos. You can find all the juicy details in this DevBlog.

Operation Market Garden Revisited

With Nemesis #7.3, we return to the famous “Bridge Too Far” airborne operation in the Netherlands that began on September 17th. We briefly touched upon it in our Steel Division 2: Men of Steel expansion with the Axis battlegroup Kampfgruppe von Tettau.

Much like this previous improvised battlegroup, the Axis Kampfgruppe Walther was short-lived. The major difference is that this Nemesis’ Axis division fought against the Allies further south during several pitched battles and counter-attacks between Eindhoven and Nijmegen along the infamous “Hell’s Highway.”

Here, on September 22nd, Kampfgruppe Walther led the attack to keep the American and British relief forces from advancing around Veghel, roughly midway between the two major Dutch cities. The counter-attack was a tough affair, temporarily disrupting the corridor centered on Highway 69, though American paratroopers ultimately repulsed Kampfgruppe Walther’s attempts to sever the connection.

As we know, the airborne landings in the Netherlands during Operation Market resulted in a string of American and British paratroopers occupying various towns and defensive positions on the axis of Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem. Rushing ahead to link up with the beleaguered airborne troops was the Allied XXX Corps, with the Guards Armoured division in the vanguard. The British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division followed closely behind.

Progress was difficult, and by the 21st of September, the paratrooper’s situation at Arnhem was becoming dire. Leapfrogging ahead of the Guards, the 43rd (Wessex) made an all-out effort to reach Arnhem from Nijmegen at the same time as the Germans were counter-attacked from the flanks further south. Though the division made it to the opposite side of the Arnhem bridge at Driel and even reinforced the beleaguered British paratroopers, it was too little, too late. A few days later, hundreds of surviving airborne troops were ferried back to Allied lines.

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division

The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division isn’t that different in terms of organization and equipment compared to the existing 15th Scottish Division. What makes this Nemesis division unique, though, are its multi-national attachments. One of the most noteworthy ones will be the Prinses Irene Brigade, which is composed of Free Dutch soldiers fighting for the Allied cause. It was formed during the war in the United Kingdom by attracting a wide variety of Dutch citizens from across the globe (such as South Africa, the Dutch West Indies, Canada, the United States, etc.). These included some Dutch marines (Mariniers).

The Dutch brigade landed in Normandy in August before fighting its way to home soil in time for Operation Market Garden. Named after the Dutch royal family, the PIB is closer to a reinforced Motor Rifles battalion. Some local Dutch resistance members acted as impromptu recon troops.

The other interesting detachment to the division is the Polish Independent Airborne Brigade. These were the trapped paratroopers the 43rd Wessex linked up with south of Arnhem. The third noteworthy element was the 8th Armoured Brigade, attached to the formation to bolster its firepower during the airborne landings. It had twice the number of tanks compared to the 31st Tank Regiment supporting the 15th Scottish, and unlike the latter’s Churchills, the 8th Armoured Brigade were chiefly SHERMAN III and FIREFLIES.

Besides infantry, the 43rd Wessex will have a heavier focus on tanks and air support, with only divisional artillery and recon and only a little support. Because of the nature of the battles, the division will be phase-locked:

The Dutch Prinses Irene Brigade marched with the 43rd Wessex until Nijmegen, where it was left behind to guard the key Grave bridge. This means this formation will be only available in Phase A (or Phase A and B, to be decided).
The Polish paratroopers will only be available in Phase C.
Dutch resistance fighters can deploy in all Phases.

Make way for the Dutch

The new units of the 43rd Wessex will be chiefly infantry ones.

Dutch GEMOT. GEVECHTSGROEP are organized along British lines but feature more Sten SMGs. GEMOT. MARINIERS also fields more Stens, plus a Bren LMG, and might carry additional Veterancy besides the potential Fanatical trait representing their USMC training and esprit de corps. Lastly, the MOT. RIFLES LDR will also be included.
Dutch BS GIDS as recon.
Polish SPADOCHRONIAREZE (paratroopers), similarly equipped as their British counterparts, but also including a few specialized ASSAULT GROUP (name to be translated) commandos with extra automatic small arms. The Polish airborne forces had spent so long training in the United Kingdom that by September 1944 they had experience in an unequaled number of skills, from infiltration to demolition to even… tank driving. This aptitude for everything will be duly reflected.
British ASSAULT TROOP were large-sized scout platoons organized the same way as MOT. RIFLES and riding CMP trucks within the 43rd Wessex’s divisional recon regiment.

The Dutch will bring some existing “copycat” vehicles.

LYNX scout car (currently only used by the New Zealand).
HUMBER LRC scout car (currently only with the Czechoslovakian CIABG).
CMP POLSTEN 20mm portee AA gun.
SPITFIRE MK. XIV fighter (currently only with SSB).
MITCHELL II bomber.

The 43rd Wessex will be the opportunity to add Allied Netherlands as a new nation to Steel Division 2 with the (lone and British-flagged but as a matter-of-fact Dutch-flown) SPITFIRE XIV joining its rightful nation.

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division Detailed

Let’s detail each category. Note that units bolded and italic are new!

RECO - not stellar, with only a few slots and not many heavy units.
You get to play with the usual WILLYS HMG, SCOUTS, RECCE, SNIPERS, and their assortment of CARRIERS. The heaviest unit available will be the HUMBER M.KIV (37mm).
The new British ASSAULT TROOP heavy recon squad.
Dutch LYNX and HUMBER LRC light armored cars, as well as Dutch resistance BS GIDS.

INF - a very strong category, being a British infantry division reinforced with both the Dutch Princes Irene Brigade in Phase A and the Polish Paratroopers in C. See above for some of the new units they bring.

TANK - another strong area for the 43rd Wessex division with more and cheaper slots compared to any other Commonwealth infantry division. Also, unlike the 15th Scottish, it was not supported by Churchill tanks. Instead:
- STUART III which are M3A1.
- SHERMAN III, meaning the M4A2 variant.
- FIREFLY Vc, the latter being featured at a more generous ratio than in any other British division.

SUPP - nothing inspiring here with an average number of slots and costs, and the usual complement of VICKERS HMGs, 2-PDR MORTAR, SUPPLIES, COMMANDER, and the like.

AT - Very similar to the previous category, with a decent amount of options and reasonable cost. These include PIAT teams.
The 43rd Wessex’s anti-tank regiment only fielded towed 6-PDR and 17-PDR guns.
The division makes do with its lack of self-propelled tank destroyers with the detachment of FIREFLY in the TANK tab (see above).

AA - not very good with only BOFORS and Dutch CMP POLSTEN anti-air units.

ART - a normal category, almost identical to the 15th Scottish.
This means 3-INCH and 4,7-INCH mortars, backed by 25-PDR howitzers.
No heavy 5,5-INCH guns, but the lighter self-propelled SEXTON will be available.
There is less off-map support compared to the Scottish division.

AIR - pretty powerful with a good mix of ground attack planes. These include aircraft from Dutch, British, and American air forces.

The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division is closer to a mechanized division than an infantry one with strong offensive firepower, including infantry, tank, and air forces. It is quite light in supporting arms.

Kampfgruppe Walther

Kampfgruppe Walter played a major role in the failure of Market Garden. It was an accumulation of various battalions, including an SS battalion, Luftwaffe penal troops, paratroopers, and the like. But the ace up its sleeve was the brand-new and lavishly equipped Panzerbrigade 107 with its new PANZER IV/70.

This battlegroup’s role of harassing the XXX Corps’ line of communication along Highway 69 was successful enough to force the leading Allied units to stop and wait before its flanks were secured.

Much like Kampfgruppe von Tettau, this Nemesis battlegroup is very “fluid” in its composition. The formation changed almost daily, depending on whatever German reinforcements were around. The core of Kampfgruppe Walther was organized around:

KG Heinke: a Panzergrenadier regimental battlegroup from the 9. SS-Panzerdivision. It was so reduced that the actual formation was closer to a (small) infantry battalion.
Fallschirm-Rgt. Von Hoffman: a paratrooper school unit created less than a month before Market Garden. When the Allied airborne operation was launched, the Germans went into battle, deprived of almost everything, from weapons to uniforms. They had to scrounge their equipment from local depots and even schools. Though completely inexperienced - officers included - this detachment’s soldiers were well-spirited.
6. Fallschirmjäger-Rgt.: von der Heydte’s famous veterans, with an uncanny ability to be part of most major battles on the Western front. By September 1944, the original four-battalion regiment was down to a single battalion-worth battlegroup.
Luftwaffe-Bewärhungsbataillon z.b.V. 6: a Luftwaffe penal unit formed in Romania and hastily transported to the Netherlands. Unlike the hard-fighting Lw-JÄGER z.b.V introduced with Axis 715.ID, these troops will be Disheartened, widely regarded (backed up by a slew of historical sources) to be utterly unfit for combat, better seen as a burden rather than reinforcements!
Several smaller AA, AT, or artillery batteries, often just a handful of guns each.

Panzerbrigade 107 unleashed

The main asset of Kampfgruppe Walther was the entire Panzerbrigade 107, freshly stood up, fully equipped, and recently transferred from Germany.

This brigade is equipped with over 30x PANTHER G.
Plus new GEP. PZ.GRENADIER (PzF) with a post-August 1944 TO&E. These squads are quite similar to the PZ.GRENADIER LSSAH (gep.) but without the Fanatical trait and with Kar.98K rifles instead of the G43.
And, the new GEP. PZ.GRENADIER (MP-44), as well with post-August 1944’s TO&E, including a full load-out of MP-44s with Panzerfaust.
The brigade had no tripod-equipped s.MG 42 machine guns since the formation fielded over 40x SDKFZ. 251/21 with Drilling 15mm, used in AA and fire support roles.
New PANZER IV/70 tank destroyer (yes, not a tank, despite its name). This new unit is a JAGDPANZER IV equipped with the Panther’s long 42 L/70 75mm gun.

Kampfgruppe Walther Detailed

So how will the Axis division look in Steel Division 2? New units are bolded and in italic.

RECO - rather mediocre with Kampfgruppe Walther not having any dedicated recon battalion. This means you’ll have to make do with a handful of SPÄHTRUPP, FS.-AUFKLÄRER, FS.-SCHARFSCHUTZE, and BMW side-cars.

INF - pretty good with a balanced approach to slots and costs. The units on offer are an interesting mix rarely seen before. They are mostly available as a single card each. In real life, the battlegroup fielded fewer battalions than a regular Panzergrenadier-Division.
- New GEP. PZ.GRENADIER (PzF) and GEP. PZ.GRENADIER (MP-44) (see above) with dedicated Leader variants. These represent the Panzerbrigade 107’s lone infantry battalion. All squads can only be transported in SDKFZ. 251s.
- PZ.GRENADIER plus leaders, representing SS-KG Heinke. These are only available in trucks.
- FS.-JÄGER (FG-42) representing von der Heydte’s paratrooper veterans. They will come with additional experience.
- FS.-JÄGER (Hoffman) (work-in-progress name) will be experience-locked German paratroopers with a single MG-34. As they were fighting closely, even from, tanks they will feature the Tank Rider trait.
- FS.-FÜHRER squads.
- New Lw.JÄGER z.b.V., which is a cheap unit with fewer men compared to their 715 ID counterpart, also being burdened with the Disheartened trait.

TANK - a pretty strong category, though not as good as a “true” Panzerdivision, though better than a Panzergrenadier one.
This includes fielding PANTHER G and command variant.
STUG IIIG and leader versions. These will also feature the Tank Rider trait to accompany the German paratroopers listed above.

SUPP - an average category with fewer supply units than normal. It features a mix of various direct fire support units, including:
- SDKFZ. 251/9D self-propelled assault gun.
- SDKFZ. 251/16 self-propelled flamethrower.
- A few s.MG 42 and FS.-s.MG 42 machine guns.
- A handful of LG 42 105mm recoilless rifles.

AT - Kampfgruppe Walther’s anti-tank forces are pretty respectable.
You’ll be able to field some PANZERSCHRECK and one card each of PAK 40 75mm and PAK 36(r) 76,2mm.
The JAGDPANZER IV.
And of course the new PANZER IV/70.
And a whopping two (2!) JAGDPANTHER tank destroyers. Historically, they were situated on the other side of the corridor, but they belonged to the same s.Panzerjäger-Abteilung 559 attached to the battlegroup.

AA - light but with some good options.
Such as the MOBELWAGEN.
A lot of SDKFZ 251/21 DRILLING. Currently used as transport, in this division they’ll come as numerous cards of AA and fire support vehicles.
FLAKVIERLING.
FLAK 38 20mm.
FLAK 18 88mm (two of them!).
The new DRILLING 20mm auf LKW (triple 20mm guns mounted on trucks).

ART - is pretty decent with some variety, but mostly light unit options.
A few SDKFZ. 251/2 81mm self-propelled mortars, as well as a few infantry 81mm mortars.
A dozen le.FH 18m 105mm howitzers.
Half a dozen WESPE 105mm self-propelled guns.
A handful of WURFRAHMEN 40.

AIR - will be lacking, focused on fighters which can only be deployed from Combat Phase B onwards.

Kampfgruppe Walther is a versatile battlegroup, both on attack and defense. You’ll have plenty of good options, though most will be somewhat limited in number. This means this division will not be as resilient as other armored battlegroups.

See you on the battlefield

That’s all for this last installment for Nemesis 7#. We’ll be back soon with the kick-off of the Nemesis vote!

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See you on the battlefield, commander.