On 6 June 1944, the Allies landed at Normandy and began an arduous and brutal campaign to push back occupying German forces across the Rhine, bringing an end to the most infamous brutal totalitarian empire of the 20th century. The battles fought across France and the Low Countries, from Omaha Beach to the Battle of the Bulge, are recalled vividly. The FPS genre is utterly drowning in WWII shooters to such an extent that some commenters have observed wryly that gamers have now killed more German soldiers than the Red Army. This illustrates an important truth: the Western Allies, for all their verve, valour and ultimate victory, were never threatened by more than (depending on the source) between one-fourth or one-fifth of the Wehrmacht (here referring to the entire military: principally the Heer (Army) and Luftwaffe). And by 1944, the latter was virtually wiped from the skies. The vast majority of the troops were on the other side of Europe, fighting in the most epic struggle in recorded history. It is a disservice to posterity and a Euro-centric shame that the German-Soviet War is referred to by the meagre name of the Eastern Front. One cannot overstate how the clash of the tyrants Hitler and Stalin was arguably
the critical point of the last century. The
Call of Duty franchise has honourably taken steps to educate its audience about the titanic duel in the Soviet Union most recently with the Soviet campaign in
World At War but certain engagements are now so rote as to be stale: virtual renditions of Stalingrad and Berlin are awash with gamer and NPC blood likely equalling real-life fatalities, but there is still a wealth of critical and oft-ignored clashes that both shaped the course of the conflict and, as per the purpose of this article, would make for a refreshing addition to the genre. I honestly kind of felt cheated when
World At Wars campaign skipped thirty months just for the sake of getting to the good stuff. If gaming is a vehicle for history, lets show what happened during that time. Before we begin, a disclaimer: there was a morbid Polish joke about a bird that fell into a cowpat and was rescued by a cat, the punch line being that your saviour is not automatically your friend. I regard Hitler and Stalin as equally totalitarian tyrants and, to borrow an observation from Henry Kissinger, its a shame they couldnt both have lost. I merely want to point out some awesome battles. With this in mind, I present ten for your consideration.