Steel Division 2 News

Good news, commander!

Today is the day that our latest mini-expansion for Steel Division 2 sees the light: Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2155260

Strap in and dive deep into one of World War II’s most prolonged (and somewhat overlooked) operations: the Siege of Dunkirk.

Deploy either as the hard-fighting but encircled Festung Dunkirchen or the armored forces of the Czechoslovakian CIABG battlegroup in our new mini-expansion, and see who prevails on the battlefield!

Keep reading to find out everything that is to know about Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk.

[h2]What does Nemesis: Siege of Dunkrik bring?[/h2] Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk centers on a long-running campaign, far behind the front, that began in September 1944 but only finished after World War II. The remarkable Allied siege of Axis-held Dunkirk on the French coast of the English Channel.



Tasked with holding on to the critical port of Dunkirk, Axis Festung Dunkirchen kept up the fight until the war’s end. Unlike similarly surrounded formations, the motley German battlegroup kept up high morale and aggressivity, allowing commanders to deploy elite Stosstruppen and Jagdkampf raiders. The true strength of the division lies in its powerful artillery, support, and AA units, from Soviet-made Flak 31(r) 88mm to emplaced aircraft guns Erdkampflafette 43 and captured French K 419(f) 155mm guns. Festung Dunkirchen excels in defensive combat.



The Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group (CIABG) was formed by Czechoslovakian troops who got their first taste of combat at Dunkirk in 1944. Augmented by British, Canadian and Free French units, including FFO Fusiliers-Marins assault scouts, the CIABG can call on a wide array of armored vehicles, from the new recon Humber LRC Mk. III to the Cromwell VII and up-armored Cromwell VIII. Strong artillery and AA forces, even siege guns, such as the BL 7,2-inch 182,9mm, can be deployed. The CIABG can field an impressive selection of armor on the battlefield.



We also take this opportunity to express our gratitude to community members Libik & Skautz CZ who provided invaluable help with the Czech & Slovak translations.

[h2]Some additional reading[/h2]
If you want to dive deep into the history behind this Nemesis DLC or want to know more about the divisions, look no further!

• The very first preview of Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk can be accessed here. Lots has changed since, especially the in-game representation of both battlegroups, but it gives you a nice sneak peek at what was to come. Based on this showcase, the community voted on Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk.
  
• A detailed preview of how the hardy Axis garrison of Festung Dunkirchen would look in Steel Division 2 can be found here.
  
• And a detailed preview of the Czechoslovakian “tank fist” of CIABG in-game can be read here.
  

[h2]The full Nemesis DLC list[/h2]
If you were curious about which Nemesis DLC have been released for Steel Division 2, you came to the right place.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1405650/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_1__Sandomierz/

Our first Nemesis DLC is available for free! It highlights the Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead and transports us to August 13th, 1944, to the war-torn heart of Poland. Nemesis: Sandomierz features two hard-hitting divisions, and two new Aces, with the 16. Panzer bringing the mighty Königstiger (H) and the Allies the Soviet 97-y Gv. Strelk. Div featuring new units such as the Razveddozor heavy recon patrol.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418230/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_2__Lvov_Offensive/

We remain on the Eastern Front with our second Nemesis: DLC - the Nemesis: Lvov Offensive. This mini-expansion brings two brand-new divisions: the Axis German 20. Panzergrenadier-Division and the Allied Soviet 10-y Gv. Tank. Korpus. New units include the Elefant heavy tank destroyer, as well as the unique Bef. Tiger (P) and Bef. Panzer V/IV command tanks and captured T-5 Pantera put in use by the Soviets.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1477780/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_3__Battle_of_Rimini/

Moving the action to the Mediterranean, our third mini-expansion is the Nemesis: Battle of Rimini, set on the Italian Adriatic coast. It pits the veteran Axis German 1. Fallschirmjäger against the Allied 2nd New Zealand Division. Two new Aces are included, as well as a host of units such as the British Bristol Beaufighter, Greek Martin Baltimore bomber, German (commandeered) Re.2005 fighter, as well as various new infantry units such as Greek Oplites mountain infantry and New Zealander Maoris.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1571590/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_4__Storming_Toulon/

We transport the player to Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of the French Riviera in August 1944, with our fourth Nemesis DLC, the Nemesis: Storming Toulon. The Axis defensive-focused Verteidigungsbereich Toulon and the multinational veterans of the 1e Division Française Libre await your command. New units include Kriegsmarine Marineinfanterie, Commandos d'Afrique special forces, heavy Flak 38 105mm guns, M3 Gun 37mm, and many more.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1833830/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_5__Raid_on_Drvar/

Our fifth offering is Nemesis: Raid on Drvar, highlighting the ambitious Axis air assault to neutralize Yugoslav partisan leader Tito in the spring of 1944. This DLC features two unique battlegroups: the Axis light troops of Unternehmen Rösselsprung and the partisans of the Yugoslav NOV. New units include fanatical SS-Fs-Jäger, partisan Snajper, M.28 heavy AA gun, pre-war Yugoslav IK-2 fighter, and South African Ventura GR.V bomber.

[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
That’s all, commanders. We can’t wait to hear what you think of the latest Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk!

We will return next week with our Men of Steel's versus format.

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

This DevBlog was delayed by 24 hours due to the release of WARNO's latest milestone, but don't worry, we haven't forgotten you ...

Following on our previous Versus DevBlog from last week, we will focus today on two more new divisions from the upcoming Steel Division 2: Men of Steel expansion: the British 1st Special Service Brigade (or 1st SSB), a darling division to our SD:44 veterans, against the German-Dutch Kampfgruppe von Tettau.

[h2]Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk's release[/h2]
But first, some news from Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk!
As you may be aware, a beta version was already being tested and streamed by the Strike Team for some times. The DLC is now complete, and a release date has been set for ... drum roll ... March 16th. That is Thursday next week!


You can already check its Steam page here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2155260/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_6__Siege_of_Dunkirk

[h2]A new Steel Division 2 chapter[/h2]
Before we continue, a little reminder about Steel Division 2: Men of Steel. The next major expansion will not focus on a specific theatre of war, but rather put the spotlight on a number of very interesting fighting formations from all across warring Europe.

Steel Division 2: Men of Steel will offer:

• 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 made available to all existing Steel Division 2 divisions as well.

Today, we will detail the elite British 1st Special Service Brigade (1st SSB a.k.a. Commando Brigade), which landed on Sword Beach on D-Day, and the German-Dutch Kampfgruppe von Tettau, a scratch-built force which played a pivotal role in the failure of the British airborne assault on Arnhem during Operation Market Garden.

[h2]1st Special Force Brigade[/h2]
Honor to the veterans ... and we are not just referring to the brigade's combat experience. Steel Division: Normandy '44's seasoned players will remember this battlegroup fondly, since it first appeared then!



Birth of the Commandos
While Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British army from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, was deemed a success, it saved the men but not their equipment. Consequently, Britain was left with barely no heavy weaponry and no way to return to continental Europe before long. Yet, in order to keep the Germans under pressure nonetheless, a new type of unit was created: the Commandos.

Born from the mind of spymaster Lt-Colonel Dudley Clarke (you know, that cross-dressing colonel recently depicted in Rogue Heroes, who also invented the SAS) and inspired by the Boer Kommandos, they were meant to bring the war in enemy territory and develop a "reign a terror" (according to Churchill himself!) by hitting fast and hard "then run to fight another day".



By the end of 1940, about 2.000 men had been recruited from every branch of the British armed forces as well as foreign volunteers, by ruthlessly screening them and keeping only the fittest and most motivated. For the next two years, they would lead daring raids all along continental Europe's coasts, especially Norway and France, culminating with Operation Chariot.



But so successful were they that the Germans started reinforcing every inch of the Atlantic Wall, which was counter-productive when the planning of Operation Overlord had already started. Therefore, the commando raids stopped and the men were regrouped into an assault brigade, 1st SSB, with the intention of using them as shock troops in the upcoming landing in France.

D-Day …
On June 6th, 1944, D-Day, the Commando Brigade (as the men called themselves, hating the "SS" moniker attached to "Special Service") was to land on Sword Beach with the second assault wave. Leaving the 3rd Infantry Division to deal with the Germans there, its mission was to immediately secure Ouistreham, on the extreme left of the invasion force.



From there, it was to breach out of the beachhead in order to link up with and reinforce Major Howard's small force at Pegasus Bridge. Which it did, two minutes behind schedules, a delay for which the commando leader, Lord Lovat, duly apologized!

1st SSB was composed of the British 3, 4 & 6 Commando, Royal Marines 45 Commando and the French half of the 10 Inter-Allied Commando. Each commando will be represented ingame by a specific unit with its singularities. Small in size, the brigade was supported by a battery of Royal Marines' Centaurs as well as elements from 13/18th Hussars (Sherman DD & Stuart) & 80th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (SP, medium & heavy AA) which landed with the assault elements to secure the beach.



… and beyond
For the next three months after D-Day, 1st SSB will fight alongside the 6th Airborne Division on the left flank of the Allies’ front in Normandy.



Pulled back in England to replenish its losses and retrain, it was sent back to the continent after the Battle of the Bulge, leading the way for British forces in several river assault crossings.



The German capitulation found the (now officially renamed) 1st Commando Brigade in Lauenburg … beyond the Elbe River which was supposed to be the separation line between Western & Soviet forces in Germany.

[h2]Kampfgruppe von Tettau[/h2] Market Garden KG von Tettau's history is inextricably linked to Operation Market Garden. Launched on September 17th, 1944, this major Allied operation involved the air drop of two American & one British airborne divisions over the Netherlands, while an armored column attacked from the ground.
The airborne troops were tasked with capturing and holding various bridges over the many Dutch rivers & canals until joined by the mechanized forces, paving the way for a lightning armored strike up to the Rhine at Arnhem.



As anyone having watched the excellent movie “A Bridge too far” knows, things went wrong from the planning of the operation and the over-confident Allies only managed to drive, with great difficulties, two third of the way before being forced to a halt, dooming the British paratroopers still trapped in Arnhem.

German reaction
Besides bad planning and faulty intelligence analysis, Market Garden’s fate was also sealed by the Germans’ spirit of initiative.
After a short period of amazement, General Christiansen, German commander in the Netherlands quickly dispatched orders to counter the offensive: while II. SS-Panzerkorps was to divide its two divisions between the recapture of Arnhem’s bridge itself, and the defense of the highway against the spearhead of XXX. Corps ; territorial commands were to gather all available troops and form them into battlegroups assigned specific missions.



Kampfgruppe von Tettau KG von Tettau is such provisional battlegroup created in emergency on September 17th, the very first day of the Allied airborne assault. It was named after its commander, Generalleutnant Hans von Tettau, head of operation & training in occupied Netherlands, and its mission was to attack the British landing zones West of Arnhem.



The troops under von Tettau’s command on the first days were a patchwork of what was available locally, a few elite units rubbing shoulders with a lot of the worst:

• The best came from SS-Unterführer-Schule Arnheim, forming a small battalion of SS-Junker (SS NCO cadets), all men being young, motivated and with at least one year’s fighting on the Russian front under their belt. The cadre was of an even better quality. The school lacked heavy equipment, but had access to a lot of various infantry weapons for training purpose.

• KG Krafft also included several SS training units, but still merely recruits. It was only assigned to von Tettau on the first day, being reassigned the next morning, but played a pivotal role in preventing most of the British first wave (but Lieutenant-Colonel Frost’s 2nd Para Battailon) from securing the Arnhem bridge by coup de main.
  
• Finally, the third major component was SS-Wach-Bataillon 3, regrouping concentration camps’ guards: those Dutch & Soviet auxiliaries barely had any combat training, were equipped with British leftovers from the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 (Lee Enfield, Bren, …) and had no will to fight.

On the picture above, you can see one of the German soldiers firing at falling paratroopers with ... a Bren LMG!

Getting bigger
As the battle dragged out, KG von Tettau’s composition evolved a lot, depending on the reinforcements made available … or removed as KG Krafft. And as such, it will be a phase-locked battlegroup: while the original troops above will be immediately available, more will be added with each phase.

Over the next days, von Tettau was given command over many isolated or training units, in order to not only besiege but overrun the British landing zones.

• artillerymen/clerks-turned-infantrymen, … regrouped collectively as Ersatztruppen
• Dutch collaborationists known as the SS-Landstorm

• naval personnel retreating from evacuated Channel harbors, and regrouped into Kriegsmarine units.
  
• some armors from Panzer-Abteilung 224 and elements from Panzerjäger-Abteilung 657, in the form of R35, Somua & B1 bis tanks, most of the latter being converted to flamethrower tanks.

Finally, in the last days of the battle, KG von Tettau was tasked with crushing the remaining British paratroopers’ resistance in Oosterbeek from the West, while mechanized forces freed from the battle in Arnhem itself attacked from the East. Those included:

• one infantry battalion from “Hermann Göring” Panzerdivision’s training school.
  
• elements from s.Panzer Abteilung 506, meaning … Königstiger!
  

To sum up, KG von Tettau will be a Korük-like scratch-built battlegroup combining a few elite and a lot of second echelon troops, including Dutch-speaking ones, although this time phase-locked … and with Königstiger.

[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
That’s it for the second Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus post. Let us know what you think!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander.

Hello commander!

In case you haven’t heard: we are working on a major new expansion, Steel Division 2: Men of Steel. And as promised in last week’s reveal, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the new divisions in today’s (and coming) DevBlogs.

Veterans of Steel Division 2 and previous DLCs and expansions should know of our traditional Versus format. In these posts, we highlight two new divisions, one from each side, from a historical point of view. Where possible, we try to include more concrete gameplay details. However, more in-depth arsenals and unit lists will come at a later stage.

Without further ado, let’s get going with the first Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus, pitting the Axis 715. Infanterie-Division against the Allied 1st Airborne Task Force.

[h2]A new Steel Division 2 chapter[/h2]
Before we continue, a little primer on Steel Division 2: Men of Steel. The next major expansion will not focus on a specific theatre of war, but rather put the spotlight on a number of very interesting fighting formations from all across warring Europe.

Steel Divison 2: Men of Steel will offer:

• 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 made available to all existing Steel Division 2 divisions as well.

In today’s Versus, we detail an Axis reserve formation that fought hard and long to contain the Allied amphibious invasion at Anzio; and an Allied airborne provisional battlegroup that provided crucial paratrooper support during Operation Anvil-Dragoon in southern France.

[h2]715. Infanterie-Division[/h2]
First up is the Axis 715. Infanterie-Division. Now, Eugen, you might say, why is this particular reserve formation so damn interesting? Let’s tell you why! Some of our Steel Division: Normandy 44 veterans will recognize a cousin of this formation, raised from the same mobilization wave, the 716. Infanterie-Division. The 715. Infanterie-Division was raised in 1941 as part of the same 15. Welle (Wave) mobilization, destined for occupation duties in Western Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, France).

This mobilization wave called upon men unfit for general combat duties, being too old, too sick or too scrawny, or with large families, for instance. Divisions were all marked in the 700-series, severely lacking transports (not needed when static) and low on the rung for equipment.



However, 715. Infanterie-Division was rather special. While made up of the same general cadre (and quality) of men, compared to other 15. Welle divisions, it featured motor transports, being considered a “mobile reserve” in France. As a result, it was smaller and weaker than comparable static infantry formations, with one fewer infantry regiment and artillery battalion but more mobile. Most of its motor pool consisted of locally acquired French transports, with a few captured armored vehicles thrown in the mix.



Trials of combat
Fast forward to the Allied landings in Anzio in early 1944. German High Command looked everywhere for reserves to prevent the fresh Allied troops from advancing out of the Italian beachhead. The small and mobile 715. Infanterie-Division was a perfect choice. Hastily transported to Italy, it was thrown piecemeal into battle to contain the Allies.



Understrength, made up of second-rate inexperienced troops and lacking support, the division suffered terribly. Yet, even though the Axis failed to throw the Allies back to the sea, they prevented them from breaking out. At this point, the 715. Infanterie-Division was reinforced with various smaller, independent units. This made up for losses in manpower and equipment, improving its combat effectiveness considerably.

Reinforced and end of war
Among the formations temporarily attached, the 715. Infanterie-Division gained a company each of StuG self-propelled guns and heavy Tiger tanks. The parent division of these companies, 76. Korps, also contained Ferdinand tank destroyers (from one company of 653. s.Panzerjäger-Abteilung), Brumbär and Borgward.



Furthermore, a reserve Panzergrenadier regiment, a Luftwaffe penal battalion, and heavy artillery all reinforced and were merged with the 715. Infanterie-Division. Later on, even RSI troops from the fascist Italian naval special forces, the Decima Mas, were attached as well.



Until June 1944, the formation remained near Anzio. When the Allies finally broke out, the 715. Infanterie-Division was brought to the rear and reformed as a regular infantry division. It would remain in Italy until January 1945, when it was sent to Upper Silesia to face the Soviets. The 715. Infanterie-Division would finish the war in Czechoslovakia.

[h2]1st Airborne Task Force[/h2]
The 1st Airborne Task Force was a provisional Allied paratrooper division brought to life for Operation Anvil-Dragoon, the landings in Provence, in the summer of 1944. This formation was created from scratch from several available independent airborne formations operating in the Mediterranean theater. The forces attached included:

• The British 2nd (Independent) Parachute Brigade.
  
• The American 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team, as well as three other independent parachute and glider battalions.
  
• The Canadian-American 1st Special Service Force (FSSF), more commonly known as the Devil’s Brigade.
  
• The Japanese-American (Nisei) 442nd Infantry Regiment’s anti-tank company
  
• Elements from the French 1er Régiment de Chasseurs-Parachutistes.

It is unsure if the picture above is a genuine one or from a reenacting group, so perfect it is at representing the diversity of 1st ATF: the four men with their back to the barn are British Paratroopers, while the two seated with black berets are French Chasseurs-Parachutistes. The final four are American Airborne Rifles.

Remains one major component from the 1st ATF missing from this picture: the Devil's Brigade, or officialy 1st Special Service Force.
This was a unique unit: a binational (Canadian and American) special forces brigade raised as a commando unit originally intended to land behind enemy lines and sabotage key infrastructure (chiefly in Norway in 1942). This never came to fruition.
Instead, the mountain-focused training steered the FSSF first to the Aleutian Islands in the Pacific theater. They took back this territory without loss, as the Japanese had already evacuated the islands. The formation was then sent to Italy. Here, in the Mediterranean, the force earned its reputation for daring and cunning.



You think you already saw that patch somewhere? Check the GiF at the end of this DevBlog ... ;)

As American forces formed a large part of the task force and were under the command of an American general, the 1st Airborne Task Force will be listed as an American division, even though it was truly an Allied one.
Besides, this mixed battlegroup allows us to reintroduced the (much requested!) American airborne troops, absent from the game since Steel Division: Normandy 44. With the changes brought with Steel Division 2, the 82nd or 101st Airborne Division couldn't fit by themselves in the game, being both much too light in equipment AND not having enough variety of units. With 1st ATF, we're bringing back almost all the units that made up SD:44's 101st Airborne Division, but in smaller number, with plenty of units from other nations to back them up and bring diversity.

Operation Rugby
The 1st Airborne Task Force’s mission during the amphibious landings in southern France was codenamed Operation Rugby. Dropped in-land, the formation was to secure the Argens river valley and prevent German reinforcements from moving up towards the assault beaches.



Save from one village, Le Muy, which wasn’t secured but besieged, the 1st Airborne Task Force captured all the primary objectives and hold them against counter-attacks for 48 hours. The paratroopers were later joined by ground forces from the U.S. 36th Infantry Division.

The criminally unsung Devil’s Brigade landed and secured the islands of Port Cros and Hyères, 24 hours before the launch of Operation Rugby. Having been ferried to the mainland, these commandos would join the 1st Airborne Task Force.

About a week after the ground forces teamed up with airborne troops in Provence, the British brigade was redeployed to Greece (as was agreed upon during 1st Airborne Task Force’s creation). The rest of the formation moved to cover the Alps. It was here the 1st Airborne Task Force was disbanded in November 1944.

[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
That’s it for the first Steel Division 2: Men of Steel Versus post. Tune in for a new one next week. Let us know what you think!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander.

Hello commander!

We hope you like surprises because we sure have one for you today! Ready for a new Steel Division 2 experience? Then prepare for Steel Division 2: Men of Steel, the next major expansion currently in development!

What, who, where, how, when? Keep reading to find all the answers to these questions and more!

[h2]A new major expansion[/h2] 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).

[h2]Why Steel Division 2: Men of Steel?[/h2]
You might be wondering why we wanted to create another expansion? We are far from done with the battlefields of World War II, always finding new inspiration for units, formations, campaigns. But there was another reason for producing a new expansion. We wished to leverage the most recent gameplay developments and advancements made by the Cold War cousin of Steel Division 2, WARNO. Which is?



One of the major new features of WARNO are Unit Traits, a system that could already be found in Steel Division 2 but which we have greatly expanded. The new Unit Traits allow us to characterize infantry better. Bringing this new experience as part of Steel Division 2: Men of Steel makes extra sense, as it offers a much more satisfying and in-depth approach to making infantry unique and exciting.

[h2]A sneak preview[/h2]
We will look at each new division in more detail in the upcoming Versus DevBlogs. We can lift the tip of the veil on how Unit Traits would look like with Steel Division 2: Men of Steel.

The following Unit Traits from WARNO would make their way into Steel Division 2, not only in the new battlegroups but retrofitted to existing divisions in a free update.

• Shock - This trait will inflict more suppression on the enemy at very close range (think close combat in cities and woods). In Steel Division 2, it will be featured by all kinds of special forces (Rangers, Brandenburgers, OSNAZ, etc.) or by dedicated assault troops (Sturmpioniers, Avtomatchiki, etc.).
  
• Tank Rider - Units with this trait will get a “suppression shield” when fighting in close vicinity to vehicles with the same trait (this is similar to WARNO’s IFV trait). This will finally allow us to depict soldiers dedicated to accompanying tanks, such as the Soviet Tankodesantniki or German Begleit.
  
• Security - This trait will be applied to rear-echelon security troops typically employed to fight partisans. This trait gifts an optic bonus, like recon units, but only when the unit is not moving. Units with this trait will remain in the INF category. Think of units such as Sicherungs, Schupo, and so forth.
  
• Sniper - These special units will get a stealth bonus when static. This will affect all 1- or 2-man sniper teams.

[h2]The Jubilee League Season[/h2]
Before we leave, a message from Protosszocker about the next Steel Division 2 League's season:

"The Simulated Divisions League Team'is happy to announce that the Steel Division 2 League is returning in March for Season 10, the big jubilee! This season will keep a very similar structure, with a few rule changes, as the base system is tried and tested. Get ready for some hot 1v1 action on all skill levels and for supporting events like another Generals Lounge, and the 2nd Edition of SD Millionaires!

All infos and sign up: https://playsdl.com/tournament/sd2-league-season-10"

[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
We will start highlighting the new Steel Division 2: Men of Steel divisions in the next upcoming Dev Blogs. We are very curious to hear what you think of the new expansion!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you, commander!

Good morning, commander!

This past two weeks, we have been detailing the two upcoming battlegroups from Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk: Czechoslovakian CIABG & Axis Festung Dunkirchen.

But when will it be released, shall you ask? It is no secret that our two previous DLCs for SD2 have been suffering from some delays, therefore we've made sure to be better organized for this one.

[h2]Models & skins[/h2]
We are happy to announce that all new models and existing models' reskin required for this DLC have been finished this week.



Straight after that, we have completed all the units & weapons' card & profile, but also what usually takes much more time: infantry cards.
Those are more time-consumming to create, for they require to "photograph" separate parts (chest, face & headgear) of infantry 3D models, then recompose the soldier with the proper background. But all this is done too!



[h2]Voice acting[/h2]
That part has been our previous DLCs' Achilles' heel.
In order to avoid such delays with Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk, it has been one of the first task we got into with this DLC. All the voice lines have been translated in Czech and Slovak, at a 2/3 vs. 1/3 ratio.

[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFCto8NFHnI{color:#d04437}[/previewyoutube]
Yet, despite our best efforts, it remains the most time-consumming job, since once everything is translated, we have to scout for proper voice-actors, have them record samples, pick the good ones, record all the lines (and often order retakes) and then apply a post-treatment to make them sound like they're talking in a radio or on a battlefield.
Some delays can't be shortened!

So far, we've got all the Czech ones done and integrated, but Slovak ones are taking a bit longer, due to the difficulty to find good actors when dealing with a "minor" nation. No offense meant by that, just that it is more difficult and/or takes longer to find suitable actors within a restricted pool of speakers.
But we are working on it.

[h2]What remains to be done?[/h2]
Aside from the Slovak voice-acting mentionned above, the next (and final) step is to test and polish the divisions. This will be the Strike Team's job and honor to do so, since they got their hand on the first Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk's version this very week.
They will be allowed to stream it soon, so you should be able to follow the DLC's progress by yourself in no time!



[h2]What else?[/h2]
Three weeks ago, we revealed that we had plans for a next major expansion for Steel Division 2.
Next week's DevBlog will be dedicated to lifting (part of) the veil on this upcoming new content.



[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
That’s all, commanders. We can’t wait to hear what you think of the latest Nemesis: Siege of Dunkirk!

Be sure to join the Steel Division 2 community on our Steam forums. The latest Steel Division 2 news can also be encountered on our Instagram.

Looking for an online game? Visit the Discord server or Reddit page and get involved with the lively Steel Division 2 community!

See you on the battlefield, commander!