Hello commander,
Welcome back! Let’s look at the last batch of new infantry 3D models on their way to Steel Division 2: Men of Steel.
In today’s DevBlog, we’ll shine the spotlight on the Allies and their (rather special) boots on the ground.
The Allies
Partigiani
We return to World War II Italy, but this time with a slightly different Allied perspective. Let’s welcome to the stage the Partigiani (partisans) from La Resistenza. A bit of background.
Although there was opposition to Mussolini’s fascist regime in the early war years, the Italian resistance truly sprung into being after the Armistice between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies on September 3rd, 1943. This notable event saw part of Italy siding with the Allies and the Germans taking over all remaining Italian lands and occupation zones (at times with much bloodshed).
The German occupation of Northern Italy and the subsequent establishment of the puppet regime of the RSI (Repubblica Sociale Italiana or the Italian Social Republic) triggered the resistance of a large part of the Italian population.
By the summer of 1944, the various Italian resistance movements, with the communists being the most prominent, had grown to around 100,000. They harassed the Germans and RSI troops in the rear. This happened while the Allies moved northwards until being blocked for an extended period at the Gothic defensive line, north of Rome.
In Steel Division 2: Men of Steel, the new Partigiani won’t be attached to an Italian division, but to the French Groupement Dody. When Allied troops landed in southern France during Operation Dragoon, some units were sent east to secure the Alpine passes between France and Italy. They had to protect the Allied landing zones from a potential German counter-offensive from northern Italy. As such, it brought the Allied formations in contact with the Italian partisans. Besieged in the mountains, these irregular troops were under constant pressure from German Gebirgsjäger and RSI anti-partisan units.
Many Italian partisans crossed the border and found refuge in the newly liberated sectors. Reorganized and resupplied, the Italians joined their FFI brothers-in-arms during the subsequent combat operations in the Alps. The Partigiani formed at least an entire infantry battalion and several independent formations, and even provided trained crews for captured French artillery batteries.
509th Parachute Battalion
Next up are some daring American paratroopers. Activated as a single independent battalion, the 509th Parachute Battalion trained with the British 1st Parachute Brigade in England, earning the right (a rather unique distinction) to wear the British paras’ maroon beret. Unfortunately, the Americans could not display their new headwear as the berets were never distributed. Only a handful of lucky paratroopers got their hands on one, including the much-decorated (and legendary) battalion Surgeon Captain “Doc” Carlos Coolidge Alden.
By the summer of 1944, the 509th Parachute Battalion had seen its fair share of combat from airborne operations (Operation Torch and Avalanche), seaborne (Anzio), to mountain warfare (mainland Italy). A distinguishing feature was the small size of the battalion and, consequently, the lack of fire support. To offset this, the American paratroopers managed to get their hands on a sizable amount of squad automatic weapons to increase their firepower in the field.
In Steel Division 2: Men of Steel, the 509th Parachute Battalion will be part of the 1st Airborne Task Force, represented by a single card of veteran AB Assault Group. They are equipped with Thompson and BAR rifles, even though the latter type was not officially handed out to airborne troops at that time of the war.
Another feature that made the 509th Parachute Battalion an interesting choice was that the paratroopers wore camouflaged uniforms. A rather crude one, as just before taking off for their combat drops, the paratroopers would wait in line while someone came around with paint to smear their regular beige uniforms. This later led to heat issues, as the painted uniforms did not wick perspiration normally, leading to some very sweaty paratroopers under the French summer sun.
Another American unit wearing camouflaged uniforms, although with a different pattern, will be the AB Pathfinders, also featured in the 1st Airborne Task Force.
1st Special Service Force/Devil’s Brigade
Last, but certainly not least, come the cunning Forcemen commandos of the Devil’s Brigade or, more officially, the 1st Special Service Force. The unit’s nickname stems from the legend that the Germans themselves had dubbed the soldiers of this outfit “Schwarzen Teuffel” (Black Devils). Why? With their faces blacked by boot polish, they sneaked into the German-held camps at night to silently kill any one found - without leaving a trace. It seems that this was more a “PR” invention from the 1st Special Service Force than fact.
What is well-recorded, though, is that during the fighting to break the long siege of the Anzio bridgehead, Forcemen would indeed sneak around the German positions at night, keeping them under pressure by killing sentries with knives, or mounting raids, leaving signature stickers on the bodies of killed Germans saying “Das dicke Ende kommt noch” (“The worst is yet to come”).
Our Allied Ace, to be featured in Steel Division 2: Men of Steel, Sergeant Tommy Prince will be found with the 1st Airborne Task Force. Within a brigade renowned for its sneaky soldiers, Prince was so successful that he was regarded as a ghost. For instance, in Italy, leading a patrol to locate several machine guns and gun emplacements, Prince advanced alone. He crawled and entered each position, dispatching all their crew without noise or raising any alarm. He returned to his unit before dawn, reporting to have cleared a safe path to the summit, still held by the Germans. The rest of the brigade captured it in a raid the next day.
During the Anzio siege, Prince would sneak outside of the Allied bridgehead, enter enemy camps, steal items, and kill a single sleeping soldier in a tent while leaving the others unarmed. The following day, their comrades would find a dead body in their midst - always with the Forcemen’s famous calling card close by.
Although American-Canadian, the 1st Special Service Force was entirely equipped with U.S. gear, with the occasional Canadian paratrooper retaining their maroon beret (such as Prince).
Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus
If you want to know more about the next expansion, Steel Division 2: Men of Steel, be sure to check out our historical highlights, our so-called Versus DevBlogs. Find the list below:
- The Wehrmacht reservist of the 715. Infanterie-Division and the paratroopers of the Allied 1st Airborne Taskforce receive their highlight in our Versus #1 DevBlog.
- The Allied commandos of the 1st Special Force Brigade against the Market Garden-active Axis Kampfgruppe von Tettau in Versus #2 DevBlog.
- The Finish-Swedish Axis 17. Divisioona and the partisan-infused and mixed Allied Groupement Dody in the Versus #3 DevBlog.
- The Axis-Hungarian armored 1. Páncélos Hadosztály and the Soviet-allied Bulgarian Bronirana Brigada get their spotlight in Versus #4 DevBlog.
And if you want to read more about the two new Aces - Allied Sergeant Tommy Prince and Hungarian tank commander Barnabás Kőszeghy - you’ll encounter in Steel Division 2: Men of Steel, look no further and check out this dedicated DevBlog here.
See you on the battlefield
That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed this infantry highlight. We’ll be back soon with more juicy details on Steel Division 2: Men of Steel.
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See you on the battlefield, commander.