At Bucholz and the Siegfried Line, the player leads the soldiers during the final crossing into Germany in the snowy winter of 1944. The player now leads the squad as a sergeant during the last two levels. Fighting through the Hurtgen Forest, they continue to press German soldiers back.
The 1st Infantry moves on to Mons and Eilendorf, moving closer to Germany. The level closes as the player takes control of a Flak 88 to defeat German counter-assault waves. The player directs fire using binoculars, destroying bunkers, warehouses, and pillboxes. The 1st Infantry Division then takes part in the D-Day invasion.
The player now leads part of the squad as a corporal. The Call of Duty 2: Big Red One Nintendo Gamecube box art. They fight through Troina to rest and recuperate, consolidating their forces the Fighting First quickly secures Sicily. At Piano Lupo, the 1st Infantry once again faces opposition from the Hermann Goering Panzer Division, whom they had defeated in Africa. The Italian campaign opens with " Operation Husky" with the Battle of Gela during which the squad rescues members of the 82nd Airborne Division. After finishing the African campaign, the player takes part in a bomber mission aboard a B-24 Liberator over the Mediterranean. The Big Red One continues to press the advance, and the player takes control of a tank in which Pvt. The squad continues into Kasserine, clearing the region of German troops. The 1st Infantry Division moves on to Kasserine Pass, pressing through the German lines, helping clear a minefield, and recapturing several American howitzers. Glenn Hawkins alongside the other soldiers of Hawkins' squad. The next level is a flashback that takes place during the invasion of Algeria in the Battle of Oran called " Baptism By Fire", and soon back to where the tutorial left off. The game starts the player off at a tutorial shooting level called " We've Been Through Worse" that is located somewhere in Maubeuge, France. Roland Roger of the 1st Infantry Division throughout the whole game except for a level where the player takes the role of Roger's brother as a gunner in a bomber mission. In Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, the player takes the role of American soldier Sgt.