Call of Duty 2/The Battle For Caen

Note: This mission set takes place after the American "D-Day" mission set chronologically, and therefore if you play the game linearly (not starting any mission from the Mission Select menu), you will be presented with "D-Day" right after finishing "Rommel's Last Stand", then go back to this set after that one is complete. However, since this is a British mission, it was listed directly under "Rommel's Last Stand".

Prisoners Of War

 * Caumont
 * 11 June 1944
 * Difficulty: 6 out of 10

As this mission starts, MacGregor will lead a squad of troops down another path. Follow the others until you can see some German sentries walking around in the distance. You can get their attention one of two ways: you may fire at one of them or get near them. Either way, you'll start a battle; use the low walls as cover as you mow down the incoming Germans. You'll do this with a new weapon, the Sten submachine gun, which is weaker than the Thompson but is more accurate and holds more rounds per clip.



After the battle, go through the hedges and shoot the Germans in the house. An artillery barrage will start any time now, and you should get into the center house once it does. You'll next be treated to an unrelenting MG-42, but MacGregor's squad will come to save the day and take it out. Once the smoke clears get out into the open and get to the second floor of the partly demolished building.



Kill the few Jerries up here, then use your rifle to kill the mortar crew down there and the large wave of enemies that come to the spot. This isn't easy, due to the fact that you'll get shot every time you try to aim on someone, but if you take cover often you won't die. When you're done, get back down and go through this house. Turn right and then left at the end of the alley, and the second mortar crew's hideout will be visible. Grenade the entrance and mow down anyone that comes out; then fight your way into the backyard of this house, where the mortar is. Pick up the two smoke grenades here if you've used some.



Don't follow the others out of the house just yet; instead, go upstairs and perch in the window facing west. There's quite an army of enemies in the area, and you can easily spend five minutes here picking them off. Also, be sure to take out the MG-42. When you think you're ready, go down and jump over all the low walls, taking out any Germans you missed; then continue out onto the street at the end of the map. Your destination here is the house on the southern end of this street, but first go into the second house from the end (use smoke if you can't bypass the MG-42 or can't shoot the gunner) and clear that one out. Then, go through this house's side entrance and enter the last house by the garage. Now, wait until Captain Price gets here and kicks the door open; you'll be faced with two surrendering Germans and some wounded Americans. Don't shoot/bunt/throw grenade at any of these men, as they'll result in instant mission failure.



Thought you were done, didn't you? Well, the Yanks need to be transported out, so you'll need a truck. Follow MacGregor out, and just keep on his tail until you see some soldiers coming out of the hedges next to the house with the mortars in the backyard. Take care of them, and you'll also notice some Germans springing up here and there; do the same to them. If you lose MacGregor at any time, simply backtrack to the VERY beginning of this mission and go a bit further (a section of the map opens up at this time). Although he knows a shortcut, you won't lose much time. When you get to the truck, hop onto the back and ignore the Panzerschreck for now; shortly after the private starts driving, a small counter-attack will begin, and you should be able to dispatch these guys pretty quick with a spray of a submachine gun. Try to kill as many of these guys as possible, because they'll shoot at you later when you're busy if you don't.



A short while later, an enemy tank emerges out of those hedges you passed earlier. You might be spelling "doom" in your mind, but don't give up just yet--you have a way to take it out. Remember that Panzerschreck you didn't pick up? Now pick it up, and shoot the tank three times with it to destroy it. Ammo isn't a problem here, as you'll automatically be given more if you run out, but time is. If you don't kill this guy quickly enough, you'll be blown to bits. Once the tank's history, just ride a bit more until you get to the prisoners and the mission ends.

The Crossroads

 * Anctoville
 * 12 June 1944
 * Difficulty: 7 out of 10



You start inside a house. See that pistol lying in the table next to the wall? If you're a total newbie, don't worry about it; but this is the only chance you get to use this ultra-powerful pistol in the singleplayer campaign, so it's worth trading in your rifle for this if you're an advanced player. This thing can kill in just one torso shot, so it's very good to have for close-range encounters.



After picking a weapon, walk out into the distinct sound of an MG-42 ripping the air. You really can't do much about this other than throw a smoke grenade, but if you can just run past it without dying, don't waste one. Run into the house with the open door and shoot everyone in there. Then, come right back outside and dash for the opening in the backyard or something of an house right across the street. There will be additional enemies to kill here, and when you're done, the enemy tank will start blasting your squad's positions. Price will tell you to find an Anti-Tank and destroy the thing. You're looking for a Panzerschreck, and it's on the second floor of the house across the street. Kill everyone in your way, trade in your pistol or rifle for the Panzer, kill anyone you missed (it's fun to press the melee attack key/button with the Panzerschreck and watch what happens) and blast the tank twice to destroy it.



Go back to that house the tank was shooting at. There should now be a hole in the wall that you can climb over. Go ahead, and clear out the house directly in front of you (yes, both floors). Stay on the second floor long enough to take out the MG nest and most of the enemies in other houses, then proceed.



Eventually you'll get to a street leading up to the crossroads (Captain Price will say so once you're there). Wait until a brave Private comes with a bazooka and destroys the tank up in the street (aka hide behind the wall), then pick up said weapon once he drops it. It'll come very useful for killing those Germans both at the crossroads and on the street. Once you're out of Panzer rounds, throw a smoke grenade near the enemy's positions and go to the house on the far side of the street. There's another Panzerschreck here for you to pick up, and instead of going back to wherever you were, stay inside this house. You can shoot through the window, crouch safely from enemy fire when reloading, and any grenades they throw should be able to be dodged while remaining inside. Additionally, there's a Bren support rifle in the house that you should pick up once the Panzer really runs out of ammunition. Stay inside and pick off the Germans one by one.



After an arduous fight, the Krauts will retreat. Follow everyone else into the gate of the farmhouse; once Price kicks it open, rush inside. Don't go for the front door; instead, go around and into the back door, and you should be able to catch a few enemies by surprise. Clear this entire house like you've been doing, then go to the barn area and pick Germans off. Don't go inside the barn just yet--stand near the windows and kill as many of them as you can from there. When you feel confident enough, barge in, kill the remainder, and shoot/bunt/nade the radio.



Here comes the fun part. Man the MG-42, and wait for the huge enemy waves to start. They'll come from virtually every direction except behind, but you should be able to kill most of them. As the six waves of troops come, mow down any unlucky enough to get within your range. If any German manages to get inside the barn, your buddies will probably kill him, so only get off the gun if someone really hurts you from behind or the side or a grenade is thrown in. There's even a tank coming to get you later, but the RAF will take care of that. Just follow the mission compass once this objective is complete to finish the mission.

The Tiger

 * St. Louet
 * 12 June 1944
 * Difficulty: 9 out of 10



There are many factors that make this mission one of the most difficult in the game. For one, it's very long and the save points aren't in very convenient spots; additionally, the map is very dark (takes place on such a day) and combined with the unrelenting rain, visibility comes down close to zero at certain points; finally, there are enough Germans on the level to single-handedly conquer a sparsely populated state.

As you start and follow your squad, notice how a fence has been run over on your right. A few seconds later, a monstrous Tiger tank will emerge out of the town you're going for and blow your own support tank to shrapnel without suffering a scratch. At this point, go over that run-over fence and clear the house directly in front of you; then, get back out and clear the next one (advance carefully, because you can get killed easily here).



Get out of this house, and the mission really starts. You have five objectives on your mission compass, which are labeled A through E. As in all cases where you have alphabetized objectives, you can assault these in any order--and that gives this mission more replayability than others. Going in alphabetical order is the easiest, and this walkthrough will detail that.

You'll notice a building on your left, and that is the town hall (or objective A). There are two entrances to this building, but do NOT use the northern entrance unless you're prepared to do a lot of dodging and possibly even running-and-gunning, because there's an obscene number of Germans in prime positions to shoot at you. Instead, go south and take out the MG-42 gunner; then, throw a grenade or two down the hallway on the right and go upstairs. Don't be afraid to use grenades and smoke; they're critical to your survival in Veteran mode. Move slowly and methodically go around the second floor of the town hall, killing everyone you see as fast as you can. If you clear the second floor but the game doesn't acknowledge objective clearance, there are some enemies on the lower floor that haven't came up to face you. There shouldn't be many, so you can clear them out quickly. Consider picking up an MP44 or at least a 40 here, because your Sten just sucks for this mission. Also, during any point in this mission if you come across a Bren, immediately switch whatever rifle you're using for it.



Get back outside and go to that house you came out from just before you attacked town hall. From there, go toward B on your compass (over two broken walls), then turn west after the second broken wall. Kill all Germans here, NOT by rushing but taking cover and shooting carefully. When the onslaught of enemies subside a bit, get into the house there and clear it out. From the second floor of this house, objective B will be in plain sight and you can kill almost everyone in there. Go inside and mop up later on.

The Flak Gun (objective C) is pretty easy to clear, because it's not a building. You will have to pass some houses full of Germans on the way there, though, so you should still tread carefully and make full use of broken walls and such for cover.



The church (objective D) is accessible through a house. Before you get out there, go upstairs and pick off as many Germans as you see. Then enter using the eastern entrance, and you shall see enemies pretty much launching themselves at you. Take an SMG or a support gun, and as the enemies pile out of a single doorway, empty entire clips on them (a good strategy here if you have either a combination of one SMG and one support gun or two of each is to switch quickly between the two weapons when one runs out of ammo). You should also watch for flankers. Throw some grenades in, and don't move into the main hall until there's close to no one shooting at you when you peek inside.

Your last objective, the German field HQ, is quite a bit away from the church. Fight through the house with the open door to the east, then continue along the path to get to an open area with two houses in the distance and a haycart. The house on the right is the HQ. You may clear out the left one (and it will make taking the HQ easier), but it's not necessary.



Hide behind the haycart and shoot at enemies in the small broken house near you. When most of them are dead, move in (use smoke if the Germans in the HQ are laying down covering fire) and take it. From here, you're able to shoot at anyone that comes out of the HQ. Call of Duty 2 never cheaply spawns fodder for you, but actually has a realistically set number of enemies inside a building. Thin out the ranks of'em in there, and from here on you can either move into the HQ or attack the house on the left so that you can assault the HQ from the side.

If you're moving into the HQ now, kill everyone downstairs and in the backyard first. Then, throw a grenade or two upstairs, then cautiously move up step by step. There will be enemies waiting right beside the stairs to your left, so be ready. Clear out each room, and try not to show your back to a potential enemy hiding spot.

If you go into the other house, throw a smoke grenade before you move from the broken building. Use the same tactics as clearing the HQ to take this house, then go to the backyard of the HQ and through the back door. Proceed as outlined above.



A thing to keep in mind here--if you die trying to take the HQ after 15 minutes of shooting from the broken house and moving in (literally--it can take that long), sorry bub, you're starting over from the haycart. This really tends to take the fight away from you, so advance VERY carefully when inside either of the enemy houses.

When the last enemy bites it, victory is yours.

The Brigade Box

 * Amaye Sur Seulles
 * 14 June 1944
 * Difficulty: 9 out of 10



As soon as the mission starts, you'll be hit by a large artillery barrage. Follow the squad into that barn in the distance, and clear it out. Someone'll probably drop a Bren in here, in which case you should swap it for your rifle. After MacGregor kicks open the door, forget about trying to pick off enemies or anything; just make a run for the house to the north and get there as quickly as you can without getting yourself killed. The few Germans defending the entrance can be dispatched by shooting the fuel barrel; enter the house and take out the MG-42 gunner upstairs. By this time your squad will have eliminated everyone else, so get outside via the west-facing door. You should be able to see the first mortar crew. This squad isn't hard to take out, particularly if you make use of the fuel barrels lying around; keep a safe distance away, pick off the lot of'em, then move in to mop up.



It becomes a bit harder from here. Don't go to the street to the north, because there's a halftrack in the distance that will shred you with machine gun fire before you know what's happening. What you need to do to get the second mortar crew is push all the way to the westernmost house of the town, then go south until you can't anymore. First, from where the first crew used to operate, locate the MG-42 gunner to the southwest and kill him. Then, SLOWLY move west; there's a lot of enemies, so there's no reason to rush things. Only move forward when you're sure there's no one within five or so feet of you.



Clear out the westernmost house when you get there, and make sure to kill that halftrack gunner (to do this, go upstairs and shoot him from above). There are three houses on the west side of town, and the one you are in is the northernmost of them. Clear all three houses as you push towards location of the mortar crew on your compass, and from the third house eliminate the mortar crew.



Follow your squad until you end up in an open area with the German farmhouse in the distance. Take cover here, and shoot at Germans to your west. General pandemonium will ensue, in midst of which you have to find your way inside the farmhouse and clear it out. You could attempt to assault the front door, but there's an easier way: circle around the east side of the house and enter through the back door. This will take you to the basement, from where you can move up and kill the unsuspecting Krauts. Granted, there's a lot of enemies to fight through to get to the basement (that's why you should take this slowly like the previous objective), but you'll get a lot more cover than the alternative.



When the house is clear (with luck, there should only be a handful of Germans actually inside), meet up with the Captain in the kitchen. Sounds awfully like the usual rendezvous-with-the-captain-to-end-mission scenario, no? But if it let you off this fast, it wouldn't be the very last British mission. You must hold this house against an oncoming torrent of Germans for three and a half minutes.

Immediately man the MG-42 at the front porch. The Germans will come with smoke grenades, so your best bet early on is to just fire blindly where you expect them to be (and there's so many of them, you'll end up killing quite a few). Watch your side, though--many will make it through and come up the porch. If you get shot from the side, get off the gun, lie prone where you are, and shoot the aggressor. Hopefully you'll have a submachine gun and Bren combo, because this will ensure you can hold your ground for quite a while without reloading.



However, when a LOT of Germans start making it through and/or grenades start flying to your position, it's time to back up. Get back inside the house and fire at the incoming enemies. By this time, some Krauts will probably have taken up positions on the east side. Luckily, there's an MG on that side too, so use it.

You'll find that it's impossible to stay alive by staying at one spot. You must continually be running to different entrances of the house, repelling infantry trying to break inside. The porch will almost always be swarming with enemies trying to get in while your squad hold them at bay, while the basement will have a similar situation. When the three minutes and thirty seconds are up, you win... not.



There's a Tiger tank that's blowing the house to smithereens (happens to be the same one you met last mission), and you must destroy it while the rest of the squad hold off invading forces. Backtrack the way you came (around the east side), making use of all the cover around (trucks, walls, etc), and don't stop until you have jumped over the second fence to the farm. There's a barrel lying on its side here, which you must lie prone behind while you pick off anyone close by (watch your back, too).



The halftrack that escorts the tank will be destroyed without your help, and all you have to do at this point is throw a smoke grenade between you and the Tiger and close in to plant sticky bombs. Meet up with Capt. Price in the backyard to finish the mission.