Hello there fellow Mud and Blood masochists! Some time ago I wrote a guide on some of the campaign mode classes, but since then I've had a lot more circulating in my head that I want to say, so I've written another. For those that didn't read the first, I've recently completed a full run through of the campaign mode (currently working on second), and while I'm definitely not the best Mud and Blood has to offer, I've learned a lot from the experience that I wish to pass on to newer commanders.

So, to be specific, this is a campaign-specific guide. By "unfair situations" I mostly mean battle conditions, units, vehicles, anything that is significantly more difficult than the standard Wehrmacht and require some planning and finesse to deal with. This mostly deals with battle conditions, as some are way worse than others, but later parts of the guide will touch everything else that may end up posing a serious threat.

So without further ado, let's get started.

Pictured: Me having a really really bad time

Starting off this guide with by far my most hated battle condition. I would rather have all my teeth pulled without anesthetic if it meant I never had to see one of these again. Mines do not discriminate. They don't care about silly things like veterancy saves or health; even with the best preparation, all it takes is one wrong, careless step to turn a grizzled veteran into a pile of steaming gibs.

Mines are usually found in missions with the 'Achtung Minen' battle condition, though they CAN be found, albeit RARELY, outside of such missions. Mines are grouped together in a random spot on the map; with the battle condition they are even denser and appear in multiple spots. Mines come in 4 flavors, 3 of which are dangerous to your men, and only 1 of which can instakill. The HE mine pictured to the side is the one to look out for; stepping on or even near it will kill your man, no ifs ands or buts. The other 2 will thankfully only deal at most 50 damage, but obviously you shouldn't try to step on them to begin with.

The worst part about mines is detecting them, as even with the best preparation you can get, there is still a frustrating level of randomness in when they are. Soldiers will spot mines automatically when not engaged, with sappers and engineers getting a large bonus to this, but the process is still random. At best you will spot a mine before someone walks over it, at worst you will end up sacrificing someone to find out the hard way.

Once you are aware of the presence of a minefield, the important step is to take it slow. There are a number of ways to detect the rest of the mines. A mine detector can be occasionally dropped as loot; try to always have a man carrying one, as murphy's law dictates you'll never find one when you need it. It detects where mines are in a small radius, but does not spot them, thus forcing you to rely on memory, and has a 1/10 chance to break after each use.

If you are lucky enough, and wound an enemy, an intel soldier can interrogate them and reveal mines in the process. If you lack either of these 2 options, the next best thing is to slowly walk in single file through the suspected minefield, sending your most expendable man first.

Once spotted, mines can be defused automatically by engineers and sappers, or any soldier carrying a shovel. Make sure to put the man NEXT to the mine, not ON TOP of it. Defuse enough of them, and your man will receive a ribbon that lets him spot more within a small radius after a successful defusal.

Mines are also triggered by vehicles and explosions. If all else fails, one can attempt to clear a path via armored support (provided they don't trigger an AT mine in the process), or through use of explosives like strafing runs and artillery strikes.

By far the meanest sons of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Germany can field. Be glad they only appear in one rare circumstance (The Crucible battle condition) and that there's only 6 of them.

As if it wasn't enough that these guys are highly skilled and well equipped, they have the unique trait of being "modeled after your own squad." Have a man with 50 combat skill and 4 veterancy saves? One of the brandenburgers will too. They also have access to the same commander abilities you do. They rarely operate alone, have deadly accuracy, and will in general make life miserable for your men if they gain even the slightest advantage.

There's no good way to tell you how to deal with these guys as so much of it falls down to both luck and experience. Knowing how to best move and cover your men will go a long way to keeping them alive against these foes, but you also need to pray for good RNG such that your men will get the most accurate shots on them, and receive little or none of the same in return.

Something to keep in mind however is that brandenburgers are still human, and weak to the same things your men are. Explosions still gib them, and setting them on fire has no counter except for water or fire extinguishers. Any kind of commander ability, soldier ability, or item that deals with these should be utilized in rapid succession to overwhelm them, killing or at least pinning them before they have a chance to retaliate.


A Brandenburger about to bring the pain.

I can barely see, can you?

On its own the Night Op battle condition isn't so bad. Battlefield visibility is greatly reduced, and detection range for both sides is halved. Problems arise when you are forced to maneuver your men and engage targets while barely being able to see where they are, and/or when paired with other terrible battle conditions. Thank god I haven't seen this paired with minefields yet.

It's worth noting that the halved detection range is just that: detection. Once spotted, units of both sides can engage others at the standard range of 1 whole screen-length. The danger primarily stems from the initial closing of distance, resulting in your men being much closer to the enemy when bullets start flying.

The primary threat during these missions though will be the aforementioned visibility. Outside of turning your screen's gamma up to ridiculous levels, the main way to counteract this is through starting fires. Even small ones will significantly brighten the screen, with huge bonfires bringing it back up to daytime levels. This only applies for fires onscreen, so scrolling past them will immediately darken it again. Molotovs are the most reliable way to start them, though explosions have a chance to do so as well.

One of my favorite missions to deal with if I'm well prepared, and a miserable one to deal with if I'm not. Having the entire enemy force grouped up at the end of the level makes for some very fun use of commander or signaler abilities. if you lack a trained signaler or commander abilities are on cooldown, this is a mission that needs be taken slowly and deliberately.

As previously mentioned, this is the one mission to make liberal use of air strikes, artillery, or vehicle support. If you don't, do what you can to get them ASAP. Either way, make a slow advance once you get near the end of the level; take enemies in chunks, and don't advance until you have stopped taking fire. Some enemies will push a fair ways ahead of the fortified area to catch your men on approach. Find the furthest point where these enemies show up and slowly push forward.


Aftermath of a hard case mission with plenty of support involved.

A very luck-based battle condition, but if you have the right tools, you can tip it in your favor. Each side sets up 2 massive artillery guns at their side of the field and engage in an artillery duel until one side has none remaining, after which they'll start targeting infantry instead. This duel could last the entire mission, or you could lose both your guns in the opening volley. If it goes well your men will have a great time, but if the enemy artillery gets a chance to rain, it will pour.

Commander and signaler abilities can of course level the playing field immediately, but this should be viewed more as an investment than a guarantee. The precision strike commander ability is the only real guarantee to destroy one of the guns, but if your men are wiped or forced to retreat through bad luck in the actual combat, both guns will be back on the next attempt, with your abilities now on cooldown.

If you lack the ability to destroy an enemy gun, speed becomes the name of the game. You want to carefully, but quickly make your way through the level, minimizing the number of chances for your guns to be destroyed. If your guns are destroyed and you're in too deep to retreat, pay close attention to when the enemy guns fire. Once they do, you'll have a very short window to either pull back, or push forward before the rounds hit, and if they're allowed to hit your men will most likely not survive.

If you do end up getting lucky, something to try is right-clicking on your friendly guns to toggle between HE, smoke, airburst, and white phosphorus shells.

Aftermath of lengthy advance against a Flak 88 battery

Up until now this guide has dealt exclusively with battle conditions. There's still plenty of units and vehicles which have the chance of appearing in every mission which can test your abilities though. The following sections will concern these types of units, why they're a threat, and how to best counter them.

Emplacements are arguably the least scary of these groups due to their static nature, but they can still hit hard if given the chance. Emplacements are most frequently PaK 40 and Flak 88 guns firing high explosive, though you may also find ZB60 machine guns, or (if you're really unlucky or fighting around Brest) naval gun bunkers.

PaK 40/Flak 88

Though they have their subtle differences, these two emplacements are effectively the same in how they operate. Both fire high explosive shells at your men as soon as they get a visual. Likely you will take fire from one before you see it. Though they are both susceptible to small arms, it will probably take a lot of rounds to kill both crewmen. They are very weak to explosives, but closing the distance may be trivial or extremely difficult depending on sight lines. Both excel at the anti-tank role, so bringing a tank to bear against these will usually not end well.

The best way to deal with these is to avoid being spotted by them. If your map has them in the right places, use trees, stones, and houses to break line of sight and move in close. Getting your men close enough will force the crew to dismount and behave as regular soldiers, which carries a risk, but usually ends poorly for the enemy if they're outgunned.

Things get a little more dicey if you lack proper cover. The fire from these guns is inaccurate, but if they score a direct hit, your man will be indiscriminately reduced to gibs. Make sure to spread them out. Percentage-based cover gives a chance at a stun save if they receive a hit, which isn't great, but is better than being killed. Depending on the presence of standard troops, the best choice of action may be to charge down the gun before it can get off many shots, and either force an enemy dismount or blow it up.

Naval Gun

The above two guns but on steroids. Not only does the naval gun pack even more explosive power than the previous 2, it also functions as a bunker with a whopping 75% cover bonus. It requires only a single soldier to operate it, but the cover it provides means you will likely be dealing with more than just 1 man.

Do not mess around with naval guns. Any kind of explosive or ability you can bring to neuter or destroy these should be liberally used, as the radius of the explosion will usually injure or kill your men with ease. Use whatever cover you get. If you manage to take one intact you can leave a man inside to use against the Germans, but this is rarely worth the risk involved. Your first taste of these will be in the outskirts of Brest where they appear extensively, but their presence thankfully drops off significantly afterwards.

ZB60

A hard-hitting static Czech machine gun. In my experience, these are even rarer than Paks and Flaks. You don't want to be hit by one of course, but it's a lot easier to deal with due to the lack of explosive power, and the single man operating it. Utilize the same strategies.


This naval gun claimed over 2 full squads worth before being eliminated.

Vehicles are rare to see, even those that aren't particularly threatening. When do they do show up, they have the potential to completely change the energy of a fight or advance, and you may find yourself struggling to survive against even the most innocuous ones. Take vehicles seriously and always strive to destroy them as soon as possible.

The game and documentation would have you believe there are only 2 types of vehicles; light and heavy. While not wrong, I would like to propose a more nuanced classification:

Soft Vehicles
These vehicles are the most common, and also the easiest to deal with. These are your trucks, motorcycles, and regular cars. They are all vulnerable to small arms fire and can be blown up just by shooting them.

The Zundapp motorcycle is almost laughable. It will drive up close to your men, its single passenger will disembark, then the driver will turn around and get the hell out of dodge. The only real threat posed by this is the soldier it drops off, though as long as your soldiers aren't already engaged, he won't be much of a threat either unless he happens to be carrying a flamethrower.

The Opel Blitz truck is a little more serious. It will stop close to the lines and then drop off anywhere from 5-10 Germans. If it's allowed to drop its full load, you may quickly find yourself outnumbered and outgunned. Prioritize destroying it immediately, don't give it the chance to provide reinforcements.

The Kubelwagen is a lot more dangerous that it might seem. The roof-mounted MG34 fires a long burst, and is much harder to kill than your standard infantryman carrying one. Overwhelming fire can kill the crew, but if you're not in cover the gun can easily kill some of your men. Don't be afraid to use explosives if the situation demands it.

Open-Topped Vehicles

Now it starts to get serious. These vehicles are technically still soft; small arms fire can kill crew or even blow up the vehicle, but this should not be relied on. Furthermore they all carry weapons that can quickly shred your units if you don't deal with them soon. Small arms fire is rarely enough; hope you brought panzerfausts.

The SdKfz 251 Halftrack is an Opel Blitz on steroids. Beyond just dropping a full squad of Germans, it also has a roof-mounted MG34 that is just as dangerous as the Kubelwagen's. The presence of the machine gunner makes it a serious threat, as it will often stick around even after its squad has disembarked.

The SdKfz 222 is a speedy armored car carrying a fast-firing 20mm. The gun is much slower than a machine gun, but creates tiny explosions and can gib your men if it scores a direct hit. It has less health than the Halftrack so small arms are still effective, but in most cases it may be easier to just blow it up.

The Flakpanzer Wirbelwind is thankfully a rare sight. Mounting 4 20mm guns, it is the fastest firing unit in the game, and can shred soldiers if given the chance. It's not worth it to close the distance and dispatch the gunner with small arms.

Heavy Vehicles

Yep, now it's really serious. These are full on tanks, very rare to see, but are fully immune to small arms. only explosives and anti tank weapons can kill them. Though they are big and dangerous, they are also slow and turreted, and can be maneuvered around if all else fails.

The Panzer IV is the bog standard German medium tank, and probably the one you'll face most often. Effectively a Pak 40/Flak 88 on tracks. Though inaccurate, you still don't want to give it the chance to fire at your units.

The Panther is a better, stronger, faster Panzer IV. Still dangerous and harder to kill than its little brother, but just as easy to maneuver around. Much like in real life, it also has a small chance to just break down in the field and remain immobile for a few seconds.

The Stug 3 is similar to the Panzer IV, with 2 main differences. First of all it lacks a turret, requiring it to turn the whole tank to fire at your units. Functionally this means very little, but it will make it harder for the vehicle to retreat if you get behind it. Secondly, it can lie in wait with its engine off, and surprise you with an ambush when you get close enough.

The Tiger is a vehicle so rare even I haven't seen it, but it is the end-all of German armor. Big, heavy, slow, but mounting a massive gun and armor so thick that rounds fired from the front have a coin toss chance to simply bounce off. If you ever see one, get behind it first before firing a rocket. If you can't, hope for the best.

Miscellaneous Vehicles

The Goliath is a very slow, unmanned vehicle containing a lot of explosives. Technically a hard skinned vehicle, it has a small chance to be damaged by small arms, and will often be killed this way. Basically a non issue as long as you're not standing close to it.

The Sdkfz 2 Kettenkrad is a weird halftrack motorcycle that functions like a slower Zundapp. Most of the time it will be carrying a German crate though. If you can kill the driver before it gets away, the sweet loot is yours.

The horse-drawn cart is the poor man's Opel Blitz, and quite rare to see. Despite what movies and TV might have you believe, most of the German army throughout the war was majority equestrian powered. Drops 2-8 soldiers, but is very slow and vulnerable to just about everything.

General Tactics

In pretty much 99% of cases, a well-placed panzerfaust or explosive rocket will blow all but the Tiger to smithereens. Accuracy drops off pretty quickly though, so to ensure a swift kill it's best to get in as close as you can by using cover and line of sight blockers to get the best possible shot.

if you lack anti tank, or whiff your shot, the next best thing is to use small arms fire against vehicles that can be damaged by it. If they can't, the best thing to do is to pull back, as artillery is too inaccurate, and armored support (if you have it) takes too long to arrive. Remember that vehicles are valuable and usually have somewhere else to be; if you can wait them out safely, they'll eventually retreat.

The vast majority of the time you will be facing weak and inexperienced Wehrmacht soldiers. On their own they are barely a threat; in large numbers they are much more dangerous, but there are plenty of ways to soften them up.

The following units are not Wehrmacht. Though they are rarely seen, they are much better trained and equipped than their regular counterparts. When you see these units on the battlefield, it's time to start taking things seriously.

Jagers

Although more annoying than anything, Jagers should still demand your attention. Certain battle conditions gives these guys a chance to spawn behind you and harass your rear. They move fast and retreat almost as soon as your men start firing back, before coming back to harass you again when you think you're safe.

The primary danger of Jagers comes if you're already engaged with enemies to the front, putting you in a rock and hard place situation. If you're focused on them, they probably won't last long. Give chase whenever possible to prevent them from coming back later. Thankfully they will usually be carrying weak bolt action carbines

Fallschirmjager

This is where it starts to get serious. FJ are essentially better trained and equipped Wehrmacht with more health. They are cold and calculating, will not take unnecessary risks, and are capable of deadly accurate fire with their assortment of excellent weapons including the exotic FG42. Do what you can to whittle them down while keeping your men in cover, but try to stop them if they pull back to regroup.

Waffen SS

Besides brandenburgers, these are the most dangerous troops you can see on the field. Extremely high health, morale, and combat skill, plus a high chance to be equipped with excellent weapons like the StG 44. As if that wasn't enough, they are often found grouped with each other or Wehrmacht units that have decided to 'attach' themselves. The cherry on top is their aggressive AI which see them counterattacking your units at the slightest sign of weakness.

Though facing a counterattack from one of these units has the potential to go poorly if you're unprepared, their aggressiveness can be used against them. If you lack the firepower to best them in a standard fight, you can try retreating to bait them into a killbox. Otherwise, liberal application of explosives and abilities to kill or wound them is always a smart idea.

Be warned when calling support options on them; there is a small chance they will redirect it on top of you instead. Depending on what you called, it might be best to pull way back and see if they push up before inching back into a firefight.

Flamethrower

Okay yeah technically this guy is Wehrmacht, but he's still worth talking about. It should go without saying you shouldn't get close. Flamethrowers are quite rare, and don't carry any backup weapons; the vast majority of the time you encounter them it will be from a distance.

That said, there are few experiences more horrifying then watching all 6 of your men be set on fire after crossing a hedgerow. Always try to scout ahead or destroy cover if you think a flamethrower may be involved. Personal camo and the commando's similar ability can help avoid heartbreak like this. Finally, always try to have at least 1 man in the squad carrying a fire extinguisher at all times.


Fires are no joke.

As if all the previous stuff wasn't bad enough, this final section will briefly cover the various support options the Germans have to throw at you.

Smoke

Color-coded smoke thrown by infantry that calls in a number of support options. Effects are as follows:

Blue - Airburst artillery. Very dangerous to infantry. Retreat or get a roof over your head ASAP.
Red - Strafing run. Not much you can do due to the field-length coverage, but thankfully not terribly lethal even if it gets near a man.
Yellow - White Phosphorus. Basically smoke, but starts fires too, don't get near it!
Purple - Mortars. Starts firing almost immediately. Start moving right away if you don't want them to fall on your head.
Pink - Stuka. Calls a plane that drops 4 massive bombs. Just get out of there.
Gray - Breathe easy, just harmless propaganda leaflets. Don't let your men step on them if you want them to remain calm however.

Flares

Similar to the smoke, but there's only 2 of them. They behave a little differently in that they slide around a bit and can bounce off buildings (very fun when they bounce back onto the Germans).

White flare - The most common, calls in a few rounds of artillery fire. Best not to stick around, but they won't start firing for a few seconds. Depending on the danger you may be able to push forward and leave them behind, but only do this if you are completely confident of the situation.

Red flare - ME 262 rocket strike. Summons a bunch of rockets in a horizontal line from where the flare lands. If it drops in the middle of the screen, moving your troops to the top and/or bottom will keep them safe.

V1

Saved the worst best for last. Rarely called in by a German with a radio, this (eventually) summons one of the famous V1 rockets onto your position, creating a massive explosion, and leaving behind a huge crater with a stream of fire coming out of it. The only way you will know this is coming is if you hear it; the sound is a very distinct low humming followed by a shriek. Once you learn it, you'll never forget it. Thankfully the long amount of time it takes to arrive means your men will have likely moved on by the time it hits, though once you notice it you should hasten your pace just a little bit.

And hopefully that covers just about everything. I haven't much more to say, but I hope you enjoyed the guide and learned something from it. If there's something I missed or you think I should cover, please comment it and I'll try to get to it.

Thanks for reading!

All screenshots my own. Guide icon taken from MnB wiki.