Heart of the Reich

"Which do you think will lead us home? Writing about this war, or fighting it? No one will ever read this! If you lack the stomach to kill for your country, at least show me that you are willing to die for it."

- Sgt Reznov

Eradicate the German positions outside the Reichstag - Level Description

Heart of the Reich is a mission in Call of Duty: World at War. The player must now join the other Soviet soldiers to assault the last defense to defeat the Third Reich, the Reichstag. The mission starts off from Sgt. Reznov pulling Pvt. Dmitri Petrenko out of the flooded metro and now surface level. The player must then get to the Reichstag, destroy the four Flak 88s protecting it, and then enter and assault the building. While marching up the stairs, Pvt. Chernov dies by a flamethrower-wielding German while carrying the Red Army flag.

Walkthrough
Heart of the Reich takes place at the final battle of Berlin. Dmitri, Reznov, and other Soviet troops charge through Berlin toward the Reichstag, a building used for German politics where all the remaining Germans are making their last stand. You start the mission by being carried out of a metro by half-drowned Reznov, who is once again praising you for cheating death once more. Reznov is infuriated by Chernov's lack of brutality towards the German forces, and grants him the task of placing the Red Army flag upon the high balcony of the Reichstag claiming victory for mother Russia. When starting the mission, trade your SVT-40 for the FG42 lain along the boxes. You first assault a building where Germans are holding out. Use your starting weapon, a PPSh-41 or FG42 to mow down any Germans inside. Once you break through the building, head into the adjacent Library and kill any defending Germans. Then jump out of an open window to find a trench and walk along it. Once inside, of the partial underground building ahead, Reznov will give a short speech, before a whistle is blown, and then charge forward with your comrades, but with great care, as you will take heavy fire on the Hardened or Veteran difficulties. Taking cover and tossing grenades at Germans behind cover is recommended. You must destroy the four Flak 88s by going right up to them and planting the charges but a Panzerschreck is also available by a destroyed T-34. Throwing grenades at the 88s beforehand to clear out nearby soldiers is ideal, as well as Molotov Cocktails. Once you destroy the 88s, move forward to the steps of a large building, known as the Reichstag. Kill any Nazis heading towards you.

Tread carefully, as on the high balcony are Germans wielding Panzerschrecks. On Veteran mode it is nearly impossible to go up the stairs without eliminating the panzerschreks in the top windows of the Reichstag. Move up the ladder in the building in front of the stairs and pick up the PTRS-41 sniper rifle up there. Go to a suitable sniping position and keep taking out the panzershrecks in the windows. Doing this 5-6 times will ensure they never respawn and going up the staircase will be very easy, even on veteran. You will find an FG42, and Panzerschreck in the shelled building to the left. Afterward, move up to the front of the Reichstag and a falling column will crush the barricade but be careful not to stand in the way of the falling column. As you move up, a hiding flamethrower-wielding German will ambush Chernov and blast him with his flamethrower. Reznov comforts his dying friend and takes his diary, saying that "someone should read this". As you enter the Reichstag, the mission will finish.

Trivia

 * Many players think that this is one of the hardest missions in Call of Duty: World at War on Veteran difficulty, along with Blowtorch and Corkscrew and Burn em out.
 * If you shoot the German that burns Chernov, you will die without explanation. This is because you would be disrupting a trigger
 * In a few places as you get closer to the Reichstag, you can find FG42. However ammunition for this weapon is scarce and the gun eventually will run dry.
 * Outside the Reichstag, you will face Algemeine-SS soldier, also referred to as the SS-Honor Guard, instead of regular Wehrmacht soldiers. Along with Downfall, this is the only level where you face Algemeine-SS soldiers in the game.
 * Strangly, the decal on the Algemeine-SS soldiers' helmets is the Wehrmacht decal instead of the letters SS in Runic. This is strange as the SS was separate from the Wehrmacht.
 * The music played by the Germans outside the Reichstag is the Königgräzter Marsch, a popular march in Nazi Germany. It is also the march heard in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in the scene in Berlin.
 * April 30 was the day Hitler committed suicide when the Red Army was closing around the Führerbunker, or shelter for leader, under the Reich Chancellery.
 * At the beginning of this level there is a truck shooting missiles if you look closely there is no driver.
 * Hanged Germans with traitor sign on their chest, can be seen hanging from the trees in front of the first building garrisoned by the Germans. Reznov will then say "The Germans are hanging their cowards from the trees. Make sure you hold good on that flag, Chernov".
 * There are a few Mk 2 Grenades in one of the courtyard buildings. The Germans officially never used the MK 2 grenade during WWII.
 * It actually took two days to clear the Reichstag, not one like in this level and the next one.
 * On the Wii version of the game, when you are waiting to emerge from the bunker, if you look to your right you will see Commisar pretending to hold a gun!
 * Oddly, there's a PTRS-41 near the Reichstag. During the war a number of these rifles were captured and used by the Germans. The rifles were given the designation Panzerbüchse 784(r) or PzB 784(r).


 * This mission is the shortest of all of the missions in Call of Duty: World at War but ironically many players take a long time to complete the level on Veteran.