Mission 12 - Poznan Citadel | The Campaign Mode Company of Heroes 2 Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Main Objectives:
1. Seize the bridgehead
2. Seize the center
3. Seize the Poznan Citadel
Bonus Objectives:
1. Destroy all of the German howitzers.
2. Seize the town hall and the square before general Kolpaczki does
3. Find and rescue the penal battalions in Poznan
A quick and chaotic mission where, more with the Germans, you will be racing against the Soviet general who also wants to earn for himself a name of the Poznan liberator, as well as against the Soviet command that will be urging you to capture the city as quickly as possible. In general, the value of a single squad, or even a vehicle, is unimportant here. What matters is time, soldiers can be replaced. So, you should not be wasting your most valuable resource and start by building mortars. The hardcore of your army should be based on these, as well as on tanks. Traditionally, it is also a good idea to invest in an M5 with flamethrowers. Also, do not forget about infantry.
Whenever possible, use the ability to enlist new soldiers, and send them to the nearby territories to seize. Their lives are absolutely unimportant, the most important objective is to seize the point. If they fail, simply send the next batch to follow.
1. Use your mortars to lay fire onto the left side of the defense wall, where there is one of the howitzers located. This is required to complete the bonus objective (1a). Send the main forces directly to the gate as soon as it turns out that the bridge is destroyed. That is why you will have to cut through the wall.
You will receive an ISU-152, which is, as a matter of fact, the only unit that you should take good care of. That is why you should keep close an M5 with engineers onboard, so they can repair the damage if necessary. Use it to fire at the walls where the game suggest you should. Act quickly, If Kolpaczki is the first one to cut through the wall, he will gain the upper hand in the race.
After you area through, try and seize the territory as quickly as possible. Also, dispatch your infantry to the wing that you fired your mortar at earlier, to eliminate all of the survivors. Do not send the units to the East, in order not to reinforce the rival-ally.
2. Now you will have to seize two points that are central to the city: the main square and the town hall. You will also receive airborne support. Do not wait around and seize the next terrain to the North. . Watch out for the tanks (SU-85, ISU-152) and the enemy's AT weapons (M5 with flamethrowers). Keep sending your infantry that way on a regular basis, with the order to take over the equipment. If you are at an advantage over the yellows, you can devote some time to repairing tanks.
Leave some of your tanks in the seized point, for defense against prospective attacks. ISU-152 reinforced with the M5, mortars and two smaller tanks should be dispatched to the East, towards the town hall (2b). It is going to be exceptionally well guarded. Keep sending in additional infantry and lay fire on it with the IL-2, before the onslaught. Some of the forces should be tied up by the ally attacking from the South. Once you seize the town hall, you will be able to free the penal battalion (3).
Right afterwards, the 69th Army, commanded by Kolpaczki will retreat from Poznan and you will be have to do the rest on your own. From now on, you will be regularly informed of the dissatisfaction of the Soviet command that the recapturing of Poznan is taking so long. After some time, the game will display a special bar which is a time gauge. It measures time until the moment when the command decides that you are too slow and inept, which will equal failure. That is why you need to hurry.
Dispatch infantry to all territories to the South and to the East which, for some reason, still remain under the enemy's control. On the right wing, you will find the howitzer from the bonus objective (1b). First of all, you should capture the main square (2a) and that is where you should move your main forces. The main square is also heavily guarded, also by Tigers. Try to lure them away from the main forces and destroy them one by one. What proves useful here is the T-34s, which can ram the enemy's tanks. This immobilizes them, at the cost of own damage. Also, remember about ISU-152 and about the aerial support. You can also deploy the powerful ML-20 gun-mortar, by using the engineers but, make sure that the Citadel remains within its range.
In the main square, you are going to need the infantry, in the form of cannon fodder. First of all, eliminate the AT weapons and enemy mortars. Secure the area and you will find the rest of the city under your control.
3. Depending on how much time you still have left, you can now catch some breath and repair the damaged equipment, as well as supplement your squads. Make sure that no enemy units walk around with impunity, at the back and take over the territories. Use your infantry and the M5 to finish off the survivors and recapture points. Once you are ready, set out for the citadel.
The entrance to the citadel can be captured by storming it with penal battalions. Most of them will be wiped out mercilessly but, they should succeed at destroying the walls with their explosives, and drive the heavy equipment teams away. Thanks to this, your tanks will be able to get inside.
As soon as you take over the terrain behind the first wall and draw to yourself the attention of most of the enemy's tanks, dispatch the M5 on one of the sides, to ram into the Germans from behind and destroy the howitzer (1c). Most likely, it is going to be a suicide mission but, it should effectively take down the howitzer, and also the teams of some other, heavier equipment. Do not worry about this loss. The team will be decorated post-humously.
The finale is the mass attack only. Use everything you can and whenever you can, set the gathering point directly in the citadel. The most important thing now is to make it before your time runs out. Not all of the enemy units need to be eliminated. The Germans will give up as soon as you wipe out most of them and damage the citadel.