Hello commanders!

As promised, we return with a brand-new Nemesis option. In this week’s DevBlog, we’ll propose Nemesis #7.2 codenamed “Dodecanese”.

This particular offering is a slightly different beast as we highlight two divisions not from the summer or late 1944 - Steel Division 2’s de facto timeline - but one at least from a bit earlier, from 1943.

Let’s welcome to the stage the Allied Italian-British Egeomil (Italian high command in the Dodecanese islands) versus the Axis German Sturmdivision Rhodos.

Nemesis 7 DLC Vote

The Nemesis DLC is back with Nemesis #7. What does that mean? In the coming weeks, we’ll be detailing two new battlegroups, one from the Axis and one from the Allied side. They are typically thematically or historically linked, often based on special or unsung battles of World War II. Once we have finished previewing each set of options, we will open the vote, and you can decide which Nemesis DLC should be developed next.

• Nemesis #7 kicked off with the Italian-themed Nemesis #7.1 featuring the Allied US 1st Armored Division “Old Ironsides” versus German Axis 71. Infanterie-Division. Check out all the information in this dedicated DevBlog.

Nemesis 7.2’s Setting

The who? The what? The Dodecanese Islands? An often overlooked minor theatre of war during World War II, the Greek Axis-held Dodecanese Islands are tucked away on the far periphery of the Mediterranean, close to Turkish shores. One of the most famous of its many islands is Rhodes.

Inhabited by a Greek-speaking majority, the islands during World War II were, in fact, Italian, wrestled from Ottoman rule during the short Italo-Turkish War of 1912 and given to the Kingdom of Italy afterward. By 1941, the island group had been turned into a heavily fortified aeronautical base thwarting British sea domination over the eastern Mediterranean (together with recently conquered Crete). This was deeply frustrating to Winston Churchill, who was constantly looking for ways to remove these pesky Italians.

Fate seemed to smile on the Allies when Italy was negotiating its surrender in late August 1943. Anticipating the official declaration, Churchill prepared to occupy the islands before the Germans could intervene. A race to be first developed across Italian territories, from southern Italy to occupied Greece. The fictional “Guns of Navarone” movie takes place within the historical context of this campaign.

In September 1943, British special forces and infantry landed in Kos, Kalymnos, Samos, Leros, Symi, Castellorizo, and Astypalaia. The swift reaction from the German garrison on Rhodes prevented any further advance, as they managed to secure the largest island in the Dodecanese before the Allies could arrive. The capitulation of Rhodes doomed the British-led operation, as the superiority of Axis forces was great, with each of the smaller islands being returned to the occupiers one by one.

The main Allied focal point was on Leros, where the 134th Infantry Brigade from Malta Command merged with the Italian garrison, with former enemies now turned ad-hoc allies. Leros was finally attacked and forced to surrender by November 1943.

As mentioned before, with this option, we are stepping away from the “Summer of 1944” rule that guided our divisions and weapon choices. One of the two divisions on offer - the Allied Egeomil - in Nemesis 7.2 ceased to exist by this time. We opted to rewind this particular formation until 1943, while the Axis Sturmdivision Rhodos is closer to how it looked in summer 1944. They could have survived into our timeframe without changes to their equipment.

The fight for Rhodes and Leros

The Dodecanese Islands, separated from mainland Italy, were a separate Axis-Italian command encompassing all local naval, ground, and air forces. The core of the defense lay on the shoulders of the 50o Divisione di Fanteria “Regina” and various naval and air force personnel, as well as Blackshirts paramilitary forces. Having been assigned to the Dodecanese in 1940, the division so far had lived a not-so-disagreeable war on the Aaegan beaches. Its brief timeline included a short combat bout against Greek sailors for Agathonisi island in November 1940 and sending a regimental battlegroup to Crete in 1941 (but not seeing much combat).

This changed in 1943. After Italy’s capitulation was made public on the radio, the Italian governor of the Dodecanese was as surprised as anyone as the private plane carrying the official news had been delayed. So, too, were the German commanders. Both sides maintained cordial relations for two days.

This uneasy truce lasted until Sturmdivision Rhodos suddenly attacked the superior Italian garrison on Rhodes. Left alone and under threat of a massive aerial bombardment, the Italian governor capitulated. Some other Italian forces held out, and in some local battles, they even got the best of the better-equipped and more experienced but fewer-numbered German adversaries. After the surrender, many Italian soldiers destroyed their equipment, with some deserting to join the Greek resistance. The Nicolas Cage’s film “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” takes place on a completely different island but still dramatizes a similar chain of events. The same goes for the epic “Guns of Navarone,” a war movie taking place within the historical context of this campaign, but dealing with a fictional gun battery.

With Rhodes secure, the British plans were in shambles. Not to be fazed, Churchill still diverted British light infantry and special forces to Leros. There, after some initial ego clashes, the British took the lead of the combined Anglo-Italian force made up of the 134th Infantry Brigade from Malta Command and the original Italian forces on Leros reinforced by survivors from other islands, including Rhodes.

However, while the British were building up their forces, the Germans were reinforcing too. As Sturmdivision Rhodos was reducing the smaller islands’ garrisons one by one, Leros was bombarded by the locally still-strong Luftwaffe on September 26th, 1943. The Axis invaded the island on November 12th with troops from Crete. Pushed inland, the British-Italian defenders were forced to surrender four days later.

Allied Italian Egeomil

The Italian troops fighting during the Dodecanese campaign alongside the British weren’t even “co-belligerent” at this time. For the main part, the Italians tried to remain neutral and enter into Allied captivity peacefully; however, with their former German allies attacking en masse, the Italians threw in their lot with the British.

As such, all Italian units will be new and organized along pre-Armistice Italian organization and equipment. This means no British gear! Furthermore, Egeomil will be a phased-locked division, mixing Italians, British, and a handful of Greek ones. Phase A will represent the Battle of Rhodes itself between the sole 50a Divisione Fanteria "Regina" & Sturmdivision Rhodos. This results in the availability of only Italian forces with some Greek partisans and sneaky British SBS (Special Boat Squadron, the “SAS of the Royal Navy”) commandos. From Combat Phase B, only British (and some Greek) units will be available, while only those Italian units that are still at large can be deployed. As a result, equipment specific to the Rhodes garrison will no longer be featured the longer the combat continues.

The Egeomil Detailed

Let’s detail each category in turn. Note that units bolded and italic are new! Some units don’t feature a proper name and currently use a placeholder title.

• RECO - somewhat limited in slots but with some interesting choices. The ”Regina” as a fixed division was deprived of a specific Bersaglieri recon battalion. That’s why it can only count on ESPLORATORI and TRIALCE squads.
  
  • Some GREEK PARTISANS and a few daring British SBS are present on Rhodes prior to the German attack. They provide the Allies with eyes on the ground in Phase A.
    
  • From Phase B onward, the regular recon units of a British infantry brigade can deploy: WILLYS HMG, RECCE, SCOUTS and SNIPER.
    
  • Also from B will be more “hard-hitting” special forces with the LRDG (Long Range Desert Group), who traded in their desert-focused heavy jeeps for mountain infantry training. However, they hadn’t lost their habit of blowing up everything they could while engaged in deep reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines.

• INF - is a pretty good category, as can be expected from a static infantry division reinforced with an extra brigade and a smattering of special forces.
  
  • New (although “old style”) Italian FUCILIERI will be available in vanilla, LMG, and leader variants, organized along pre-Armistice TO&E. Another new unit is the GUASTATORI squad.
    
  • Italian AIR FORCE and NAVY ground personnel (but not MARO).
    
  • GREEK PARTISANS, with a mix of early war’s Greek Army weapons and captured ones.
    
  • From Phase B onward, British troops can deploy, including DEFENCE GROUP, RIFLES, RIFLES (PIAT) (scarce, for it was just entering service), RIFLES LEADER and ASSAULT PIONIERS.
    
  • From Phase C only: the Greek commando battalion THE SACRED BAND, which was partly air-dropped, part sea-landed in October 1943, to assist in the fighting on Leros. These famous special forces fought alongside the SAS and Free French Forces in Tunisia.

• TANK - as you might expect, not that good, but with some fun options. Italian infantry divisions weren’t supposed to have armored units, but the “Regina” could count on some, even though all were obsolete when they arrived… in 1940!
  
  • Available for deployment is the diminutive (and new unit) L3/33 tankette plus command variant. This is the same as the support vehicle L3/35 but featured here in a “tank role.”
    
  • Another new unit is the L5/30, a light 1920s tank inspired by the venerable FT-17, although faster and armed with a longer 37mm tank gun.

• SUPP - very reasonable with the usable complement of HMGs, light mortars, supply trucks, flamethrower, and commanders divided into Italian units in Phase A, and British from Phase B.
  
• New units include:
  
  • BREDA M31 13,2mm (a Hotckiss variant built under license).
    
  • And even a SOLOTHURN S-18/1000 20mm HMG (described in last week’s DevBlog).
    
  • CANNONE DA 76/17 S 75mm, a naval fire support gun. Better than the OBICE DA 65/13 65mm in a HE role, but lacking HEAT rounds.
    
  • CARABINERI, military policemen with the Discipline trait.

• AT - Egeomil’s anti-tank options are not very powerful. Though there are plenty of choices and options, all of them light.
  
• The Italian SOLOTHURN S-18/100 (same as the one featured in the Hungarian Army) and CANNONE DA 47/32 47mm can deploy from Phase A.
  
• From B, the British bring the new 2-PDR and 6-PDR towed anti-tank guns, as well as a single card of PIAT.

• AA - the divisional anti-air defenses are very very good, both in terms of number of slots and cost. Besides, several guns are dual purpose and can be used as direct fire support or even anti-tank guns.
  
  • The division itself only had 20mm guns: the CANNONE 20/65 and the SCOTTI. Some are mounted as the DOVUNQUE CA 20MM.
    
  • The various AA units posted on the Dodecanese Islands are available as the new CANNONE DA 76/40 76mm and CANNONE DA 90/53 90mm guns, both potent anti-tank weapons.
    
  • The more original weapon system used is the new AUTOCANNONE DA 102/35, a 102mm AA gun mounted on the back of a heavy-duty truck. There are no sources showing it mounted, but it was well-documented to have been used like this in North Africa as part of the DAK by the MILMART (coastal artillery militia). Considering that a few would have been converted this way, it gives us the opportunity to introduce a very original piece of Italian equipment.
    
  • From Phase B onward, the British can deploy the ubiquitous BOFORS 40mm.

• ART - A pretty good category, with the divisional’s artillery being reinforced by several heavy battalions.
  
  • The “Regina” only fields 81mm mortars but can count on an impressive range of towed guns, from the OBICE 75/27 75mm to the OBICE 105/28 105mm and OBICE 149/12 149mm.
    
  • Off-map artillery will come as OSSERVATORI units calling in 210mm coastal mortars, but also as large (and new) CANT Z.50 floatplane calling in coastal 152mm guns.
    
  • As for the British, they will only contribute some puny 3-INCH MORTARS from B onwards.

• AIR - is pretty good across the board. From Phase A, the Italians are limited to;
  
  • a few old C.202 and G.50 fighters, previously only seen in Finnish use!
    
  • they can also call on a full squadron of SM.79 light bombers (so far, only featured with the Axis RSI), plus some CR.42 light and CANT Z.501 (heavy) recon planes.
• Of the above, only the C.202 and the CANT will make it to Phase B, but no further. From that point onwards, the British and Allies take over the sky, bringing a powerful arsenal of fighters, fighter-bombers, and bombers. These include:
  
  • British SPITFIRE MK.Vb and South African SPITFIRE MK.Vc.
    
  • British reco fighter SPITFIRE PR MK.V.
    
  • British heavy CAS fighter, the BEAUFIGHTER, as well as BALTIMORE bombers.
    
  • The new British HUDSON heavy recon and light bomber.
    
  • And the new American B-25H “gunship,” which is a pretty cool B-25 with a 75mm howitzer in the nose used as a direct-fire ship killer. We originally wanted to include this unit in our Tribute to Italy expansion, but we wrongfully thought it was a “Pacific-only” variant. Thanks to the Steel Division 2’s Strike Team efforts, it was demonstrated this particular B-25 variant also served in the Mediterranean, chiefly in the Aegean sector!

It should be noted that some of the equipment above will find its way into the Axis Sturmdivision Rhodes and auxiliaries hands, as detailed further below!

Sturmdivision Rhodos on the island

The Sturmdivision Rhodos has a convoluted combat history. At its core were elements of the German 22. Infanterie-Division garrisoned on Crete. However, additional detachments found their way into the formation. These include surviving forces from units destroyed in North Africa (mainly the 164. Leichte-Division).

Our battlegroup was moved to Rhodes in March 1943 and designated Sturmbrigade Rhodos, only to be quickly upgraded to division status soon after. Other Deutsches Afrika Korps survivors, such as the penal troops from the 999. Leichte-Division were also added to the Greek island’s formation.

With the Armistice, Sturmdivision Rhodos was initially inclined to collaborate with the Italians as long as they showed no intention of surrendering - or worse - joining the British. The island’s commander, General Kleeman, attacked his former allies on his own initiative by surprise on the night of September 9th after the Italian commander refused the German division freedom of movement to repel a potential British invasion.

Some troops based in Crete and involved in the battle for Leros were kept in the Dodecanese island group, further bolstering Sturmdivision Rhodos. Fascist Italian Blackshirts who chose to side with the Germans also found their way alongside the formation.

After the campaign's successful conclusion at the end of 1943, the division remained on garrison duty until mid-September 1944. Afterward, most of the infantry, with the heavy equipment left behind, was recalled to mainland Greece and incorporated in the newly created Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg. Those troops remaining on Rhodes ended the war as Panzergrenadier-Brigade Rhodos and surrendered to the British on May 8th, 1945.

Sturmdivision Rhodos in Steel Division 2

Made up of various detachments, Sturmdivision Rhodos had an unusual TO&E, to say the least. By August 1944, in our timeframe, it was organized roughly as a small Panzergrenadier-Division, with many types of armored vehicles regrouped around a makeshift Panzer-Abteilung. The divisional’s arsenal featured a wide range of foreign weapons, from captured Italian equipment to British small arms seized after the capitulation of Leros.

The division features less infantry (four instead of the regular six) and artillery (one compared to standard four) battalions, as well as fewer tanks. On the other hand, it both has an armored Panzer-Aufklärung and a Füsilier (infantry) recon battalion, making it unusually strong in these departments. These would have been used to hunt partisans, with several Italian RSI Blackshirt formations. These, plus fortress troops garrisoning the smaller islands, make up auxiliary forces attached to the division. While its organic artillery and AA forces were very limited, Sturmdivision Rhodos can count on the island’s strong AA and coastal defenses.

Sturmdivision Rhodos Detailed

Note that the following division is a work in progress. While exact units and values are still to be determined, overall strengths and weaknesses for this battlegroup will probably remain. As before, new units are bolded and italic.

• RECO - As indicated before, this category is pretty strong with the usual array of SPÄHTRUPP, BMW, SDKFZ. 222 and SPW.233 armored cars. Bolstered by some new units:
  
  • FUSILIER RHODOS, organized along the same lines as the rest of the infantry (SCHÜTZEN) featuring 2x l.MG42.
    
  • A single Phase A-only card of MOT. FUSILIER, equipped with numerous captured Italian automatic weapons. Historically, these squads were formed into ad-hoc “armored recon platoons,” although only featuring motorized transports.
    
  • Lastly, some BRANDENBÜRGER KUSTENJÄGER special forces. Originally based on Crete, they remained on the Dodecanese after the Battle of Leros to hunt for Allied special forces and other infiltrators.

• INF - another strong category, though maybe not as powerful as a pure infantry division.
  
• The battlegroup’s bread-and-butter infantry will be the well-armed SCHÜTZEN and SCHÜTZEN FÜH much like the other Steel Division 2’s 78. Sturmdivision.
  
• The new SCHÜTZEN (PzF) will be available too.
  
• Standard PIONIER and STURMPIONIER can be deployed, as well as ERSATZTRUPPEN. One of the latter companies was organized as mountain troops featured as GEB. ERSATZ., fitted out with captured small arms.
  
• Sturmdivision Rhodos can also count on some more exotic attachments.
  
  • Italian Blackshirts, as the new SQUADRISTI can be deployed. These will not be the same as those described in the Nemesis #7.1 DevBlog with the 71. Infanterie-Division. Rather, the ones who remained on the Dodecanese were closer to second-rate security troops armed with whatever was left over. They’ll come in different flavors with old Italian and captured British small arms, lacking experience but featuring the Security trait (for standard soldiers) and Discipline (for Leaders).
    
  • Several FESTUNG. GRENADIER cards will provide a large number of cheap troops, though afflicted with the Disheartened trait.
    
  • And some disembarked Kriegsmarine personnel.

• TANK - an average category with one Combat Phase A and B card each of PANZER IV G and STUG III G, plus their respective command variants.

• SUPP - moderately powerful with the usual arsenal of infantry guns, HMGs, supply, etc. Additionally, you’ll be able to find BEF. PANZER III K and a few STUH 42. Extra Italian Blackshirt equipment includes:
  
  • BREDA M37 and the new BREDA-SAFAT 12,7mm HMG.
    
  • BRIXIA 45mm mortar.
    
  • OBICE 65/17 65mm and CANNONE 76/17 75mm fire support guns.
    
  • L3/35 tankettes under Blackshirts management.

• AT - you wouldn’t have guessed it, but this is one of the division’s strong points. Sturmdivision Rhodos had no less than 54 PaK 40 in its ranks. And this is without counting all the guns located around the various islands in an anti-landing role. That’s why in-game:
  
  • Lots of PAK 40!
    
  • Some PANZERSCHRECK.
    
  • Italian CANNONE DA 47/32 47mm, both captured or in the hands of Italian Blackshirt troops.
    
  • A few British captured 2-pdr (hence new unit) and 6-pdr guns now fielded by the Blackshirts.
    
  • And a handful of PAK 97/38 served by a Kriegsmarine crew.

• AA - another good category. The divisional anti-air units are pretty limited in the form of a dozen single-barreled OPEL FLAK 20mm and captured Italian BREDA 20mm. However, the islands were brimming with additional AA guns to keep Allied planes away, which bolsters the battlegroup’s anti-air defenses.
  
• This includes FLAK 88mm and even FLAK 105mm guns.
  
• Some Italian (new) CANNONE DA 75/46 C.A.
  
• And captured British BOFORS 40mm.

• ART - artillery forces available to the division are pretty decent.
  
• The formation could count on a few le.FH 18M 105mm, s.FH 18 150mm and KH 433/1(r) 152mm. Italian Blackshirt support includes CANNONE DA 75/27 and the (new unit) CANNONE DA 105/27.
  
• Unlike most German divisions, the Sturmdivision Rhodos only has access to smaller 81mm mortars, not the bigger 120mm ones.

• AIR - is one of the weakest categories. Rhodes was home to only a few Luftwaffe bomber squadrons but seldom had any fighters. This will be detailed later, but expect a few slots, all expensive and bombers only.

See you on the battlefield

That’s it for this week’s Nemesis 7# offering. We’ll be back next week with the final option.

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See you on the battlefield, commander.

Hello commanders!

We are back with an exciting new Nemesis vote! That’s right, the Steel Division 2’s community-favorite (and favored vote) has returned. In today’s DevBlog, we’ll present the first option of Nemesis #7.

Let’s put the spotlight on the US 1st Armored Division “Old Ironsides” and the German 71. Infanterie-Division. While the Axis and Allied divisions didn’t directly oppose one another, they were both stationed along the Italian Gothic Line in the late summer of 1944.

Let’s go!

Nemesis DLC Vote

The Nemesis DLC is back. What does that mean? In the coming weeks, we’ll be detailing two new battlegroups, one from the Axis and one from the Allied side. They are typically thematically or historically linked, often based on a special or unsung battle of World War II.

Once we have finished previewing each set of options, we will open the vote, and you can decide which Nemesis DLC should be developed next. Then, the Eugen team will start crafting and tinkering in our workshop (which might take some time). In the last couple of years, we have already released six other Nemesis DLCs, from Lvov Offensive, Nemesis: Storming Toulon to Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk.

In short, we present one option for two divisions each week. After three Nemesis previews, you get one vote to choose your preferred option.

US 1st Armored Division “Old Ironsides”

The “first-born” of American armored divisions, the US 1st Armored Division “Old Ironsides” was created in 1940 by expanding the 7th Cavalry Brigade, which had been the US pre-war armored testbed. While the United States wasn’t at war, the brutal efficiency of the German panzers in Europe during the Poland invasion and later combat in the Low Countries and France wasn’t lost to the American planners.

When the US finally entered the war at the tail-end of 1941, the 1st Armored Division shipped to England for further training, fielding early war equipment such as M3 Lees, Stuart light tanks, T19 and T30 self-propelled guns.

The division’s first taste of combat occurred in November 1942 when it took part in the Allied landings in Vichy France Algeria during Operation Torch. Soon after, the first German units were encountered. One of the more inglorious war events occurred during the Battle of Kasserine Pass when Rommel’s swift counter-attacks mauled about a third of the inexperienced American division. While the blow was humiliating, the division bounced back and recovered with surprising speed, dismissing ineffective commanders and promptly reevaluating methods and equipment.

The 1st Armored Division returned for the closing week of the Tunisia campaigns before participating in the liberation of Sicily and the invasion of mainland Italy. It turned out to be the sole armored division at the Anzio landings and a subsequent battle for the bridgehead.

By this time in the war, new American armored divisions were reorganized under a “light” TO&E. The 1st Armored Division kept its old “heavy” TO&E (like the 2nd and 3rd Armored Division). Only after the breakout from Anzio and the capture of Rome would the formation reorganize along lighter lines, turning into a “mechanized” formation better adapted for the cramped Italian theater of war.

Upon reaching the Gothic Line in 1944, the 1st Armored Division, now a veteran formation, was reinforced with co-belligerent Italian units in an attempt to breach through the heavy German defensive lines. It finished the war on the Italian front.

The 1st Armored Division in Steel Division 2

A hybrid armored division, from “heavy” turned “light,” with additional Allied Italian attachments, the 1st Armored Division is more mechanized than a pure tank formation.

The Italian front featured much more constrained terrain than Northwestern Europe and was unsuited for wild, head-long cavalry rides. As such, the division’s RECO forces, while based on a “true” cavalry scout regiment, are quite average compared to, say, the 4th Armored Division. Meanwhile, INF can be deployed in more generous slots compared to other US Armored divisions, featuring even more than actual TANK slots. With stand-off firepower being a key element to subdue Axis defenses in Italy, SUPP and ART are the division’s strong suits, while AT and AIR are more average and AA particularly scarce.

The 1st Armored Division was one of the first American formations to go to war, but it never left the Mediterranean theater. By 1944, it was at the bottom of priorities regarding replacements (including equipment). This means the division is still fielding some pretty old materiel and vehicles brought over from North Africa. This kind of equipment was usually retained and subordinated to lesser units, giving them a bit more firepower.

The 1st Armored Division Detailed

Let’s detail each divisional category. Note that units bolded and italic are new!

• RECO - The formation’s recon elements field “cavalry” style equipment and units. Not accounting for the usual array of vehicles (Stuart, Greyhound) it can also field CAVALRY SCOUTS, AMMO & PIONIEERS, BANTAM jeeps, M6 FARGO, as well as a few attached Italian ESPLORATORI. Unlike other American units, and more in line with their Commonwealth counterparts, the 1st Armored Division scouts have jalopied Stuart light tanks for recon. These were not the battlefield-modified Stuart Recce, but rather a specially designed T8E1. These new units are more mobile but are not meant to transport scouts. They are best used as a light recon tank.

• INF - Slogging it out since North Africa and overused in the mountainous Italian terrain, the grunt of the 1st Armored Division suffers from the same battle weariness as the British 7th Armoured Division. This means that new variants of ARM. RIFLES (BAR) and ARM. RIFLES (LMG) will get a free veterancy, but this comes with the Battle Weary trait. They are also locked to half-tracks as a transport option. Lighter infantry squads come in the option of two Italian attachments, both from the co-belligerent 210a Divisione di Fanteria Ausiliaria:
  
  • The 67º Reggimento Fanteria forms the basis for the new FUCCILIERI (“vanilla,” Bren and Leader variants) reequipped with British small arms. Briefly attached to this formation were the BERSAGLIERI A.U.C. (Allievi Ufficiali di Complemento) squads, also a new unit, which were officer cadet battalions. All the fit and healthy personnel had been transferred elsewhere, leaving only the crooked shell of demoralized, unhealthy recruits who, in real life, had a staggering rate of desertion and hospital admittance. As such, this latter squad will feature the Disheartened trait.
    
  • The 210º Raggruppamento Genio da combattimento provide GUASTATORI squads, including flamethrower-armed variants.

• TANK - This category covers M5A1 light tanks and pretty much all types of Sherman tanks, as the 1st Armored Division quickly replaced its M3 Lees with the 75mm M4 and later the M4A1. The M4A3 was reserved for the Northwestern European theatre and was unavailable to the battlegroup. However, in a peculiar move, the division received one of the first batches of M4A3(76)W tanks as replacements later in 1944. This new unit, including the command variant, will be phase-locked.
  
• SUPP - This is well equipped with the usual set of units, from HMGs to supply commanders, flamethrowers, and the like. Representing the division’s heavy reliance on direct fire support, the M8 SCOTT, T30 HMC, M4(75) and even a M7 PRIEST are used in an assault gun role. Some Italian units are also featured, including the new CARABINERI military police, BREDA M37 HMG and OBICE 65/13 plus a rapid-firing anti-tank rifle, the new S18/1000. This latter unit will be treated as a 20mm HMG, on par with the German Erdkampflafette 43.

• AT - As mentioned, the divisional’s anti-tank forces are pretty light. It contains the usual BAZOOKA weapon teams, towed M1 57mm and M1 76mm AT guns, a few M10 TANK DESTROYERS as well as Italian CANNONE 47/32.
  
• AA - Again, with the Axis air threat being pretty non-existent by the time the Allies reached the Gothic line, the battlegroup’s anti-air forces have been reduced to a bare minimum. Units available include the usual M16 MGMC and, more unusual, a new unit, the T28E1 MGMC. This is a predecessor to the M15, which is armed the same but features less armor.

• ART - This is one of the division’s strong points, with a wide array of light and heavy artillery units. It includes the usual 60mm, 81mm and 107mm mortars, M21 self-propelled mortar and M7 105mm howitzer. It can also count on the heavy towed M1 155m and M1 203mm howitzer. The latter unit comes with its dedicated artillery tractor, in the form of the new M33 PRIME MOVER, which is basically a repurposed de-turreted M3 Lee.

• AIR - The 1st Armored Division won’t have access to generous air forces and can only call on fighter and fighter-bombers, including two new models of Italian Re.2001CN fighters and American A-36 APACHE fighter-bombers. The latter is a dive-bomber variant of the Mustang.

German 71. Infanterie-Division

Next up is the Axis 71. Infanterie-Division. The original formation saw the light in 1939 and took part in the invasion of France in 1940, where it made propaganda headlines by capturing Verdun, the symbol of World War I. Dubbed “The Lucky One” after that, the division returned to Germany to act as a training unit before being sent east to participate in the invasion of the Soviet Union. There it took part in major battles such as the Battle of Kiev in 1941, the Second Battle of Kharkov in 1942, before fate took it to Stalingrad. Here, the 71. Infanterie-Division was destroyed, ceasing to exist in January 1943.

The division gained a second lease on life with replacement troops, and this time, it was not sent to the Eastern Front but to sunny Italy. Barely six months after the division’s reformation and still in training, the capitulation of the Axis-Italian government saw the formation hurriedly sent to Italy to disarm Italian forces. The division would spend most of its time on this front. The 71. Infanterie-Division was tasked with coastal protection and anti-partisan duties before being deployed on the frontline, where it played a major role during the Battle for Monte Cassino in the spring of 1944.

Severely depleted during the various Allied offensives, the division was moved to a quieter sector, impassable terrain. Here, instead of rest and recuperation, the 71. Infanterie-Division was targeted by an offensive of the light-footed French Expeditionary Corps’ mountains troops, severely mauling the German formation. As such, the infantry division was moved to the other side of the Italian theatre, to the Adriatic coast, assigned to hold the left flank of the Gothic line. Fighting Canadians, then Poles, then co-belligerent Italians, the division was slowly bled dry.

The 71. Infanterie-Division would not see the war's end in Italy. Transferred to Hungary to take part in the ill-fated Lake Balaton offensive, it retreated to the west afterward, reaching Austria to surrender to the British in May 1945.

German 71. Infanterie-Division in Steel Division 2

The 71. Infanterie-Division was chosen as one of the original testbed divisions for the StG 44 assault rifle in 1943, though it doesn’t appear to have been very high on the infantry weapon’s replacement list after that. For instance, it retained the GrB.39 anti-tank rifle turned into AT grenade-launcher well into 1944. The formation also confiscated a lot of Italian weaponry from SMGs and LMGs, and a large percentage of the division’s artillery and armor. Another defining feature was the strangely high number of scoped rifles, which was more in line with the German Army’s mountain division arsenal.

In Steel Division 2, the division receives some additional infantry from Axis RSI “Blackshirt” formations. Earlier in the war, these were fascist volunteers organized in paramilitary units attached to regular army formations. They would compensate for their lack of experience with political fanaticism. After Italy’s Armistice, most remaining Blackshirt units were of low quality, with a few Blackshirt “M” battalions (for either “Mussolini” or Muerte, meaning death, with the debate still ongoing) being of better caliber, at least in terms of political zeal. These were found to be fighting on anti-partisan duty behind the frontline, or coastal defense, in 71. Infanterie-Division’s area of operations.

German 71. Infanterie-Division Detailed

The 71. Infanterie-Division is an infantry division with strong artillery, and even if total tank numbers might be lacking, some potent armor options are available.

• RECO - An average category with the regular complement of AUFKLÄRER, SPÄHTRUPP, and BMW recon units. The new FUSILIER (ZF) will make good use of some of the battlegroup’s ample supply of scoped rifles. The SPW AB41(i) can also be fielded.
  
• INF - One of the formation’s strong points. The bulk of the infantry will be composed of the new GRENADIER (GrB 39) with MG-34 and GrB. 39 anti-tank rifle. One card of the new GRENADIER (MG-42) will receive an extra Breda 30 LMG, courtesy of disarming the local Italian forces. The new GREN. FÜH. (ZF) will bring an extra number of scoped rifles.

• More specialized squads are featured in the form of - one card each - STURMGRENADIER and STOSSTRUPPEN (Beretta).
  
• The new PIONIER (GrB. 39) will also feature the anti-tank rifle. Regular PIONIER FÜH. and STURMPIONIER will also be available.
  
• Finally, the new SQUADRISTI (Blackshirts) will deploy in two flavors: one squad equipped with a MG-42 and the other with a FM 24/29. Both units will also be armed with Panzerfaust.

• TANK - Rather restricted in numbers, several interesting tank unit choices will be featured.
  
• The division’s well-represented STUG M42 75/34 will be joined by the very rare (only a dozen produced historically) STUG M43 75/46, which is a new unit. This latter vehicle features a much more potent long 75mm tank gun, derived from an AA piece, which only the 71. Infanterie-Division and two other formations ever possessed.
  
• A single card of Panther A from the nearby I,/Panzer-Rgt. 4.

• SUPP - A well-supplied category with the usual allotment of HMGs, flamethrowers, light mortars, supply vehicles and commanders. Additional units include STUG M42 75/18 and STUG M43 105/25. The very rare IG 37 was fielded by this division. These infantry guns were a mix of PaK 36 carriages accommodating the few IG 42 barrels produced, which was a new 75mm infantry gun intended to replace the IG 18. It features more range and a better HEAT round.
  
• The Italian Blackshirts bring some SQUADRISTI BREDA M31 (a licensed copy of the Hotchkiss 13,2mm HMG), SQUADRISTI BREDA M37 and SQUADRISTI BRIXIA 45mm.

• AT - The anti-tank forces of the division are above average with PANZERSCHRECK, both PAK 177(i) and CANNONE DA 47/32, PAK 40, MARDER III H tank destroyers and a few JAGDPANZER IV A-0 (from s.PzJ. Abt. 525).
  
• AA - Rather light, with self-propelled SDKFZ. 10/4 and SDKFZ. 7/1, as well as the new Italian SCOTTI 20mm AA gun.

• ART - Another strong point of the division, with all the regular divisional 81mm and 120mm mortars, as well as le.FH 105mm and s.FH 150mm howitzers, plus some more.
  
  • Captured guns include the new le.FH 255(i) 75mm (Italian Obice da 75/18), le.FH 315(i) 100mm (Italian Obice da 100/17) and le.FH 255(i) 75mm (Italian Obice da 75/18).
    
  • Nearby supporting artillery units bring the super-heavy MÖRSER 18 210mm, as well as the NbW 42 210mm and PANZERWERFER 150mm multiple rocket launchers.
• AIR - This category features a mix of Axis and Italian RSI planes: Fw-190F-8, Me-109G-6, C-205 VELTRO and SM.79 SPARVIERO bombers.

See you on the battlefield

That’s all for this week’s Nemesis #7.1 preview. We’ll be back with more next week!

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