German Mission 4: Capturing the Leader

Hellmann’s decisive battlefield actions have brought Elsa Adler into his life—and key documents into the hands of the Resistance. The papers Elsa carried reveal that the Russians are negotiating with the Allies to gain the right of hegemony in Europe when the war is over, and to Hellmann, Hardt, and Preiss it’s obvious that Germany as it has existed for centuries will be forever gone. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the Russians enter Germany itself, Hardt has agreed to surrender to the British in order to retain German’s sovereignty. The Tommies have accepted, but with one stipulation: the peace will not be made so long as the Leader is still in power — or even alive.

Primary Objectives  

• Find the Leader’s Hideout       
• Help Your New Allies 
• Catch the Leader         

Secondary Objectives  

• Destroy the German Base        
• Persuade at Least 30 Enemy Troops to Join You         
• Destroy the Town’s Defenses  

Key Tactics and Battle Tips

• Build AT 88 Bunkers to safeguard primary base
• If possible, Capture enemy buildings near the airport
• Keep Repair Trucks near Core Units
• Eliminate AA defenses around town perimeter and then commence bombing.
• Designate Core Units for next mission and keep them safe at all costs

Map Legend

1. Start point and primary base; build AT 88 Bunkers to the west
2. German base; use Heroes and armor to block enemies as Infantry captures buildings
3. Mine; capture Supply Depot or destroy and build your own
4. Airfield; attack from the southeast and move counterclockwise as you attack
5. Advance here from the Airfield and use Wurfrahmen to bombard defenses
6. Send armored units from the base and begin a slow advance into the town
7. Enemy base; destroy with a pincer movement from the north and southeast
8. The Leader’s hideout

You’re faced with a unique situation as you start the final countdown on The Leader’s reign: you’ll be rewarded for wounding rather than killing the enemy. If an enemy’s hit points drop below a certain, there’s a chance it will join the Resistance, immediately turning on its erstwhile comrades. This will allow you to exceed the usual Army Limit, which is a very good considering that your opponents know this is a do-or-die battle and will fight with a ferocity you haven’t yet seen.

Despite Preiss’ admonitions to hurry up and get to the Airfield, there is no chance of the leader leaving before you get there. Nevertheless, you should gather all your available forces at the start of the mission — your Core Units — and head to the northeast. If you delay, the Germans will be able to produce so many armored units and infantry that wounding them to the point of surrender won’t be an option; in fact, your own survival might not be an option if you don’t move right away.

There’s a small enemy base northeast of your starting point and south of the Airfield, with only one road leading to it from the south. Your first move should be to advance just to the place where this road forms a “T” intersection with an east-west road, and let the enemy troops come to you. The first wave will be infantry, and by limiting their advance to the narrow roadway you’ll have fewer threats to deal with — and will be more likely to convert some to your side. Only when Wurfrahmen arrive on the scene and start bombarding you from beyond your tanks’ range should you advance.