The Lion's Den

 is a mission in the singleplayer mode of Steel Division.

Briefing
"Oberst Rauch,

This is our one and only chance of defeating the invasion: either we succeed in throwing the Allies back to the sea here and now, or we get trapped between the Canadian & British forces. This is going to be the fight of our life; let's hope that these last two days of combat have weakened the British enough to make it possible.

Your orders, as well as the 12. SS-Panzer which will be supporting the attack, are simple: crush the beachhead, and push them back to the sea!"

Map
Mission takes again place on the Colleville map, but this time on the 2 vs 2/3 vs 3 crop.

Details
"Lion-sur-Mer is in our reach, Herr Major. Well, for what is left of us... Since only parts of our combined Kampfgruppen have made it, and with Oberst Oppeln being wounded this morning, you are to take command of all remaining 21. Panzer's elements in the upcoming battle. British & Canadian infantry divisions have fallen back around Lion-sur-Mer for a last stand.

Fortunately, the 12. SS-Panzer’s offensive has started on schedule, and wiped out any resistance pocked in our rears. We will be able to count on their support for the final assault on the Allied beachhead.

We’re back where we started, Herr Major. The Anglo-Canadians are cornered, their backs to the sea. Yet they certainly don’t seem to be trying to evacuate, like at Dunkirk. Reports indicate that they are gathering troops North of Hermanville for a counter-offensive. They intend to regain the initiative to expand the beachhead again. Our orders are not only to prevent that, but to squash it before they can bring any more troops. Victory will be decided by who holds more ground at the end of the day, Herr Major.

12. SS-Panzer will support our offensive; they’ve even detached a small armoured squadron under your command to make up for our previous loss. Their brand new equipment will be a major addition to our forces."

Objectives

 * The mission is a classic Conquest mode game, with one wrinkle: You start in a salient and have 40 minutes to gain either a Conquest victory or hold more ground.
 * Your first priority is securing your flanks, at least enough to deny the enemy reinforcement routes (arrows on the map; you want to go after the left two and the right four, so that the Allies can only land troops on the beach). This will allow you to stabilize the front and prevent flanking (important with Panthers).
 * Then establish a defensive line along the road north of Hermanville and the swamps. You can also press through the swamps to the northeast and establish a further outpost (later supported with AT weapons) to properly suppress allied units that try to enter. Essentially, the most important part is to ensure you aren't flanked - and with armor on your side, it's hard not to accomplish.

Available forces

 * You will only have the forces you evacuated in the previous mission at your disposal, so choose wisely. The below table only lists elements added by the 12. SS-Panzer Division and elements of Kampfgruppe Tannenberg you can protect on the way.