Hello!
We hope you are doing well. We are busy getting both Nemesis: Raid on Drvar and our next expansion, The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy out of the door, but that doesn’t mean we have lost sight of our other, smaller projects. One of them is in your hands already, while the other is coming next week!
What, where, how? Read on for all the juicy details.
New map Kostritza is out now
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810030/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_12__Kostritza/
In case you missed it, Steel Division 2 has been enriched by a brand-new map - Kostritsa. A repurposed showcase map, it features forests, wide spaces, and a corridor of urban terrain. The map is playable in all game modes, solo, coop, and online. As part of the free Reinforcement Pack 12, download Kostritza now for free.
RP Lucky 13 coming next week
On to our other free Reinforcement Pack 13, which now has an official release date! Make ready as you are going to play with two free new divisions as part of the Lucky 13 DLC on Thursday, December 2nd (that’s next week). In case you want to check out the divisions ahead of time, be sure to tune into some of our Strike Team members from today onward. They will be streaming playthroughs with the Lucky 13 battlegroups until launch day!
Let’s take a detailed look at the two new divisions which will ship: the Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the Allied Task Force Butler. There might be slight differences between how the two were originally showcased as part of their Nemesis DLC offering and how they will appear in-game as Lucky 13 DLC. More research has been done, resulting in the addition of some new units and the removal of others.
Panzerdivision Tatra
Panzerdivision Tatra is an amalgamated battlegroup self-styled as a panzer division, but featuring fewer tanks and more infantry than usual. The units are varied and plenty, but most unit cards will only be available in low numbers.
- RECON - a fairly classic category with the usual complement of Axis recon units.
- INFANTRY - lots of well-priced options. Includes the usual Grenadier (plus Leader), Ersatztruppen, Landesschützen Ost (including Leader), Schupo, a few Panzergrenadier and Sturmpionier. The following new units can be found: - Volksturm - a 12-man Disheartened squad, with MP-28 and Kar.98K… and a LOT of Panzerfausts! - Pionier (MG-26) - engineers with automatic rifles. - Panzergrenadier (MG-26) - right now only available with the 25. PzGrenadier-Division. Soldiers-in-training equipped with two automatic rifles. These squads form the backbone of Panzerdivision Tatra’s infantry. - SS-Sturmgrenadier - a 10-man squad with MP-44 and two MG-42s.
- TANK - average in options and costs, with no more than one (at times incomplete) card of Panzer III L, Panzer IV H, and StuG III G (also in Leader variant) and Tiger. - Panzer 38(t) - this new unit is featured as this particular variant only in one Army General Romanian battlegroup in the Tiraspol campaign (but not available for multiplayer).
- SUPPORT - a pretty good category with a solid amount of cheap slots. Some of the more unusual unit choices are: - StuG 40 - currently only in use by the 14. Infanterie-Division. This is a short-barreled version of the ubiquitous StuG III G. - Bef.Panzer 38(t) - only available in Back to War DLC with 352. Infanterie division. - Feldjäger - only available in Burning Baltics with 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V.. These are elite military police equipped with MP-44.
- AT - a good number of cheap options, with quite a bit of choice. There are no new units, but some guns are rather rare, including the PaK 43, PzB 39 and the Jagdpanzer IV.
- AA - not particularly strong, with only a few slots and just two options: the Flakvierling and the 88mm.
- ARTILLERY - average with a large supply of Czech artillery. New units are: - l.FH 14/19(t) 105mm - an older artillery piece. - K35(t) 105mm - also known as the Hruby, fielded by the 25. PzGrenadier-Division. A modern gun superior to the ubiquitous German l.FH 18M 105mm (also fielded). - Panzerwerfer and Wurfrahmen - one model each of these two rocket launcher systems.
- AIR - a pretty decent category with a little of everything. One noteworthy unit: - Ju-88G1 heavy fighter, currently only available in Death on the Vistula with 5. SS-Panzerdivision "Wiking".
Task Force Butler
A mobile battlegroup built with an emphasis on speed and maneuver warfare. This division is reinforced by FFI (French armed resistance) from Phase B onwards.
- RECON - lots of slots, with cheap and a vast array of choices. This includes the ubiquitous jeep, M8, and Recon Stuart, but also new units, such as: - Cavalry Scouts - 6-man squad with bazooka and smoke, coming in their own M3A1 Cavalry half-track. - Commando d’Afrique - making its way over from Nemesis: Storming Toulon. A heavy 10-man commando squad with Thompson and Garands, automatic rifles, and bazooka. Available from Phase B only. - FFI Saboteur - 5-man squad armed with MP-40 and M1 Carbines, as well as explosives. They come speeding in with the legendary Traction car.
- INFANTRY - a good amount of slots, though Phase A only features a small number of American squads. More FFI units come available in Phase B. - OSS Ldr - a large 10-man command squad with UD-M42 SMG and M1 Carbine, plus LMG. They come vetted. - FFI Maquisard - currently only available in Nemesis: Storming Toulon. Several cards of a 12-man squad with Sten, Kar. 98K and FM 24/29 automatic rifles, as well as Molotovs. They feature the Raider trait. - FFI Ralliés - squads made up of “German” deserters, often Osttruppen or Volksdeutsche, but also some anti-fascist or communist Germans who decided to join the Résistance. Deserting with their weapons and training, they formed a few squads equipped with PPSh, Kar.98K, MG-34, and Panzerfaust.
- TANK - an average number of open slots, with the usual complement of Stuarts, M4A1, and M4A1(76) tanks. - M8 Cavalry - a new unit is the Greyhound armored car used in a “direct combat” role.
- SUPPORT - a well-supplied category, with a large amount of choice, including the M8 Scott, Sherman 105, M1919, and M2HB HMGs, but also some new units: - FFI MG-34 - French resistance fighters using a captured HMG with the Raider trait. - FFI Mortier 2-inch: light mortar courtesy of British airdrops, featuring the Raider trait. - FFI transports - which include Traction (also as a Commander) and DMA truck (also as supply).
- AT - not the strongest category, with expensive options and few slots. There are several new units, including: - FFI Partisans - 2-man team with a Sten and Panzerfausts. - FFI PaK 40 - a few captured German AT guns. - FFI Canon AC 25mm SA-L - a new light AT unit that was originally used as a towed version by the French army in 1940. Small, but accurate and with a high rate of fire.
- AA - one of the weaker categories with few and expensive slots. These include: - Citroen Hotchkiss - a twin 13,2mm AA MG mounted on a police truck. - FFI Canon CA 25mm - a mainstay of the French Army in 1940, this light air defense unit is only featured in-game by the Romanians.
- ARTILLERY - a pretty decent category featuring only American units, such as mortars, M7 Priest, Long Tom 155mm, and a few off-map 203mm observers riding a M3 Scout Car.
- AIR - the battlegroup can count on some very solid air support, with a combination of U.S., British, and French airplanes. - US B-26B-10 Marauder and P-47D-22-RE. - British Beaufighter Mk.IX rocket (only available in Nemesis:Battle of Rimini) and the Hellcat F Mk.II (from Nemesis: Storming Toulon). - French F-5B-1 Lightning and P-38J-15 (both available in Nemesis: Storming Toulon), as well as the B-26G-26 Marauder, a new bomber.
Tribute to the Liberation of Italy
That’s it for Lucky 13 DLC. We are still hard at work on the next expansions. A quick update, but we can let you know that all the Axis vehicle and plane models for The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy have been finished, as well as all the infantry models.
We also have the promised Soviet 72-K 25mm AA gun’s model done, which you will be able to enjoy with the 358th Rifle Division … before it gets added to more divisions.
Adieu, and until next week!
Enough for this week, commander. Drop us a line in our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.
See you soon!