Company of Heroes 2013

Ardennes Christmas encirclement and mission setup

By Christmas 1944, the Allies have the Germans surrounded on multiple fronts. A U.S. Army squad is tasked with a strange mission to deliver Christmas hams to forward positions, a cover for their real objective. The looming possibility of a German super weapon sets the stakes high as they move into hostile territory.

First contact with a heavy German force

During the routine mission, the squad encounters a surprisingly strong German tank destroyer and infantry. Lt Conti realizes this is not a stray patrol but a planned assault that could break through to their division HQ. The threat forces a rapid reevaluation of their position and odds.

Discovery of the German bomb test site

After a fierce firefight, the Americans retreat and stumble upon a German experimental site still smoldering from a failed test. The team learns that the Nazis are close to perfecting a bomb that could change the war's outcome. The discovery shifts their mission from simple supply drop to stopping a weapon of mass destruction.

OSS contact assigns mission: retrieve the bomb and defect scientist

An American OSS agent with severe burns explains their objective: locate the bomb, disable it, and extract the scientist who intends to defect. He designates Kestrel as their point of contact and guides them toward Stuttgart. The urgency of defecting Luca Gruenewald adds personal risk to the mission.

Leadership shifts as the group presses deeper

With their sergeant and other NCOs dead, the youngest Nate Burrows Jr. and seasoned Dean Ransom assume leadership. They are joined by the escaped British airman Brent Willoughby and Red Army soldier Ivan Puzharsky as they press further into Nazi territory. Ransom, a cook demoted from lieutenant after D-Day, provides ground-level experience and steadiness.

The breakout across hostile lines

The Allied group evades pursuit in a series of hair-raising escapes from numerically superior German troops led by Lt Schott. The odds are stacked against them, yet they slip through gaps and keep moving toward their objective. The constant danger tests their resolve and teamwork.

Training to Stuttgart and the train yard discovery

Ivan guides the group to the train yard where they find a path toward Stuttgart. Matheson stays behind to hold off the pursuing forces so the rest can board the train. The OSS informant's plan points them toward a crucial contact in Stuttgart.

Fighting at Stuttgart station and entry to the city

Schott's troops wait at Stuttgart station, but Nate and his team fight their way through and emerge four survivors. They steal uniforms from a local pub to blend into the city and move toward their meeting with Kestrel. The risk of discovery remains high as the city buzzes with Nazi security.

Kestrel and Luca Gruenewald revealed

The crew makes contact with Kestrel, who is connected to the atomic project and arranges for one member to infiltrate Luca Gruenewald's lab. The scientists behind the bomb appear to be closer to a working device, but security around Luca is tight. The plan hinges on a successful lab infiltration the same night.

The lab infiltration and missing bomb

Kestrel escorts the team to Luca's lab, but the second bomb prototype has already vanished. A desperate firefight erupts as they try to secure the plans and the device. Ammunition runs low as they scramble to adapt to new circumstances.

Ivan steals the lab plans; Nate intervenes

Ivan makes a bold move to steal Kestrel's copy of the lab plans, aiming to sell them or claim credit for the weapon. Nate confronts him, and the team realizes they must reach Luca before Ivan does. The tension between loyalty and survival intensifies the mission.

Climax: confrontation with Schott; the lab is compromised

Schott's firing squad closes in, but Ivan attacks and eliminates them, taking control of the immediate threat. The squad escapes the Nazi facility just as Allied bombers devastate the complex. The operation shifts to a race to preserve the weapon's prototype and the scientist.