Hello commander!
For this fourth and last Men of Steel’s “versus” reveal, we will head back to the Eastern Front.
But while MoS intends to focus on infantry divisions, we’ve taken the opportunity to bring two new “exotic” armored ones, one for each side. Including one brand new, and rarely depicted, WW2 minor nation: Bulgaria!
Introducing Axis Hungary’s 1. Páncélos Hadosztály (1st Armored Division) and Allied Bulgaria’s Bronirana Brigada (Armored Brigade) .
A new major expansion
But first, a little reminder: Steel Division 2: Men of Steel is the next big chapter of our World War II battle simulator. We are still going strong, even four years after Steel Division 2’s official launch! In this new major expansion, we will put the hardy combat soldier center stage, from all corners of warring Europe, offering:
- 8 new divisions from 7 nations, including a brand-new minor nation.
- With units from 12 nations in total!
- New Aces.
- New Unit Traits, which will be rolled out to certain existing units in older Steel Division 2 divisions as well.
In size, this expansion follows the lines of our previous Tribute to… DLCs, but unlike these types of expansions, we don’t focus on a specific theater of war. Instead, we spotlight interesting divisions or battlegroups from all over Europe, notable for their unique infantry and armored forces (and taking advantage of the new Unit Traits system).
1. Páncélos Hadosztály
Again, this division isn’t a complete stranger since it once competed in Nemesis #4, although focusing solely on the battle of Păuliș (September 14-19th, 1944). This version will take into account the broader month of September 1944.
Formation
Although created on November 1st, 1942, 1. Páncélos Hadosztály didn’t really come to existence as a combat formation until mid-1944. In the meantime, it was stripped of most of its vehicles to create the ad-hoc 1st Field Armored Division which served and was destroyed in the USSR, then was used as a training unit for 2. Páncélos Hadosztály which had priority for organization.
By mid-1944, the division barely had 50 tanks, mostly for training purpose and its motorized infantry had no motor transports.
Everything changed when Romania, Hungary’s arch-enemy, switched side in late August! 1. Páncélos Hadosztály then received the highest priority in equipment, more than doubling its tank strength in the first ten days of September. To achieve such feat, the Hungarian army scrapped the barrel: they drew on training units, depots, factory reserves, … but also had the new assault guns battalion reequipped with newer StuG, Marder or Zrinyi send back their second-hand Toldi and Turan. The infantry was motorized by commandeering civilian trucks!
Finally going to war
In mid-September, when the division finally engaged the Romanians, it had been brought back to over 120 tanks. An impressive amount hiding the fact that all were Hungarian Toldi & Turan, hence obsolete at that stage of the war. To this were to be added about 40 Nimrods AA/AT SPG and half a dozen Csaba armored cars.
Yet, the division was still far from complete: the infantry regiment was understrength, had only a handful of medium AT guns (40mm) and was given Panzerfaust to compensate for the lack of heavy ones (PaK 40)!
The division’s first clash with the Romanians occurred near Arad, on September 13th. There, the division was supported by elements from 6th Replacement Infantry Division (meaning reserve troops) as well as 7th Assault Gun Battalion (StuG). Although 1. Páncélos swiftly dispersed and pursued the Romanian cavalry, it quickly ran into troubles. First the very next day at Păuliș, where 6th Replacement Infantry Division it still supported was kept at bay for five days by the stubborn cadets from an NCO school.
By September 20th, the Hungarian counter-offensive had foundered when the Soviets showed up in support of their new Romanian allies: 6th Replacement Infantry Division was overrun by the lead elements of their 53rd Army, again near Arad. 1. Páncélos counter-attacked the heavier and better armed Soviet tanks, simulating retreat to bring them on more favorable terrain and counter-attack with the help of German Stukas. By the end of the day, the Soviet had abandoned 23 tanks for no loss on the Hungarian side. Nonetheless, the Hungarians had to evacuate Arad again on September 22nd.
Retreat & death
This skillful reaction taught the Soviets some humility and for a few days they remained more cautious, probing and reconnoitering. But on September 24th, the regrouped 53rd Army stroke again, this time with full force. It was to be the 7th Assault Gun Battalion’s days of glory, for in the ensuing battle its 30 machines destroyed 67 Soviet tanks. Meanwhile, 1. Páncélos was by then working closely with KG Ameiser, a battlegroup from 22. SS-Freiwilligen Kavallerie-Division.
Despite some gallant defense, the Hungarian Third Army couldn’t withstand such an onslaught, even with some German help. 1. Páncélos, just like 7th Assault Gun Battalion & 22. SS-Freiwilligen Kavallerie-Division would retreat until they reach Budapest, where they perished in that city’s famous siege (Christmas 1944-February 13th, 1945).
1. Páncélos in September 1944
Over the course of its September 13-25th campaign, 1. Páncélos went through two phases, first offensive then defensive, which will be represented ingame.
1. Páncélos’s organic elements will be available over all phases (as long as units strength allowed full card), as well as 7th Assault Gun Battalion’s StuGs.
In phase A/B, it will also count on elements from 6th Replacement Infantry Division which, although Disheartened, will fill in for 1. Páncélos’s very limited infantry and AT assets.
In phase B/C, it will receive reinforcement from KG Ameiser in the form of new SS-Kav.-Jäger (and support).
Bronirana Brigada
Finally, it is time to reveal Men of Steel’s last division and our new minor nation: let’s welcome Bulgaria’s Bronirana brigada (Armored Brigade) to Steel Division 2!
Despite its designation, this “armored brigade” is actually closer in size to a division.
Bulgaria during WW2
Although Bulgaria’s Tsar Boris III was openly admirative of Adolf Hitler, he kept his country neutral for about a year and a half into WW2. But in March 1941, he agreed to join the Tripartite Pact (a.k.a the Axis) when Germany’s Führer requested passage on his soil for German & Italian troops attacking Greece. In return, he would get territorial gains over Greece and Yugoslavia, the alternative being to be the possible next target for an invasion.
Yet, despite joining the Axis, Bulgaria didn’t take an active part in either the Greek or Yugoslav campaigns, but was ready to step in his newly acquired territories in Macedonia & Thrace. Nor did it declare war on the Soviet Union on June 22nd, 1941, but agreed to send an Occupation Corps in Serbia to take off some weight from the Germans. Bulgaria’s policy was one of “conciliate Germany by making many comparatively unimportant concessions”, dixit Tsar Boris’ secretary, without involving itself too much in international affairs.
But whatever its leaders’ convolutions, Bulgaria was to be dragged into WW2 nonetheless …
On August 28th, 1943, Tsar Boris died suddenly, leaving the throne to his 6-year-old son Simeon and a regency. The new government, although still pro-German at heart, began to consider ways to escape the German alliance, and thus war, and sought contacts with the Allies. Despite the pro-German Prime Minister being replaced by a pro-Allies one in June 1944, Bulgaria’s situation didn’t improve: the Normandy landings shattered all hopes of an Allied landing in the Balkans, which Bulgaria could have joined. Bulgaria’s situation was then meaningless to the Western Allies, while the Red Army was quickly advancing toward its borders in the wake of Operation Bagration and its subsequent operations.
The situation worsened quickly with Romania’s defection to the Allies on August 23rd, allowing Soviet troops to reach Bulgaria’s border unchecked. On the 27th, Bulgaria declared itself neutral, but despite concessions to Stalin, such as the disarmament of German troops, delayed declaring war on Germany as long as possible. When it finally did on September 7th, USSR had just declared war on Bulgaria itself! For one day, September 8th, the country was therefore at war both with Germany & the Allies! Soviet forces crossed the border, meeting no resistance from Bulgarian troops, while in Sofia a coup deposed the government, replacing it with a pro-Soviet one.
Under this new leadership, Bulgaria mobilized three armies against the retreating Germans and their allies, entering Yugoslavia in September. Their first action in WW2 being the offensive at Niš to block German troops from withdrawing to Greece.
Bronirana Brigada
Which leads us to the Bulgarian Armored Brigade (armored brigade), which would play a major role in the Niš operation.
Prior to joining the Axis in March 1941, Bulgaria’s army only had three tank companies, equipped with British Vickers & Czech. LT-35 tanks. Upon siding with Germany, it was supplied captured French R-35, enough to raise a fourth one. In June of that year, two more companies were formed. The six of them were then regrouped into the Broniran Polk, or Armored Regiment, but which by all standard was already a small brigade since, in addition to the tank group, it had its own reconnaissance, motorized infantry, motorized artillery and services.
From July 1941 to August 1944, the “regiment” would train under the watchful eyes of German advisors. Over the course of 1942, its organization was changed to get closer from the structure and equipment of a German Panzerdivision, while the Bulgarian army try to get more modern vehicles from their ally. After intense negotiations, it was decided in 1943 that Germany would deliver newer Panzer IV & StuG.
In September 1943, the Armored Regiment was expanded to an Armored Brigade, with one tank regiment, one motorized infantry regiment, one artillery regiment, one armored reconnaissance battalion, one anti-tank battalion, one anti-aircraft battalion and one engineer battalion. By all account, this was a small division.
On August 12th, 1944, the German advisors declared the brigade finally combat-ready … but immediately started wondering about its intended employment, with Bulgaria leaning more and more openly toward the Allied side. By the end of the month, the Germans had secretly dispatched a special team to Bulgaria to take the tanks and assault guns out of action immediately should they receive such order.
But the Bulgarian Armored Brigade was put on alert and relocated out of its barracks three days before the coup and the change of alliance, and the Germans could do nothing about it. The brigade moved into Serbia as soon as September 5th with orders to push the Germans back as far away as possible from Sofia. The inexperienced Armored Brigade got its first taste of blood … and losses there. Because of poor reconnaissance work, an entire tank company ran into a minefield and was lost.
Niš operation
Meanwhile, Bulgarian forces (namely the First, Second and Fourth Armies) were put at the disposal of Soviet Marshal Tolbukhin’s 3rd Ukrainian Front and ordered to attack German forces in Serbia, while Soviet & Yugoslav forces were to drive to Belgrade. The Bulgarian offensive soon staled in the face of a 7. SS-Freiwilligen Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen"’s counter-attack.
The Armored Brigade was called in to break through the German defenses, with an extra infantry battalion from 32nd Infantry Regiment attached. This time, it fared better, although at a high price: 7.SS was repelled, but losses (irreplaceable since the Germans wouldn’t deliver replacements at that point) forced the brigade to reorganized its three tank battalions into only two. Pursuing the retreating Germans, the brigade was brought to operate on very difficult terrain where the older Czech. tanks proved much more at ease than the heavier German ones, managing to “climb” slopes considered unsuitable for tanks in order to attack German mountain strongpoints from an unexpected direction.
The brigade was kept fighting until November, when losses and the lack of spare parts made it impossible to keep functioning. It was disbanded on December 5th, 1944, and its personnel sent back to Bulgaria.
The Bulgarians in SD2
At its strongest, Bronirana Brigada amounted to about 135 tanks, of which 65% were T-IV (Panzer IV G & H) and the rest Škoda Š-35 (LT- 35) & Praga P-38 (LT- 38), as well as 18 armored cars SdKfz. 222 & SdKfz. 223 and 50 T-III (StuG III G). With supporting PaK 40, Flak 88mm, le.FH 18M, …
If you ever dreamed of playing a 1942 Panzerdivision, that’s it … but on the Allies’ side!
The infantry retained its local armament, with a majority of ZK-383 SMG, Mannlicher rifles & carbines and ZB-26 LMG.
Bronirana Brigada will be reinforced by a battalion from 32nd Infantry Regiment, beefing up its very reduced infantry arm. But those retain the Bulgarian organization, with very large (14!) squads but barely no infantry AT weapons, as well as non-German equipment. It can also count on some light Yugoslav partisan forces operating in the Niš area.
Air force is a mix of German planes, older pre-war (Czech., Polish) and early war (French, Italian) ones, as well as a locally produced Kb-11 Fazan.
Having no combat experience at all when engaged in the Niš operation, no Bulgarian ground troops will be able to be taken as vet2 status. This doesn’t apply to the air force, which had some experience fighting allied bombing raids over Bulgaria.
See you on the battlefield
That’s it for Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus posts. Let us know what you think!
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See you, commander!