74th Anniversary

As the title says, 74 years ago today was D-day. We're not planning anything this year, but as next year is the 75th anniversary, we're planning several different games covering the landings and subsequent Normandy campaign. Anyone else got anything planned?

Cheers, Andy

There's an outside chance of me finishing the stuff I started for the 70th anniversary.

Ha, know that feeling all too well.

Cheers, Andy

I would really like to visit the area next year. My father in law went ashore on DDay--passed away a few years ago at ripe age of 101. He never really talked about it. He liked the movie Saving Private Ryan, but said the beach was more terrifying and horrible than the movie.

I am planning a tour with my family for 75th Anniversary. Arriving in Paris on 06/05, spending five days in Normandy, a couple days in Arnhem and a couple days around Bastogne.
Cheers

Getting a start on a board for the 75th anniversary. Planning a 4x8 board modeled roughly on the Bloody Omaha scenario, but modular so the cliffs can be removed in part or whole for other beach landings.

The plan is to lead into the day with a game of Cruel Seas featuring LCMs vs shore defenses. The number of boats making it to shore will alter the BR the Allies have available to them in the ground scenario.

Then on to Battlegroup with the Beachhead scenario.

Pay day tomorrow, so time to start ordering in the bits I'm going to need for the board. And off next week with the other half out of town, so the perfect time to hit the hardware store for sheets of foam.

I'm trying to put together an Operation Bluecoat game soon - Scots Guards Churchill tanks duking it out with SS Panthers......

We ran the Bloody Omaha scenario back in 2016 and I still have the custom made boards for it. If only I could figure out how add photos in this forum! A couple of tips that might help: as BG weapon ranges are suited to open field battles, it is necessary to measure ranges from the cliff edge, not the actual emplacement, otherwise some small arms will be ineffective or even unable to hit troops on the beach. The German artillery and mortars were pre sighted in on the shore line, so give these registered target points; this is especially important for the 5cm automatic mortars in the Tobruk bunkers.

The real cliffs on Dog Green sector are up to 100 feet high, so tank guns will be unable to elevate high enough to hit anything up there, and defenders who are not overlooking the cliff edge (within say, two inches) will be invisible from the beach. They can be targeted by naval guns who are assumed to have air observation planes up. Naval beach engineer units should be restricted to their primary mission i.e clearing beach obstacles, not proceed past the shingle to the sea wall.

Good luck, and have fun!

Good reminder on the weapon ranges. Should make defense a touch more interesting.

As for the board, it's coming along nicely. Bunkers from TTCombat came in today, so now it's time to start working on the German trench network. Plus match up the cliffs to the beach sections.

Six feet shown of an eight foot board. Final two feet will just be blue cloth for the water.

Looking good! Be aware though that those MG pill boxes were dug in to the bluffs so their roofs were level with the cliff tops.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c8/30/3b/c8303bd2a6e069f5895a6df4405dcc37.jpg

Look forward to seeing your boards when they are ready!

Yeah, right now the pillboxes are at the "just got 'em today, had to put a couple together" stage, and are just sitting on the surface. They'll be dug in a bit as part of the trenches.

Yikes, looks imposing to say the least from the attacker!