Hey everyone,
Welcome to Developer Briefing #70!
We hope you enjoyed our little (large) April Fool's joke in Developer Briefing #69. Now that we've all had a chuckle at that absolute unit, let's take a look at where you'll be clashing next...
Hill 400, Bergstein - The History
The battle for Hill 400 was the end of the Hurtgen campaign and the prelude to The Battle of The Bulge.
The Hill is the highest point in the Hurtgen area and was considered a strategic objective to both sides. The Hill featured thick forest, steep slopes, and protruding rock. The Roer and Kall rivers lay to the North and East. In medieval times, the mountain-like hill featured a castle, which was destroyed in the 1200s. To the West of Hill 400 is the town of Bergstein, whose church is built from some of the material of that castle.
The Axis initially occupied Hill 400 and defended it from several attempts from the US 8th, 9th, and 28th Infantry Divisions. Even the 5th and 47th Armored Division failed to take the Hill - the Germans had dug in deep and used the Hill to full effect for artillery spotting and recon in all directions.
To give you an idea of the battle conditions the soldiers on both sides faced, Charles MacDonald described the fighting at Hürtgen Forest in his book "The Mighty Endeavor".
“the battle of the hedgerows all over again only this time with freezing rain, sleet, snow, flood, mud, pillboxes, and dense woods straight out of frightening German folk tales. It was the Argonne of World War II.”
The 2nd Rangers, the men who scaled the bluffs of Pointe-du-Hoc and even some who fought on Omaha Beach on D-Day were finally tasked with assaulting Hill 400 and uprooting the German forces. Despite taking significant losses to artillery barrage and machine gun fire, the 2nd Rangers successfully took the Hill on December 7th, 1944.
Forty long hours after the beginning of the initial assault to take Hill 400 the 2nd Rangers were finally relieved by a Battalion of the 13th Infantry. During those forty hours, the 2nd Rangers were aided by the 18th Field Artillery in defending 5 counter-attacks from Fallschirmjager units whilst simultaneously withstanding constant artillery fire.
German forces eventually retook Hill 400 on the 17th December and the Allies would not finally reclaim Hill 400 again until February 1945.
"The people in command did not know what the Rangers were. A Combat Command of 5th Armored Division, 3,000 men with tanks, failed to take the Burgeberg. Three companies of Rangers, just 200 soldiers, captured and held it.”
That is a brief history around the battles of Hill 400. The same area you'll soon be clashing on in Hell Let Loose.
We'd like to give credit to the following sources for the above information:
Warefare History Network
Wikipedia
Building Hill 400 - Words from a Level Designer
As you all know, when we create a new map on Hell Let Loose we strive to replicate the frontlines and battlefields to be as geographically accurate as possible to their real counterparts at the time.
We feel that our players deserve to have an experience unlike any other. To give you a look behind the scenes on the development of Hill 400 we spoke to Andrew, one of our dedicated Level Designers:
"The work on Hill 400 has been an exercise of my care and understanding of nature. Growing up in the Ozark Mountains, I have a keen eye for what hills and forests look like. I am glad I got to put so much of my craft into Hill 400, as I believe handcrafted levels have a certain essence that players can respect at least on a subconscious level. Overall, I think we accomplished another out-of-the-park hit that players expect from Hell Let Loose and me being part of that... I can only have gratitude."
That wraps up Andrews message, we hope it conveys not only the hard work, but the passion the team has for Hell Let Loose and you, our community.
It's just one of the reasons why we feel listening to feedback and being open with our players is the best way to be with all of you!
Now, did somebody say more Hill 400 screenshots?
Prepare to Deploy to Hill 400 in Update 6!
Hill 400 will be available as part of Update 6, along with the Recon Vehicles and other goodies.
One thing to note about this map though, is that there are two versions depending on the mode you play...
Misty Morning Version
Overcast Day Version
These two versions will have differing visibility and moods to them, giving two distinct flavours to the map - we hope you have a great time with them both!
That wraps up our second Developer Briefing of the week!
We hope you enjoyed our official reveal and first look at Hill 400, we can't wait to join you there when it drops in Update 6!
Let us know what you think too, what are you most looking forward to about this map? Let us know in the comments and we'll give them a read.
See you on the frontline.