Hello there!
Let’s call today a little in-between post, but not without substance. We are still hard at work getting you the two free Reinforcement Packs: our new Kostritza map and the Lucky 13 DLC with the Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the Allied Task Force Butler. They are not quite ready yet, though, as they could use another round of testing and tweaking.
In the meantime, we want to take the opportunity to highlight an important aspect of our upcoming major expansion, The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy. Let’s welcome to the stage the daring pilots of the Italian Air Force (that is: both of them).
A bit of history
As you know, after the Armistice in 1943, Italy was divided into two warring states: the Kingdom of Italy in the south joining the Allies, and Mussolini’s fascist Repubblica Sociale Italiana in the north, quickly turned into a puppet state of Nazi Germany. The old Italian Army, including air forces, was also split.
In southern Italy, elements of the original Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) formed the Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI, or Italian Co-belligerent Air Force) under Allied command. In the north, the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana[ (ANR, or National Republican Air Force) under Mussolini’s control.
The Italians were reluctant to engage their former comrades in combat. This meant that ANR fighters intercepted Allied bombers on their air campaigns in northern Italy. ACI planes provided recon or escort duties but limited their ground support sorties. Heavier equipment was mostly used “overseas”: either in the Balkans (ACI) or in anti-shipping roles (ANR).
Italian Air Forces in Steel Division 2
You know that the name of the game - Steel Division 2 - in a more figurative sense has always been about historical accuracy. With our divisions and battlegroups, this works especially well when it comes to the TO&E (Table of Organization and Equipment). Due to the distances involved, we always had a bit more flexibility in bringing planes, formations, and squadrons together from further afield. The same is true for our Italian airmen of the ANR and ACI: while they might not have fought each other directly, both air forces in our upcoming Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion features its historical inventory of fighters, fighter-bombers, and bombers.
Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana
Mussolini’s air force got the lion’s share of the former Regia Aeronautica’s personnel. Most of them joined the fascist puppet state when the Armistice was announced. For years, these pilots had been battling the Allies over the Mediterranean. More recently, their primary task turned to intercept the bomber waves hitting the Italian cities and industries in the north. Skilled and motivated, most ANR airmen not only had to fight against the Allies, but also against a Luftwaffe distrustful of their Italian comrades. The Germans were keen on dissolving the Italian squadrons, taking control of its assets and pilots as a foreign legion of sorts. Fun fact: an attempt was made by the Luftwaffe, which ended up in confrontation between SS and Italian paratroopers, close to deteriorating in open combat.
The ANR recovered a substantial amount of the Regia Aeronautica’s planes and flew them for the duration of the war. In addition, despite their distrust, the Germans delivered some replacement airframes to make up for the losses suffered.
In Tribute to the Liberation of Italy the ANR’s arsenal features:
- C.205V Veltro fighter in several variants
- G.55 Centauro fighter
- Re.2005 Sagittario fighter
- German Bf. 109 G-6 in both fighter and fighter-bomber roles
- SM.79-III Sparviero bomber
- Z. 1007ter Alcione bomber
Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana
While the ANR laid their hands on most of the Regia Aeronautica’s personnel and planes, the Allied ACI had to make do with scraps (in some cases literally as quite a few of the airplanes were in dire need of repair). All in all, the ACI could only count on 200 airframes, some barely functioning. What’s more, Mussolini’s forces controlled the aeronautical factories and workshops in the north, meaning an acute lack of spare parts for the ACI planes.
The ACI resorted to rebuilding their forces using Allied equipment. This also had the double benefit of not being mistaken by Allied AA and fighters. From the summer of 1944 onwards, the remaining Italian machines were gradually replaced by American and British examples, save for the rather excellent Z.1007 bombers. These were used until the end of the war as night bombers over the Balkans.
In Tribute to the Liberation of Italy the ACI’s arsenal features:
- C.202 Folgore fighter
- C.205V Veltro fighter, same as its ANR counterpart
- British Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop fighter
- American P-39 fighter (several versions)
- Re.2002 Ariete fighter-bomber
- British Baltimore Mk.V bomber
- Z.1007bis Alcione bomber
Before we leave
Before we bid adieu. A little update on our current projects. Get ready because the new Kostritza will launch soon@. The Reinforcement Pack 13, containing our free divisions, will likely release soon after.
The work on Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion and our Nemesis: Raid on Drvar is advancing steadily. Most of the Axis models - which were a lot, as the biggest part of the local Italian equipment was in the hands of the Germans - have been done. More news to come soon, promise!
Meanwhile, meet the cute L3 (aka CV33) family:
Until next time
That’s all, commander. Let us know what you think. You can do this through 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 next week!