Devil in the Dawn - A FH2 Campaign is now Open!

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Italy and Germany vs Great Britain and Commonwealth Forces

IIn this campaign CMP will rewind time to 1940 and the early years of the Second World War,
as Italian and German forces push back British and Commonwealth soldiers from the Mediterranean and North Africa,
before the Allies begin to turn the tide of the campaign and battle for every mile until they reach Tunisia.

We will return to the Mediterranean and North Africa in CMP's tenth campaign

Devil in the Dawn

Fight under the unrelenting desert sun, over arid desert, mountain terrain and in perilous canyons that will test your infantry skills.
Fight over long distances in the open desert or ambush in the valleys with your tanks, and rise into the clear blue skies to achieve air superiority.

Experience an incredible war-like sensation on new maps such as
Fort Capuzzo - Sollum - Djebel Tahent - El Guettar
El Agheila - Kasserine Pass - Thermopyles and many others,

Get to know CMP's style: exciting battles, unbelievable comebacks,
outstanding gameplay and the best Forgotten Hope 2 teamwork you can find.




In this FH2 Campaign you will experience:

   FH2 action to its limits, close rounds, sneaky / massive attacks and well organized defenses.
12 battles in Greece and North Africa with custom content and maps you won't see anywhere else.
Train and prepare yourself for every battle with your regiment on our training server.
Fight battles with up to 100 players.
Earn promotions and medals for your achievements.?
Communicate directly with your squad using Teamspeak and apply well planned? strategy and tactics not seen on any public servers.
Form new friendships with like-minded people from all over the world.

Taking part is completely free and everybody is welcome!

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FRIDAY , September 24th, 18hUTC , the map Fort Capuzzo will be played in Devil in the Dawn Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign

History

  "On 14 June 1940, four days after the Italian declaration of war on Britain, the 7th Hussars and elements of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, Gladiators of 33 Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF) and Blenheims of 211 Squadron captured Fort Capuzzo; the 11th Hussars took Fort Maddalena about 97 km (60 mi) further south. The fort was not occupied long for lack of troops and equipment but demolition parties visited each night to destroy Italian ammunition and vehicles. For the rest of June, the British patrolled to the north, south and west and began the Siege of Giarabub. The Italian 10th Army concentrated in the area from Bardia to Tobruk and brought forward the Maletti Group, a combined tank, infantry and artillery force, equipped with a company of Fiat M11/39 medium tanks, which were superior to their older L3/33 tankettes.

The Italians reoccupied Fort Capuzzo and held it with part of the 2nd Blackshirt Division (Luogotenente Generale Francesco Argentino). On 29 June, the Maletti Group repulsed British tanks with its artillery and then defeated a night attack. During the frontier skirmishes from 11 June to 9 September, the British claimed to have inflicted 3,500 casualties for a loss of 150 men. On 16 December, during Operation Compass (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) the 4th Armoured Brigade of the Western Desert Force captured Sidi Omar and the Italians withdrew from Sollum, Fort Capuzzo and the other frontier forts; Number 9 Field Supply Depot was established at the fort for the 7th Armoured Division."

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FRIDAY , October 1st, 18hUTC , the map Thermopyles will be played in Devil in the Dawn Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign

History

"The Olympus line is outflanked and the Allies are on the run, trying to reach their ships in time. But 2 brigades from the British Commonwealth Forces have to cover the retreat, with no hope for victory. The place they have chosen couldn’t match better to their cause. The sacred place of Thermopyles is about to face one more struggle. The Allies, few against many, inspired by the sacrifice of the Spartans nearly 2500 years ago, are determined to hold the Germans for as long as it is needed. They are the last obstacle before the enemy conquers Athens, just like Leonidas and his 300 were standing with no fear against the Persians. In the morning of the 24th of April, the Germans unleash their armored hordes. Glory is about to crown the arms of the defenders of freedom once more…  "

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FRIDAY , October 15th, 18hUTC , the map Sidi Muftah will be played in Devil in the Dawn Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign

History

"To complete the attack, elements of the Italian XX Motorized Corps and 101st Motorized Division Trieste were to clear a path through the minefields north of Bir Hakeim and near the Sidi Muftah box to supply the armored advance. To hold Allied troops in place, the Italian X and XXI Corps would assault the Gazala Line near the coast. At 2:00 PM on May 26, these formations moved forward. That night, Rommel personally led his mobile forces as they began the flanking maneuver. Almost immediately the plan began to unravel as the French mounted a vigorous defense of Bir Hakeim, repelling the Italians.
A short distance to the southeast, Rommel's forces were held up for several hours by the 7th Armoured Division's 3rd Indian Motor Brigade. Though they were forced to withdraw, they inflicted heavy losses on the attackers.
By midday on the 27th, the momentum of Rommel's attack was faltering as British armor entered the battle and Bir Hakeim held out. Only the 90th Light had clear success, over-running the 7th Armoured Division's advance headquarters and reaching the El Adem area. As fighting raged over the next several days, Rommel's forces became trapped in an area known as "The Cauldron.
This area saw his men trapped by Bir Hakeim to the south, Tobruk to the north, and the minefields of the original Allied line to the west. Under constant assault by Allied armor from the north and east, Rommel's supply situation was reaching critical levels and he began to contemplate surrender. These thoughts were erased when early on May 29 supply trucks, supported by the Italian Trieste and Ariete Divisions, breached the minefields north Bir Hakeim. Able to re-supply, Rommel attacked west on May 30 to link up with the Italian X Corps. Destroying the Sidi Muftah box, he was able to split the Allied front in two."

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FRIDAY , October 22nd, 18hUTC , the map El Agheila will be played in Devil in the Dawn Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign

History

"Rommel's supply position had not improved: Tunisia was still being prioritised for supplies and of the ships which were sent to Tripoli to supply the Panzer Army in November, three-quarters had been destroyed. Rommel was short of men and equipment and very short of fuel and ammunition. His stated intention therefore was to hold out as long as possible but to retire in the face of strong pressure. When the preliminary attacks began on 11 December Rommel took this to be the start of Eighth Army's attack and started to withdraw. By mid morning on 12 December patrols detected that the Axis positions were starting to thin out. In response Montgomery ordered the New Zealand Division to move immediately and brought forward the main assault to the night of 14/15 December. By the evening of 12 December, the Axis withdrawal was under way, except for some units who were covering the extrication.

On 13 December, Axis reconnaissance aircraft discovered some 300 vehicles north of Marada oasis 75 mi (121 km) south of El Agheila (the New Zealand column), which meant for the Axis forces the danger of being outflanked. Rommel wished to launch his remaining armour at this outflanking force but was prevented by lack of fuel and ordered the withdrawal to continue. An attack by the 7th Armoured Division was repulsed in a rearguard action by the Italian 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete". In his diary, Rommel wrote:

    Late in the morning, a superior enemy force launched an attack on Combat Group Ariete, which was located south-west of El Agheila, with its right flank resting on the Sebcha Chebira and its left linking up with 90th Light Division. Bitter fighting ensued against 80 British tanks and lasted for nearly ten hours. The Italians put up a magnificent fight, for which they deserved the utmost credit. Finally, in the evening, the British were thrown back by a counter attack of the Centauro's armoured regiment, leaving 22 tanks and 2 armoured cars burnt out or damaged on the battlefield. The British intention of cutting off the 90th Light Division had been foiled.
    — Rommel

The Eighth Army change of plan had come too late and when the New Zealand Division completed their "left hook" on 15 December, they were dispersed after a difficult journey across difficult terrain which left them with only 17 serviceable tanks. They found the 15th Panzer Division on the escarpment guarding the coast road and the 6th New Zealand Brigade, further west, was ordered to form a block on the coast road, while the 5th Brigade protected the divisional supply and transport vehicles. During the night of 15/16 December, most of the remaining elements of the Panzer Army were able to withdraw towards Nofilia, moving in small fast columns through the gaps in the dispersed New Zealand units, under cover of dark. On 18 December, short-lived but fierce fighting took place at Nofaliya (100 mi (160 km) west of El Agheila), during which Rifleman Charles Ashford of the Kings Royal Rifles won the Military Medal for attacking an emplacement of panzers in his Bren Gun Carrier despite losing his support vehicles and being shot in the face. The fighting at Nofilia brought the battle of El Agheila to an end."

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FRIDAY , October 29th, 18hUTC , the map Faid Pass will be played in the Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign
Devil in the Dawn

History

"At 0400 hours on 14 Feb, four German battle groups consisted of 140 tanks from German 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions, under the overall command of General Heinz Ziegler, rushed through Faïd Pass and Maizila Pass toward Sidi Bouzid under the cover of a sand storm; at 1000 hours, the German attack had overcome the small American resistance along the way and reached the Djebel Lessouda hill. While half the German force reached Djebel Lessouda, the other half marched for Djebel Ksaira and Bir el Hafey. By the end of the day, most of the American fighting vehicles had been driven west or destroyed, leaving infantrymen atop the hills of Djebel Lessouda, Djebel Ksaira, and Djebel Garet Hadid with no support.

ww2dbaseOn 15 Feb, US General Orlando Ward launched a counterattack, which suffered great casualties in the face of German aircraft strafings and bombings and then German tank attacks; at the cost of 46 medium tanks, 9 self-propelled guns, and a number of other vehicles, the Americans captured Djebel Hamra. In the evening, the Germans launched an offensive that again pushed back the Allies. Sidi Bouzid and Sbeitla to the northwest were captured by the Germans by the end of the day. The US II Corps retreated to Kasserine Pass west of Sbeitla by 17 Feb."

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FRIDAY , November 5th, 19hUTC , the map Kasserine Pass will be played in the Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign
Devil in the Dawn

History

"Defending the pass was a force consisting of the U.S. 1st Battalion, 26th Regimental Combat Team, the U.S. 19th Combat Engineer Regiment, the 6th Field Artillery Battalion, a tank destroyer battalion and a battery of French artillery. On the hills to their west was French General Welvert's Task Force Welvert comprising a U.S. Ranger and infantry battalion, three French infantry battalions, two U.S. field artillery battalions, four French artillery batteries and engineer and anti-aircraft detachments. Furthest west was Task Force Bowen (consisting of the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Regimental Combat Team), blocking the track from Feriana towards Tebessa. Between Task Force Bowen and Tebessa to the north was the regrouping 1st Armored Division although only Combat Command B was fit for combat. The positions in the pass had been placed under Colonel Alexander Stark, commander of the 26th RCT, on the night of February 18 and the command named Stark Force.

An attempt to surprise the Kasserine defenses by the 33rd Reconnaissance Unit into the pass failed and a battalion of Panzer grenadiers was ordered into the floor of the pass and another onto Djebel Semmama, the hill on its eastern flank and slow progress was made against artillery fire. The tanks of 1/8th Panzer Regiment were committed at noon but little further progress resulted against stubborn defense. Rommel decided to commit his units from the 10th Panzer to the Kasserine Pass the next morning in a coordinated attack with the Afrika Korps Assault Group, which was to be joined by elements of the Italian 131st Armored Division Centauro. British reinforcements from the 26th Armoured Brigade (6th Armoured Division) had been assembling at Thala and Brigadier Dunphie, making forward reconnaissance, decided to intervene. The First Army headquarters restricted him to sending Gore Force, a small combined-arms group of a company of infantry, a squadron of 11 tanks, an artillery battery and an anti-tank troop. Brigadier Cameron Nicholson (6th Armoured Division) was given command of Nickforce, all units north-west of the pass.

During the night, the American positions on the two shoulders overlooking the pass were overrun and at 8:30 am German panzer grenadiers and Italian Bersaglieri resumed the attack. At 10:00am Dunphie judged that Stark Force was about to give way and ordered Gore Force to the Thala side of the pass as elements of the Centauro Division launched their attack towards Tebessa and continued it during the afternoon. On February 20th during the opening attack on key American positions of the town of Djebel, the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment made a frontal assault on U.S. positions that lasted most of the morning and finally carried the position, losing the regimental commander Colonel Bonfatti in the process. This action cracked open the allied defenses, opening the road to Thala and Tebessa. By midday the accompanying combined Axis armored units poured through the pass routing U.S. forces with the 1st U.S. armored division into one of the worst U.S. defeats of the Tunisian Campaign. The Italian regiment was complimented by General Bulowius, commander of the DAK assault group who sited their action as the instrumental event of the Axis victory. At 1:00 pm Rommel committed two battalions from 10th Panzer which overcame the defense. Tanks and Bersaglieri from the Centauro Division advanced along Highway 13 and overran the 19th Combat Engineer Regiment. The U.S. survivors made a disorganized retreat up the western exit from the pass to Djebel el Hamra, where Combat Command B of the 1st Armored Division was arriving. On the exit to Thala, Gore Force slowly leapfrogged back, losing all its tanks in the process, to rejoin the 26th Armoured Brigade some 10 miles (16 km) further back."

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FRIDAY , November 12th, 19hUTC , the map El Guettar will be played in the Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign
Devil in the Dawn

History

"The Axis army commanders had become aware of the U.S. movements and decided that the 10th Panzer Division should stop them. Rommel had departed Tunisia for Germany on 9 March before the battle, leaving von Arnim in control of the newly named Africa Korps. Von Arnim also held Rommel's opinion on the low quality of the American forces and felt that a spoiling attack would be enough to clear them from the Eastern Dorsals again.

At 06:00 on 23 March, 50 tanks of Broich's 10th Panzer emerged from the pass into the El Guettar valley at 34°20′12″N 8°56′53″E. German motorised units in halftracks and motorcycle sidecars broke off from formation and charged the infantry on the top of the hill. The halftracks would move up the hill as far they could and then the infantry they carried would dismount while covered by fire from 88mms. The Germans were maneuvering to hit American artillery anchored on the hill. They quickly overran front-line infantry and artillery positions. Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr.—commanding the U.S. 1st Infantry Division—was threatened when two tanks came near his headquarters, but he shrugged off suggestions of moving, "I will like hell pull out, and I'll shoot the first bastard who does."

The German attack lost momentum when it ran into a minefield. When the Germans slowed to reorganise, U.S. artillery and anti-tank guns engaged, including 31 M10 tank destroyers which had recently arrived. Over the next hour, 30 of the 10th Panzer's tanks were destroyed, and by 09:00 they retreated from the valley.

A second attempt was made at 16:45, after waiting for the infantry to form up. Once again the U.S. artillery was able to disrupt the attack, eventually breaking the charge and inflicting heavy losses. Realizing that further attacks were hopeless, the rest of the 10th Panzer Division dug in on hills to the east or retreated back to the German headquarters at Gabès."

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FRIDAY , November 19th, 19hUTC , the map Road to Kairouan will be played in the Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign
Devil in the Dawn

History

"The Axis army commanders had become aware of the U.S. movements and decided that the 10th Panzer Division should stop them. Rommel had departed Tunisia for Germany on 9 March before the battle, leaving von Arnim in control of the newly named Africa Korps. Von Arnim also held Rommel's opinion on the low quality of the American forces and felt that a spoiling attack would be enough to clear them from the Eastern Dorsals again.

At 06:00 on 23 March, 50 tanks of Broich's 10th Panzer emerged from the pass into the El Guettar valley at 34°20′12″N 8°56′53″E. German motorised units in halftracks and motorcycle sidecars broke off from formation and charged the infantry on the top of the hill. The halftracks would move up the hill as far they could and then the infantry they carried would dismount while covered by fire from 88mms. The Germans were maneuvering to hit American artillery anchored on the hill. They quickly overran front-line infantry and artillery positions. Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr.—commanding the U.S. 1st Infantry Division—was threatened when two tanks came near his headquarters, but he shrugged off suggestions of moving, "I will like hell pull out, and I'll shoot the first bastard who does."

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FRIDAY , December 3rd, 19hUTC , the map Djebel Tahent will be played in the Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign
Devil in the Dawn

History

"By 26 April the 1st Division had attained its initial objectives and controlled all the high ground south of a line from Hill 575 to Hill 347 (Djebel Sidi Meftah). However, the division now had a long flank on the left, exposed to enemy counterattack from strong positions on high ground. Corps Headquarters saw that any further progress eastward would increase the danger to this flank.

The next moves, therefore, were coordinated blows by the 34th and 1st Divisions. The 34th was to attack into the hills east and west of Sidi Nsir, with Hill 609 (Djebel Tahent) as a key objective. Supported on its flank by this attack, the 1st Division was to carry on its offensive eastward and complete the opening of the Tine Valley.

The ground facing the 34th Division was as hard to fight through as the area just won by the 1st Division. The German right flank was anchored on Djebel el Hara, west of Sidi Nsir and dominating the highway and railroad from Beja to Mateur. To the east, the enemy held Hills 435, 490, and 609. From these heights, as a result of the retirement forced by the 1st Division, the enemy line now ran slightly south of east to the eastern end of Djebel Sidi Meftah.

The attack on the 34th Division was aimed at one of the strongest defensive areas in the German line. The enemy had held this ground for months and had used this time to organize a whole series of positions protecting the valley to Mateur and the road from Sidi Nsir to the Tine Valley. Outstanding in height, Hill 609 was the key fortress in this area, and its approaches were defended by supporting positions on hills almost as difficult.

Two of the more important outlying defenses of Hill 609 were the ridge of Djebel el Hara and Hill 375. The key features of the ridges were two high points (407 and 473). Across a wadi to the northeast, Hill 375 was a supporting position. Our capture of these strongly fortified hills would compel the Germans to fall back east of Sidi Nsir.

The enemy held on through 3 days of artillery fire and infantry attacks. On 25 April, the 175th Field Artillery Battalion and several battalions of Corps Artillery laid down a heavy fire on Djebel el Hara. The 1st and 3d Battalions of the 168th Regimental Combat Team then began their assault, but enemy machine-gun and mortar fire halted the advance after slight progress. On 25-26 April, the artillery fired numerous concentrations on Hills 407 and 473 to soften enemy positions. On 27 April, after renewed heavy shelling by the artillery, the infantry again attacked. The 2d Battalion moved up from the southeast and obtained a foothold on the southern slopes of Djebel el Hara. On the next day, while the 2d Battalion mopped up Hills 473 and 407, the 1st Battalion went on to capture Hill 375."

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FRIDAY , December 3rd, 19hUTC , the map Majardah River Valley will be played in the Forgotten Hope 2 Campaign
Devil in the Dawn

History

"The Battle over Majardah river, as well known as the Battle of Tebourba, a town on the east of the river, took place on the Tunisian Front after the successful Anglo-American landing on November 8, 1942; and represented the so-called "Race in Tunis" of the Allied troops trying to crush the last efforts of the Axis forces, abruptly sent by Hitler to Tunis and Bizerte. Main objective was to avoid the axis to regroup, form a new stable front and counterattack. However, after some first successful allied attacks, from 1 December, the German forces, reinforced by the arrival of efficient armored units,  launched a successful counter-offensive with the Panzertruppen, much more experienced and equipped with the new modern panzer.

They inflicted a serious defeat to the inexperienced Anglo-American forces, forcing them to retreat, stabilize a solid front on the Tunisian border and imposing a prolonged stop to the Allied advance. War on Africa wasn't over. "

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