Nobody died, so I’ll call that mission a success. Aside from that, there isn’t much to say about it. The only payoff we get is a useless interrogation of the German officer,
and the cypher we needed to translate that coded message we stole from the German intelligence base a while ago…
…which points us to the Russian facility in the Urals that we’ve already known about for a few missions.
Well, that was a dead end.
What now, sir?
Let’s make our move on Koch — ‘fore he knows we’re onta ‘im.
It’s back to Germany for us. It’s time we assault Oberst Helmut Koch’s manor and put an end to this business of stealing our scientists.
Koch’s mansion is a three-story monstrosity. It’ll be a nightmare on the inside, no doubt, but getting in shouldn’t be too much trouble. There’s four possible entrances: one on the east side, one in the tower thing on the west, and two doors into this narrow middle section — one from the front yard and the other from the back.
Before we get to that point, though, there’s the matter of the wall around the whole property. Only two ways through.
Gated community, huh?
Gotta keep the riffraff out, I s’pose.
Well, we’re the riffraff today, and there’s no keeping us out.
That… actually weren’t a bad line, boss. I’m impressed.
And here’s us, way down in the south corner.
Captain, if you could please hold the main entrance, I will take a team and sneak into the back. Is that acceptable?
Yeah, yeah. Go for it.
So that’s the plan. Bogey, Viper, and Doug approach the west gate, where they skirmish with a couple guards there.
With the distraction underway, Sook leads the others to the back entrance.
Turns out… they’re not very distracted over there.
As soon as we’ve gunned down the single guard at the east gate, soldiers with machine guns start clown-carring out.
It seems it’s about time we fell back…
Our two groups gather back up around the corner of the wall and wait for the Germans to come to us.
That’s Gator and Sook waiting just around the corner. Bogey can be seen off to the side, firing at the Germans as they come into view. And Matt hides across the street to the east, right at the edge of the map, in order to give us eyes on the enemies as they approach.
It’s a good system, actually. We’re still taking fire from the west gate, and it looks for a moment like we might be overrun from the east, but a well-placed grenade…
…and some quality headshots from Viper…
…and we’re out of the woods.
The first line of defense is down.
Keep the pressure on them, Captain. We’re moving in.
Bogey and Vipes return their attention to the west gate, where a couple stragglers are hanging around, including one of those Renegade Soldiers we’ve seen around — this time in a black and grey uniform we haven’t encountered before.
While we’re taking care of him and his buddies, Sook’s team prepares to head inside by the other entrance.
Leave it to me, sir.
Looks clear. I check in with Bogey while the enemy’s turn plays out, and…
…and… it happens so fast.
By the time I pan the camera back, it’s already over…
Matt is gone. The clown car isn’t empty yet.
Gator takes cover against the wall just in time for the Renegades to start pouring out.
Sook, on the other hand, finds himself separated on the opposite side.
When Gator takes a few bullets in his dumb face and he’s forced to retreat, Sook is left behind. He tries to make a quiet escape, but he’s spotted. We don’t have enough action points to get him to safety, but I also don’t want to run him halfway down the road and leave him for the turn in the open…
So I make this terrible decision:
For now, we park Sook behind a tree and hope for the best.
Bogey and Viper reposition so they can fire on the Renegades who are now swarming the gate. That doesn’t stop two of them from heading for Sook, though. Dang.
And that guy in the front’s got a machine gun. Sook’s dead if he doesn’t move. If he does move, he’s still probably dead.
He’s got to try…
There’s a flurry of bullets as he reaches the second tree. Sook drops below half HP, but honestly I think the tree got it worse.
Sook manages to get the heck out of there, and we all fall back to defending the corner of the outer wall again.
A few more dead enemy soldiers triggers this scene of Koch and his second-in-command, who are hiding out somewhere in the manor:
I’m… not sure why, but I have a strange sense we need to move faster.
Let’s move out, then. Can’t be many more of ’em left.
Wait, where’s the kid?
Lieutenant Hribar… didn’t make it…
…
The Viper rage-slaying begins.
I’m through messin’ around. Doug, take out that wall.
R-right away.
Three rockets later, we’ve made our own entrance.
While we’re busy knocking down the wall, Koch’s getaway plan emerges.
Yep. It’s a straight-up rocket ship.
It’s taken its sweet time getting here, but it looks like it’s time for the sci-fi nonsense to begin!
We’d best hurry up and get in there. Gator leaps over the rubble and into the yard, but takes fire immediately and has to duck back out.
That’s just what I was hoping for. Now that the last guards have revealed their position, we can give them a surprise hello.
Hello!
And goodbye.
KOCH! Where are ya, buddy?
Well, damn.
That’s the first objective we’ve ever failed. Discouraging, but there’s three more left to do.
Into the house it is!
There’s nothing on the first floor of this wing of the manor. Gator heads up the stairs where there’s two closed doors — either of which could be hiding one of the documents we need. You know I’m wary of doors, though, and besides… videogame logic says whatever we’re looking for will be on the top floor.
Like in this fancy-looking office perched among these castley, ramparty walkways that you can only access via the west tower.
Gator guns through some light resistance on the way, including a Renegade soldier with a rocket launcher who’s guarding the office itself.
Bingo!
We nab the rocket launcher, some rockets — and a document on the desk.
There’s one last area up here, through this other door and across the rampart: an unfinished, attic-type storage room.
The rest of the team heads up to lend Gator a hand against the pack of armed civilians who pounce on him.
Though they don’t put up much of a fight.
As Viper’s exchanging fire with the soldiers on the ground below, Gator heads into the attic.
Oh, um… alrighty then.
Gator goes down, after which we’ve got to rely on Sook to clear the place out.
And inside? Both of the objectives we had left.
We’re done here.
Place is still crawlin’ with Nazis t’ kill. Let me at ’em.
I don’t think it’s wise to do any more fighting with only four of us left.
Viper, grab Gator and let’s see if we can get out without losing anyone else.
Fine. But this ain’t over. Koch an’ his boys are mine.
On to the next episode!
— or return to the Table of Contents
In the Axis campaign, you meet at the gate and show papers for a meeting with Colonol Koch. They lead you in to the courtyard and make you wait. Then enemies run out and surround you, and in the cut-scene, a sniper draws and puts one in to your lead character. So you literally start off surrounded and wounded!