Soldier (The New Order)

The **Soldier (German: Soldat)** is the common enemy infantry unit that Captain B.J. Blazkowicz faces in his campaign against Deathshead in *Wolfenstein: The New Order*, *Wolfenstein: The Old Blood*.

## Overview

The standard Nazi rank-and-file are encountered in vast quantities by the player throughout the game. Individually, they are easy to deal with. They can be easily evaded by Blazkowicz going stealthy, and can be taken out fairly easily by Throwing Knives or several pistol shots. Individually they are also fairly weak: even when alerted to his presence, a single soldier is almost always no match for Blazkowicz. All variants of the Soldier encountered throughout the game are mere reskins of each other and behave just the same way- down to individual stats. This may produce interesting scenes where a cloth-uniformed Luftwaffe soldier will take as many 7.92mm bullets as a heavily-armored Nazi regular to kill.

At this time in history, basically all nations and countries have submitted to Nazi forces by now, and uprising attempts are not even very common, except in parts of France and the Tunisia Campaign. The very design of the Soldier 1960 seems to be rugged, more armored look, almost acting more so as a specialized police force instead of an army unit. However, this does not hinder their ferocity.

With that said, however, Nazi Solders are not to be underestimated. Their sheer number is more than enough to compensate for each individual's lackluster performance, and can overwhelm Blazkowicz easily if he lets his guard down. They are also deployed as escorts to the vastly more powerful Super Soldiers and Guard Robots and can serve as distractions to allow their larger comrades to unload on a busy player.

## Strategy

* Despite the predictable nature of their AI, Nazi Soldiers are capable of basic combat maneuvers and will use their numbers to their advantage. Keeping to a sizable piece of cover is recommended to conserve health on lower difficulties and becomes an almost necessity on higher ones if the player is to survive an encounter.
* Soldiers like to flank, and will spray your position with suppressing fire. They make informed use of cover, and will lean out behind it at different heights. However, their average accuracy and low damage-per-bullet often lets you soak up several shots without really needing to care, unless on higher difficulties.
* Enemy soldiers will chuck grenades at the player more often on higher difficulties, a good situational awareness is needed to avoid taking damage while in cover.
* In *Wolfenstein: The Old Blood*, starting at chapter 6, some soldiers can and will become Shamblers when killed, though this can be prevented by shooting off their heads or by goring them completely with Grenades, Kampfpistole rockets, or Shotgun shots.
* Shoot a standard soldier in the head even when the soldier is already dead yields a helmet in most cases, which can be used to replenish Blazkowicz's armor.

## Variants

* Nazi Soldier 1946 (Jahr 1946-Soldat)
* Nazi Soldier 1960 (Jahr 1960-Soldat)
* Luftwaffe Trooper (Luftwaffensoldat)
* Kriegsmarine Trooper (Kriegsmarinesoldat)
* Space Scientist (Weltraumwissenschaftler)
* Afrikakorps (Afrikakorpssoldat)
* Prison melee guard
* Riot Guard (Aufruhrschutz)
* Space Marine (Weltraummarinesoldaten)
* Space Trooper (Weltraumsoldaten)
* Deathshead's Commando (Totenkopfs Kommandoeinheiten)
* Fire Trooper (Feuersoldaten)
* Rocket Trooper (Raketensoldaten)
* Elite Soldier
* Marksman
* Heavy Soldier

For his regiment of Nazi soldiers, Deathshead has hand-picked the most loyal and fearsome combatants the Heer (army) has to offer. As part of this elite force, Deathshead's soldiers are promised high-ranking positions in the Nazi Party once the war is won. Judging by the posters in Deathshead's compound in 1946, the packs they wear are likely to keep them from being shocked by the Baltisches Auge's electrical cannon. The packs seem to be able to detect when the Soldiers are dead and will turn off when a Soldier dies or is turned into a Shambler. Their helmets can be taken off by a headshot.

They are only encountered in *The Old Blood* and the prologue chapter of *The New Order*. In the Old Blood, there are Elite variants with deeper voices and similar uniforms, but these soldiers have different packs and separate character descriptions. They wear heavier helmets that cannot be removed by a headshot. It is assumed that these troopers are the prototypes of soldiers in 1960.

As technology advanced, the regular infantry has been equipped with an even tougher suit to fend off against any uprising attempts. They are sometimes confused with members of the Deathshead's Commandos due to having similar armour and uniforms. This variant of the Nazi Soldier is the only enemy not seen in the characters roster in the extras menu, and is essentially one of the central mascots of The New Order, alongside B.J. Blazkowicz, himself.

They replace their 1946 counterparts after the time skip and are encountered in virtually every (post-prologue) level of the game except for the Lunar Base mission.

Their headgear cannot be taken off even after they died just like Deathshead's Commando and unlike other soldiers.

They are referred to as Black Guard in the game files, and Deathshead Elite Units by Fergus or Wyatt in the level Return to London Nautica.

They wear heavy armour and have roughly twice the durability of most regular soldiers. They are elite rank troops.

Luftwaffe grunts are fearless and skilled combatants equipped with assault rifle 1960. Individuals are carefully selected to ensure that the proud Luftwaffe of Germania consists of only the most dedicated and pure of blood.

They are only encountered in and around the London Nautica.

More formally known as the **Marine-Infanterie**, these are naval infantry units specializing in marine warfare. They carry assault rifles and grenades like other infantry units. Their helmets can be taken off if they have one.

Kriegsmarine troops are only encountered during the U-boat mission.

Because of the dangers associated with isolation, the scientists on Moon Base One work in shifts of between six months up to a year before being given time off.

They are only encountered on the Lunar Base, and can't be directly fought.

Nazi infantry sent to the African front to combat any resistance in North Africa like their real-world counterparts. They are armed with the Assault Rifle 1960. Their helmets can be taken off.

 File:Prison Guard Melee.webp
The guards of Eisenwald Prison and Camp Belica, have no qualm about interrogating, torturing, even killing prisoners, as they're fit to work in correctional facilities of Germany. They're either armed with a baton or assault rifle, they can be a real threat if you're playing on higher difficulties.

Riot guards only encountered in Eiseinwald Prison during the Riot organized by BJ and Fergus/Wyatt. They wear thick layer of armor, similiar like Black guarards, armed with shotgun and are elite rank troops.

Soldiers promoted to German Space Marine Corps, they capable use of futuristic weapons and pressurised body armour, technology almost beyond the Wehrmacht, as being a specialized military unit.

Elite members of the German Space Marine Corps, stronger than a regular Space Marine, equipped with better armour and better weaponry, specifically a plasma rifle. They are heavy rank troops.

 File:Deathshead's Commando.webp
SS elite members and General Deathshead's military unit, simply efficient, brutal and merciless, trained under the harshest of conditions in Siberian training camps near the dreaded Gulags. They are armed with a variety of weapons, and they wore thick armour in battle. They are elite rank troops.

The frogmen for Kriegsmarine, wearing a newly developed, and bulky scuba-diving suit, also armed with a ricochet shrapnel-loaded shotgun. Fire Troopers are tasked to guard underwater facilities, and deal with high-risk situations, as their suits provide them protection against environmental hazards, which includes radiation. They are heavy rank troops.

Soldiers armed with a assault rifle with the rocket launcher attachment, in addition, they wear a bulky armour provides them protection, which makes them very tough to kill. They are heavy rank troops.

The Elite soldiers of the SS Paranormal Division are feared and respected for being brutal and merciless. Unlike regular soldiers, they are elite rank troops with better armor and health. They are equipped with the Sturmgewehr 1946.

Soldiers serve as snipers on the grounds of Castle Wolfenstein, armed with a Bombenschuss, they don't wear armours, but they can still be deadly because their firepower can deal major damage.

 File:Heavy Soldier 46.webp
The Heavy soldier wears a highly protective suit, which has one weak spot — its gas tank. They are heavy rank troops equipped with the Shockhammer X, who can't be silently taken down from the back.
## Trivia

* There are unused camouflaged and gray uniform variants of the 1946 Soldier that can be found in game files. However, it seems that gray uniform texture is used for Marksmen from The Old Blood, though Marksmens' uniforms have lighter color.
* The Kriegsmarine Soldier's blue uniform is very similar to the SS's uniform in Wolfenstein 3D, albeit with white boots instead of black shoes.
* In Prologue of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, the inspector can be seen in a military checkpoint. He wears light uniform which looks like the German soldiers' former uniforms which were used before the Third Reich made a technological leap.
* The existence of the Afrika Korps in 1960 presumably means that the Tunisian Campaign did not end or resulted in Nazi loss in 1943 in the game's universe. Furthermore, it is hinted to still be going on without signs of resolution as troops are still being sent from mainland Europe during the game's events, despite the extreme technological leaps made by the Nazis.
* There is a light armored variant of soldiers in 1960, similar to Afrikakorps and the Kriegsmarinesoldat. They are rather rare in that they are only seen during events/cutscenes and at prisons such as: Eisenwald Prison, Camp Belica, Secret Police Headquarters, without a helmet. Helmeted soldiers can only be seen in events. There are also dead helmeted soldiers inside of the trains in Chapter 12 - Gibraltar Bridge. These are possible soldier that are off duty or do not need to wear standard military armor.
* They do not have a collectable character model like the Stomper.
* They first appear in chapter 3 a new world in the first indoor area.
* The 1946 soldiers from The Old Blood have a slightly different appearance than the 1946 soldiers in The New Order. The Old Blood soldiers have a higher quality belt, and a darker backpack.
* Corpses of soldiers that have been killed from a takedown cannot have their helmets removed.
* The uniform of the 1960 soldiers is very familiar to the Helghast infantry from *Killzone* and Protect Gear of the Kerberos Special Unit, as seen in *The Red Spectacles*, *StrayDog: Kerebos Panzer Cops*, and *Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade*.
* In a cut seen shortly after the Prologue at Deathhead's Compound in The New Order, while B.J is still in a wheelchair and is being cared for by Anya's family at the asylum, some Nazi soldiers are demanding for patients to be used as Strasse's guinea pigs. The commander is being accompanied by 1946 variant soldiers right behind him, but as they walk back out of the building, they seem to be carrying the Assault Rifle 1960, implying that this type of soldier may have existed in the 1950s, still in perhaps upgraded 1946 armor, but carrying weapons that would be seen in 1960 as well. Maybe this is an earlier version of the 1960 AR.
* All soldiers, in the game have the cuff title *Heimatschutz*, meaning "homeland protection". It is possible these soldiers are part of the Nazi equivalent of a home guard.
* It is strange that the Luftwaffe soldiers are described to carry shotguns. In game, they only wield the Assault Rifle 1960. However, there are several Fire troopers guarding the London Nautica, this indicate that the soldiers may be equipped with heavy equipment same as Fire troopers.
* In *Wolfenstein: the Old Blood*, and *Wolfenstein: the New Order*, the 1946 variations of infantry, sniper and elite soldiers are equipped with K98 ammo pouches for the Karabiner 98K. However, the weapon is not seen or used by any enemy in-game.
* In The Old Blood soldiers carrying electric backpacks, when killed with shotgun blast to center of torso (either from front or behind) will also make a hole in backpack. Despite this, backpack dont have interior texture and player looking at certain angle can see through the inner part of backpack, as its invisiable when looking at hole.