Development update #113: The Talvisota SP campaign, Pt.1
Hello everyone, it’s time to start a series of mission stories - like we have done for “Ostfront” in the past. We’ll also show some new assets in the process.
We intend to do a couple of these, without giving everything away before you even get your hands on it; let’s not spoil everything in advance.
Check out Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Talvisota and add it to your wishlist!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911520/Call_to_Arms__Gates_of_Hell_Talvisota/
Here we go with the first mission in the campaign:
Summa
When the Soviet government made demands for territory in 1939, it was clear that war between Finland and the Soviet Union might break out. Preparation for war had already started, and the cornerstone of the Finnish defenses was still under construction.
Known as the “Mannerheim line”, the main defensive position had been modernized in steps. The original plan dated back to 1918; in the years after, the first bunkers were constructed, albeit that these were of non- reinforced concrete. In the 1930’s the line was modernized and expanded. Work on the line was still ongoing when war broke out on November 30th, 1939.
Anti- tank obstacles typically were set up in zig- zag lines and were made from rock, which made them very brittle and fragile to the huge artillery guns used against them.
(HD Link) The order of battle and the initial attacks in november/ december 1939During the first 2 weeks of december 1939, the Finnish army conducted a fighting retreat from the Soviet border to the Mannerheim line. Small skirmishes had slowed down the Soviet offensive just enough to buy a few more days for the Mannerheim line to be prepared.
The commanders in chief: Gustav Mannerheim (left) and Kliment Voroshilov.Then, on the 16th of december, the attack on the Summa sector began. The attacks came in waves; several attempts were made and a number of Soviet tanks broke through the line.
This breakthrough was stopped soon after, but the attacks kept coming.
The importance of this line for the Finnish army was compounded by the fact that the line behind it, the Salpa line, was not expected to hold for very long. They could not allow a Soviet breakthrough at the Mannerheim line. Everything was at stake.
The battle has been depicted historically accurately, with the exact line-up of fortifications, trenches and bunkers. Each bunker has been modeled to the real specifications and we researched a lot of documentation to bring this legendary battle to life.
The mission in Gates of Hell
You will be in charge of defending this section of the Mannerheim line. The question isn’t whether the red army will attack or not, the question is when they will attack.
There is no way of escaping this battle, because there’s nowhere to escape to. You’ve been digging trenches and setting barbed wire lines everywhere.
There is an awareness that the south- eastern part of your position is not the strongest. Without knowing how much time you’ve got left, you’ll have to try to set up more defenses on that side.
Soon, the enemy will be here and you’ll undergo your baptism of fire. The shortage of AT guns has prompted a different kind of bunker design, and the whole defensive concept will be put to the test very soon.
People have been comparing the Mannerheim line with the Maginot line; in reality, they could hardly be more different from each other. In some bunkers, the AT guns are positioned to cover the sides of the bunker only. The idea is that the enemy may try to overrun the line with tanks, exposing the more vulnerable sides to the AT guns in the bunker’s sides. They will be allowed to almost break through, only to find out that the areas between the bunkers are actually designed to be killing zones.
That’s all great in theory, the question is: will it work?
HD LinkYou will have to prepare for the oncoming attack by placing yet more mines. Put them in the way of the most likely attack routes, and just lay as many as you can. Wherever you see fit, dig more trenches. Do anything you can to enhance what’s already there.
The left side of your position faces a very marshy area, which we think is too difficult to cross with any heavy vehicle, but there are no guarantees they won’t try!
If the experiences of the past two weeks are anything to go by, the attack will be massive. We expect the Soviet tanks and infantry will be deployed in huge numbers, so the line will be put through its first serious test. The same goes for your men; they are not battle hardened and you need to make sure they don’t panic!
The barbed wire fences and AT traps are virtually untested, we don’t know if the dragon’s teeth in front of the line will hold back tanks for real. Some testing was done and it seems they might shatter when hit by large calibre shells.
Of course we can’t predict what will happen, but you will have to improvise. One way of doing that is to try and capture enemy equipment. Maybe you should form a raiding party to recover and repair some vehicles? You should always be ready to loot and re- use anything you can anyway! Try to capture a few tanks, they would already be a great addition.
What’s that unusual engine note in the distance? Do we expect more of our troops retreating towards us? No. It must be something else then. The noise is getting louder, this sounds like a lot of engines… there! A tank emerges from the treeline, but what on earth is it?
Man, it’s huge. And look at that, it’s got 2 turrets! This is bad news. Sound the alarm! get into cover immediately and start coordinating the defense!
Then, all hell breaks loose. Take cover! Big shells are incoming on your position. That must be a huge caliber. Where does that come from?
There’s no doubt that a massive attack will begin as soon as the bombardment stops. Tell your men this is the right moment to summon their “sisu” (guts & courage), and that there can be no surrender.
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HD LinkBack to the present day. We think you will like this mission, for which we obviously recreated the assets needed to historically represent the real thing.
Like for Ostfront, the landscape is recreated to represent the 1939 situation. These landscapes will have a different look and feel compared to “Ostfront”, because we used a new set of textures - and since we recreate maps from the original landscape, the result is quite different from what you see in Ostfront.
Assets and models
The content we produce for Finland makes for a full- blown set of unique tanks, vehicles, guns and infantry which were unique to the wars that Finland fought.
Together with a good load of other assets, this will almost double your possibilities in the editor.
The Finnish houses and other buildings we are adding will obviously look different from their Russian or German counterparts. We have created a good set of new buildings to work with. As you can see in this update, the legendary Summa line fortifications will also be included; altogether there’s a lot you haven’t seen yet, but we’ll definitely show some more in the next devblogs.
HD Link Inside bunker SJ4 “Poppius”That wraps up this first episode of our blogs on SP missions. More will follow, mixed in with blogs about other subjects. Will you dive in the editor on the day of release? Would you recreate any famous battles? Which ones? Let us know in the comments!
