You're running through the mud of Normandy, MG42 fire is chewing up the sand around you, and your squad leader is screaming to move up. Most players are focused on surviving. But if you’re a completionist, you’re looking for a watch. Or a locket. Or a stray piece of Nazi propaganda tucked behind a crate. Call of Duty WW2 mementos are those tiny, easily missed collectibles scattered throughout the campaign that turn a cinematic shooter into a scavenger hunt.
Honestly, finding all 33 of these things is a massive pain if you don't know where to look. Sledgehammer Games didn't exactly make them stand out with a neon sign. They’re subtle. A glint of gold here, a dull silver shine there. They don't give you a gameplay advantage—you won't unlock a secret "win button" for the M1 Garand—but they are the only way to snag that "Pieces of History" trophy or achievement. Plus, for the lore nerds, they provide a bit of flavor text that makes the 1944 setting feel a little more lived-in.
Why the Hunt for Call of Duty WW2 Mementos is Actually Harder Than It Looks
Most games have collectibles that glow or vibrate your controller. Not this one. In Call of Duty: WWII, these items blend into the environment with frustrating efficiency. You might walk past a canteen three times before realizing it’s a memento and not just level geometry.
The pacing of the game works against you. The campaign is designed to be a high-octane, "keep moving or die" experience. Taking a breather to check the corner of a burning barn for a discarded pipe feels counter-intuitive. It breaks the immersion for some, but for others, it's the only way to truly "beat" the game.
Each of the 11 missions contains exactly three mementos. It’s a rigid structure. If you miss one in the chaos of "D-Day," you're replaying the whole beach landing just to find a dagger or a handkerchief.
The First Few You'll Probably Miss
Let's talk about the D-Day mission, "The Landing." Most people are just trying to get off the beach without getting their head taken off.
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The first memento is a Nazi Knife. It's in the first bunker you clear. You’d think it would be on a table, right? Nope. It’s tucked away at the end of the trench on a ledge. If you rush the objective, you’re done. You missed it.
Then there’s the Compass. After you clear the bunkers, you're tasked with destroying the artillery. There’s a small room—sort of a bunker annex—where the compass sits on a crate. It’s tiny. It’s brown. It looks like every other box in the game. This is the pattern. The game rewards the players who are willing to ignore their commanding officer's orders to "get a move on" and instead poke around in the trash.
Breaking Down the Mission-Specific Challenges
The mission "Operation Cobra" is a nightmare for collectors. It's wide open compared to the trenches of Normandy. You have the Lighter, which is on a table in the house by the forest. Fine. Easy enough. But then you have the Pocket Watch.
Finding that watch requires you to search the area where the tanks are rolling through. If you get caught in the crossfire while looking for a timepiece, you’re back to the last checkpoint. It’s a weirdly high-stakes game of hide-and-seek.
The Mid-Game Slump
By the time you hit "S.O.E." or "Liberation," the mementos get even more obscure. In "Liberation," you’re playing as Rousseau in a stealth-heavy mission. You’re already stressed about your disguise being blown. Now you have to find a Propaganda Poster?
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It’s actually in the guardroom near the back of the building. Most players are so focused on not getting shot that they sprint right past it. This mission is actually one of the better ones for mementos because it forces you to explore the environment rather than just following a linear path of explosions.
The "Collateral Damage" mission features a Music Box. It’s in a bombed-out apartment. You have to go upstairs, crawl through some rubble, and look behind a piano. It’s actually a poignant little detail—a bit of beauty in a destroyed city—but again, it’s remarkably easy to overlook if you’re worried about the Tiger tank outside.
The Technical Reality of Tracking These Down
You can check your progress in the mission select menu. It’s the only way to stay sane. If you see "2/3" under "Hill 493," you know you've got work to do.
The community often debates if these collectibles are "lazy" game design. Some say it's just padding. Others argue it honors the history by including real-world items like the Silver Flask or the German Medals. Whatever your stance, you can't get that 100% completion stat without them.
Interestingly, the mementos often correlate with the specific "Heroic Actions" available in each level. Usually, if there's a memento nearby, there’s also a comrade who needs saving or a German soldier waiting to surrender. It’s like Sledgehammer wanted to cluster the "extra" content in specific pockets of the map.
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Why Some Mementos Glitch Out
There have been reports since the game's launch about mementos not registering. Usually, this happens if you pick one up and immediately quit the mission. Don't do that. Wait for the next checkpoint save. The game needs to "log" the item into your profile. If you grab a locket and then get blown up before the game saves, you might have to grab it again, or worse, it might show as collected in your menu but not count toward the trophy.
Detailed Strategy for the Final Stretch
The final missions, "The Rhine" and "The Epilogue," are surprisingly dense.
In "The Rhine," you’re looking for a Canteen, a Beer Stein, and a Letter. The Beer Stein is in the first tower of the bridge. It’s sitting on a table. It’s probably the most "obvious" collectible in the whole game, which is a weird choice for the final act. But the Letter? That’s tucked away in the second tower, hidden behind some crates that look like they're just part of the wall.
- Tip 1: Always turn 180 degrees at the start of a mission. Sometimes mementos are behind your starting spawn point.
- Tip 2: Use the "Interact" prompt as a radar. If you're near a table, mash the button. You might pick up something you didn't even see.
- Tip 3: Focus on the "Pause" menu. It will tell you exactly which memento you are missing (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) so you can narrow down which part of the level to search.
The "Ambulance Badge" in the mission "Ambush" is a classic example of "developer trolling." It's inside a tent, hidden behind a bed. You have no reason to go into that tent. None. But that's where it is.
Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you’re serious about finishing your collection of Call of Duty WW2 mementos, don't just wander around aimlessly.
- Check your Mission Select screen immediately. See where the gaps are. Don't replay the whole game if you only missed items in three levels.
- Play on Recruit difficulty. There is no shame in this. If you’re hunting collectibles, you don't want to be pinned down by "Veteran" level AI while you're staring at a bookshelf.
- Clear the area first. Don't try to grab a memento mid-firefight. Kill every enemy in the immediate vicinity, then do a sweep of the rooms.
- Watch for the "white glint." Every collectible has a very subtle white sparkle that pulses every few seconds. It’s faint, but in dark rooms, it’s your best friend.
Once you’ve grabbed the final item—usually the "Letter" in the "Epilogue"—the achievement should pop instantly. If it doesn't, you likely missed one of the items in "The Stronghold" or "Death Factory," where the layouts are particularly confusing. Go back, check the list, and fill the gaps. Your 100% completion journey ends with these 33 pieces of digital history.
Now, go back into your mission select, identify which chapter is sitting at 2/3, and start your sweep from the last checkpoint of that level.