By Ian Boudreau @ The Wargamer
This year, Order of Battle has traveled to two rarely-if-ever seen theaters of World War II combat: Kriegsmarine focused on German naval engagements and several alternative history scenarios, while Burma Road took us to the Malaysian jungles of the Pacific war. Now, with Panzerkrieg, the series is heading back to more familiar territory: the ill-fated German invasion of the Soviet Union.
The hotly anticipated new expansion to the Order of Battle series is finally here!
Panzerkrieg is the expansion the Artistocrats wanted to make since they started focusing on the European theatre. In Panzerkrieg you will lead the Wehrmacht in the crucial years of ’42 and ’43 on the Eastern Front and relive the epic battles which shaped history like Stalingrad, Kursk and Kharkov. With 12 new scenarios, over 40 new units, new specializations and several gameplay improvements (including new terrain rules) Panzerkrieg is a must-have.
Most importantly, Panzerkrieg can be tied to Blitzkrieg as part of a new mega-campaign. Carry over your core army from one campaign to the next and fight across the whole Eastern Front! The carry-over system itself has been greatly enhanced and Panzerkrieg is tailored to make full use of these improvements.
Furthermore… we have a new trailer for the base game, Order of Battle: World War II.
Order of Battle: World War II is completely free to try. Download it and play through the boot camp as well as the first mission from every campaign for free! Get Order of Battle: World War II here.
Source: Matrix Games
We’re getting really close to the release of Panzerkrieg. It’s coming out in just two days!
So far we spoke of the new specializations, mechanics and we showed you some of the new units, but today we’ll look at some of the new scenarios. We picked three in particular.
Demyansk Pocket
Following their defeat at Moscow, the Wehrmacht has been forced to retreat. By February 1942 more than 90,000 men have been trapped by the advancing and numerically superior Soviet forces in the so called Demyansk pocket, south of Leningrad.
The airfields at Demyansk and Peski become therefore of vital importance as all supplies will have to be brought in by Luftflotte 1’s airplanes. Historically, the Luftwaffe made a tremendous effort to resupply the divisions encircled in the Demyansk pocket. The Germans were able to break through from the north and re-open a land route to Demyansk in April 1942, but losses in terms of planes and human lives had been steep.
Stalingrad
Few other battles are as iconic and important as the Battle of Stalingrad and now you will be able to live it in Order of Battle! In August 1942 the German offensive was in full swing, and Stalingrad was an important strategic goal on the path to Caucasus.
With enormous effort the 6th Army was able to push the Soviets on the west bank of the Volga, but by November the Soviets counter-attacked and being able to push the Romanian and Hungarian forces on the 6th Army’s flank, managed to surround the Germans. Hitler, once again hoping that the Luftwaffe would be able to supply the surrounded army until a relief force came to the rescue, ordered them to resist at all costs. He was wrong. The 6th Army surrendered on February 1943.
Check out the gameplay notes and a few screenshots here.
Panzerkrieg is one if not the most anticipated expansion in the whole Order of Battle series.
It covers the crucial years of 1942-1943, years which were marked by some of the most impressive and massive battles in all of the war. We’re talking of battles like Sevastapol, Kharkov, Stalingrad, Kursk, and many more.
I bet you’re eager to play it, right? Can you wait one week longer?
That’s right, Panzerkrieg is going to be released on November 30th, one week from now!
We are all looking forward to release. Up until then we will show you more about the game, and we will also write about the scenarios as well as on some novelties in the carry-over system linking Blitzkrieg to Panzerkrieg, so stay tuned.
December 1941. Russian winter takes its toll and the German offensive is halted at Moscow and Leningrad. But the Wehrmacht high command knows that the winter is not going to last forever, and they are already making plans for a huge, renewed offensive in 1942. Long Panzer columns will be the armored spearhead of what is going to be the biggest offensive in history. It is the Panzerkrieg!
Order of Battle: Panzerkrieg is the upcoming DLC for the Order of Battle series. Lead the Wehrmacht in its effort to bring the Soviet Union to heel and unleash your panzers on the rolling plains of Russia. With a huge number of new units and specializations, the new campaign focuses on the strategies and tactics employed in the battles of 1942 and 1943 on the eastern front. If you want to succeed you’ll have to master the art of mechanized warfare!
Panzerkrieg is flawlessly integrated with the previous DLC, Blitzkrieg. If you own both you’ll be able to play them in succession for a mega-campaign focusing on the eastern front, and exporting your army from one campaign to the other. You don’t have to own Blitzkrieg in order to play and enjoy Panzerkrieg, but we wanted to give players the opportunity to experience WW2 on the eastern front in its entirety, from start to end!
Order of Battle: Panzerkrieg is about to enter its Beta, so feel free to sign up and give us a hand with bug chasing!
For more game information and screenshots, visit the official Order of Battle: Panzerkrieg web page.
