Panzer Vor!

 is a mission in the singleplayer mode of Steel Division.

Briefing
"Oberst Rauch,

With the Bénouville bridge now secured, Field Marshal Rommel has ordered the concentration of our 21. Panzer & 12. SS-Panzer divisions to strike against the beachhead and push the Allies back into the sea. But the British, well aware of the danger, have already deployed troops on our main axis of advance.

Your orders are to strike now without delay, and pierce the British defences before they are too strong, in order to bring as many troops as possible in front of Lion-sur-Mer before the end of the day.

The 12. SS-Panzer division will be following in your wake to support the final push against the beachhead, therefore you won't have to worry about your rear."

Map
Mission takes place on the Colombelles 4 vs 4 map.

Details
"Paratroopers and commandos have been forced to surrender the bridge and fall back. Major von Luck is in pursuit while 346. Infantry Division is being rushed to take over this sector under cover of the night. As for the rest of our 21. Panzer, we do not seem to be done with British airborne troops. Before sunset yesterday, a second airborne wave landed by gliders in the 736. Grenadier-Regiment’s sector.

Combined with a major advance from the beach, the 736. has disintegrated. The way to Caen is wide open to the Allies! Our orders are to move back on the Western bank, taking with us any advanced elements from Oberst Oppeln’s battlegroup, and charge the old way to forestall the Allies’ own push forward.

Our objective is to reach Lion-sur-Mer, thus driving a wedge between the British and Canadians’ beachheads. Then, they’ll be easy prey for our follow-up offensive, led by the freshly arrived 12. SS-Panzer. Lion-sur-Mer is only a few kilometres ahead, but to reach it, we’ll have to walk over another British airborne brigade. To do so we will be supported by Sturmartillerie’s Kampfgruppe Thannenberg.

The Royal Air Force dominates the sky and will give Allied ground troops all the support it can. The British paratroopers are aware they can’t stop us, but time plays for them: all they need is to delay us long enough for reinforcements to come to their rescue. If we don't get rid of the paratroopers fast enough, we will be in danger of being outflanked.

Hence, our mission is to reach Lion-sur-Mer with as many troops as possible to effectively cut the Allied beachhead in two. Those troops will be all we can count on until the 12. SS-Panzer delivers its blow."

Objectives

 * The primary objective (35 minutes) is to evacuate 30+ units through the corridor to Lion-sur-Mer. Your primary goal is to break through enemy lines at Blainville and the industrial zone to deliver these units to their destination. The enemy will entrench themselves at the industrial area, but you only need to destroy enough of them to set up a corridor leading to the target city.
 * After 10 minutes, in Phase B, Kampfgruppe Thannenberg will arrive with artillery units and additional anti-tank units to help secure the corridor.
 * Follow the objective. You can't defeat the enemy Canadians with the Shermans and Crocodiles. Your only goal is to get units out through the exit corridor. Blobbing several high HE units and making a beeline for the factory complex and securing the route between the buildings and the river is the optimal route. Just keep a scout with the column and move them ahead in SPW 222s. The commandos will try to interdict the route, but if you stay over 200m from the buildings or treelines (the range of the PIAT), you will be able to wipe them out with impunity.
 * In general, your goal should be to get as many phase A units through as possible, primarily Osttruppen from the first mission and the SOMUA S35 Beutepanzer to give you the ability to rush the enemy in the next mission. Opel Blitz Mun. are also a good choice. Try to get the most vulnerable units through in phase A, as Blitzes are notoriously vulnerable. A good checklist is as follows: Phase A Panzergrenadiers, all the Aufklärers for their SPW 222s, Sd.Kfz. 250/9 20mm halftracks, supply trucks, R.Vielfachwerfers and Reihenwerfers, with Bef. Panzer 35S(f)s and Panzer 35S(f)s. With these, you will be able to complete the next mission with a reasonable difficulty.

Available forces

 * Units lost in the previous mission will not be available