This Call to Arms Gates of Hell Ostfront Finest Hour Guide focuses on the Commonwealth story missions and the doctrine call-ins you can choose during: Mission 1: Tears and Sweat, Mission 2: Goodwood
Skirmish battles and other nations’ doctrine trees are not covered here. This is all about:
- What each doctrine option actually gives you.
- How those units perform in the mission context.
- Which choices are worth your limited MP and which are better left in the menu.
Mission 1 – “Tears and Sweat” Doctrine Guide
The British campaign opens with “Tears and Sweat”, and the doctrinal choices here are all about how you hold a fragile position together against German armor and how you survive the scripted “set pieces” later in the mission.
1-1: General Call-ins – Defending the Checkpoint
In the second part of “Tears and Sweat” you have to hold a checkpoint with a finite manpower pool. MP does not regenerate, so every purchase matters. You are buying staying power, not luxury toys.
Here is what you can call in, and how they actually behave in this mission.
Rifle Section (7 men)
Your basic line infantry. Mostly armed with rifles, a single Bren gun and some grenades. They are not glamorous, but they are what keeps the trench line populated. You need bodies to man weapons, plug gaps and stop German infantry simply walking through. Think of them as the backbone of your defense, not your damage dealers.
Boys AT Rifle Team
One anti-tank rifleman with an assistant. The Boys ATR looks good on paper but is underwhelming here. It fires quickly, but against early-war German tanks it generally annoys more than it destroys. At best it will damage vision ports, tracks or occasionally engine components. Treat it as harassment and last-ditch support for your main anti-tank guns, not as your primary armor answer.
Rifle Grenadier
This is your early access to credible anti-tank punch in the infantry slot. Rifle grenadiers can lob HEAT rifle grenades that will actually hurt Panzers if you land them correctly. The catch is that you need to judge arc and flight path, and the window to shoot before they get shredded can be small. In practiced hands, they are one of the better ways to deal with German armor without spending on big guns.
Medic
You already start with two medics. They can revive incapacitated soldiers and restock bandages at the medical tent. They are undeniably useful, but in this mission your MP is so tight that spending more on medics is usually a trap. Reserve your points for units that actually add firepower. As long as you do not throw your current medics into the front trench, they will manage.
Sniper
Snipers are slow killers, but they are very efficient at removing key threats at long range: machine gunners, officers, AT crews. In this mission they double as spotters through the fog of war. If you are confident in your anti-tank game and you want to make German infantry waves less scary, a sniper is a solid pick. Just keep them in proper cover and micro them; they are not set-and-forget.
Heavy Machine Gun Team
Your Vickers HMG is your “do not cross this field” sign. A well-positioned heavy machine gun makes frontal infantry rushes suicidal. The downside is that you start with HMG assets and your MP is limited. Instead of buying a second or third, it is often better to protect the one you have: repair the tripod, save the crew, and above all remove the enemy tanks that would otherwise shred it with HE.
QF 2-pdr Anti-Tank Gun
This is the jewel of your defensive options. The 2-pounder has a high rate of fire and enough penetration to punch through the light armor of early Panzers. If you prioritize their turrets and gun mantlets, you can disable their main guns quickly and then finish them off. In a straight shootout between a well-crewed 2-pdr and a Panzer, the British gun usually wins purely on reload speed. This is the unit that keeps your line alive when the armor really starts coming.
Mortar Team
Mortars are tempting whenever you see German infantry massing. They are good for softening up assaults and punishing enemies behind light cover. However, their accuracy is mediocre and in this particular mission your ammunition is more precious than usual. If you bring a mortar, be disciplined: prioritize dense enemy blobs, and do not waste shells on single squads while your AT gun sits dry.
The short version for this phase:
Prioritize 2-pounders and trench strength, keep your starting HMG alive, and only buy flashy tools if your core defenses are secure.
1-2: “All-Round” Doctrine – Counter-Battery Duel
In the second doctrinal branch for “Tears and Sweat”, you are given access to a serious artillery piece: the BL 6-inch (155 mm) medium howitzer. It looks small compared to some monsters in the game, but do not let that fool you.
This gun has:
- Impressive range (around 350 m in this mission).
- Veteran crew, meaning high accuracy and faster reaction.
- Enough explosive power to delete enemy artillery in a single good hit.
You are pitted against German leFH 18 10.5 cm howitzers, which are also accurate and have longer reach than your BL 6-inch. That means you cannot just sit still and trade shots. The ideal pattern here is:
- Use scouts to find enemy batteries.
- Fire a salvo from maximum practical range.
- Immediately displace the gun after firing each shot.
If you wait for them to adjust fire on your last known position, you will lose the duel. This section is all about hit-and-run artillery work: spot, fire, move, repeat.
1-3: “Defensive” Doctrine – The AA Tank and the Planes
The “Defensive” branch throws you into a very particular kind of stress: you are given a light AA tank and asked to shoot down three German aircraft. Anyone who has played this segment knows why the mission is called “Tears and Sweat”.
Your AA vehicle:
- Is slow to traverse.
- Uses machine guns with fairly short practical range.
- Is durable enough to survive a few strafes, but not invincibility-tier.
The silver lining is that the incoming planes are not Stuka dive bombers. They are armed with machine guns rather than heavy bombs, which gives you more room for mistakes as long as they do not destroy your engine or set you ablaze.
To make this section tolerable:
- Park somewhere with good sky exposure but some hard cover nearby.
- Start rotating the turret before the planes line up fully, so you are already on target.
- Focus on one aircraft at a time rather than splitting fire.
Even with good handling, expect this segment to grind on your patience. It is more about staying calm and tracking targets than about deep tactical finesse.
1-4: “Offensive” Doctrine – Matilda II Says No
The “Offensive” option gives you exactly what every early-war British player dreams of: a Matilda II infantry tank.
Matilda brings:
- Thick armor for this stage of the war.
- The same 40 mm QF 2-pounder you have been using in towed form.
Against early Panzer IVs, Matilda is a bully. The German guns struggle to do meaningful damage from the front; at best they might immobilize you by taking out the tracks. Meanwhile, you are using a very familiar gun to punch holes in them. Matilda is not fast, but once she is in a good position she is incredibly hard to shift.
In mission context, Matilda is your “anchor”: park her so that enemy armor has to go through her arc (or get flanked themselves), and suddenly the German advance does not look so scary.
1-5: “Irregular” Doctrine – Artillery Signaler and Creative Solutions
The “Irregular” choice drops you into a more stealth-focused mini-scenario. You receive an artillery signaler whose main purpose is to sneak into range and call in a concentrated barrage on German positions so that your allies can advance.
His flare gun can:
- Mark targets for powerful off-map artillery.
- Wipe out entrenched emplacements if you can get the sight line.
The intended way to play this is to move slowly, stay low, and pick routes that avoid direct lines of German fire. There is luck involved, and it can feel tense and punishing.
However, there is also the “cheese” route: repair a captured Panzer IV and use its superior gun range to snipe German 3.7 cm PaK guns from outside their vision. It is less cinematic, but brutally effective. The mission does not mind how the emplacements die, only that they do.
Mission 2 – “Goodwood” Doctrine Guide
“Goodwood” shifts the tone completely. Instead of hanging on by your fingernails, you are now throwing British armor into the German first line and then grinding through layered defenses. Your doctrine choices here define how you break the line and what tools you lean on: classic armor, engineering monstrosities, or creative support.
2-1: General Call-ins – Building Your Assault Force
The opening stage of “Goodwood” has you tackling the German front line and then calling in limited reinforcements. MP regenerates, but slowly. You cannot buy everything, so it is worth knowing what each call-in really does for you.
Tank Crews
You can bring in extra crews to replace casualties or take over captured German vehicles. Remember that most tanks need about four crew to operate efficiently, so while extra crews are useful, they do not replace proper hulls. Grab them when you have a damaged but salvageable tank needing new hands.
Guard Section (8-man elite infantry)
These are better-trained assault troops with improved health and weapon handling. They can hold ground and push through resistance more reliably than regular riflemen, but they are light on grenades and dedicated anti-tank tools by default. Make a habit of looting German equipment (grenades, Panzerfausts) for them. They are worth the cost, but you need to equip them properly.
Medic
Same role as before: revives downed soldiers and restocks bandages at the medical tent. Two are usually enough. More than that and you are sinking combat potential into support you will not fully exploit.
Ammo Truck
This is not optional in prolonged armor fights. Use it to refill both infantry and vehicle ammunition. Proper positioning is key: keep it behind cover and out of direct fire, but close enough that your tanks are not driving halfway across the map just to reload.
Fuel Truck
Tanks without fuel are wrecks that just have not fallen over yet. In a mission where you are constantly pushing and repositioning, fuel trucks quietly keep your assault going. Treat them as high-priority support; losing one in a forward position can stall your entire line for a long time.
M4 Sherman (US)
You get access to American Shermans with 75 mm guns. They are great at killing infantry and soft targets, and they come with white phosphorus rounds that both burn and create smoke screens. That combination makes them very versatile: you can blind an AT gun and mask an advance, then follow up with HE. In terms of cost-to-performance, they are often a better buy than Cromwells.
Cromwell Tank
Cromwells carry similar armament to the Sherman 75 mm but trade smoke options for slightly better armor and speed. In theory that sounds great; in practice the armor is still vulnerable to German AT, and the lack of smoke shells is felt. If you know you need sheer speed for a specific maneuver, Cromwell has a place, but as a general purchase it is less efficient than the Sherman in this mission.
Once you clear the town, the menu expands and you gain access to heavier British armor.
Sherman Firefly
This is your dedicated tank killer. The Firefly’s 17-pounder gun outranges most German 7.5 cm AT pieces and can threaten heavy German armor that shrugs off 75 mm hits. The downside is that the hull armor is still “just Sherman” and the turret is boxy and obvious. In practice, Fireflies should be kept in ambush or hull-down positions, not used like frontline bruisers. They exist largely to answer threats like Tigers and King Tigers while other units bait shots.
Churchill Infantry Tank
The basic Churchill brings thick, flat frontal armor and wide tracks that soak up a lot of punishment, but the turret is a weak point. The 75 mm gun is solid against infantry and side shots on enemy tanks but underwhelming frontally against serious armor. Use Churchills to push and hold, not to solo enemy big cats.
Churchill Mk VII
The Mk VII iteration reinforces the turret and is deliberately designed to be a “damage sponge”. It still uses a 75 mm gun, so it does not magically solve your heavy armor problems, but it can sit in harm’s way, eat shells, and keep your more fragile tank destroyers alive. Its job is to get shot so something else can kill the target.
2-2: “All-Round” Doctrine – AVRE and Achilles
The all-round doctrine in Goodwood is where the British engineers and tank destroyers get to show off.
Churchill AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers)
This is the infamous “flying dustbin” tank: a Churchill chassis mounting a massive short-range demolition gun. It is slow and has a laughably short range (around 100 m), but if it gets into position it can level entire buildings, kill everyone inside, and even knock out tanks sitting next door with a single round. It is tough enough to shrug off most infantry AT if the shot does not land square on the turret.
In practice, you use the AVRE to erase strongpoints: fortified town blocks, heavy machine gun nests, and dug-in AT guns. Bring it up under cover, fire, then pull back before enemy armor has time to react.
M10 with 17-pdr (Achilles)
This is the American M10 tank destroyer hull upgraded with the British 17-pounder gun. It is one of the strongest long-range tank killers available: good penetration, APDS rounds for extra punch at medium range, and enough mobility to reposition fast.
The catch is the same as always with open-topped TDs: if the enemy AT guns or tanks get the first shot, you will not enjoy the result. Use its speed and your Churchills’ armor. Let the heavy tanks draw attention, then peek the Achilles from a flank, fire, and fade.
2-3: “Defensive” Doctrine – Breaking Flak 88 Positions
The defensive doctrine for Goodwood tasks you with destroying Flak 8.8 cm sites. These guns are lethal, and they pivot surprisingly quickly, so head-on attacks are suicide.
You receive:
95 mm Churchill (Assault Tank)
This Churchill variant mounts a 95 mm “derp” gun with strong HE performance and a slightly arcing trajectory. It excels at demolishing fortifications, trenches, and infantry clusters, and it can stun or disrupt tanks even if it does not outright penetrate. The arcing fire lets you lob shells into trenches and behind cover without a direct line of sight.
The correct approach here is to:
- Scout for Flak 88 locations first; do not blunder into their fire lanes.
- Use buildings and terrain to mask your Churchill’s movements.
- Fire from angles where only splash damage is needed; you do not have to hit the gun directly to destroy it.
If you try to rush in, the Flaks will simply swivel and erase you.
Light AA Armored Car with Dual .50 cals
On paper it is a nice anti-air and anti-infantry platform. In this mission, there are no planes and plenty of heavy Panzers. The best practical use is to park it safely behind your lines and let it suppress or clean up infantry that leak through. It is absolutely not a front-line main asset.
2-4: “Offensive” Doctrine – Fire and Heavy Guns
The offensive doctrine here really leans into the “war crime” joke: your tasks focus on burning enemy infantry and smashing positions from long range.
Churchill Mk VII Flamethrower Variant
This version replaces the hull MG with a heavy flamethrower. It is purpose-built for clearing trenches, buildings and any infantry cover. German Panzerschreck teams can penetrate Churchill armor, but your flamer outranges handheld AT, so if you keep a little distance you can fry them before they get a clean shot.
This tank is perfect for flushing out stubborn defenders. Use it behind your more conventional tanks and roll it forward specifically when you see a dense infantry position that refuses to die.
140 mm Medium Field Gun
This is a large field gun with serious blast power and a listed range around 420 m, but with poor accuracy. It is a “pray to RNG” weapon: shells that land close will neutralize crews, blow up vehicles and shatter fortifications, but you cannot rely on pinpoint shots.
The best way to use it is against grouped targets or static armor lines. Accept that some shots will vanish into the landscape, and treat every near-hit as a bonus rather than a given.
2-5: “Irregular” Doctrine – Mine Flails and Heavy Churchill
The irregular doctrine for Goodwood gives you one of the more unusual objectives: clear 84 mines. The game, for once, does not expect you to crawl around with a mine detector.
Sherman Crab (Flail Tank)
The Sherman Crab mounts a rotating flail that detonates mines by beating the ground ahead of the tank. In this mission, the mines are all anti-personnel, and the game is kind enough to make them visible if you pay attention. That leads to two useful facts:
- You can navigate visually and deliberately drive the Crab over minefields to clear them.
- If the Crab is destroyed, you can still use other tanks to physically roll over marked mines and complete the objective.
The flail is the safest and cleanest solution, but you are not completely stuck if you lose it.
Churchill Mk VIII (95 mm Churchill)
The Mk VIII keeps the strong armor scheme of the Mk VII but swaps the 75 mm gun for a 95 mm derp gun. It is built to go toe-to-toe with enemy armor and usually come out ahead in frontal fights, especially against anything lighter than a Tiger II.
When facing a King Tiger, you need to be more careful. Its gun and armor are serious problems. The Churchill Mk VIII can win, but only if you get side shots or use terrain, smoke, and distractions. Charging it frontally and trading shells is a good way to learn about the respawn screen.
The British missions “Tears and Sweat” and “Goodwood” are at their best when you actually lean into what the doctrines are offering instead of treating them as random extra units.
In Tears and Sweat, success comes from smart spending, reliable AT (2-pdr, Matilda), and precision tools like rifle grenadiers and the BL 6-inch howitzer.
In Goodwood, it is all about layered armor, specialized vehicles like the AVRE, flamethrower Churchills and mine flails, and using Fireflies or Achilles to solve the heavy armor puzzle while Churchills soak the punishment.