Mission 02 - Scorched Earth | The Campaign Mode Company of Heroes 2 Guide

Main objectives:

1. Protect the frontline

2. Use explosives to destroy remaining equipment

3. Scorch the soil

4. Protect the yard

5. Retreat to the bridge

Bonus objectives:

1. Keep the assault teams alive

2. Do not deploy a single mine on the road.

The ability to "Merge" (M) is a good way to keep experienced squads alive.

1. You start the game with two squads of conscripts. Immediately, go to the frontline to the North of the map. "Merge" (the M key) toy merge your soldiers with the decimated assault squads. This ability is useful used to keep alive your most experienced soldiers. Throughout the entire mission you will be able to call new conscripts on a regular basis, which you should take advantage of. Once you notice that in any of the assault squads a soldier died, use the merger to replenish your losses. Do this even if the conscripts have to get under enemy fire to reach the squad that they are supposed to join. If you play the Soviets, it is worth learning that if there is a greater victory to be achieved, considerable losses are not only acceptable, but also required. Whenever a conscript is killed, do not hesitate to call for another one. Assault squads are definitely better a unit and they have the "priority in surviving ". So, do not forget to control their numbers on a regular basis (a full squad is 6 soldiers) and merge as often as necessary. This will make it easier or you to complete the bonus objective (1).

Next, you need to protect two positions. It is not going to be exceptionally difficult. It is enough to keep your soldiers behind covers and, when a squad approaches, throw a grenade their way. After a while, the Germans will retreat but, unfortunately, this is going to be only a momentary relief because the nearby area will come under fire from Stuka, and the enemy will resume the attack. At this point, you will have to retreat deeper into the territory.

Transfer your soldiers into two points that you need to protect, until the nearby trucks are loaded. Two assault squads into one of the points and two into the other. Start moving slowly your regular infantry to the back but, allow them also to slow down the enemy progression also. If necessary, make use of their special ability which will ensure them with temporary boost to damage and speed.

At this point, the Germans will start attempting flanking and will be trying to enter the sector from the back (the above screenshot). Guard every side of the entrance point to the territory. Your greatest friend here will still be covers and grenades

You need to set explosives to the heavy equipment

2. Once the trucks are loaded, there will still remain several cannons and trucks in the battlefield that cannot fall into the enemy hands. You will receive command over several engineer squads, which can set explosives (X). Use them to blow up the marked targets.

The destroyed trucks will not support the Reich

The explosives should be activated manually by left-clicking on them . Before you do, however, make sure that there are no units (especially assault units) left in the battlefield. You do not want to make them meet their Maker by mistake. By destroying the equipment, you will complete this part of the mission.

Near the HQ, there are flamethrowers

3. Your next task will be to set the nearby houses on fire. Retreat with all your units into the main yard, where there is the HQ. In the base itself, you can develop a field hospital, which will come in handy so, do it straight away. Deploy your units around the covers in the yard. Move one or two of them to the right, across the road next to the HQ.

Fire will quickly devour the nearby huts

Equip your engineers with the nearby flamethrowers and, make them use these to destroy the buildings marked on the map (V).

The fields will be manned by Germans

Your next target to set fire to are the two fields at the rims of the map. Send two squads into the right areas. If you want to, you may send conscripts there also, for support, as there are quite a few krauts in the fields that you are supposed to set on fire. This is not necessary, though and the engineers should be able to deal with them on their own. If any of the squads is on the brink of dying, retreat to the HQ immediately with that squad and replenish losses. Have the field burned down by another squad of engineers.

Set mines to destroy the enemy vehicles

4. Now, you will have around two minutes to prepare your defenses before the final German offensive. Do not waste your time and order engineers to deploy mines on all roads leading to the base or...do not, if you want to fulfill the bonus objective (2). Still, you need to keep in mind that the battle will be more chaotic then. Keep deploying the mines within a kilometer of each other, until the time runs out. Keep the remaining squads concentrated in the main yard, close to the base to have them healed and replenished, if necessary.

The Germans will conduct a heavy onslaught

Once the attack begins, the Germans will be driven away from the base like rubber balls bouncing off a wall. If necessary, you should call new squads into the battlefield, an also do not forget about grenades and the other abilities, especially if a German truck cuts inside. After being destroyed, such trucks will also provide excellent cover so, you should make use of this also and wait until evacuation is announced.

Further defense will be impossible and you need to retreat

5. Once you are informed of the evacuation, there will be nothing else for you to do than mark all your units and use the retreat ability (T). The soldiers will start running to the bridge automatically and, as soon as they reach it, the mission will draw to the end and a cutscene will start.