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. Dimitri 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 is attacked by a flamethrower-wielding German while carrying the Red Army flag.

Walkthrough
Heart of the Reich takes place at the final battle of Berlin. Dimitri, 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

 * If you stay at Chernov's side after Reznov and the others enter the Reichstag, his rank and name never go away, meaning he never dies. Also, the flag is never picked up.
 * 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 an FG42. However ammunition for this weapon is scarce and the gun eventually will run dry.
 * Outside the Reichstag, you will face Allgemeine-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 Allgemeine-SS soldiers in the game.
 * Strangly, the decal on the Allgemeine-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.
 * 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 are two ZIS-6's with mounted BM-13 Katyusha multiple rocket launchers, if you look closely there are no drivers within the trucks.
 * Also at the beginning of the level is a Pak 38 artillery crew firing off rounds repeatedly. If you stay and watch the process for a little while, you can see that the shell the loader grabs continues to respawn in the box after the gun fires. The shell also moves around a bit in the box before being picked up.
 * Once you're on the steps of the Reichstag, you can see that coming from the walls on either side are streams of gunfire coming from the Germans and your allies. Shooting or throwing grenades at the Germans will result in them falling down and getting back up.
 * Hanged Germans with a 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". They can also be seen hanging from transmission poles in the beginning to your right once your next to the tank Commissar's standing on.
 * If you aim and shoot at the ropes hanging the traitors beside the Commisar at the beginning of the mission, the bodies will fall to the ground.
 * There are a few Mk 2 Grenades in one of the courtyard buildings. The Germans officially never used the MK 2 grenade during WWII.
 * The hanged German deserters are not seen hanging from the trees on the Wii version.
 * 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 Commissar Markhov 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).
 * On hanged German traitors, a sign says 'Verräter in das Mutterland' which is translated as 'Traitor in the Motherland', this is strange because Germany is known as a Fatherland, not as a Motherland.
 * 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.
 * You are in a different metro, which means that Reznov managed to open the door in Eviction or they managed to get to other side of the metro.
 * If you look behind you as you start the level, there is a plain wall instead a door or opening leading to the metro.
 * Rarely, at the start of the mission where Reznov's squad runs to the Commissar for commands, the squad would already start to run off to clear the first building even before the Commissar finishes his instructions.


 * On the Wii version, when Chernov is running up to the Reichstag he already looks like he was burned because of graphical limitations. Also before you go into the Reichstag, look behind you and you should see Chernov's Mosin-Nagant floating in mid-air
 * At the very end of the level, when you have to advance through the doors into the Reichstag, stand to the right of the door and look left. There are three German soldiers with STG-44's. You can shoot them, burn them and throw grenades at their heads and they will not die.
 * Refer back to Eviction. To get into the metro, you come from the behind the metro running out to the left. When Commissar is giving Reznov instructions, turn around and look where that street's supposed to be and there will be a building instead of the street.
 * After Chernov gets burned, turn around and go all the way back to the trench behind the bunker across the street. On your way you will see Commisar pretending to hold a gun. If you look back where Commisar was standing on the tank, he's still there and in the bunker.