Call of Duty WWII: The Stronghold | Mission guide

Having cleared the streets near Caen, the soldiers of the First Infantry Division are ready to march on Marigny. The name of the third Call of Duty WWII mission is The Stronghold, which took place on July 26, 1944, as well as the day after Operation Cobra. Marigny is essential to open a gateway to Paris, and in this operation we will have to test our skills as sharpshooters. In the guide you will find useful tips to successfully complete the mission

The war continues to rage and the soldiers of the First Infantry Division I'm more than determined to take it Marigny, to have the green light to Paris. Just the day before, the streets near Caen were cleared and are now under our control. Marigny is within walking distance, but the mission to conquer it will not be easy at all.

The Stronghold and the third mission di Call of duty wwii which took place on July 26 1944, just one day after taking the streets of Caen. Once again we will follow the deeds of the American soldiers firsthand, taking on the role of ours Ronald Daniels. Against a city background we will have to take control of a small church to offer support to Zussmann and Aiello, engaged in destruction of enemy anti-aircraft artillery. Lurking at the top of the bell tower it will be essential to have good aim, using a powerful sniper rifle.

Call of Duty WWII - The Stronghold
Mission briefing

July 26. We are barricaded on a farm near Marigny. I close my eyes to think about Hazel, but I go back to that dream.

Ronald “Red” Daniels

Please be advised that from this point on there will, of course, be spoilers on the main Call of Duty WWII campaign. You are warned!

Here are some useful links, to view the previous mission guides di Call of duty wwii. Clicking here you can also read the multiplayer guide, while following this link you can find the our review di Call of duty wwii.

• D-Day | Mission guide
• Operation Cobra | Mission guide

Call of Duty WWII – missione 3
The Stronghold
Marigny, France
July 26 1944

The Stronghold, third mission of Call of duty wwii, begins with a dialogue between Daniels and Zussman. The two soldiers became best friends, lucky and unlucky at the same time to have been united by war. Zussman wants to push himself beyond his limits to show Pierson that he is ready, ready for war, his atrocities and ready to fight for his country.

In my house, when there is a problem, you take it head on. It is the only way to be respected.

Robert Zussman

Daniels, as a good friend, supports Zussman through and through, but rightly points out that he has nothing to prove to anyone. War is ruthless, and throwing yourself into it is not always the best solution.

A man has to face his battles. But respect is useless if you get yourself killed.

Ronald “Red” Daniels

Daniels also confides in Zussman, telling him about the dream that continues to haunt him every night. We see a little boy Ronald Daniels, hunting in the woods with his older brother Paul. The latter is attacked by a wolf and Ronald, petrified with fear, is unable to shoot the animal. Paul manages to take the wolf off him and then reassures his little brother: "It's normal to be afraid." Since that day Daniels has made a promise: don't let Paul down anymore. Now that promise was also reflected in the war, where he too, like Zussman, he has to convince Sergeant Pierson that he is up to it.

At one point the view changes and we find ourselves catapulted into the heart of The Stronghold, third mission of Call of Duty WWII. In front of us we see one church and that will be where we will have to go. Pierson warns us that Turner will lead the bulk of the troops into the square, where the enemy anti-aircraft artillery is stationed. The latter takes down our P47 fighter-bombers, so our task will be stop her by offering support fire and cover from the church, to allow Turner and his team to get the AA out of the way.

Attack the church - goal 1

Between explosions, fire and smoke we see our target, right in front of us. The church we must conquer is not far away, but the road to reach it is far from clear. Right away you will notice a large number of enemies that move in one dilapidated house a little further on, and we will have to head right there. The house, which will play the role of shortcut, it will in fact be essential to cut towards the church, opening a passage for us and saving us time. Pierson requests cover on the left side, while he sends everyone else to the right.

Then proceed towards the house, but be very careful why the enemies are very many and they will immediately start throwing grenades at us. In the area there are many dilapidated walls, but still usable as excellent coverage. Always stay in cover and keep your head down, both when moving forward and when firing. Call of Duty WWII has taught us this well by now! At a certain point, from the left side, a German truck full of soldiers will emerge. Try to eliminate some of them, but they will quickly repair themselves inside the house.

To get a few steps closer to the dilapidated house you can use the car that you find beyond the wall. Our comrades, whom you must always listen and follow, inform us that more enemies are coming from the east. The number of German soldiers in the area is increasing considerably, so a quick and effective solution is urgently needed. And who can give it to us, if not ours Aiello? As we well remember, in Call of Duty WWII Frank Aiello takes care of the grenade equipment and we are suggested to turn to him to ask for a mortar attack.

Then join Frank and with the directional key up require the signal grenade. At this point you can choose when to use the grenade, which will signal the enemies and start a powerful mortar attack. You can use it immediately by throwing it towards the house, or approach it again from the right side and throw the grenade inside it. There first solution will get rid of all enemies outside, while the second solution will eliminate everyone inside. In my Call of Duty WWII game, I used the first method, as I had some difficulty getting close to the house. Doing like me will have the way a little 'freer to reach the house, but then remember that you will have to eliminate the enemies inside. Some of them, as soon as you enter, will be stationed high and will point at you relentlessly, so be careful.

If you choose the second option, that is, approach the house first and use the signal grenade later, head to the right where the house has a large opening that opens onto the inside. As you go, use the vans as cover to avoid getting caught. Once you reach the opening, throw the grenade inside and that's it. The mortar attack will start and clean up the enemy soldiers inside the house.

Any solution adopted will bring you inside the house. As mentioned before, some enemies will be lurking at the top and they will keep you at gunpoint, so my advice is to delete them first, if you haven't already. In the area they are present different hedging objects, such as tables (to be overturned with R3) and sofas: always use them to avoid being hit by enemy bullets. Once you have cleared all of them, collect the medical kit at the foot of the column. You will surely notice the stairs leading to the upper floor: there is nothing above, but going up you could recover some ammunition from the fallen soldiers.

Proceed following the team, walking through the rooms now reduced to a pile of rubble. Once you find yourself outdoors you will have arrived near the church, preceded by a small courtyard. At this point one begins quite challenging firefight, since the enemies will be many and they will attack us from all directions and with the most disparate weapons. If it loads, I recommend that you use Pierson's ability available in Call of Duty WWII, which will make you stand out all enemies; then you will be able to see them even if they are covered and this will be very useful for you because, again I specify, they will be many and they will use all sorts of tactics to take you out.

The first thing you will notice is the truck in the middle of the yard, above which a machine gunner will try to mow you down right away. Behind it is a handful of soldiers who will annoy you a lot, but the machine gunner is the most dangerous one. At one point Zussman draws our attention to a halftrack enemy, also equipped with a machine gunner.

Don't get distracted though, because there is another extremely dangerous soldier who is not immediately visible. As soon as you leave the dilapidated house, take shelter behind the wall in front of you and you. As we said, you will notice the gunner on the van and then the halftrack will appear. They are dangerous, but not as dangerous as the Armed soldier of Panzerschreck which is located on the second floor of the house, exactly to your right. It is quite distant from you and if you don't notice it (and eliminate it!) It will immediately knock you down without thinking twice. I insist on this point because in my personal experience it took me quite a while to understand which direction the attack was coming from.

Historical note
The RPzB 43, which stands for RaketePanZerBüchse (counter-tank rocket rifle, literally) and more commonly called Panzerschreck, was a real portable anti-tank rocket launcher. The literal translation of Panzerschreck is tank scare, and this weapon was used by the German army during World War II. It can be compared to the bazooka supplied to US soldiers, then used to shoot down enemy tanks.

Right below the Panzerschreck-armed soldier, then on the way to your level, a sustained number of soldiers Germans who will target you right away. In summary, at this point in Call of Duty WWII we have a machine gunner in the center of the courtyard in the van, Another aboard the enemy halftrack and soldier equipped with Panzerschreck on the house on the right. Not to mention all the other soldiers who are located practically throughout the courtyard, taking cover behind the truck and the destroyed cars on the sides. At this point there are several tactics to proceed, but keep in mind that you will never have to get caught, otherwise you won't have an easy life. Stay close to your teammates and use their skills when available.

Defend the area - objective 2

Enemy soldiers blocked the entire road and, as Zussman suggests, smoke bombs are the only solution. Then throw a smoke bomb to distract the enemies and take action. My advice is to eliminate first of all the Panzerschreck armed soldier, so it will no longer bother you (a single shot of Panzerschreck and it will be game over!), then moving on to the first gunner on the truck in the middle of the road.

Eliminated that you will then have the possibility to use it yourself MG 42 machine gun, thus eliminating the remaining soldiers. This action will also be recommended to us by Pierson, after another enemy truck raids the area. At this point the position of the enemies will be more than anything else center and to the right, so you will know where to direct your shots.

Go to Pierson and occupy the church - objective 3

When you finally manage to clean up the courtyard it will be time to enter the church. You will have to climb the bell tower to offer cover fire to Turner's troops in the square beyond the building, so don't waste your time and join Pierson at the entrance. Hold the square button to open the door and enter. Go down the corridor and climb over a wall of sacks until you reach the central nave, where you find a table with some ammunition. There's nobody inside for now, so stock up on ammo and get ready. Obviously in war, when the situation is too calm, nothing good is to be expected and even Call of Duty WWII makes us learn it right away.

In fact, the Germans ambush us. As soon as you hear Pierson's voice warning us of machine gunners on the second floor take shelter instantly. Other enemies emerge from the door at the back of the church, so stay in cover and start the firefight. At this point Aiello will offer us grenade support, or another signaling smoke bomb to request a mortar attack. The roof of the church has collapsed, so the support that will be offered to us will be very valuable. At this point, like the first time, you can choose when to use the smoke bomb, immediately or later. Call of Duty WWII allows us to use different tactics to proceed in the missions, and we will have to choose the one that seems to us best suited to our style of play.

I warn you that after some time, again from the door at the back of the church, a soldier equipped with flamethrower, so the best time to call for the mortar attack might be now. If you choose otherwise you will have to take down the enemy with the flamethrower encircling it on the sides, then passing through the side aisles. If the soldier gets too close I recommend using one explosive grenade, also because there will be many other enemies that will point you from the door. The space in the church is quite tight (thanks to the rubble and the barriers to shelter) and the grenades could come in handy: just pay attention to those thrown by enemies and, above all, not to get involved in the explosions of those launched by you.

In the church you will find two medical kits: one in the center of the building beyond the barbed wire (right in front of the door) and the other on the bottom left at the foot of a column (looking at the door from the front). I advise you to recover them when you have eliminated all the enemies, especially the one in the center, because otherwise you risk falling under the myriad of bullets. Also be careful when you reach the door at the end: it is very likely that some enemies are still stationed in the antechamber beyond. And don't forget to take a look over your shoulder, towards what remains of the pews of the church. There were many hostile soldiers, and some may have escaped your blows.

After the door you will find yourself in the antechamber of the church. Here, retrieve any ammunition from the fallen soldiers and two medical kits, then proceed to the entrance door that overlooks the courtyard. Open it by holding down the square button and as soon as you look out you see the German anti-aircraft guns that shoot down our fighters. At this point the team splits: Zussman and Aiello go out into the courtyard with orders to destroy the German anti-aircraft artillery, while we have to go up the bell tower with Pierson, Stiles and another handful of soldiers to offer covering fire. We will therefore have to cover the good Zussman and the veteran Aiello who are counting on us, and we will certainly not disappoint them..

Climb the bell tower - objective 4

We close the door, following Pierson and Stiles up the stairs leading to the bell tower. Arrive at the balustrade on the second floor, where the machine-guns were shooting at us shortly before, and recover a medical kit at the foot of the window with colored glass to the left. Then proceed further up and follow Pierson in circles using the ladder.

I hope no one suffers from vertigo.

William Pierson

Well yes, why do we go up, we go up and up very high, up to the top of the bell tower. Once we reach the top we will have a perfect view of the ground below and Pierson informs us that Zussman and Aiello are already moving to destroy the German anti-aircraft artillery. So don't waste any more time and collect the Kar98K sniper rifle 6X Optics, which you find on the ground right in front of the door you entered.

Protect Zussman and Aiello as they destroy anti-aircraft - objective 5

It is time to put our skills to the test sharpshooter. Grabbing your rifle, look out from the bell tower and take a first look at the ground below. To be able to protect Zussman and Aiello in the best way always listen to the advice of Pierson and Stiles. Furthermore, press the touchpad often (PS4) to have targets highlighted on the screen.

Some enemies are tougher than others, so always make sure they don't get off the ground. One trick is to observe the rifle pointer: if when you shoot turns red for an instant means that the enemy has been shot down. If instead remains white means that soon it will get up again. In any case, our Stiles will give us a hand, warning us when a target is only wounded.

And now, let's go sniping!

To make it easier for you to read and understand, I have decided to list the movements of the enemies through a bulleted list. Remember, always keep your eyes on Zussman and Aiello! Find below the location of the enemies and the directions from which some of them are coming, then conveying to the square. The information reported follows one another as the actions progress and is in chronological order.

• Car on fire in the middle of the square
• Snipers in the building opposite (there are three of them: two on the second floor in the windows and one in the attic, visible through a hole in the wall
• Soldiers emerge from the left side of the square
• Soldier armed with a flamethrower at the foot of the flag, around the center of the square
• The enemies move towards the back of the square following Zussman and Aiello, after they have destroyed one of the three anti-aircraft
• Half-tracks armed with machine guns emerge from the road at the bottom left
• Soldiers above the balconies and roofs of the buildings on the far right
• Soldiers at the end of the road arrive with a truck armed with machine guns
• Another half-track emerges from the road at the bottom left

At this point Turner will reach the square, and Zussman together with Aiello will be able to destroy the second German anti-aircraft.

Escape the church - goal 6

Guys, don't celebrate! Because, troubles in sight, the third and last German anti-aircraft has noticed us and begins to aim at us, starting to fire mercilessly. Zussman and Aiello didn't have time to take it down, so the only thing left to do is run away, and very quickly! Amid the ferocious explosions, Pierson orders us to escape and you don't make it repeat twice. We will have to witness the dramatic scene of the loss of one of our comrades in arms, but we can not help but escape.

The bells of the bell tower, due to the strong explosions, detach from their supports and you will have to avoid them with a quick time event by pressing the X key. Keep following Pierson down the stairs until, bad luck, another bell comes off the top and with a daring fall falls on us. We fall below (landing on the balustrade below mentioned above), and once we hit the ground quickly press the square button to free your right leg from a beam.

Once you are free, continue your escape by taking the stairs and going down to reach the exit. At this point you will have to press the X key to jump, as the stairs will have collapsed. Reached the ground floor to attend a small cinematic, where Pierson grabs us and literally throws us out of the church, saving us from certain death. The church tower is completely knocked down and, together with its bells, crashes to the ground with a deafening noise.

Defend the square - objective 7

Almost without realizing it we ended up in the square below, the very one we observed a short time before from the top of the bell tower, now reduced to a heap of rubble. As we have certainly understood, there is still a German anti-aircraft gun to shoot down. In front of you notice one dilapidated structure that serves as a cover, so don't waste your time and get close with Pierson and Stiles. On the sides of the structure recovered two medical kits, while another is located at the foot of the small ruined wall on the left (looking at the structure from the front, so before reaching it).

In addition to the three medical kits, in this place you will also find different weapons that you can use. The first is a M1 Garand rifle with a built-in grenade launcher, which you will find on the wall to the right of the roof structure. The second weapon is a Flamethrower 35 (flamethrower), in the left corner of the structure (next to the medical kit). Lastly, you will find a double barrel shotgun with two shots, always at the foot of the small ruined wall on the left mentioned above (next to the medical kit).

At this point you can choose the weapon you prefer: however, know that the Flammenwerfer 35 and the M1 Garand rifle are the most effective. The double-barreled shotgun, while being extremely powerful at close range, is quite slow as you'll only need to reload it after two shots fired. Always remember to use the ability of teammates and to follow their advice on how to move and to know from which direction the enemies are approaching.

Historical note
The Flammenwerfer 35 was a German portable flamethrower, used during the Second World War. With a weight of 35,8 kg it managed to launch flames at a distance of almost 30 meters. To work, a petrol-based mixture was used, collected in the container that was carried on the back by the soldier who was armed with it. This dangerous and extremely lethal weapon was mainly used in closed or confined spaces such as bunkers, as in these places it proved (excruciatingly) effective.

Zussman and Aiello are not seen yet, but our mission continues: we will therefore have to continue to keep enemies busy hoping that our comrades manage to destroy the last German anti-aircraft. The hostile soldiers try to surround us around the cover structure, so we will have to try to push them back to prevent them from stalking us.

The first will emerge from the stairway on the right: be careful as there will be many. In this point I recommend using the flamethrower to keep them at bay and not let them go up, a quick and extremely effective method. Another wave of enemies will come later from the left side. Try to be quick because it won't be long between one wave and the next, quite the opposite! They will arrive almost simultaneously, so try to be quick and take down as much as possible. Pierson and Stiles will continue to update you on the location and direction of arrival of the enemies, so always listen carefully. You will have to move from one side to the other several times, so be ready and alert.

The situation does not seem to turn in our favor, so Pierson makes the final decision. It will order you to use a red signaling smoke bomb, to indicate the enemy position to ours P47 fighter-bombers.

Historical note
The full name of the US P47 is Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Also nicknamed the Jug, the fighter-bomber weighed around 7 tons and is classified as one of the largest aircraft ever built before and after the Second World War. Despite its considerable size it managed to be very fast, thanks above all to a powerful engine. It was a real armored fighter-bomber, fully armed: the P47 was in fact equipped with 8 12,7 mm machine guns.

Then select the signaling smoke bomb pressing the directional key down. The ideal is to launch it right in center of the square, therefore among the enemies that we see beyond our position. Head to the barricade and look out over the barbed wire, take aim and launch the smoke bomb with R1. Fend off the remaining enemies until the P47s arrive, always listening to Pierson and Stiles' voices for any advice.

A roar of engines and excited explosions will warn you of the arrival, finally, of our fighter-bombers who will make a clean sweep. Marigny is finally ours! We see Zussman and Aiello in the smoke, reuniting with us. To the great satisfaction of Turner and even the indisputable Pierson, we come to the end of The Stronghold, the third Call of Duty WWII mission.

Let's fight like today and the war will be over in an instant. But to do that we will have to overcome ourselves.

Robert Zussman

Call of Duty WWII - mission 3 report
The Stronghold
Marigny, France
July 26 1944

We have conquered Marigny. The German troops are running away, but we are now in Pierson's sights more than before. I really don't know what else he wants from us.

Ronald “Red” Daniels