GamerHelp.com

Sneak Preview: Call of Duty® 2

Russian Campaign, Mission 1: The Winter War
From the Call of Duty 2 Official Strategy Guide,
published by BradyGames,
for Activision's WWII action game Call of Duty 2 on PlayStation® 2 and Microsoft Xbox® 360

Through the darkness of war, through the chaos of battle, lies the path to glory. At long last, Call of Duty 2 is available for PC and the new Microsoft Xbox 360. The Call of Duty 2 Official Strategy Guide from BradyGames includes detailed walkthroughs, strategy, and maps for all missions in the United States, Britain, and Russia—plus details on every weapon, expert infantry training, and complete multiplayer coverage.

CHAPTER 2: THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN

This is the first campaign, but it's not a cakewalk. The battles after the training occur in Stalingrad, which is widely accepted as one of the most gruesome and gritty battles in all of World War II. After a brief training session outside of Moscow in 1941, you move to Stalingrad in 1942 and 1943 to complete the Russian Campaign. The fighting is fierce, the temperatures are bitterly cold, and the resources at your disposal are sometimes strained, causing you to pick up your enemy's weapons in order to get the job done. Good luck, comrade.

This first mission involves training exercises that help you get acquainted with the weaponry, movement, and interactive controls for Call of Duty 2. If you played the original Call of Duty, much of this is review, but you must complete the training in order to proceed farther into the game.

THE BATTLE OF MOSCOW

In August of 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed a non-aggression pact. Stalin believed that the Germans would be foolish to attack Russia, and he naively believed that his country was safe from Hitler's aggressions, which were spreading throughout Europe.

However, in June of 1941, Hitler attacked Russia using the now well-practiced Blitzkrieg tactics, striking deep into Russia and completely taking many of the Russian military leaders by surprise. The Germans had three main "Army Groups" that moved toward Leningrad, the Ukraine, and Moscow. The group attacking Moscow was named "Army Group Center."

Army Group Center made swift progress. After a fierce battle, they captured Smolensk, a town on the road to Russia. Unfortunately for the Germans, heavy rains in the autumn of 1941 turned the roads and fields to mush, making it difficult for the German armor to advance. By the time the Germans made it to Moscow, winter was settling in. As fate would have it, the winter of 1941 turned out to be one of the coldest on record. This was critically important because the German Army was not equipped for winter combat.

The furthest into Moscow the Germans would get was a train station about 20 miles from Red Square. In December of 1941, the Russian commander, Zhukov, launched a huge counteroffensive that ultimately drove back the Germans, and Moscow was once again defended against invasion, as it had been in Napoleon's time.

Red Army Training

This portion of the game is designed to get you acquainted with the various weapons available to you, as well as a few tricks to use them effectively. However, the training is not all simple learning; at the end, you must actually engage the Germans in the streets of Moscow to complete your schooling.

Diary Entry: December 16, 1941, 2200 hrs, Moscow.
Snowing, -15º C.

In a few hours, I will join my comrades in the defense of Moscow. The Germans have closed to within a few kilometers, and many citizens, including most of my relatives, have been killed by German artillery. Although I have never held a rifle, I am ready to learn what I must, and to do my duty to protect our Motherland against the fascists.

Pvt. Vasili I. Koslov
13th Guards Rifle Division.

THE PATH TO VICTORY

Your first tasks involve learning how to use a rifle, aim down its barrel, attack with the butt of a rifle (melee attack), and toss grenades. Once you have mastered the basics, you must follow Commissar Letlev to the soldier that's being interrogated. Next up, your training becomes very real indeed. You must run to the armory, grab a PPSH, Smoke Grenades, and Frag Grenades, then climb the ladder and destroy a Panzerwerfer.

PANZERWERFER
The Panzerwerfer, literally translated as 'Tank Thrower,' was a self-propelled German Artillery gun. Usually the Panzerwerfers consisted of an armored half-track with a rocket launcher mounted on it.

RECOMMENDED WEAPONS

Mosin-Nagant: Very accurate rifle, although slow.

PPSH: Russian submachine gun. Very powerful, but not very accurate.

Smoke Grenade: Sends up a layer of thick smoke that blocks the enemy's view.

Objective: Learn to Use the Weapons

The mission begins with your character on the back of a truck. Hop down, then follow the instructions to get your hands on a rifle and a handgun. Once you have these, move to the target range.

Follow the instructions to use the handgun to shoot the teddy bears, then the rifle to shoot the bottles, plates, and helmets. These activities occur in areas 1,2,3, and 4 on the map.

Once you have practiced with the guns, follow the instructions and move to the Grenade training area (area 5 on the map). Here you must toss potatoes to get a feeling for tossing Grenades. Once you have completed this, follow the Commissar into the house where a German prisoner awaits (area 6 on the map). The prisoner gives you information about enemy movement.

Objective: Get to the Armory

Your next job is to get to the armory (area 7 on the map), where you can pick up a PPSH machine gun, some Grenades, Smoke Grenades, and the Sticky Bombs you need in order to destroy the Panzerwerfer later on. Follow your comrades through the trench and into the armory.

MOSIN-NAGANT 1938 BOLT-ACTION RIFLE
The Mosin-Nagant K1938 bolt-action rifle was the standard issue for the Russian troops fighting in World War II. With a range of 400 meters and a 7.62mm projectile, it was a decent weapon for the average Russian army conscript. The K1938 was bolt-action, so it was slow to fire and could hold a clip of only five rounds at a time. Still, you'll be glad to have this weapon in the campaign's early going!

Objective: Get Past the Halftrack

Once in the Armory, pick up the weapons and then wait for your comrades to raise the ladder to the roof. When the ladder is up, climb up into the building above and get ready for some fierce action. Arm your PPSH and make sure the clip is full before you move forward.

In the house above the Armory, there's an open space you must cross to get to the building beyond. Unfortunately you're pinned down with gunfire from a nearby halftrack (area 8 on the map). Use a Smoke Grenade to create a smoke screen that you can run through to get to the safety of the other building.

Run across the gap (through the smoke) to the building. Then move to the opening in the building; by doing this, you flank the halftrack crew perfectly. Use your weapon to take out the unsuspecting Germans (area 9 on the map).

Objective: Place Explosives on Panzerwerfer

You must now get to the Panzerwerfer (area 12 on the map) and place the explosives on it. To get to the Panzerwerfer, you have to clear out several groups of enemies along the way. Start by taking out the halftrack crew by the house. Next, flank around the gates to the bombed-out building, where more German troops wait.

Take control of the bombed-out building. Then move up to the top floor and use the height advantage to clear out any enemies below. There is a sandbag fortification with several enemies behind it around the side of the area (area 11 on the map). Shoot the exploding barrels behind the fortification to make your life easier.

Finally, when you see the Panzerwerfer, run up to it and plant the explosives on it. Then get the heck out of the way, or the explosion takes you out as well. Your training is over.

For more hints, secrets, maps, and strategy, check out the BradyGames Call of Duty 2 Official Strategy Guide!

Call of Duty 2 | PC