Good day to you!
Welcome back to another Steel Division 2 Versus blog post. Today’s focus will be Steel Division 2: Black Sunday, the new History DLC set to release in the not-too-distant future!
If you missed our announcement last week, don’t hesitate to read all the juicy bits of our reveal here. The “Black Sunday” History DLC transports the action to the southern flank of the Eastern Front, where at the tail-end of August 1944, the Soviets are ready to launch their strategic Jassy-Kichinev operation into Romania.
We will look at each of the six divisions shipping with the latest History DLC, with this new expansion bringing over 150 new units. In today’s Versus post, two mechanized divisions from both sides take center stage: the Romanian “Greater Romania” 1 Blindata (1st Armored Division) goes up against the Red Army’s 7-y Mekh. Korpus (7th Mechanized Corps).
The “Greater Romania” 1 Blindata
All three Axis divisions in Steel Division 2: Black Sunday will be Romanian, and as such, feature unique weapons and vehicles that were historically used by this Eastern European Axis ally, including indigenous designs. Not only that, but all Romanian troops will also feature a full voice-over. Who knows: maybe you’ll get fluent in typical Romanian curses at the end of it!
The “Greater Romania” 1 Blindata was arguably the premier fighting force of Romania, but in direct comparison with the best the Third Reich had to offer, the Romanian Army’s sole armored division was closer in line with a Panzergrenadier division. By the summer of 1944, the 1 Blindata had already been destroyed and reconstituted several times over while fighting on the Eastern Front. In the latest reorganization, this division found itself fielding mostly German armored vehicles, including the venerable Panzer IV and StuG III. Locally produced materiel such as the TACAM T-60 tank destroyer and the outstanding Resita 75mm AT gun can also be found with the 1 Blindata.
The 1 Blindata was the armored reserve of the Romanian 4th Army, finding itself on the western “Jassy” pincer of the Soviet operation. When the Red Army began its offensive in earnest, the 1 Blindata bravely counter-attacked the Soviet forces with the German Kampfgruppe Brausch (from the 20. Panzer) under its command, but to little avail. Despite suffering substantial losses, Romania’s armored division didn’t break, instead engaging into a fighting retreat for the next couple of confusing days, trying to cover as many friendly units as possible. The division surrendered to the Red Army later in August. Afterward, part of the 1 Blindata was interned in POW camps, while a number of its soldiers were used to form an armored detachment, fighting under Soviet command until the end of the war.
The 1 Blindata’s main features
- The bulk of the division’s armored forces is made up of German vehicles, including the T.4 (Panzer IV H) and T.A. (StuG III G). A few elite German-commanded Panzer IV, survivors of the Bobruisk escape sent south to recover, can be deployed.
- Several light armored vehicles can also be found in its arsenal, such as the AB Horch (SdKfz. 222) and SdKfz. 250 and 251 half-tracks.
- An indigenous Romanian design is the small and cheap TACAM T-60 tank destroyer made of two separately captured Soviet pieces of equipment: an F-22 howitzer mated with a T-60 light tank.
- The Resita AC 75mm is an anti-tank gun combining all the best features of the German PaK 40 with the Soviet ZiS-3. Devastating penetration, accurate and is capable of delivering indirect fire.
- Both German and older French AA guns provide air defense, mostly smaller calibers such as the FAMO F3 half-track with 37mm gun, 25mm Hotchkiss gun or truck-mounted twin 13,2mm Hotchkiss .
- Air cover is provided by a wide variety of different planes, including “home-grown” IAR-81 fighters, German Stuka dive bombers, Me-109, Hs-129, the veteran Bf-110 and even Italian SM.79 bombers (built under license in Romania as the JRS-79B).
- The 1 Blindata might not be a flashy show-off division, but it has few real drawbacks, allowing it to be a balanced choice on the battlefield.
7-y Mekh. Korpus
On the Allied side, we find the 7-y Mekh. Korpus (7th Mechanized Corps), one of the main mobile Red Army formations in the eastern pincer of the offensive (the Tiraspol sector). This corps broke through the Romanian defensive lines and contributed significantly to closing the encirclement around the German 6th Army which occupied the central part of the Romanian defensive lines.
Made up of a mix of recruits and Stalingrad veterans, this formation supported the main attack of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on the west bank of the Dniester. After continuing through Romania, the 7-y Mekh. Korpus kept fighting until the end of the war, taking part in the Budapest Offensive and the liberation of Prague, before being ordered east where it fought Japanese forces during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Talk about a journey!
The 7-y Mekh. Korpus’ fighting strengths
- While similar to the 3-y Gv. Mekh. Korpus in the infantry it fields, this new formation doesn’t feature any partisan troops.
- The corps’ armored component is mostly made-up of T-34/76s tanks.
- The last surviving SU-76i in service with the Red Army can be found with this division. One of the few cases of captured German vehicles (in this case either StuG III or Panzer III mounting a Soviet 76,2mm gun casemate-style) which was actually loved by the Soviet soldiers.
- The few remaining British lend-lease Matildas in the southern part of the Eastern Front are attached to this formation.
- Lots of heavy support, in the form of SU-122, SU-152, and ISU-122S self-propelled guns.
- The Air tab is mostly made up of twin-engined Pe-2 variants, with P-40N fighters providing top cover.
- 7-y Mekh. Korpus features a balanced mix of medium tanks and regular infantry, but it can count on heavy support vehicles to bring some massive firepower to bear.
Steel Division 2’s History Pass
To recap: Steel Division 2: Black Sunday will feature six new divisions, two Army General campaigns, two new Aces, new Camouflage skins, and 150 new units, and much more exciting new stuff.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/988171/Steel_Division_2__History_Pass/
As you might know, getting the awesome Steel Division 2’s History Pass grants you access to all three History DLCs for Steel Division 2. The History Pass includes the “Black Sunday” expansion, as well as the The Fate of Finland expansion and The Death on the Vistula expansion.
Next Week
Let us know what you think! You can do this on 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. Discord especially is a great place to find other Steel Division 2 players to kick off an online or coop match!
Next week, we’ll keep on exploring a new set of divisions, which will appear with Steel Division 2: Black Sunday.
Until then, see you on the battlefield, commander!
