Community members! As we stated in development update 137, we want to put the spotlight on yet another single player mission from the “Liberation” single player campaign.
In this edition, we will shed some light on a mission that is part of the US campaign.
Since the campaign takes you from the Normandy landings all the way into Germany in 1945, missions take place in several different countries. The mission we highlight today took place quite long after D-Day, as you will see.
By the way, have you seen the sale that’s going on?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/400750/
Beyond Normandy
The US single player campaign in “Liberation” will be slightly different from its German counterpart. Early on, we decided to add 4 skirmishes to the US faction. We also decided to “weave” these into the single player campaign, carefully choosing the battles to be part of the overall storyline. That means the US campaign will feature a total of 10 missions! These missions will take you through the liberation of western Europe, from France through Belgium and right into Germany, which is where today’s story takes place.
This particular mission is a single player mission, not a skirmish.
You may have heard about this battle, which was fought in the ruins of the largest German city on the river Rhine.
Cologne
When the western allies approached Cologne, 8 months had already passed since the Normandy landings. Taking Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany, was going to be quite a milestone; however, the allies anticipated fierce resistance here. The city had been bombed many times, and most of its streets were littered with debris. Buildings were still collapsing and burning; and inside the city, the German army was still present.
The 3rd armored division - the unit you fight for during the campaign - approached Cologne from the direction of Pulheim on March 5th, 1945. While other regiments closed off potential escape routes north and south of Cologne, the 32nd regiment’s E and F companies formed the central spearhead that entered the city the next day, with orders to drive to the cathedral and capture the “Hohenzollern” bridge over the river Rhine.
E and F companies were followed into Cologne by a group of embedded journalists, photographers and cameramen. They are the reason why we know as much as we do about the famous clash that was to follow, later in the day.
They documented the fighting on film, and combined with the division’s reports, they paint a fairly clear picture of what happened.
Shermans of the 3rd armored division advance through Cologne, March 6th, 1945.
The mission in Gates of Hell
This mission takes place after the 32nd regiment has fought its way through the suburbs, having rested for the night on the outskirts of the city proper. The mission briefing clearly states that “street fighting is a different story altogether, and we have to take all of Cologne on this side of the Rhine without really knowing the enemy’s strength. They likely have orders to defend the town to the last man and the last bullet”.
You’ll have to be cautious indeed, how many tanks does the enemy have here? Where are his infantry units? Will there be snipers?
You will find the answers to these questions as you slowly fight your way to the cathedral, eliminating enemy resistance as you go along.
”E” company’s Pershing tank advancing through Cologne. Note the towers of the Cathedral in the distance.
You will command both E and F companies, allowing you to advance in 2 streets simultaneously. Fortunately for you, one of the tanks under your command is the M26 Pershing; this tank ought to be able to knock out most German tanks. Using the 1st person view, you can put yourself in the shoes of Sergeant Bob Early, who commanded it in real life.
You will have to keep it safe under all circumstances, it’s the “ace up your sleeve” in this duel!
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The duel
As expected, the enemy does not simply surrender. The fighting continues all the time; the remnants of the 363rd Volksgrenadier Division are not prepared to give up the city just yet. At some point, the spearhead on the southern street even gets stopped. A German tank starts firing at your tank column. You’re taking losses!
You will need to act immediately if you want to prevent your column of Shermans from being decimated. What’s your next move? You need to decide on the spot, and you need to do it quickly! If you want to push E company forward, you will have to make sure any hidden dangers in the street and the adjacent buildings are eliminated first.
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You’ve found the remnants of the 106th Panzer brigade “Feldherrnhalle”. They have rolled into Cologne in the morning, only to find that the bridges behind them are blown up by German pioneers. They can’t retreat, but you will find out they are prepared to fight! Having taken up position in a tunnel at Cologne central station, they have been waiting for you to arrive.
Now that they have opened fire at F company’s Shermans, you’ll need to be quick, or face having to write a very gloomy report later. What’s your next move going to be?
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History
The amount of documentation on this particular battle is larger than is usually the case, and even then, a few details of this particular battle are lost to history. Nonetheless, we wanted to recreate this battle as detailed as possible, so you can find out just how much the men of the 3rd armored division had to be on edge when they were in this situation.
We have succeeded in recreating the battleground fairly precisely for this mission, and it will be up to you to re- enact this story for yourself. We predict that we’ll see some very good “then and now” screenshots emerge as a result. Do you know which situation we mean? Let us know in the comments!
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In the meantime, you’ve just read about yet another reason to put “Liberation” on your wishlist. Do it today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2447590/Call_to_Arms__Gates_of_Hell_Liberation/
Did you know?
- The first batch of T26E3 Pershing tanks were given to the 3rd and 9th armored divisions only
- The T26E3 designation was changed to M26 in march of 1945
- Production of the Pershing started in November 1944
- Only 10 were produced in the first month
That’s it for now, thanks for your time and see you on the battlefield!
