Steel Division 2 second Nemesis DLC run kicks off with Nemesis: Battle of Rimini

Hey there!

Welcome back to a brand-new Nemesis DLC run for Steel Division 2! That’s right, today we are going to be looking at the initial choice for our second “run” - as you may call it - where we will take the action to the cramped Italian battlefront with Nemesis: Battle of Rimini.

As a first, Nemesis: Battle of Rimini will branch out and offer not only one but two new nations!

Let’s take a look at 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division for the Axis, and the combined Allied battlegroup of the 2nd New Zealand Division with the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade attached.

[h2]History of Nemesis: Battle of Rimini[/h2]

Nemesis: Battle of Rimini takes place during Operation Olive, set in mid-September 1944, which saw the Allies’ attempt to break through the German-held Gothic defensive line on the Adriatic coast.

With the Italian theater being relegated to a secondary role after D-Day, the Allies devised Operation Olive. With this offensive, the British 8th Army would attack along the Adriatic coast in late August, in order to draw the Germans on the Gothic line to deploy their reserves. Later on, the US 5th Army would push from Florence in central Italy towards Bologna in a bid to trap the German 10th Army.

The British 8th Army was a truly multinational force with Canadians, Poles, New Zealand, British, Greek and Indian formations under its operational command. The New Zealand division and attached Greek brigade would exploit the breakthrough of Operation Olive, which occurred on the approach to Rimini in September. Here, the Kiwis and Greek soldiers encountered the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division. In terrible weather conditions, the two allied units would fight a grueling battle with the elite German paratroopers for the control of the ruined city. The liberation of Rimini came at a high cost while the breach of the Gothic line never materialized.

The 8th Army would later call the Battle of Rimini one of the hardest in the formation’s history, right up next to battles of El Alamein, Mareth, and Monte-Cassino.

[h2]What will Nemesis: Battle of Rimini bring?[/h2]

We’ve mentioned this before, but Nemesis: Battle of Rimini brings you two new divisions from the Italian battlefield, including two new nations rolled into one Allied battlegroup, filled to the brim with unauthorized appropriated materiel.

Not only that, Nemesis: Battle of Rimini gives you the chance to play with a premier, elite German airborne division which by 1944 fielded a rather unusual mix of soldiers and units.

[h3]1. Fallschirmjäger-Division[/h3]

With this Nemesis DLC option, the Axis will be able to command the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division, the German paratroopers at the forefront of many daring airborne operations in the opening stages of World War II, including in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. After the very costly invasion of Crete, the fortunes of 1.FJ changed, with Hitler forbidding any airborne operation, confining the paratroopers to the ground where they served as elite light infantry for the duration of the war.

The soldiers of 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division became legendary thanks to their tenacious defense of Monte Cassino’s monastery. Not only that, but the formation also proved its mettle during the bloody urban combat operation against the Canadians during the Battle of Ortona (known as little Stalingrad). By the time of Operation Olive, the 1.FJ was down to barely regimental strength, and as such, reinforced by various detachments from other formations. Thanks to its hard-fought combat experience, the Germans turned out to be quite the opponent in the rubble of Rimini.

The 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division will field the usual complement of Fallschirmjägers and their support units but in lesser numbers than in a usual FJ division.
One green Grenadier-Regiment from the newly formed 98. Infanterie-Division, having just arrived in Italy, provides a large number of inexperienced reinforcements.
One battalion from 162. (Turk.) Infanterie-Division. “Turk.” doesn’t designate them as Turkish, but as Turkmen (and also Azerbaijanis), which are actually Osttruppen from Soviet minorities.
A dozen Tiger E tanks from s.Panzer-Abteilung 504. This is the entire tank force available to the battlegroup.
Additional tank destroyers can be fielded, namely elements from Panzer-Abteilung 525, bringing the Nashorn and Jagdpanzer IV. Pak 43 anti-tank guns can also be deployed.

[h3]2nd NZ New Division and 3rd Greek Brigade[/h3]

The 2nd New Zealand Division and the attached 3rd Greek Brigade provide a unique mix of troops and units. For instance, the experimental 2nd NZ was inbetween an infantry and armored division - making it the closest thing the Allies had to a Wehrmacht Panzergrenadier-Division.

Not only that, but the Kiwis had the reputation of ”acquiring” battlefield supplies freely, regardless if it was bolted down or not. Being led by general Freyberg, the 2nd New Zealand Division gained the nickname as Freyberg’s Forty Thousands Thieves. However, they kept their looting activities mostly aimed at enemy trophies - and fellow allies stores - not the local civilian population.

Having fought at El Alamein in 1942, the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade suffered from the same political strife that plagued Greece during the war, with a communist-led rebellion in its ranks put down in late 1943. By the Battle of Rimini, the Greek soldiers in the brigade were considered “reliable” (non-communist) veterans with plenty of mountain warfare experience.

The 2nd New Zealand Division features the best of both worlds with a good mix of British materiel and US lend-lease equipment. The formation’s tanks are M4A2 and M4(105mm), for instance.
The Kiwi soldiers are lavishly outfitted with Thompson SMGs instead of Stens.
Still, the ubiquitous Universal Carriers can be found plentiful in this battlegroup, as well as the Lynx Scout Car and Jalopied Stuart. Anti-tank units field 17-pdr and 25-pdr guns.
To depict the “loose hands” of the Kiwi soldiers, various unusual weapon and vehicle combinations can be found, including Universal Carriers with twin M1919 MMGs or M2HMG and M1919 MMG, soldiers equipped with MG-34 machine guns, and various units carrying MP-40s or Panzerschrecks.
Organized more closely along British lines, the Greek soldiers have been granted the “Raider” trait thanks to their mountaineer experience.
RAF units supporting the Rimini offensive used older planes, the aerial forces consisting of the Bristol Beaufighter, the Hurricane Mk. II, the Kittyhawk, and the Spitfire Mk. V, among others.

[h2]The Nemesis DLC concept explained[/h2]

We are currently in our second run of future Nemesis DLCs and if you were wondering how this whole thingamajig Nemesis DLC works, read the following carefully!

Each Nemesis DLC will bring two new divisions (one from each side) and will feature new units, new weapons, new models, and maybe even new nations. They will be PAID.
Each Nemesis DLC focuses on a new historical Theater of Operations (think engagement or battle) that was relevant and set in the summer of 1944. This could be the Eastern Front, could be the Western Front, could even be other interesting… locales.
The first Nemesis DLC will be FREE and likely release later in September. This is Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead and will contain the 16. Panzerdivision versus the 97th Guards Rifle Division.
The second Nemesis DLC - that you the community voted on - will be Nemesis: Lvov Offensive. This one will feature the 20. Panzergrenadier-Division and 10th Guards Tank Corps with some shiny new toys, including the Elefant tank destroyer and the one-of-its-kind Tiger (P).
At the end of this second run of future Nemesis DLCs you get to decide which one will be released first in a community-wide vote! Runner-ups might get a second chance and return in future votes.

[h2]Coming up next[/h2]

Reach out to us via our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or keep an eye out on our social channels (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Check out the kick-assDiscord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!