Hello commanders, We hope you are well! In today’s post, we’ll return to one of [b]Steel Division 2’s[/b] upcoming expansions, [b]Steel Division 2: Tribute to Normandy 44[/b]. This DevBlog shows off some more tidbits about two new [b]Aces[/b] to be featured, as well as some upcoming balance changes. [b][h2]Some new insights[/h2][/b] We already announced six [b]Aces[/b] coming with [b]Steel Division 2: Tribute to Normandy 44[/b], as detailed in [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919640/view/3801661817158133535?l=english]this DevBlog[/url]. As some of you shrewdly noticed, we missed one [b]Ace[/b] from the original [i]Steel Division: Normandy ‘44[/i], belonging to a formation announced to ship with our new expansion. We are talking about the Axis tank commander [b]Kurt Knispel[/b]. He served in the [i]schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503[/i], which will be attached to the [b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919640/view/6590513431939415691]16. Luftwaffe-Feld-Division[/url][/b]. The reason we didn’t mention [b]Knispel[/b] before was that we had an uneven number of [b]Aces[/b]. We wanted to keep one in “reserve” before we had found a suitable Allied counterpart. A mission that has been accomplished! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33563925/fdffcc33d4c0c49754ec0669f60cdb98701a9e4f.png[/img] So, let’s welcome 2 new [b]Aces[/b] to the stage at [b]Steel Division 2: Tribute to Normandy ‘44[/b]. This brings the total to 8 [b]Aces[/b]! [b][h2]Kurt Knispel[/h2][/b] Though much less famous than Michael Wittmann or other Nazi propaganda darlings, [b]Knispel[/b] is probably the greatest Panzer ace in military history. With 168 confirmed kills, which could rise to 195 if considering unconfirmed ones, he was quite unusual for a German tank commander. Not even a “true” German, but rather a Volksdeutsche born in Czechoslovakia in 1921 in Sudetenland before the Third Reich annexed it. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33563925/bbc08a3d0956de48fca52bc50d7b8958ed774618.png[/img] Unlike other commanders, he paid little attention to his kill tally, competition, or fame, in certain cases willingly leaving comrades to take credit. Neither did he care much for discipline, grooming standards, or dress codes (which can be noticed in some of his World War II photos). He sported long hair, a goatee, and wore custom-made re-trimmed uniforms, and was known to have assaulted a fellow German officer for mistreating Russian POWs. [b]Knispel[/b] was definitely not a Nazi poster boy, and despite his kill ratio, he never became an officer, remaining a sergeant up to the end of World War II. He died in the last days of the war, on the Eastern Front, when hit in the head by shrapnel standing in the commander’s cupola of his tank. In [b]Steel Division 2: Tribute to Normandy ‘44[/b], he will be featured with his Zimmerit-covered "[i]101[/i]" [b]KÖNIGSTIGER (P)[/b] available with the [b]16. Luftwaffe-Feld-Division[/b]. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33563925/eb9ea3f19abdad79a9b0da7b7902c380b9e322eb.png[/img] [b][h2]David Vivian Currie[/h2][/b] This new Allied [b]Ace[/b] was not featured in the original [b]Steel Division[/b], thus exclusive to [b]Steel Division 2: Tribute to Normandy ‘44[/b]. [b]Currie[/b] ships as part of the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919640/view/3881603425810452241][b]4th Canadian Armoured Division[/b][/url]. Having joined the regular Canadian Army in 1940 as an officer, he won’t see combat until 1944. In the meantime, he managed to rise in the ranks to major. [b]Currie[/b] commanded a squadron in the division’s reconnaissance regiment: the [i]South Alberta Regiment[/i]. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33563925/08b433f74a96c53a20ffe706d0fd3f475860a571.png[/img] Our [b]Ace[/b] landed in Normandy in late August 1944, taking part in the last battles of the campaign. On August 18th, with only ten days of actual combat experience, [b]Currie[/b] was given the military order that would ultimately secure his place in Canadian military history. He took command of a mixed force of infantry and tanks and led them in the path of the remaining Axis forces desperately trying to escape the Falaise pocket. Blocking the last exit for the Germans - and holding it until American troops from either side could link up - resulted in furious combat. Successful, [b]Currie[/b] became "the man who closed the Falaise pocket.” [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33563925/82a9bee9f38778a64f0de702be4b72d685b0f363.jpg[/img] In [b]Steel Division 2: Tribute to Normandy ‘44[/b] [b]Currie[/b] will be featured as a [b]COMMANDER[/b] with the [b]4th Canadian Armoured Division[/b]. [b][h2]Upcoming Balance Changes[/h2][/b] You might be happy to know that [b]Steel Division 2: Tribute to Normandy ‘44[/b] is almost done. We are now looking for a suitable release date, which we will announce shortly. In the meantime, the dedicated [i]Strike Team[/i] will soon have the green light to stream the expansion’s content! With the launch of the expansion, as always, we’ll also feature some changes (for all owners of [b]Steel Division 2[/b]). The following are just a couple of examples: [list][*]We will tone down the effectiveness of [i]Commando[/i] infantry, especially those in the [b]1st Allied Task Force[/b], [b]Groupement Dody[/b], and [b]SSB[/b], including tweaking the latter’s division off-map support. [*]We are reducing the infantry’s [i]Fall Back[/i] mechanic’s damage reduction. This means retreating soldiers will be more prone to take damage, especially from tanks. [*]We are reducing sniper rifles DPS by decreasing their aim time and rate of fire. [*]We are standardizing the 7.62mm HMGs stats: while some remain better than others, we want to fix the abysmal performance of some older models. [*]We will check and give some balancing “love” to older divisions that haven’t been touched in a while.[/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33563925/3cef6e149a44814c036a3f11308d881f612c5f71.jpg[/img] More changes will come. The above is just a short preview. [b][h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2][/b] That’s all for this DevBlog. We will be back in two weeks! Don’t be shy, join the [b]Steel Division 2[/b] community on our [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/919640/eventcomments/]Steam forums[/url]. The latest [b]Steel Division 2[/b] news can also be encountered on our [url=https://www.instagram.com/eugensystems/]Instagram[/url]. Looking for an online game? Visit the [url=https://discord.gg/TEeBArm]Discord server[/url] or [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Steel_Division/]Reddit page[/url] and get involved with the lively [b]Steel Division 2[/b] community! See you on the battlefield, commanders!