St. Lo Breakthrough

Hello and welcome back to another update of Forgotten Hope. Today we are showing off two brand new artillery pieces and will reveal the second map for the upcoming 2.3 patch. But first, we would like to welcome Kraetzer to the development team! Of course we'll be showing one of his first contributions as a modeler/skinner today.

Now, on to the update. The first render is of a dual purpose infantry gun/anti-tank gun for the Italian Army; the Cannone da 47/32 M35.

This small Italian gun was originally an Austrian artillery piece designed and manufactured by Bohler. In the 1930s the Italian Army purchased and later produced the weapon under license. Unlike similar weapon systems like the PaK 36 or the Bofors 37mm, the 47/32 proved itself very successful, especially when equipped with special HEAT rounds. It was so successful in fact, that it was used as the main gun in many Italian vehicles including the M13/40 and the M14/41 medium tanks. The Cannone da 47/32 M35 was made by Kraetzer.

Next up we have another Axis artillery piece, but instead of firing shells, this one fires 28cm rockets; the Wurfgerät 41.

The Wurfgerät 41 (sWG 41) was very simple in design. The rockets were fired from their packing cases which were mounted in groups of four on a tubular metal launch frame. The sWG 41 could fire both 28cm high explosive and 32cm incendiary rockets. These packing cases were also mounted on captured French vehicles and halftracks such as the Hanomag, resulting in the SdKfz 251/1-II "Stuka zu Fuss" already in FH2. The Wurfgerät 41 was made by Toddel.

Last but certainly not least, we have another brand new map to show off. This week we have St. Lo Breakthrough by Guderian. As usual you can view the minimap and loadscreen in the 'Maps' section of the website. Finally we would like to direct your attention towards the grass in these screenshots, as the undergrowth was tweaked by Remdul to look much more visually appealing. This change will be present on all maps after the 2.3 release.

July 11th-18th 1944. After a week of stagnant, cautious fighting through dense hedgerows of the Normandy bocage, the U.S 29th infantry division is just a few miles North from the city of St Lo. The American advance is confronted with swelling resistance from the German 352nd infanterie division. The fighting is rigorous and brutal, a battle of cunning and sheer guts, of bayonets and hand grenades, of men making quick dashes across open fields. Continuing its determined advance, despite suffering mounting casualties, a formidable American attack pushes into the German left flank attempting to capture the high ground called Hill 108. This terrain dominates the St. Lo area which is nestled below in a saucer-like valley at the bend of the Vire River. Defending the Isigny-St.Lo highway is key to halting the U.S advance into the strongly held city.

That's all for this week, but be sure to come back next time for another update. Until then, feel free to visit our IRC channel and our public forums to discuss this update and other news.