As indicated by the title, this 68 page staple-bound book is a follow-up to the CWG's earlier Canadians in Europe and uses the same very successful method of presentation. At Drop Zone's heart is a ten-page set of rules, four pages of charts, a countersheet (to photocopy and cut out), and an artillery calendar (copy it). These are basically unchanged (OK - they're cleaned up!) from Canadians in Europe - see my review in The Courier #69 for a detailed description.

The short version is that each troop stand represents a company, each scenario represents one or more days of combat, and each day is comprised of a variable number of turns, based more on what happens that day than on a specific turn length.

The ground scale appears to be about 200 yards per inch. Each side normally gets a given number of activation points per day, based on the scenario, and that determines how much movement and combat that side may undertake in a given game day. A player command is normally approximately a division. There's another page and a half of airborne rules which includes an alternate activation point system, based on a playing card deck, that better reflects the shifting balance of initiative during an airborne operation. Simple rules for landing and scattering troops, and providing them with air supply (remember GBoWWII battles span multiple days!).

There are six pages discussing the development of airborne operations, thesomewhat unique set of decisions needed to plan and execute an airborne operation, and the organization and equipment of Germany's, Britain's, Italy's, and the USA's airborne forces. I was surprised by the absence of any reference to the Soviet Union's forces until I realized that the none of the scenarios involved them! Upon rereading the introduction I discovered that the Eastern Front would get its own supplement somewhere down the line.

The scenarios (nine individual and two campaign) are grouped by campaign, each with introductory historical notes. The first four scenarios all revolve around the air assault on Crete. After a what-if break (Malta), a campaign scenario recreates all of Operation Mercury. The solo Pegasus Bridge scenario deals with D-Day, then it's on to Operation Market-Garden. Three short scenarios cover the separate bridge assaults; the combined campaign scenario links them. Each scenario includes a detailed game map, detailed orders of battle, player briefings, victory conditions, and any special rules necessary to the scenario.

Give these rules a try. You may be surprised at the different perspective you get when refighting a multi-day battle instead of an afternoon's engagement. Whether or not this more grand-tactical feel is to your taste, you'll want Drop Zone if you've any interest in the two noted campaigns or in WW II airborne operations in general, just for the wealth of information contained therein. A good buy at $16 from your FLGS, or directly from the Canadian Wargamers Group, Box 1725, Stn. M,Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 2L7.

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