Gameplay[]
Crucifix Hill
Eilendorf Ridge, Germany
September 14th, 1944
0610 Hours
(Roland, Kelly, now promoted to Sergeant, and Smith are making their way across a river towards the German-held Eilendorf Ridge, dubbed Crucifix Hill, with several other members of their company in canvas rafts as enemy fire rain down into the water around them. They are nearly to the opposite shore as one round lands dangerous close, unnerving Smith.)
Smith: This canvas raft ain't gonna make it!
Kelly: What'd you expect? A battleship? Keep paddling!
Squad Leader: If you don't have an oar, use your rifle butt! Just paddle!
(Kelly starts using the rifle butt of his M1 Carbine to paddle with Smith, before a raft next to them takes a near-hit and flips over, sending the soldiers inside into the air before they splash back down into the water. The near-hit rocks the raft Smith, Kelly, and Roland are in.)
Kelly: That could have been us! Paddle, Schmitty, paddle!
Smith: The Lord is my Shepherd...The Lord is my Shepherd...
(Smith keeps repeating that over and over as another raft suffers the same fate and their squad leader notices the current is causing them to drift a little bit from where they are to land.)
Squad Leader: We're drifting wide! Paddle right!
Smith: The Lord is my Shepherd...The Lord is my Shepherd...
(Smith finally stops when they make it to the shore, beach their raft, and Smith quickly ditches his oar, grabs his M1 Carbine, and disembarks with Kelly and their commanding officers as they move up to the road just a few feet from their landing area.)
Squad Leader: Move up the road and watch that fire from the cemetery!
(Seconds later, a familiar sound Kelly recognizes from North Africa is heard before their squad leader and his wingman are killed by an artillery rocket.)
Kelly: Screaming Mimis!
(The Germans have opened fire with their Nebelwerfer 41s in an attempt to protect the ridge and Crucifix Hill from the American forces.)
Kelly: Move up the road!
(After eliminating a squad of Wehrmacht infantry up ahead, the squad meets up with an armor column of M4 Sherman tanks.)
Smith: Shermans! Let's follow them!
(One tank remains behind to cover the rear while the other two advance until reaching a fork in the road with one path blocked by burning debris. However, all three are destroyed by the Nebelwerfers, forcing Kelly, Smith and Roland to take another route.)
Kelly: We have to find another way! Follow me!
(The squad make their way down the other path and soon arrive at the cemetery, already being attacked by fellow 1st Infantry members, but the Wehrmacht inside are putting up a fierce resistance. With some effort, they push through to the back of the cemetery, where the stone wall and wrought iron fence have been destroyed, revealing a path that leads to the first of the bunkers of the Wehrmacht's defenses on the hill. Smith notices that the path is heavily guarded.)
Smith: MG42! We gotta get past that machine gun! Stay low, guys!
(After making it past the MG42 guarding the path and clearing the first bunker, the squad begins making its way into the trenches of the Wehrmacht fortifications. They soon spot anti-aircraft fire coming from further up the hill.)
Smith: A flakvierling! We gotta shut it down before it takes out our air support!
(The squad carefully makes its way through the trenches until they reach a fork in the trenches, unsure of which way leads to the AA gun.)
Smith: We gotta take out that flakvierling! Which way, Sarge?
(They continue making their way through the trenches, fighting off Wehrmacht infantry and dodging the Stielhandgranates thrown at them until they reach a bunker housing several bunk beds, where the first of the flakvierling AA guns is located just outside one of the exits. After taking out the gunners, Roger plants a charge to destroy the gun.)
Smith: One down!
(The squad continues on back into the trenches to locate the remaining two flakvierlings, soon finding the second one only a short distance from the bunker they were just in. Roger takes out the gunners and plants the charge to take out the second one.)
Smith: Only one left!
(Moving further into the trenches, they find the last flakvierling perched on top of a bunker, guarded by a second one on the other side of the trench aiming a mounted MG42 towards the flakvierling bunker. The squad takes out the gunners and their protection, and Roger climbs up to plant the final charge before retreating back down to safety before it blows, taking out the last AA gun.)
Smith: Our air support should be secure now.
(Having taken out the AA guns, the squad continues through the bunkers and trenches until they approach a two-story bunker with a radio tower on it.)
Smith: Sarge! I see the commo bunker!
(Having found the German communication bunker, the squad take out the Wehrmacht firing at them from the bunker windows and the machine gun pit off to the left of the bunker before making their way through it, clearing it of Wehrmacht infantry.)
Note: Sometimes, after clearing the machine gun pit, the player will need to use the MG42s to take out some additional Germans that try to flank the bunker from down the hill, using the tree stumps for cover below the machine gun pit before the checkpoint is triggered.
(With the communication bunker cleared, the squad continue making their way up towards the top of Crucifix Hill. As they do, the large cross giving the hill its name can be seen, but the trenches ahead are heavily defended with MG42s.)
Smith: Stay down! Those MG42s will tear us to pieces!
(Fighting past the MG42s and more German infantry, the squad finally reach the trench leading to the top of the hill, but the Germans put up a fierce resistance as they rain grenades down on the squad to keep them from reaching their HQ.)
Smith: That must be the command bunker, Sarge!
(Fighting their way into the command bunker, the squad clears out the enemy, before a door leading downstairs into the lower parts of the bunker opens as more Germans come in and are dealt with by the squad waiting in ambush. Making their way down into the rest of the bunker, they find heavy resistance, indicating that the Nebelwerfers must be close.)
Kelly: Those Screaming Mimis have to be around here somewhere.
Smith: We gotta take those things out!
(Finding the exit out of the back of the command bunker, the squad finds that the trench splits off into three separate paths, each one leading to one of the three Nebelwerfers that have been causing them so much trouble. Taking out the guards protecting each one, Roger soon manages to plant the demolition charges on the first one and destroy it.)
Kelly: That's one of them.
(Roger takes out another one.)
Smith: How many more are there?
Kelly: It sounds like only one.
(Roger destroys the last Nebelwerfer, rejoining Smith and Kelly, who are now joined by Lt. Hubert.)
Kelly: I think we got them all.
(As additional friendlies come over the ridge and into the trench to join Roger, Kelly, Smith, and their squad, Hubert speaks to Roger regarding the mission being accomplished.)
Hubert: Nice work, Sergeant. Elements of Fox and Dog are already securing the hill's perimeter. We'll do a final sweep. You boys head back down. Captain Delaney wants to see you and Corporal Kelly at the CP right away.
(Having given Roger his new orders, Hubert turns to head back into the command bunker, signaling his men to move out as he does. Roger turns to look at Kelly and Smith regarding what they just heard.)
Smith: What do you think that's all about, Sarge?
Kelly: Well I heard Delaney talking to General Gordon about a big offensive at the Siegfried Line. I think they're sending us in first.
Smith: Brooklyn says, U.S. Army consists of the Big Red One and ten million replacements.
Kelly: I'm beginning to think Army Brass agrees, Smitty.
(End of level)
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