William Joseph “B.J.” Blazkowicz
Nazi Killer
Age: 49
Background: B.J. Blazkowicz was raised by his Polish mother Zofia and American father Rip Blazkowicz on a small farm in Mesquite, Texas. After a troubled childhood, he joined the US military and spent most of his adult years fighting Nazis in World War II.
After a mission gone sideways, B.J. ended up comatose and gravely wounded in a Polish mental hospital. A nurse named Anya Oliwa took a liking to the strange man and cared for him for 14 years. Faced with a Nazi raid on the hospital, B.J. snapped out of his comatose state and began once more to fight the Nazi forces. Together with Anya, he left for Berlin to reunite with the remnants of the Kreisau Circle. Over time, B.J. and Anya became partners in love and war.
During a Kreisau Circle attack on a Nazi stronghold, B.J. was left within an inch of his life, having sustained horrific injuries caused by a hand grenade.
Anya Oliwa
Nazi Killer, Pregnant
Age: 37
Background: Born to Polish doctors and intellectuals, Anya was forced to abandon her archaeology studies at the start of World War II. Daytime, she worked as a head nurse in her parents’ mental hospital. At night she waged her own covert war against the Nazi occupiers.
Following a harrowing Nazi raid on the hospital in 1960, in which her parents were murdered, she teamed up with her former patient, William Blazkowicz, to find the remnants of the Kreisau Circle and rebuild the Resistance movement. Sparks flew. Now Anya and B.J. are expecting baby twins.
Set Roth
Scientist, Mystic
Age: 80
Background: A senior member of the ancient mystical society the Da’at Yichud. To the outside world he lived as a watchmaker in Stuttgart, Germany before the war, but secretly he carried on the legacy of the Da’at Yichud by performing advanced research in a variety of scientific fields. He went into hiding for many years when the Nazis won World War II, but was eventually caught and shipped to a labor camp. With the help of B.J. Blazkowicz, Set escaped the Nazis and joined the Kreisau Circle. His research and inventions now power and aid the Resistance.
Probst Wyatt III
Idealist, Psychedelic Explorer
Age: 32
Background: Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Probst was pursuing a degree in international affairs at Harvard College when he decided to join the war effort. Prompted by his moral conviction and unyielding idealism, Probst talked his way into the army airmen at the tender age of 17. He fought alongside B.J. in the failed Allied attempt to kill Nazi General Deathshead, the mastermind behind the Nazi war machine. In the aftermath, Wyatt was separated from B.J. but joined up with Caroline Becker and the Kreisau Circle to keep the Resistance going.
Reunited in 1960, Wyatt again fights by B.J.’s side.
During your mission to liberate America, you come across a whole cast of characters who aid you, stand in your way, need to be saved, or some combination of the three. The full array of characters is beyond the scope of this book, but read ahead for a glimpse of the friends and foes, some new and some familiar, you can expect to cross paths with.
Fergus Reid
RAF Wing Commander, Magnificent C**t
Age: 53
Background: Initially trained as an aviation mechanic, the Scottish soldier was promoted to airman because of an alcohol-induced bet.
Fergus is a loyal friend to B.J. Blazkowicz, and they served together in the failed attack on Nazi General Deathshead’s compound. In the aftermath, Fergus was separated from B.J. but continued to fight the Nazis long after the war had ended as a ranking member of the fading Kreisau Circle.
Reunited in 1960, Fergus still fights by B.J.’s side. And the Resistance is still standing.
Norman "Super Spesh" Caldwell
Cook, Lawyer, Revolutionary
Age: 39
Background: "Super Spesh" was born Norman Caldwell in Roswell, New Mexico, 1922. He was raised by his father Joe Caldwell—an alien conspiracy theorist and owner of the local landmark Papa Joe's All American Diner. Super Spesh went on to earn his law degree and move to New York. He defended his client Grace Walker in a high-profile murder case. After he proved her innocence, Super Spesh joined Grace’s underground political organization, the Black Revolutionary Front. Super Spesh’s admiration for Grace has only grown over the years, and he is a proud father of their baby daughter Abby.
Grace Walker
Leader of the Black Revolutionary Front
Age: 42
Background: Born south of Mississippi, Grace and her family moved to Harlem, New York when she was young. Grace stood out among her siblings as being highly intelligent and got involved in civil rights movements as a teen. After starting the Black Revolutionary Front, Grace was framed by the FBI for a murder she didn’t commit, but with the help of hotshot lawyer Norman “Super Spesh” Caldwell, the case was thrown out. Grace and Super Spesh share a deep bond, which resulted in the birth of their baby girl Abby. These days, Grace leads her forces against the Nazis occupying the United States from her hideout among the bombed-out ruins of New York City.
Rip Blazkowicz
Self-Made Man
Background: Rip Blazkowicz, father to B.J. Blazkowicz, was born and raised in Texas. Rip’s family was poor, and his father had issues with impulse control. As a young man, Rip caught the eye of Zofia, the daughter of a wealthy family recently immigrated from Poland. She fell head over heels. Perhaps the attraction was mutual. Rip married Zofia, and shortly thereafter she bore his only son, William Joseph Blazkowicz. Rip spent the sizable endowment on an overpriced farm and an ill-fated business venture. Things turned sour, and Rip began to view his wife and son with festering resentment.
Irene Engel
SS-Obergruppenführer (Lieutenant General of the SS)
Age: 56
Background: General Irene Engel is a top-ranking officer of the Nazi regime.
As commander of the Ausmerzer, her mission is to hunt terrorists, including B.J. Blazkowicz, a.k.a. "Terror-Billy." B.J. is responsible for her disfigurement, which occurred during a prison camp escape in The New Order.