Few topics have been gamed as many times as the Allied invasion of France. There was first D-Day, then Normandy, Overlord, Atlantic Wall, and (someday) The Longest Day. One of the last things one would have felt needed was another game on this topic. Nevertheless, here is another, and Fortress Europa promises to be the invasion of France game, and a classic wargame.

Designed by John Edwards, the wargames wizard from down under, and produced by Jedko Games, Fortress Europa looks at first glance to be kin to D-Day. The map is in four colors, the only problem with it being that the Swiss border is printed in a pale yellow that tends to disappear in anything but ideal lighting, especially since the entire country of Switzerland and much of the adjoining area of France are covered by prohibited terrain, the symbol for which is unfortunately yellow crosshatching. Prohibited terrain may only be entered by mountain units, but players may from time to time discover that their mountain units have violated Swiss neutrality. The unit counters are very well done, with field grey for the Wehrmacht, sky blue for the Luftwaffe, black for SS, khaki for the British, Canadians, Poles, Czechs, Dutch, and Belgians, tan for Americans, and lime green for the Free French.

To sum up the game in a single paragraph, it is a division/ brigade level game of the Allied invasion of Europe, using step reduction for divisions. Turns are one week long, with the Allied player going first. Each player-turn has a movement phase, combat phase, motorized movement phase, and second combat phase. Zones of control are rigid but do not extend across rivers, or into cities, rough terrain, or mountains; they do extend out of such terrain. Units must attack units whose zones of control they are in. Headquarters units are needed for supply and air operations. The combat results table is a rather bloody one die table. Replacements are determined at the start of each turn by a die roll for each side.

Beyond this, John Edwards has added a number of things which make this unlike any other game on the subject, and which I have no doubt will be copied in the future. First, the coastal defense divisions have a high combat value, but no movement factor. They must start the game on a coastal hex and cannot be replaced. However, at the start of any of the German player's turns, he may flip them over, converting them to mobile but weak infantry divisions.

Second, there are naval bombardment factors. Once placed they may not be moved, but for the invasion turns they give the Allied player that extra point or two that he needs at times. Since, once placed, they are immobile, the Allied player must use them carefully.

Third, the air game is in itself interesting. The Allied player has nine air factors available per turn. They may be used for strafing, ground support, railway attacks, bridge attacks, and V-1 and U-boat attacks. The two last-named tie up two of the Allied player's factors until he is able to overrun the V-1 sites/U-boat bases. Through its power to block rivers, attack moving troops, block rail movement, etc., air power can be very useful.

The German player, depending on the month, can use his air power to cancel from one to nine Allied air missions, and has the option of making two attacks of his own. Since the best the German player can cancel is nine attacks a month, and the Allies have 28 air factors not counting those needed for V-1 and U-boat attacks, the German player must be careful. On the other hand, by massing his strikes during the last turn of one month and the first turn of the next, the German player can cancel Allied air long enough for a counter-attack.

Fourth, the Allied supply problems are very well taken care of. The Allied player is allowed to bring his invasion force in free of charge. After that, for every unit he brings in, he loses a supply point. He gains points by deploying his Mulberry's and by capturing ports. Each port is marked with a supply point number; when it is captured by the Allied player, a die is rolled. On a one the supply number is tripled; on a two or three it is doubled; on a four it remains the same; on a five or six the port is destroyed. A die roll of five or six after the capture of Antwerp, with a supply point number of 20, can be very traumatic for the Allied player. Offsetting this is the possibility that if he gets lucky in Brittany and at Cherbourg, he won't need Antwerp.

Fifth, the German player is allowed at the start of the game to hide five panzer units and five infantry divisions by writing down their positions. They may not be on coastal hexes, and are not revealed until the Allied player makes his invasion. However, the German player must roll to see if his panzer reserve can be moved on the invasion turn. Quite often, he will play them where needed, only to discover that they are paralysed. He can automatically move units within three hexes of the landing, but the whims of der Fuehrer control the rest.

An option open to the German player is to rebuild all his armor in December 1944, at the expense of all his panzer replacements for the rest of the game. This allows him to attempt, if he wishes, the Bulge offensive.

Excellent, but Flawed

Overall this is an excellent game. There are two flaws in it, one of which has created a bit of controversy already. All khaki units (British and friends) are considered to be motorized, and thus are granted second impulse movement. American infantry is not motorized and thus does not have this ability. The problem is that one sends the British Second Army off on the breakout, while Patton slogs slowly up the coast, a complete reversal of history.

In theory Edwards is correct. The TO&E of an American infantry division will not allow everyone to ride; there are not enough vehicles. On the other hand, the British TO&E did have enough transportation at the divisional level to move everyone. The difference was that most American transport was pooled at Corps level, and that there was a difference in the way tanks were attached to the infantry divisions. The British attached one armored brigade to an infantry division as a unit.

The Americans, on the other hand, attached tank, anti-tank, and AAA battalions within the divisions, thus increasing the transportation present; the troops rode on the tanks. I personally feel that American infantry divisions should be able to move at half rate during the second movement phase.

One other flaw, and a minor one at that, is the fact that units of the three different Allied types may not stack together. As the Free French were trained and equipped by the Americans, and the 2nd French Armored Division served with the 1st and 3rd Armies, I feel this rule should be relaxed at least for the 2nd.

Overall, I feel that this is the most enjoyable and playable game on this topic that has yet come along. There is no Festung Europa defense that can be drawn up for this game, as happened in D-Day. Each game will be different to some degree, and I have no doubt that the game will become popular for tournament play. So far, I don't believe it is being sold over here, which means you will have to order it from Australia. By all means do so, for here is a classic game worth having.