D-Day Game, Omaha Beach ‘EASY RED, FIRST WAVE’ General Eisenhower’s Message Sent Just Prior to the Invasion Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory! I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory! Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. -- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower US Forces: 29th infantry Division 741st Tank Battalion 101st Airborne Division German Forces: 716th Infantry Division 21st Panzer US Orders: First wave. 29th Infantry Division: Infantry and engineers will carry out a beach landing on Omaha beach at sector Easy Red. Engineers supported by the infantry will destroy anti tank obstacles creating gaps for the tanks of 741stTank Battalion. They will then create gaps through the barbed wire and mine fields. The infantry will then proceed up and clear the bluff overlooking sector Easy Red and secure the area. You will advance up the cause way and link up with elements of the 101st Airborne Division. 741st Tank Battalion: The tanks will support the Infantry & Engineers to complete their tasks. 101st Airborne Division: Easy Co, 504thwill destroy the gun battery behind sector Easy Red. You will also secure the cross roads at the village of St Laurent sur Mer. You will stop any German forces from reinforcing the defenders at sector Easy Red. You must also secure the end of the causeway and await the link up with the beach landed units. German Orders: 716th Infantry Division: Stop the Allied forces on the beach and drive them back into the sea. Lead elements 21st Panzer Division: When ordered to, reinforce the 716th Infantry Division. After 3 weeks out while the room we use was being refurbished we returned to action on Saturday.We played as you can probably guess D-Day Omaha beach.Darren from the club organised everything and the game was attended by me,Mick,Darren and Tom. Myself and Mick took the Germans. I took the troops on the beach and Mick took the artillery and any reinforcements. The Battlefield The German Artillery The Town Tom took the Americans and Darren was the umpire The rules we used were GHQ Micro Armour We started the game at 10oclock and the Americans got the initiative The American First Wave move towards the beach American Tanks The American Paratroopers land just east of the German guns The American ship fires onto the beach And destroys the German naval gun. With nothing for the Germans to fire at yet we moved onto turn 2 The landing craft move closer to the beach. American DD Tanks launch. 3 launch safely but 2 are swamped. A group of paras move to occupy the town. The others take cover behind the hedge row. German and American MG teams exchange fire but cause no casualties. Again no firing for the Germans so onto turn 3  The American troops start landing on the beach.  Another view of the landings.  German view.  The second unit of DD Tanks attempts to deploy and as with the first unit 3 are successful and 2 as Darren put it sunk like bricks. The German MG's and infantry units again fire on the Americans killing 3 MG teams. The Americans return fire killing 2 MG teams and 2 units of infantry. The German artillery bombards the beach killing 2 units of infantry an MG team and a unit of engineers. The German Pak 40 fires and destroys a landing craft. Unable to harm the entrenched German guns the paratroopers decide to charge them. Onto turn 3. The Americans move further up the beach but are blocked by barbed wire. More Americans land. The German DD Tanks arrive on the beach. And are immediately met by German artillery fire losing 1 tank. The second wave of American tanks prepare to move in. German and American infantry exchange fire.The Americans lose 4 units of infantry and 4 units of engineers.The Germans lose 2 units of infantry and 2 MG Teams. The paras reach the hedgerow next to the German guns and kill the last unit of infantry. They are then fired upon by 2 German MG Teams.Losing a unit of infantry and an MG team. The other paratroopers reach the town and take up defensive positions The Americans and Germans on the beach exchange more fire with the Germans losing 1 infantry unit and the Americans losing 5  The vanguard of the 21st panzer division arrive. The German Pak 40s take out 2 more landing craft. The second wave of infantry prepare to attack the beach. The paras prepare to recieve the german reinforcments. 1 German artillary piece is destroyed and the Americans move to assault the other 3. The remaining German guns fire on the beach but cause no casualties. But 2 more tanks are destroyed by Pak 40 fire.  A group of Americans run across a mine field and lose 4 units of infantry and a command squad. Further along the beach a unit of infantry and an MG team suffer the same fate.  The Americans destroy another artillary piece and kill an MG team. The second wave moves in.At this point the American first wave has lost about 60% of its troops. The vanguard move up and take heavy fire losing 1 unit of infantry. They then return fire and kill a bazooka team. 2 Stugs and a half track move to reinforce the beach.  The remaining German guns are overwhelmed. A German half track that has been left behind is assaulted and destroyed. The second wave lands on the beach.Things are starting to look bleak for the Germans left on the beach. What is left of the German infantry is killed.An American MG Team are killed by mines. The paratroopers move to block the road. One of the German Stugs is assaulted. And destroyed. At this point we called it a day. With most of the vanguard destroyed and the artillery gone and the paratroopers still having about 75% of there men it would be difficult for any German reinforcements to get through to the beach. Also with only 2 Pak 40s a Pak 88 and a mortar left to defend the beach the Germans wouldn't have lasted much longer. We finished at about 4 o'clock. My next report will be 20mm Iraq at the club on Wednesday. Thanks for reading this report. Carl