Call of Duty: WWII Trailer Breakdown
Call of Duty returns to its roots as Activision/Sledgehammer unveil the first trailer for the next installment of the franchise. Following the trend set by their main rival, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty are again looking to the past rather than the present and future.
From the limited information available the game seems to focus on a Texas-farm boy thrust into the Allied invasion of Europe as part of a platoon of the 1st Infantry Division. This isn’t the first time Call of Duty has focused on the 1st with 2005′s Call of Duty 2: Big Red One revolving around the unit. The trailer takes us from the D-Day landings to the fighting inshore in the dense hedgerows of the Bocage behind the beaches.
The trailer features an extended sequence showing the protagonist coming ashore on Omaha Beach. The scene is reminiscent of the opening of Saving Private Ryan, Medal of Honour European Assault and of course Call of Duty 3.
Lets breakdown the weapons that appear in the trailer. Naturally many of the US infantry weapons you would expect to see are featured. Including M1 Garands, M1911A1 pistols, M1918A2 BARs and a heavy focus on M3 submachine guns. While the M1 Carbine isn’t seen clearly in this short trailer it features in some of the publicity images released. Interestingly the Thompson submachine gun does not feature at all.
Troops armed with M1 Garands and M3 Grease guns catch a ride on a Sherman tank in what might be the Bocage area of Normandy.
A soldier with an M1 Garand helps up a BAR gunner during a street battle.
A dramatic sequence begins with a tank mounted M1919A4 opening up.
What appears to be an M2 Flamethrower in action.
A charging German infantryman is dropped by a M1911A1.
Lets take a look at some of the German weapons featured in the trailer, there are one or two interesting choices. The first German weapon we see is a P08 Luger.
A German soldier dismounts a burning tank, cocks and fires a P08 Luger as the voice over warns “the enemy is ruthless”. Interestingly, he appears to be wearing an infantryman’s uniform and equipment rather than typical tank crew uniform.
A vehicle mounted MG42 opens up during what appears to be a street battle.
This is perhaps the most interesting weapon of the trailer. The screen capture shows the German infantryman who is shot and killed by an M1911A1 pistol. As he falls the profile of the rifle he has becomes visible. It appears to be a Soviet SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle.
An SVT-40 (source)
This is an interesting rifle to include - the implications of its inclusion in a game, which the trailer appears suggest is predominantly set on the Western Front, are unknown. SVT-40 were captured from Soviet troops during Operation Barbarossa so it is conceivable this soldier managed to retain his SVT-40 when his unit was transferred west.
The heavy emphasis on the M3 submachine gun throughout the trailer is interesting as D-Day marked its first combat use. At the time the M3 had only recently begun to be issued to units. While I’m unsure of just how many were present during Operation Overlord, some were certainly issued to the US Airborne units, they were still being refined and did not become more widely issued until later in 1944.
Aside from small arms the new trailer also features all manner of tanks, landing craft, and aircraft including a Tiger II. The Battle of Normandy was the first time the Tiger II saw action during fighting near Caen. This might suggest the battle for Caen will feature in the game. I’m looking forward to seeing what other weapons are going to be featured in the new game - let me know your thoughts, what do you make of the trailer? Call of Duty: WWII is due for release in November.
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