Note: This page covers the characters for the campaign of Call of Duty: WWII only. For characters from the multiplayer and Zombies mode, refer to the list below.
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US Army
First Infantry Division, 16th Infantry Regiment
Cpl. Ronald "Red" Daniels
Voiced by: Brett Zimmerman (English)note
PFC. (later Cpl.) Ronald Daniels is our main Player Character. He is a green replacement soldier from Texas at the start of the game.
- Affectionate Nickname: Because he is from Texas, most of his squad members calls him "Farm Boy" or "Farm Kid".
- All-Loving Hero: The lengths that he'll go to save lives of anyone he meets, be it a little girl or an abandoned soldier, is astounding.
- Determinator: Nothing short of almost getting killed, badly wounded, the threat of being court martialled, or heavy German resistance at the Rhine crossing will stop him from keeping his promise of finding and rescuing Zussman.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: Openly Defied. The Army was going to give Daniels an honorable discharge so he can go home and forget about Zussman. Daniels response is to tear his discharge papers right in front of Pierson, still committing to saving Zussman and returning home a true hero.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: He does this to Pierson, not by hitting him but by making him punch a tent pole while trying to hit him, and tearing his discharge letter up in front of him.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Zussman, who he describes as his best friend in the whole world and crosses the entire Rhine to save him.
- Hero Protagonist: Of the campaign. He's the Player Character in all of the missions at least once, sharing the spotlight with a few others in certain sequences. He's also an incredibly polite and kind person.
- My Greatest Failure: His failure to load a gun in panic as a child caused the eventual death of his brother when they were attacked by a wolf. It serves as his prime motivation late in the story to rescue Zussman.
- New Meat: How he starts out at the beginning of the campaign. Omaha Beach changes this.
- Nice Guy: He's incredibly kind and polite to everyone he meets. He's even willing to show sympathy to his enemies, saying that they had loved ones to.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He's also an extremely capable soldier, as per Call of Duty tradition, in addition to being an expert marksman and absolutely ruthless in combat.
- Noodle Incident: Davis' pep talk reminds Daniels of the one his coach gave him and his team before a Football game he played against Austin. The only detail he gives us is that his team lost by 42 points.
- No One Gets Left Behind: A firm believer of this, if his determination to rescue Zussman is any indicator.
- Number Two: After Turner dies Pierson has him promoted to Corporal, making him the second-highest ranked man in the squad.
- Rank Up: Is promoted to Corporal following Turner's death and the Battle of Hill 493.
- Roaring Rampage of Rescue: After Zussman was captured.
- Someone to Remember Him By: Subverted. The story sets it up in a way that makes it look like Daniels will die at some point during the fighting in Europe, particularly before the assault on Bridge at Remagen. However, he survives unscathed, and succeeds in rescuing Zussman and making it home alive and well to see his newborn son.
- Southern-Fried Private: He's Texan and a soldier. In addition, he's also shown later to have the insubordination and brashness that comes with this trait, when he tries to chase the German truck Zussman is held in alone despite Pierson ordering him not to.
PFC. Robert Zussman
Voiced by: Jonathan Tucker (English)note
Daniels' best friend and the only man of Jewish descent in Daniels' squad.
His squad ability is resupplying Daniels with health packs.
- Chekhov's Skill: He can speak German which in turn allows the squad to communicate with German civilians and read the German infiltrator's instructions.
- Combat Medic: Fights alongside the rest of the squad and can also give Daniels health packs to heal with.
- Defiant Captive: When held at gunpoint by Metz to reveal who among the other prisoners are Jews, Zussman refuses to comply without a shed of fear and simply tells the SS commander "fuck you".
- Deuteragonist: He's the second most important person in the story after Daniels.
- Distressed Dude: The first mission has him getting stabbed by a German during the Omaha Beach landing, and a significant portion of the level requires Daniels to drag him to a casualty collection point. He gets captured late in the Battle of the Bulge, and the last mission and epilogue are centered on finding leads to his whereabouts.
- Fate Worse than Death: He knows what is installed for Jewish POWs and thus, hides his dogtags in order to hide his clearly Jewish name from the Nazi.
- Friendship Trinket: The St. Michael pendant he won from Aiello. It reminds Daniels of Zussman after Zussman was captured.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Daniels, the later of which calls him his best friend in the whole world and crosses the entire Rhine to save him.
- The Lancer: To Daniels, who always looks after his back and vice versa.
- Token Minority: The only Jew in the squad, and a German Jew no less.
- Translator Buddy: He can speak German, and uses this to help communicate with German civilians in Aachen, and later, to read vital German war plans.
- Walking Spoiler: Most of his actions and character traits late in the campaign reveal a lot regarding the plot.
Sgt. William Pierson
Voiced by: Josh Duhamel (English)note
A veteran of the North African campaign, and the immediate superior of Daniels.
His squad ability is calling out enemy positions, highlighting their positions in the player's view.
- Anti-Hero: He's a ruthless Sociopathic Soldier, but still fights for the American cause to take down the Third Reich.
- Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: To Turner. In contrast to his superior, he looks down on the lower ranking soldiers in his unit, and he maintains a cold and distant relationship towards them, which causes him to be disliked by said soldiers.
- Character Development: Goes from a cold, distant, and heavily disliked commander to a more respected and mellowed out soldier as the squad pushes further into Europe.
- Cruel Mercy: After Daniels fails to rescue Zussman after disobeying Pierson, rather then executing him for insubordination, he spares him just to unofficially dishonorably discharge him from his platoon, in contrast to Davis giving him an honorable discharge later on.
- Defrosting Ice King: When Daniels personally shows him his honorable discharge papers and tears them up in front of him (while also telling him that he knows about sacrifice as much as he (Pierson) does), he mellows out and begins helping the other members of his squad more openly, down to being the one to lead in their search for the captured Zussman.
- Fallen Hero: He was formerly A Father to His Men, but after his blunder in Kasserine, he became The Neidermeyer.
- Hate Sink: Downplayed. He's a strict hard-ass towards his squadmates and his attitude towards Daniels and Zussman in particular comes close to bullying, especially when he discovers the latter speaks German. He also disobeys Turner's orders several times and is willing to send many soldiers to the meat grinder in order to complete the mission. Turns out that he has a good reason but still doesn't really gives him an excuse for how the way he treated Daniels.
- Hidden Depths:
- He was apparently A Father to His Men before he became The Neidermeyer. Unlike what everyone in the story believed, the loss of his men in Kasserine pass was not because he was a hard-ass, but because he wanted to save his trapped men. When that failed, that turned him into the opposite of what he was.
- He also repeatedly asks Zussman if his wounds are indeed healed before he rejoins the squad in the second mission. While this may come off as him just being difficult, it also hints at his past, when he was much genuinely more concerned with his subordinates.
- I Choose to Stay: During the ending, he chooses to stay in the Army as part of the occupation force in Germany.
- Ink-Suit Actor: He is portrayed by the N.E.S.T Operative William Lennox of the ''Transformers'' film series.
- Jerkass: His demeanor to the squad is strict and brutal, which is kept in check by Turner. Later, his callous nature became more prominent during Hill 493 and the Battle of the Bulge without supervision from his Lieutenant.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Pierson may be stubborn and callous asshat, he's not wrong when he tells Turner that the mission comes first and that all of them are expendable. Or when he tells Daniels that his maverick attitude isn't going to fly.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: After he Took a Level in Kindness. Even prior, he displays a few moments of decency (see Pet the Dog below).
- Just Following Orders: He justifies his premature assault on Hill 493 by saying that it was because of pressing orders from higher ups. Despite being told by his Lieutenant to wait until they join forces before assaulting, he does so anyways with his half of the force, claiming that "there was no time". Turner was not amused when he heard this after having to save them from a botched assault.
- My Greatest Failure: His attempts to save his squad in Kasserine Pass by defying orders ended up getting them all killed and failed to complete his objective at the same time, this changed him into the ruthless man we meet in the campaign.
- The Neidermeyer: He's generally disliked by the rest of the squad for his hard-assed nature, with Turner keeping him in check most of the time. Turns out there's a good reason for his behavior. He grows out of it when Daniels shows him that he really understands what sacrifice is by tearing up his honorable discharge letter right in front of him.
- Number Two: He serves as this for Turner, until he's killed in the assault on Hill 493.
- Older Is Better: Unlike the rest of the squad, he prefers the older "Gangster"-style version of the Thompson sub-machine gun, the M1928, which has a grip and larger drum magazine, which the M1A1 that Turner and on occasion Daniels use lacks.
- Pet the Dog: He attempts to shoulder blame for when the squad disobeyed orders at the hotel, despite having been the most vocal against doing so back then. Later, when Turner is shot, and German reinforcements are closing in, Pierson is more reluctant to leave Turner behind, which stands in contrast to his behavior minutes earlier.
- Sergeant Rock: Becomes this after his character development, and even before then there were hints of this.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: In particular, the Kasserine Pass incident changed him into the man we see today.
- Sociopathic Soldier: Downplayed, but Pierson is considered the craziest soldier and in general has a Lack of Empathy in his role as The Neidermeyer.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After Daniels rekindles his lost idealism, Pierson turns into a much nicer person.
- Tritagonist: He's the third most important character in the story, and the later missions in the story give more focus on him and coping with his actions back at Kasserine.
- You Are in Command Now: He takes command of Daniels' platoon after Turner is killed.
Lt. Joseph Turner
"No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great."
Voiced by: Jeffery Pierce (English)note
The commander of Daniels' platoon, and the immediate superior of Pierson, whom he also keeps in check.
His squad ability is resupplying Daniels with ammo.
- A Father to His Men: Much warmer than his sergeant, Turner is also who keeps Pierson in check.
- Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: To Pierson. In contrast to the cold, distant, and no-nonsense approach of the former, Turner genuinely looks out for Daniels, Zussman, and the other men in their squad, and looks after them closely.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Volunteers to stay behind and cover his unit's retreat after being mortally wounded, just as the Germans begin sending reinforcements against their beleaguered position.
- Morality Chain: For Pierson to make sure he doesn't get out of line. After his death, nothing stops Pierson from bringing out his worst.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike Pierson, Turner is more caring towards his men and is correct to constantly call out the former for his recklessness and callousness.
- Revolvers Are Just Better: Seems to carry an Enfield No. 2 revolver as his sidearm. Daniels uses it to kill the German Tank Commander that fatally wounds Turner at the end of Hill 493, then later keeps it as a keepsake after Pierson turns it down.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Initiates this when he decides to arrange for the escape of civilians in the hotel basement that they secure during the Battle of Aachen, and takes responsibility for it later.
- Tragic Keepsake: His revolver is the only thing left of him after his death.
- You Shall Not Pass!: After being mortally wounded during the Battle of Hill 493, he attempts to hold back the Germans by himself to allow his men to escape before being shot down.
Tec 5 Frank Aiello
Voiced by: Jeff Schine (English)note
The squad's technician.
His squad ability is calling for artillery strikes. He will give Daniels a smoke grenade for marking the position before the artillery comes in.
- Brooklyn Rage: Grew up in Queens and is a competent soldier. Also speaks in a mild New York dialect.
- Character Development: He goes from initially looking down on Cpl. Howard, an African-American engineer attached to their unit, to mellowing out and sincerely apologizing to him by the end of the game.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his occasional rudeness to his squad mates and open racial bigotry, he still has shown salvageable traits and behavior throughout the campaign.
- The Generic Guy: Compared to the rest of Daniels' squad, he's the one who gets the least depth. Even when he becomes The Lancer to Daniels late in the game, he's still comparatively Out of Focus.
- The Lancer: He takes Zussman's place as Daniels' number-two guy after the former is captured during the Battle of the Bulge.
- Noble Bigot: Despite his surprise at Howard joining this platoon, he eventually respects him for helping them out.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: When he meets Howard for the first time he says to his face that he's surprised that they "let them" fight, contrasting Daniels' mere surprise at meeting a black soldier. However, once he sees Howard in action, he apologizes.
Pvt. Drew Stiles
Voiced by: Kevin Coubal (English)note
The squad's photographer.
His squad ability is resupplying Daniels with grenades.
- Affectionate Nickname: Aiello and Zussman call him "College" because of his tendency to use big words.
- Blind Without 'Em: Daniels remarks that without his glasses Stiles looks like Superman but "can't see shit".
- Chekhov's Skill: His job as the squad's photographer. He puts this skill to use in the epilogue, where he documents what the Nazis did to the Jews and Allied POWs in the concentration camps scattered throughout Germany.
- Going for the Big Scoop: Averted. He's shown to prioritize fighting for his life first over covering the war, which he usually does before or after a battle instead.
- The Smart Guy: He has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of lots of different subjects, which the other soldiers ride him on for a bit. He even earns the nickname "College."
- Smart People Wear Glasses: He's a war correspondent, and wears glasses.
Col. Davis
Voiced by: Matt Riedy (English)note
The commander of the squad's regiment.
- A Father to His Men: He genuinely looks after the soldiers under his command, which is why Turner and even Pierson look up to him.
- Big Good: The closest to one in the story, as he's the one who gives the orders that Turner and Pierson are supposed to follow.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: His appearance and voice are clearly modeled after Tom Hanks.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's a pretty reasonable guy most of the time, such as giving Daniels an honorable discharge slip and a recommendation for a Bronze Star following his insubordination in trying to save Zussman alone rather than punishing him.
- So Proud of You: He gives a Rousing Speech proclaiming how proud he is of his regiment's achievements during its disbandment following the end of the War in Europe.
Jones
A soldier who accompanies Daniels' squad into Marigny.
- Disney Villain Death: Dies from getting knocked off the tower.
- Red Shirt: He exists just to get dropped from the tower.
First Infantry Division Other
745th Tank Battalion
S Sgt. Augustine Perez
Voiced by: Christian Lanz (English)
A Sherman tank commander belonging to an independent tank battalion attached to the 1st Infantry. He is shown on occasion assisting Daniels and his unit, though most of the time his tank is diverted to other sectors.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: You play as him for part of the Aachen level.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: He shows up during the battle of Hill 493 in a Big Damn Heroes moment, knocking out the Tiger tank, but the tank then blows up his Sherman, and he emerges on fire before dying.
- Foreign Cuss Word: Drops "mierda" during a German ambush.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Judging by his comment on burned enemy corpses, Prez doesn't seem to have a good opinion on Nazis which is normally a good thing but Daniels calls him out of it since Nazi or not, they are still human beings and thus should be treated with respect after death.
- Tank Goodness: While his Sherman tank isn't exactly the most powerful tank in the European Theater, he sure as hell is a very competent commander. He establishes this when he and his crew manage to knock out several German Panzer IVs and a King Tiger during the Battle of Aachen.
- Token Minority: He is the only Hispanic character in the game.
US Army Engineers
Cpl. Marcus Howard
Voiced by: Russell Richardson (English)
An African-American soldier who's assigned to Daniels unit as a replacement engineer.
- Actor Allusion: His name was originally going to be Cormack, which is likely a reference to the Advanced Warfare character of the same name, who Richardson also portrayed.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: He joins up near the end of the main campaign.
- The Engineer: He serves this role for Daniels' squad late in the game, after their former engineer is killed during the assault on Hill 493.
- Token Minority: He's the only black character in the game.
United States Army Air Force
2nd Lt. Matthew Weber
A P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber pilot tasked with providing escort duty to a flight of B-17 Flying Fortresses. He is later diverted by 8th Air Force command to help Daniels' unit from being overrun.
- The Cavalry: He and his squadron serve as this for the First Infantry when their position is about to be overrun by the German 9th Panzer Division, by knocking out any German tanks and armored vehicles marked by Daniels.
- Death from Above: Does this to the 9th Panzer division just as they're about to overwhelm the beleaguered 1st Infantry.
- The Faceless: Unlike the other playable characters listed here, we never get to see his face.
- Lightning Bruiser: The P-47 he pilots can take a lot of punishment from both Flak and enemy fighters, fly faster than the BF-109 fighters he comes up against, and can deliver heavy damage to both the aforementioned German fighters and against German tanks.
Headquarters
Cpl. Green
Voiced by: Cherami Leigh (English)
The main Quartermaster of the Allied Headquarters established off the coast of Normandy.
- Colonel Badass: When Butcher is at Headquarters, he will mention that Cpl. Green is commandeering a German supply train, which is reflected in the multiplayer map "Operation Intercept".
- Only One Name: Her first name is unknown.
French Resistance
Camille "Rousseau" Denis
Voiced by: Bella Dayne (English)note
A French resistance operative working with the SOE as part of an undercover operation.
- Action Girl: You first see her in the train saving Daniels and Zussman from a German.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: You play as her for the first portion of "Liberation".
- And This Is for...: While killing Heinrich she cites her parents, husband, and son's deaths at his hands as reasons for killing him.
- Big Damn Heroes: Her very first scene has her saving Daniels from being killed by a German soldier.
- Cunning Linguist: Fluent in French, English, and German.
- Dressing as the Enemy: She poses as Crowley's secretary, as part of a plan to rendezvous with Fischer, inside a German HQ.
- Hidden Weapon: Her favourite assassination weapon is a knife disguised as a pen.
- Improbable Age: She's only 19, the same age as Daniels, and the leader of a resistance cell.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Her son was murdered by Heinrich via drowning.
- Rebel Leader: She is the leader of a French Resistance cell.
British SOE
Maj. Arthur Crowley
Voiced by: David Alpay (English)note
An officer in the SOE, tasked with leading a mission behind enemy lines to help liberate Paris.
- Cunning Linguist: Is capable of speaking German, which comes in handy during the infiltration mission in Paris.
- Dressing as the Enemy: He poses as a German officer so he and Rousseau can sneak into a German HQ.
- Majorly Awesome: Aside from his rank, he's also a spy who fights behind the scenes and in disguise.
Karl Fischer
A German officer secretly working for the British, he's the contact of Rousseau and Crowley in the Paris HQ.
- The Mole: He's the inside man for the British at the Paris HQ.
- Token Enemy Minority: A German officer secretly working for the SOE.
Vivian
Crowley's assistant.
- Dressing as the Enemy: She poses as Crowley's and Rousseau's driver during the infiltration of the Paris HQ.
- Number Two: To Crowley.
Carver Butcher
Voiced by: Dave Bottitta (English)
Captain of the British Army's parachute regiment. Temporarily assigned as Quartermaster of the Headquarters during certain events.
- Rugged Scar: He acquired his facial scars after fighting against the 16th Panzer Division in Operation Devon, earning him the dismissal that first leads him to the Headquarters in the first place.
Nazi Germany
Heinrich
The SS Police Leader (Polizeiführer) of France.
- Arc Villain: Of "Liberation", which focuses on Daniels and Rousseau freeing Paris from his occupation.
- Arch-Enemy: He serves as this to Rousseau, given what he did to her entire family.
- Ax-Crazy: If expressing his pleasure over drowning Rousseau's son under his jackboot before immediately attempting to strangle her to death is any indication.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Inverted. He knows who exactly Rousseau is, and taunts her just before trying to kill her.
- Disc-One Final Boss: He's presented as the Big Bad, but is defeated in the first half of the campaign leaving Metz to become the Big Bad.
- Faux Affably Evil: In his interaction with Rousseau, he's initially the perfect Officer and a Gentleman, at least superficially, though with an undercurrent of menace that turns into full blown sadism when it's revealed he's fully aware of who she really is and starts taunting her over her dead family.
- General Ripper: He is a SS Brigadier General and a Faux Affably Evil Soft-Spoken Sadist.
- Karmic Death: After boasting of how he would kill Rousseau like he killed her family, Rousseau slices him open with a broken chalice.
- Kick the Dog: Mocks Rousseau over the death of her son, who he ordered drowned.
- State Sec: To be precise, he is an officer in the division dealing with La Résistance in France.
- Would Hurt a Child: Rossueau's son was among his victims.
Metz
Voiced by: George Regout
An SS NCO tasked with handling American POWs.
- Animal Motifs: Wolves are a common symbolism in Germany, usually meaning destruction and death. Fitting for a Nazi, Metz treated American POWs less than humans at his labor camps. To Daniels, the scenario in which Metz nearly executes Zussman is similar to his childhood in which he failed to shoot the wolf that attacked his brother. He even hears his brother's words from that time echoes in his mind at that moment. By shooting Metz, Daniels symbolically redeems his past failure.
- Arc Villain: Of the last mission and the epilogue which focuses on Daniels trying to rescue Zussman from him.
- Ax-Crazy: He is a Soft-Spoken Sadist who brutalizes his prisoners and executes them For the Evulz.
- Big Bad: The closest the game has to one, anyway.
- Death by Adaptation: Assuming he's supposed to be the real Erwin Metz, his death is out of sync with history. The real Erwin Metz was captured alive and served nine years out of a twenty year prison sentence for his participation in The Holocaust and died a free man.
- Fiery Cover Up: It was him who ordered the labor camp Zussman was being held in to be burned to the ground, in order to cover-up what they did there to the advancing Allied armies.
- Final Boss: The last person Daniels kills before the campaign officially ends.
- For the Evulz: He demands that American P.O.W.s expose the Jews among their ranks, then executes them when they don't comply. When Zussman stands up to him, he's surprised he speaks German, meaning he knew full well the other Americans probably had no idea what he was even talking about and just shot them for shits and giggles.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a long scar along his left cheek, likely a dueling scar of the sort that was popular among the Germany's aristocracy.
- Karmic Death: Daniels puts several rounds into him just as he's about to kill Zussman.
- Knight of Cerebus: Things become much more dark and serious when he steps in the picture.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Metz total screen-time amounts to a few minutes. Despite this, Metz' actions during that limited time shape the final act of the campaign, and his actions towards his prisoners, including Zussman, definitely leaves an impact on Daniels and his comrades.
- Those Wacky Nazis: He's part of the SS, and partakes in various war crimes in violation of the Geneva convention.
Daniels Family
Paul Thomas Daniels
Voiced by: Chris Browning (English)note
Red's elder brother who is seen in his flashbacks.
- Big Brother Worship: Daniels considered him in high esteem since he's more mature and responsible than him.
- Dead All Along: The audience is initially led to believe that Paul survived the wolf attack in Daniels' flashback. While Paul did manage to kill the wolf with a knife, he actually died soon after of blood loss after he took a few paces towards home.
- The Dying Walk: After killing the wolf that attacked him, he puts his hat back on, gives a short speech to Red, walks a short distance, and then succumbs to his wounds and dies.
- Walking Spoiler: Daniels' flashback about his encounter with a wolf is merely a snippet to what actually happened.
Hazel Daniels
Voiced by: Sofia Vassilieva (English)note
Red's fiancee, and later wife.
- "Dear John" Letter: Subverted. The letter she sends to Daniels during the Battle of Aachen was thought by Aiello to be this, but it's actually news of her pregnancy.
- My Girl Back Home: Daniels left her behind in order to enlist in the military.
- Teen Pregnancy: Downplayed in that at nineteen Hazel's legally an adult, albeit one who wouldn't have been able to vote at the timenote , but she's carrying her child conceived with Red for most of the game.
Joseph Turner Daniels
German Civilians
Erica
A resident of Aachen.
- Dropped a Bridge on Her: She dies when a stray German bullet hits her.
Anna
Erica's younger sister, who is trapped inside the basement of a hotel.
- Break the Cutie: She's Forced to Watch her older sister bleed to death in front of her. Her expression as this is happening is absolutely tearjerking to watch.
- Improbable Infant Survival: Daniels manages to get her out of the hotel unscathed, and she survives the subsequent evacuation.
