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Which of the new war heroes courtesy of Reinforcement Pack #14 will you be able to command? 
You can find the vote on our dedicated page by following this link
Much like this previous improvised battlegroup, the Axis Kampfgruppe Walther was short-lived. The major difference is that this Nemesis’ Axis division fought against the Allies further south during several pitched battles and counter-attacks between Eindhoven and Nijmegen along the infamous “Hell’s Highway.” 
As we know, the airborne landings in the Netherlands during Operation Market resulted in a string of American and British paratroopers occupying various towns and defensive positions on the axis of Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem. Rushing ahead to link up with the beleaguered airborne troops was the Allied XXX Corps, with the Guards Armoured division in the vanguard. The British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division followed closely behind.
The Dutch brigade landed in Normandy in August before fighting its way to home soil in time for Operation Market Garden. Named after the Dutch royal family, the PIB is closer to a reinforced Motor Rifles battalion. Some local Dutch resistance members acted as impromptu recon troops. 
Besides infantry, the 43rd Wessex will have a heavier focus on tanks and air support, with only divisional artillery and recon and only a little support. Because of the nature of the battles, the division will be phase-locked:
The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division is closer to a mechanized division than an infantry one with strong offensive firepower, including infantry, tank, and air forces. It is quite light in supporting arms. 
This battlegroup’s role of harassing the XXX Corps’ line of communication along Highway 69 was successful enough to force the leading Allied units to stop and wait before its flanks were secured. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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.
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.
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! 
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. 
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. 
Let’s go!
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
The Allied projectile hit Kretzschmar’s “536” Panzer IV front right corner, ripping apart armor and tracks. After having been towed back to a workshop, where it received a series of hasty repairs, its crew took the tank into combat again in a rather battle-damaged condition. Looking worse for wear but still actively engaging the Allies, the tank and its crew were spotted by a German war correspondent who duly took a picture. This made Kretzschmar and his Panzer IV famous, especially for post-war history buffs! 
Lauri Torni
( Lauri Torni in the middle)
Aladar Heppes
Ion S. Dumitru
The new Aces DLC will feature two sets of Aces: several from our original Steel Division: Normandy ‘44 who haven’t made their appearance yet in Steel Division2, and number of completely new ones. The total roster is 10 Aces in total!
Major emerged victorious from pistol shoot-outs, capturing vehicles, secret documents, and over a hundred prisoners in the course of the war. He is also most famously known for charging and single-handedly liberating the Dutch town of Zwolle, forcing out its entire German garrison. 
He served both in the “Alsace” squadron and RAF’s 602 Squadron, participating in everything from fighter sweeps, shooting down V1 flying bombs, to battling Me 262 jet fighters later in the war. Clostermann’s post-war memoirs, The Big Circus, is a must-read for any World War II air combat buff. 
His mission was to secure and hold the “Pegasus Bridge” over the Caen Canal intact until Allied troops would join up from Sword Beach. Major Howard and his soldiers accomplished the mission with flying colors despite heavy German counterattacks. 
With only fighting for four months, from Normandy to Germany, “Wardaddy” was credited with 12 confirmed tank kills and the destruction of 258 other armored vehicles, making him the greatest American tank ace up to this day. 
Later he accompanied the Baltic Front’s advance in Estonia. By this time, Kravcov was the regimental commander, having flown on LaGG-3, lend-lease Hurricane, and La-5 fighters. Our Ace would be credited with 29 individual kills and 4 shared ones by the war's end. 
So, what’s the deal with these two new maps? They can be seen as a precursor to our next Army General expansion, codenamed Dukla Pass. The historical details you can check out in this DevBlog. 
The Valley of the Death map was inspired by the battlefields around Svidnik, where the actual pass leads out into a wider valley. In comparison, the Dukla Pass map is on the other side of the Laborec Highlands, just south of Dukla (hence the name). In this area, the Carpathian mountains begin to climb. Several valleys rise towards the pass, forming parallel “canyon-like” gullies. 
Each of the three corridors is separated by relief, which increases in height the deeper you advance (depending on the direction you travel). This represents the beginning of the Laborece Highlands, inspired by real-life terrain variations. 
While separated through height difference and thick forest, connections between the corridors exist. Pathways reach plateaus and go down on the other side. That’s why, if some Spartan-wannabes block one path, you can still try to go sideways and outflank the enemy blocking force. While the valleys have quite a few villages and farmsteads, which can act as defensive strong points, the higher plateaus are mostly devoid of structures and buildings. There are a few isolated settlements, but most of this terrain is covered in woods. 
Sight lines down in the valleys or on the plateau’s edges are pretty open, allowing for long-range engagements. However, the plateaus themselves are better suited for close combat and ambushes. 
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