Hello everyone.
We have some exciting news to share with you. Are you ready? Drumroll, please…
We are ready to reveal the next upcoming History DLC for Steel Division 2 “The Fate of Finland”. The expansion should launch within the next two months. We are hard at work, but we can’t tell you the exact date just yet.
Some of you internet sleuths already figured out that the next battlefield would be Finland. Very astute.
The new History DLC is set on the heavily defended Karelian Isthmus in the south-east of the country during the summer of 1944. The “Fate of Finland” DLC will bring six new divisions (three for both the Axis and Allies), as well as 200 new units, new camouflage skins, new aces, a new unit trait, a brand-new Army General Campaign, two new Historical Battles, and much more.
Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect.
The Finnish Front 1944
Chronologically, the new DLC stays close to the general timeline found in the Steel Division games: the summer of 1944. With the new expansion, we will transport the player to the far north of the Eastern Front, where the Finns, their German allies and the Soviets have been locked in a stalemate for a number of years - also known as the Continuation War.
Finland, having allied itself with Nazi-Germany to reclaim what it lost in the Winter War of 1939, has governed over a mostly static front. However, by June 1944, things were heating up as the Leningrad siege had been lifted and Stavka was planning a large offensive to knock the Finns out of the war.
The “Fate of Finland” DLC deals with the massive Red Army assault, which began on June 10th, 1944 and resulted in the breakthrough of several defensive lines on the fortified Karelian Isthmus, the subsequent fall of Vyborg, and near-collapse of the Finnish Army. The centerpiece is the crucial battle of Tali-Ihantala, where the resilient Finns finally managed to stop the Soviet advance - but at great cost.
The Divisions
We will take a closer look at each division and their new units in a blog post closer to launch, but for now, we’ll give you a sneak peek at some of the battlegroups you’ll be able to form in the new DLC. You’ll find three new divisions on each side.
The Axis
- Panssaridivisioona - As the sole armored division of the Finnish Army, this military formation can count on a wide array of different vehicles and tanks, from T-38 and T-50 to the BT-42 assault gun.
- Ryhmä Raappana - Meaning “Group Raappana” is an infantry force made up of regular riflemen, cavalry troops, assault Jääkäri and more. Excellent on the defense and in close-combat situations.
- 122. Infanterie-Division - German reinforcements rushed north to stem the Soviet tide. This division also fields Estonian volunteers and the powerful Luftwaffe air group “Detachment Kuhlmey”.
The Allies
- 126-y L. Gornostrelkovy Korpus - This Soviet division features elite infantry, including mountain troops, as well as a powerful airforce consisting of lend-lease A-20, P-40 Kittyhawk, and Hurricanes.
- Podv. Gruppa Vyborg - One of the ad-hoc military formations of the Leningrad Front, this mobile group is heavily armored, and includes various T-26 tank variants to the mighty IS-2 and even Churchill tanks.
- 358-ya Strelkovy Div. - The veterans of Vitebsk, this rebuilt division was redeployed north to spearhead the assault on the Finnish defensive lines. Very experienced, this battlegroup features brand-new ISU-122S tank destroyers.
One new unit trait is the “Raider” unit type. A Raider unit can operate behind enemy lines and doesn’t suffer any moral or combat efficiency penalties doing so. In our first game, this was a common trait found with paratroopers, but in Steel Division 2 the Raider trait can be found with Soviet mountain troops.
The Army General Campaign and Historical Battles
The Army General campaign puts you in the shoes of either the Soviet commander ready to break out of the Karelian front or the Finnish general desperate to hold the line.
One new feature will be the so-called Fortified Region unit, a new type of Soviet battalion. The role of this largely static military formation was to hold extended stretches of the frontline. As an infantry battalion in Army General, they are very weak, but once entrenched, are much more difficult to defeat, being able to call upon more bunkers and defenses compared to a normal infantry battalion.
The two Historical Battles, which we will detail in the future, will cover some of the most important engagements that occurred during the Red Army’s push across the isthmus. This includes the armored clash at Portinhoikka, one of the rare tank-on-tank battles on this part of the front. A second scenario deals with the attack and brutal counter-offensive in the Ilomantsi sector, which saw the Finns use their famous Mötti encirclement tactics, as well as the deployment of elite Soviet navy infantry.
What’s Next?
As we mentioned before, we’ll take a much closer look at some of the new features, aces, divisions, scenarios, and units at a later date.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/988171/Steel_Division_2__History_Pass/
If you haven’t, be sure to grab yourself the History Pass for Steel Division 2. With it, you’ll get access to all the three History DLC’s planned for our game, including the new “The Fate of Finland” DLC and the “Death on the Vistula” DLC.
So, keep an eye out on our Steam and Eugen forums and social channels (Facebook and Twitter).
You’ll hear from us soon!