Company of Heroes: Mission 4 - Carentan Counterattack Company of Heroes Guide

Last update: 05 January 2023

Primary Objectives:

1. [*1] Establish Defensive Perimeter, later Defend the Church
2. [*2] Destroy all Axis Armor in Carentan
3. [*] Inflict 200 casualties on the Axis (award: Bronze Star)

Additional Objectives:

Your task is simple - you must repel German counterattack on Carentan. You've got 10 minutes to establish defensive perimeter in the town near the town hall [*1] - it's your first primary objective [1]. [The church to the west marked by me with the same number you'll be defending later.]

[1]

[2]

Germans will approach from grey zone (directions of their attack I've marked with red arrows on my map) and will try to cross three bridges (A, B and C) to get to yours (blue). So you should hold them on these bridges, they're the bottle-necks [2]. However, high command also ordered you to capture munitions points on the other side of the river but don't bother - without heavy equipment you have no chance to do it.

Select the Engineers you've got at your disposal and send them to the bridges. Pay attention that you have two additional squads of engineers in HQ buildings (town hall and church [*1]) - leave the buildings and send them to the bridges too. First, mine all three bridges starting from german riverbank (watch out for enemy snipers hiding in buildings on that riverbank). Later - barbwire exits from the bridges to your bank: barbed wires will slow the movement of enemy infantry but they won't stop german tanks of course. Finish your sapper job by building MG emplacements near the bridges - try to place these fortifications near the buildings or ruins so their sides will be protected by walls (MG emplacements can't shoot to the sides so they can be easily destroyed from flanks, even by infantry) [3]. (I've marked proposed spots for MG emplacements as black > on my map.)

[3]

[4]

Now select your paratroopers and man two AT guns you will find on map (big white dots). Roll 'em to the spot between bridges B and C and set up there (it's not safe to arrange them together but you have no better choice). Turn them towards the exits from the bridges B and C (each gun to another exit) so they'll be able to strike from the sides enemy armor trying to cross these bridges (sides are his weakest points). When engineers have finished their work with bridges order them to place sandbags around the guns. You can also place sharpshooter or MG section (produced in barracks/HQs) behind these sandbags to observe german riverbank [4].

Go back to your paratroopers - notice that not all soldiers manned AT guns: send rest of them near HQ in town hall [*1] to replenish their manpower (to do that they must be near HQ/barracks). Then arm 'em with recoilless rifles by left-clicking on suitable icons in the lower right corner of the screen. Now they're well armed against armor and you can place them in two buildings adjacent to the town hall [*1] (behind AT guns emplacement near the river) - from there they'll be able to provide fire on bridges B and C [5].

[ 5]

[ 6]

You will also find german Panzerschrecks lying on the ground in white circles (small white dots on my map) but don't collect them with your paras, leave them for sappers. When sappers did their job near the bridges pick up with two squads these AT weapons and send these engineers to the buildings, next to the square behind the town hall [*1]. Their next task will be: 1) to destroy every german vehicle which has managed to break through your line of defense near the bridges and 2) to jump from there to damaged MG emplacements near bridges and repair them if necessary [6].

Equip remaining engineers with flamethrowers (do it the same way as with recoilles rifles) and move each section to high buildings near bridges A and C - they will fry all the Krautz trying to get to your bank of a river. Also, place in these buildings sharpshooters and MG sections produced earlier in barracks [7]. Yes, it's not good to place all of them in one building (they'll all be dead if house crashes) but you have no choice in these areas. Oh, and you can save resources on one MG section because you can find an abandoned german MG-42 in spot marked as a white dot (on my map), near high building next to the bridge A - capture it with paratroopers for example, then replenish the manpower of that squad near the town hall or church [*1]. Naturally, you can produce much more units than I propose you (it's recommended ;-) and place them in all those buildings, ruins or behind sandbags you appreciate as a good cover and useful in defence.

[ 7]

[ 8]

On the square behind the town hall [*1] you can set up a mortar produced earlier (however, maybe position between buildings, just behind your two AT guns between bridges B&C, would be better solution - from there mortar can commence fire on bridges B and C). Place the jeep you will find next to the church on this square too - it will be your mobile reserve: if Jerrys appear around the town hall and on the square you can welcome them suitably [8].

Probably, you will receive some command points by establishing all these defences (command points are numbers on icon next to the minimap) - spend your first two points (by clicking on this icon to open suitable menu) on "Off-Map Artillery Support", next one - on "Rapid Response" (faster deployment of infantry and heavy weapons teams). Or inversely - according as what you need first in that particular moment ... [9].

[ 9]

[ 10]

In the meantime take care of your backup/fallback positions around the second HQ (in the church [*1] to the west), you will need them. First, produce a sharpshooter and MG section and place them in the church tower [10].

To summarize, your first line of defence should look like this: near the bridge A, in high building you should have a sharpshooter, MG section and engineer squad with flamethrowers (and maybe somebody with bazookas). Nearby should be MG emplacement > (one or two) made by sappers and pointed to the bridge. It's also good to place AT gun (produced earlier) to the left from the bridge (if you look at him from your riverbank) so the gun will be able to shoot Stugs from the side. Securing munition point situated neighbouring with some squads (place them in nearby building and behind sandbags you'll find there) is a wise idea too [11].

[ 11]

[ 12]

Opposite to the bridge B you should have at least two MG emplacements > covered from sides by buildings' walls. Two houses on the riverside (adjacent to the town hall [*1]) should be manned with two paratroopers squads armed with recoilless rifles. On the right you see also two fortified AT guns, each of them is pointed towards the different bridge (B and C) [12].

Bridge C is guarded by a sharpshooter, MG section and sappers with flamethrowers placed in high building on the right. On the left you see two AT guns again and MG emplacement > covered from the side by building with paratroopers inside (armed with bazookas) [13].

[ 13]

[ 14]

Finally (after 10 minutes) one of your soldiers will report that enemy is coming and wild fight will begin [14].

Probably you'll see on the bridges some careless Stugs (self-propelled assault guns) first - they should blew up on mines placed by your engineers. If they don't want to do that help them by shooting them with your AT guns: remember - you can order their crews to use armor-piercing shells by clicking on icons in the lower right corner (after selecting a gun). Otherwise they will use HE shells which will do almost nothing to Stugs (use HE projectiles against enemy infantry) [15].

[ 15]

[ 16]

Germans will pretty fast arrive at a conclusion that bridges are mined and will send their pioneers (equivalent of your engineers) supported by more Stugs to demine. Give 'em a hell on earth with your snipers and MGs ! If necessary help yourself by shelling Germans with your own off-map arty - click on its icon (next to the command points) then on the terrain you want to bombard. Try to kill more than 200 of them (this is an additional objective [*]) and you'll be awarded for that heroic act with Bronze Star ! [16] First of all try to concentrate your attention on German vehicles, especially Stugs (leave enemy infantry for your MGs), and as soon as you see any of them entering one of the bridges, quickly select your AT gun, reload it with AP shells and order to fire at vehicle.

Enemy will be sending to your positions more and more infantry and vehicles (Stugs but also halftracks and motorcycles). Later, he will decide to bombard you with his mortars - you will recognize this moment is starting by red fumigating candles falling down here and there [17].

[ 17]

[ 18]

Krautz will use mortars displaced on german riverbank - I've marked this locations on my map with red mortar icons but I'm not sure if Jerrys take same positions each time you play this mission. It's time for some digression: maybe if you will send during setup phase some of your sharpshooters to the other bank of a river (german, grey), to the areas around those spots where Germans will place mortars, maybe your snipers will be able to kill mortars crews and german mortar fire won't be so annoying. I tried this option but my snipers were killed by enemy sharpshooters hiding in buildings on german riverbank and by incoming enemy - maybe you will have more luck ... [18].

However, as soon as Germans start shelling you with mortars get your ass from there - leave bridges B and C (they're only in range), leave town hall and adjacent buildings and square, and try to get to the second HQ, in the church to the west - now you must defend it (second of primary objectives [*1]). You should have fallback positions there. Also try to relocate your AT guns or leave them behind you and let them face their fate, they could be too slow to relocate safely. You can slowdown pursuing Germans by shelling them with your own off-map arty but remember that this artillery starts firing after some seconds so if you're targeting a big and moving concentration of enemy forces take adjustment on its movement. Pay attention also that this kind of shellfire has a fair dispersion so don't waste it on shelling single vehicles [19].

[ 19]

[ 20]

When the town hall is falling down your forces shouldn't be there already, at this time you should be in the church area or in buildings around the square behind the bombarded town hall (try to choose less damaged houses) [20].

During short but desperate fights near the church [*1] or on the square long-awaited allied reinforcements (yes, yours !) will finally arrive (they'll approach from directions marked on my map with blue arrows): you will receive couple of Sherman M4 medium tanks and quite a lot of infantry. With their help you should have no problem to push back importunate Jerrys [21].

[ 21]

[ 22]

But you can have hard nut to crack with remaining Stugs - try to flank them with some of your tanks and bite 'em from the sides (they're more vulnerable) [22]. Or hit them hard frontally, one by one, with couple of tanks at the same time. By destroying all of them you'll complete second objective [*2] (destroy all Axis Armor in Carentan).

See short outro for the end (uff, it was hard).