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WWI - Battle of the Somme
Yes, I realize that TDB is making a WWI map already, but his is a bit more generalized than mine will be. Also, his is a RTS, mine is more of a multiplayer campaign.
For those who don't know the plans behind the Somme, here is an overview.
It's a good read anyways, so check it out :3
~*~*~*~*~*~
It is 1916. Your squad, a subdivision of a British pals' battalion which mainly consists of volunteer soldiers between the ages of 16 and 25, has been dug out in trenches along the French/Belgian border for two years. You have seen many men die during this constant back-and-forth struggle for this 250 mile long strip of land, and today, victory is close at hand.
But first, you must battle through the dreaded no-man's land, peppered with unexploded bombs, barbed wire, shell holes and mud. And of course there are the ever-watchful enemy snipers that could, frankly, blow your head off if you aren't cautious.
However, all of that looks like nothing compared to the mighty German machine guns, cleverly hidden behind bulletproof sheets of metal, these things will pump out 600 bullets per minute, essentially wasting your entire squad in a matter of seconds.
As obvious as it seems that you wouldn't want to go over the top and run in like lambs to the slaughter, that is exactly what the British commanders decided upon doing. From their outposts 3 miles away from the battlefield. However, before you run screaming to your deaths like blithering idiots, commander-in-chief has ordered a seven day barrage of artillery fire on the enemy trenches, and then you run in.
Supposedly, all of the Germans should be dead after being shelled for a week. At least that's what the Generals think. However, crafty as those Germans are, they have dug holes to protect them from the artillery, and taken their machine guns with them. As soon as the barrage stopped, they were ready for action.
On the first attack of the Somme, some of the other squads in your battalion rush in along with various other battalions, totaling at about 90,000 men. They all died.
However, one force did break through no-man's land, and took the Schwaben Redoubt to the north. This could provide an opening to attack the fortified village of Thiepval to the south, where other men attacking from the front failed earlier.
However (again), the British commander, I do remind you he is 3 miles away and has no real idea about what's actually going on, says "well it's bound to work this time, the last one was just a fluke!", and gives the order to pull out of the Schwaben Redoubt and attack again from the front. Tens of thousands more die. Brilliant plan, eh Captain?
Here's where things start to get interesting. After this colossal failure on the first day of the Somme, the British commander is resigned from duty and the field commander is put in charge of tactics. Thank god somebody picked up on what was going on. Anyways, for the third try, the British use a tactic called the Creeping Barrage, which is basically shelling the ground right in front of your troops, so they can march forward, and pushing the enemy further backward. And it worked. The British took the German trenches outside Thiepval easily. But...
There was still one stretch of no-man's land left to cover. And it's during that the creeping barrage failed, and got too far ahead of the troops, giving the Germans time to hide out and then prepare for the attack, completely devastating the entire battalion. But then, out of the mist, came the Tanks!
The Germans were totally surprised as this lumbering war machine slowly crawled out of the fog. They started to fire on it with machine guns, but the bullets just bounced off the heavy armor of this strange vehicle. And then, the several 57mm artillery guns mounted on the tank blew them to bits.
Although most of the tanks got stuck or broke down, they gave the British that extra push needed to break through the German fortifications. From there, the British captured the ruined chateau on top of the hill and wiped out the remaining Germans by using air reconnaissance and picking them off with snipers, machine guns from the higher ground, and of course the troops running around in the trenches below.
And so the British were victorious at the Battle of the Somme, although they lost hundreds of thousands of men, the Germans lost more, and the German soldiers were the best Germany had. The Somme was possibly the turning point of the war, because it disallowed the Germans to capture Verdun in the south from the French because they had to reinforce Thiepval, which they still ended up losing, and pushed the German/Allied territory line back further.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Now, for a description of the map itself.
Basically, there are 8 people in your British squad. Seven soldiers and one officer(red). You have to complete various missions in the battle, i.e. the Creeping Barrage line and taking the high ground at Thiepval.
Enemies you might encounter:
Basically, there are 8 people in your British squad. Seven soldiers and one officer(red). You have to complete various missions in the battle, i.e. the Creeping Barrage line and taking the high ground at Thiepval.
Enemies you might encounter:
- German soldiers, light infantry armed with a Mauser rifle or maybe a combat knife. They're pretty easy to take out with a gun, just watch out for grenades!
- Machine Gunners... these bastards are tough as hell! Taking one of these out by yourself will most likely earn you a Victoria's Cross! With 600rpm sprays of bullets, they'll wound you, kill you, they don't care, as long as it means you can't fight anymore. The best way to tackle these is by getting underneath them and throwing a grenade.
- Tanks, although German tanks weren't actually used in the Battle of the Somme, it will spice things up a bit. You generally want to avoid these, or steer them into tank traps/artillery fire. A shell basically has to land right on top of it to mar its heavy armor at all.
- German Officers. These guys command the German troops and generally give a morale bonus. Although they are usually idiots, running over the top with a sword and a pistol, they are damn good shots. Be cautious. Just like German soldiers, use your rifle to take them out.
- Gas attacks! Thank goodness you have your gas mask. But you can't see as well in gas, so watch out. Failure to put on your gas mask will result in temporary blindness and inability to fight back, leaving you an open target for machine gun fire.
- Artillery. These basically come at random, just watch out for the little red crosshairs that will appear on the ground right before a shell is about to hit.
- Snipers, these will pick you off from the treetops so watch out before you stick your head out of cover!
- Rats... these guys like to hide in the trenches amongst the rotting corpses. Wonderful. But they want to gnaw your eyes out too, not just that rotting German next to you. They aren't really a threat, but in numbers they can be a hindrance.
