Hill 400 Scene | Call of Duty 2

Hill 400 (German: Burgberg) is the name given by Allied forces during World War II to a 400.8 metres (1,315 ft)[1] high hill located 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the centre of Bergstein, a village in the Eifel region of Germany.

The hill, which in medieval times was the site of Berenstein Castle, as well as a section of the Siegfried Line from the Second World War, now has an observation tower at the summit.

After Berenstein Castle was destroyed around the year 1200, the material was used to build Nideggen Castle and the tower of the church in Bergstein.

Today this hill is predominantly called by its civil name Burgberg (English: castle hill). This small mountain provides a view over the entire Hürtgen Forest (German: Hürtgenwald) area and was strategically important as a vantage point and German artillery station during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in 1944.

The Battle of Hürtgen Forest for Hill 400 is often overlooked due to its proximity to the Battle of the Bulge. A German stronghold, it provided an observation point overlooking the Roer River Valley, as well as an open view of Allied movements in the area. The U.S. made attempts to gain control over Hill 400 and the surrounding forest, but they failed.

Hürtgen Forest is located five kilometers east of the Belgian-German border. The 1,312-feet-tall Hill 400 overlooks Schmidt to the southwest and the Roer River Valley to the east, with the town of Bergstein sitting at its base. Its steepest slope is at a 45-degree angle, and the surrounding forest is dense with evergreens.

Along with allowing the Germans to see Allied movements, the location ensured the successful launch of counterattacks. The heavy brush also prevented tanks from climbing the terrain. That, paired with the mines and barbed wire that had been placed throughout the area, made Hill 400 the cornerstone of Germany’s Siegfried Line.

By mid-September 1944, the Allied pursuit of the German Army had slowed due to extended supply lines and an increase in resistance. Their next objective was to move up the Rhine River, and it was the American First Army’s task to capture Hürtgen Forest and secure the right flank of the advancing VII Corps.

The Americans were also tasked with attacking a large portion of the German Army’s fixed fortifications along the rear of the Siegfried Line. If they were successful, Hill 400 would provide an excellent observation point over the Roer River.

Call of Duty 2 is a 2005 first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in most regions of the world. It is the second installment of the Call of Duty series. Announced by Activision on April 7, 2005, the game was released on October 25, 2005 for Microsoft Windows, and on November 22, 2005 as a launch title for the Xbox 360. Other versions were eventually released for OS X, mobile phones, and Pocket PCs.

The game is set during World War II and the campaign mode is experienced through the perspectives of four soldiers: one in the Red Army, one in the United States Army, and two in the British Army. It contains four individual campaigns, split into three stories, with a total of 27 missions. Many features were added and changed from the original Call of Duty, notably regenerating health and an icon that indicates a nearby grenade about to explode.

The game drew critical praise, particularly for the graphics, sound and the regenerating health system. As a launch game, the Xbox 360 version sold over 250,000 copies in its first week, and had sold over 2 million copies by January 2008. By November 2013, the game had sold nearly 6 million copies

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