En bref. Avis aux amateurs de bons STR, une petite extension va débarquer le 6 juin prochain pour en un sens commémorer le Jour J et surtout réintégrer dans Steel Division 2 six des plus puissantes divisions que l’on trouvait dans Steel Division – Normandy 44.
Le tout ajoutant aussi une série d’unités plébiscitées par les fans. Comme le M18 Hellcat, des variantes de divers chars, le Lance-roquette Xylophone, T30 HMC,le M4A1 Rhino, le Panzer L6 ou encore des unités d’élites: Fallschirmjägers, US Rangers, British Airborne.
Pour plus d’informations sur Steel Division 2 – Tribute to D-Day Pack, voyez cette page sur Steam. Concernant Steel Division 2, voyez le site officiel ou cette fiche sur Steam.
Communiqué
Steel Division 2 – Blog Post – DLC Tribute to D-Day 2 Divisions Explored !
Good day to you!
In the lead-up to the launch of our new Steel Division 2 “Tribute to D-Day” DLC this 6th of June, we are going to explore each of the six new divisions in detail. In true versus format, we’ll focus a weekly post on two individual formations: one Allied and one Axis.
Today, the theme of our post is mechanized infantry. Please welcome the contenders to the ring: for the Allies, it’s the U.S. 2nd “Indianhead” Infantry Division; on the Axis side, we have the 17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Götz von Berlichingen.”
For those of you who missed last week’s news: on the 6th of June, in celebration of Operation Overlord in 1944, we’ll be releasing a brand-new DLC for Steel Division 2: “Tribute to D-Day”. This expansion features 6 divisions from Steel Division: Normandy 44, and will bring several new units to the battlefields of the Eastern Front.
A brief history
A disclaimer: yes, we know, the 2nd ID “Indianhead” is technically not a full mechanized formation compared to the 17. SS in the strictest sense of the word. However, we are labeling the American battlegroup as such in our game. This is due to the real-life reinforcements of independent units which were added to the division late into the Normandy campaign. Keep on reading to find out more.
2nd Infantry Division “Indianhead”First off, the brave soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division “Indianhead” which came to shore on D+1. Locked into fierce combat around Saint-Lô with among others the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division, the American formation learned the hard way how to operate (and succeed) in dense bocage country, creating improvised weaponry and developing new tactics on the fly. At the end of July, the division managed to break out, and advanced onto the important port of Brest. Much later in the war, the Indianhead soldiers also fought during the Battle of the Bulge, before ending up at the conclusion of World War II all the way across Germany, in Czechoslovakia.
17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Götz von Berlichingen”
The mechanized 17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Götz von Berlichingen” couldn’t hold a candle to the Third Reich’s best: it was a far cry away from a well-supplied and armed division made up of battle-hardened, experienced soldiers. Instead, raw recruits and Volksdeutsche filled up its ranks, and the lack of motorized transports had only been slightly mitigated by using locally sourced French trucks and automobiles.Named after the Swabian 15th-century knight, with an iron prosthetic hand (yes, they had them in those days) which led to the black-and-white coat of arms, the 17. SS was also known as the “Lick my Ass Division” thanks to the famous saying of the namesake, Count von Berlichingen. Nonetheless, the 17. SS proved themselves well during the fighting in Normandy. Heavily mauled in constant battles, only the tattered remnants of this division managed to escape the Falaise Pocket.
New toys to play around with
The “Tribute to D-Day” divisions will have full access to all the new unit types introduced in Steel Division 2, such as the artillery observers and commander units, and the Feldgendarme for the 17. SS. Not only that, but we are also introducing some new units to these two formations:
SS-Legionari – 17. SS. This unit is composed of die-hard Italian SS troops. They are veteran assault soldiers equipped with Beretta SMGs, G-43 semi-auto rifles, Molotov cocktails, and Panzerfausts.
Basics – 2ID. Much as the name implies, these fresh recruits are armed with Garand rifles and gathered in large squads. As green replacements, they carry the Disheartened trait. We can’t save all the Private Ryans, can we?
Assault Group – 2ID: A field-expedited full SMG squad (a mix of Thompsons and Grease Guns) formed after suffering one too many defeats in “hedgerow hell.” This unit is available from phase B onward.
Demolition Group – 2ID: Urban combat specialists, created by the Indianhead during the street fighting in the port city of Brest. These soldiers are armed with a combination of flamethrowers, bazookas, rifles and experimental full-auto M2 carbines. These soldiers can only be deployed in phase C.
Snipers – 2ID: This unit is introduced for the first time to the Indianhead. Does exactly what it says on the tin: shoots the enemy from afar with deadly accuracy!The “Tribute to D-Day” DLC will also “revive” some classic units from Normandy 44 and allow for their deployment on the Eastern Front in Steel Division 2. These units can all be found in the 2nd Infantry Division.
U.S. Rangers – The famous elite American soldiers will equip four different infantry squad variants and one support half-track unit.
M3 105mm howitzer – A light artillery piece used by both airborne troops and regular infantry U.S. Army regiments.
M18 Hellcat – Fan-favorite tank destroyer which sported paper-thin armor but resulted in it being the fastest tracked vehicle of the war.
M4A1 Rhino – A Frankenstein of a Sherman, some tankers fitted out their tanks with scrap metal scoured from German beach obstacles. This scratch-built armor allowed the Rhinos to destroy the dense hedgerows and shrug off light anti-tank weapons.
Xylophone – A beautifully named truck-mounted twin multiple rocket-launcher. The North American cousin of the Katyusha.Some behind-the-scenes Eugen thinkin’
We have made some additional changes to these two divisions. One of the most important is also one of the most obvious: these divisions no longer feature fixed economies, following instead the various Steel Division 2 templates currently available (Vanguard, Balanced, etc.).
That said, to acknowledge each division’s history, we decided to represent the “evolution” these divisions saw during the Normandy campaign. This we did by unlocking each unit at a specific combat phase depending on when they were used during the battles in Northwest France.
For instance, the 17. SS will gain access to heavier Flak units (37mm and 88mm), most of the tank destroyers (Jagdpanzer IV) and assault Sturmpionier from phase B onwards. This reflects that these elements only joined the division relatively late into the campaign.
The “Indianhead” experiences this even more. Here we see the Ranger-associated units only available in phase A or B in low numbers. Improvisation in the field led to the deployment of Assault Groups and the M4A1 Rhino, which is reflected by these units becoming available from phase B onward. The Xylophone rocket launcher and the M18 Hellcat joined the division late in the campaign; as such they can only be deployed in phase B and C. Another new unit is the Demolition Group infantry squad. Together with the British flame-throwing Crocodile tank, they played a vital role in the liberation of Brest, much later on. That’s why they can only be deployed in phase C.
Concluding Thoughts
The upcoming “Tribute to D-Day” DLC will release on June 6th and will be made available for $16,99 / €16,99.
We’d love to know what you think! Don’t hesitate to check out our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or our social channels (Facebook and Twitter). You can also join us on our Discord server or Reddit page.
Next week’s blog post will take a look at the kick-ass paratrooper Tribute to D-Day divisions and see some devil-versus-devil action: the 6th British Airborne squares up against the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division.
Until then, take care and see you on the battlefield, commander!
