This is a blow-by-blow account of the Normandy invasion in terms of Second Front and Europa, following the campaign through the first weeks of July. Ground operations are covered in some detail, particulary the D-Day landings, but air and naval operations are summarized.

All the special rules of the accompanying battle scenario "Operation OVERLORD" are considered in effect.

The Players

The Allies

Eisenhower

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 'Ike' to most, is the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force. His meteoric rise in rank and stature due to the favor of George C. Marshall has. few parallels. A career staff officer, Eisenhower has never commanded troops in battle, but his political and management skills are just what the Allies need to meld their multi-national force into a winning team. And if Eisenhower can bring to bear the abundance of material and overwhelming force he has available, he will win - it will only be a question of time. He must only avoid defeat on the beaches, whether at the beach edge or from German counterattack.

Montgomery

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 'Monty' to most, directly commands the invasion forces in the name of 21" Army Group of 2 nd British and 1st US Armies. A prima donna of the first order, he nevertheless is a highly capable leader and enjoys the confidence of Churchill and the British people.

Montgomery's forte is the set piece attack, preceded by meticulous planning and overwhelming logistical buildup. Operation OVERLORD is the epitome of both, and is the ideal command for Montgomery. His attention to detail sometimes crosses the line to over-management, however; the saying among some Allied commanders goes "Montgomery, commander of the Allied Invasion Army, every platoon of it." Despite his oft-cited faults, Montgomery is an inspirational leader of his troops and the most successful British general since Wellington.

The Axis

Von Rundstedt

Brought out of a second retirement for the assignment, 70 year old Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt holds the position of Commander in Chief, West. He is a solid, dutiful commander, but lacking of any extraordinary creativity. A prominent leader in the peacetime German army, he was army group commander in France in 1940 and in Russia in 1941. He assumed the post of Oberbefehlshaber (C-in-C) West in March of 1942. The curious division of responsibilities among the German generals has left Rundstedt in a strange position. Several anecdotal stories of his lack of authority will become popular, the most memorable possibly being his statement to the Allies after the war: "As the Commander in Chief West, my only authority was to change the guard in front of my gate."

Somewhat suspicious of Rommel, Rundstedt tends to side with Geyr in the controversy over how to station the German panzer reserve, but has worked to engineer a compromise between the two. On and shortly after D-Day, Rundstedt refuses to believe there will be no other landings and will be slow to commit reserves to Normandy.

At a meeting with Hitler near Soissons on the Jun II turn, Rundstedt will plead that a withdrawal is necessary, but Hitler will refuse. Ill-advisedly repeating his arguments for withdrawals with his famous admonition of "Make peace, you fools!" Rundstedt will be replaced by von Kluge in the Jul I turn. His second retirement will be short-lived as Hitler will recall the old field marshal yet again to preside over the courts "investigating" the July bomb plot. After this, Rundstedt will resume his position as C-in-C West and preside, in name at least, over the Ardennes Offensive in December.

Rommel

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, commander of German Army Group B, will gain the most lasting fame of any of the Axis generals. An unconventional and at times impetuous commander, Rommel breaks the Prussian mold of German generals with his middle-class south German background.

A recipient of the Pour le Merite in World War I for his actions at Caporetto, Rommel gained notoriety in France in 1940 before gaining fame in the desert. In Normandy, he is in a different element than North Africa, but again will face his old nemesis Montgomery.

Rommel's experience in North Africa puts him ahead of many of the other German generals in France. While they have gained their experience against the Soviets, Rommel's most recent operations have been in Egypt and Tunisia under the suffocating blanket of Allied air superiority. It is this experience that leads him to challenge the conventional Eastern Front wisdom of establishing a strong mobile reserve for counterattacks. Rommel wants the panzers on the beaches.

When the invasion begins, Rommel is visiting his wife at their home near Ulm, but he returns to Reims by the afternoon of the 6th where he immediately attempts to get 21 st Panzer Division to react and move toward the British beaches. He is too late, however, and the 21st belated move has little effect.

Von Rundstedt, the antithesis of Rommel in many ways, refers to his junior as Marschall Bubi - the "Boy Marshal" - at least partially in jest, but perhaps not completely. Rommel's career of command will end on Jul II when he is wounded in his staff car by a British Spitfire attack. He will commit suicide in October after his implication in the July assassination plot.

Geyr

Leo Geyr Freiherr von Schweppenburg (Baron of Schweppenburg) commands Panzer Group West at the time of D-Day. He disagrees with Rommel over the proper role of panzers in the anti-invasion defenses, arguing they should be concentrated after the landing for a massive countetstrokes Geyr's most commonly described contribution to the actual campaign will be to establish his headquarters in the style familiar from the Russian front, with radio trucks parked in the open and numerous tents laid out in orderly rows. Allied aircraft will make short work of Panzer Group West's headquarters and thereby create imaginable confusion in the German command. Geyr will fade from the scene soon thereafter. Although his role in the Normandy fighting will be little remembered, his pre-war statement of, "Whoever has Italy as an ally will lose the war" will be often repeated and seldom attributed.

Battle for Normandy Europa as History

The Players
The Plans
The Game (Allied June I 1944 Turn) Set Up
The Game (Allied June I 1944 Turn) Combat: Douve and Carentan
The Game (Allied June I 1944 Turn) Combat: Merderet Valley
The Game (Allied June I 1944 Turn) Combat: Utah Beach
The Game (Allied June I 1944 Turn) Combat: Omaha Beach
The Game (Allied June I 1944 Turn) Combat: Gold and Juno Beach
The Game (Allied June I 1944 Turn) Combat: Sword Beach
The Game (Axis June II 1944 Turn)
The Game (Allied and Axis Jul I 1944 Turn)
The Game Poised for a Breakout