Normandy 1944
The battle
During the Tehran Conference (winter 1943), Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin agree upon the necessity of opening a new front in Europe to relieve the Soviet forces in the east and definitively wipe out Nazi Germany. Their choice is Normandy.
After 6 months of preparation in England, the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, Dwight Eisenhower, launched Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944. 25,000 American and British parachutists jumped to Normandy in the night before a human tide of 130,000 launched an assault at dawn on the “Fortress Europe” from Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches.
But this incredible operation is only the introduction to a battle that would last more than two months. The German defensive organization possesses shortcomings and Rommel, in charge of the defense of the north sector, does not have the necessary forces to effectively oppose the Allied troops. However, the 400,000 men of Wehrmacht and Waffen SS who participate in the combats will prove to be formidable adversaries for the nearly three million American, British, Canadian, Polish and French soldiers who will fight in Normandy.
Designer and release dates
Designed by Major Arnaud de Peretti, collaborator of Napoleon against Europe and No Retreat 2 & 3, former tank platoon leader.
Released on iOS in November 2014, PC and Mac soon after.
Gettysburg 1863
The battle
At the beginning of July 1863, the confederate general Lee wants to take advantage of his recent successes to start a second invasion of the North. He hopes to thereby benefit from the resources of Pennsylvania and move the conflict away from the worn out southern lands.
President Lincoln wants to block his plans and sends the Army of the Potomac, under the leadership of General Meade, to meet him. June 30, 1863, a Confederate infantry brigade, searching for new shoes, approaches Gettysburg, a Pennsylvania town of 2,400 souls, when it glimpses a column of northern cavalry. The information is reported to General Heth who decides to send men as early as the next day to “recover their shoes”.
The skirmish quickly turns to a real battle that will lead to more than 90,000 Union soldiers and more than 72,000 Confederate soldiers supported by their respective artillery facing off on the heights of Gettysburg. From July 1-3, 1863, this little Pennsylvanian town will become the site of the Civil War’s bloodiest battle and a decisive confrontation for the future of America.
Designer and release dates
Designed by Antoine Bourguilleau, Veteran wargamer and specialist of the Civil War history.
To be released in Q4 2015.
Austerlitz 1805
The battle
While a shy winter sun tries to shine through the haze that takes over the area surrounding the small village of Austerlitz on the morning of December 2, 1805, the troops of the Third Coalition of Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire and of Alexander I of Russia, joined under the command of the veteran Kutuzov, prepare to fall into the trap laid for them by Napoleon I.
An epilogue of an Austrian campaign that remains the tactical masterpiece of the French emperor, this battle comprises several combats that are independent from one another – the control of the southern villages, the assault on the Pratzen Heights, the cavalry charges of the two imperial guards and the clashes in the northern plain – mark either the advent of a new European order modeled by Napoleon or abrupt end to the French domination of the continent.
At the head of the Grognards of the Imperial Guard and the other “braves” of the Grande Armée, will you be as fine a tactician as the French Emperor or will you manage to change the course of history by leading the forces of the Third Coalition and their formidable Cossacks to victory?
Designers and release dates
Designed by Frédéric Bey, author of the Jours de Gloire wargames series and specialist of the Napoleonian history.
To be released in Q1 2016.
Kharkov 1943
The battle
February 1943: the world may have just seen the turning point in World War II. Nearly two years after the beginning of the invasion of the USSR by the Third Reich, the 6th German army capitulates in the smoking ruins of Stalingrad. The Stavka wants to take advantage of this victory and launches numerous offensives against a whole group of demoralized southern armies, allowing the Red Army to take back control of Kharkov, a Ukrainian city near the Donets River.
General von Manstein, who has just been named head of the group of southern armies, develops a plan of counter-attack based on the German armored superiority and, notably, the provision of the new Tiger tank. February 19, 1943, the 1st Panzer Army and the 4th Panzer Army, reinforced by the brand new SS Panzerkorps of SS Grüppenführer Paul Hausser, set forth to reconquer Kharkov, which is defended by more than 340,000 Soviets under the command of Filipp Golikov.
Choose your camp and lead your troops to victory at the head of the Soviet T-34 or the German Panzer IV.
Designer and release dates
Designed by Nicolas Stratigos, chief’s redactor of the french wargaming magazine Vae Victis.
To be released at the end of 2015.
Market Garden 1944
The battle
September 1944. After being stuck in Normandy for more than two months, the Allies rapidly progress to the German border. Confronted with the daunting Siegfried line, the Allied command decides to trust General Montgomery. “Monty” proposes putting into action the greatest airborne operation in history that would enable them get around the German defense plan and precipitate the fall of Nazi Germany.
More than 35,000 American and British parachutists are left behind enemy lines near the Dutch towns of Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Arnhem and must hold the bridges that cross the Meuse River and the arms of the Rhine until the arrival of the 30th British army corps. This heavy task is entrusted to the famous airborne divisions that distinguished themselves in Normandy, the American 82nd and 101st, as well as the British 1st airborne division.
On September 17, 1944, Operation Market Garden is launched, but the German opposition is much stronger than expected with the II SS Panzer Korps in the area surrounding Arnhem. The German soldiers, galvanized by the proximity of German soil, prove once again to be ferocious adversaries.
Designer and release dates
Designed by Lieutenant Colonel Sébastien de Peyret, specialist of urban military operations and user of wargame as tool of military teaching.
To be released in Q1 2016.
Korean War 1950
The war
At the end of World War II, the world is separated into two blocks, each dominated by one of the two superpowers of WWII.
The western block is gathered together behind the United States and the eastern block is under the protection of the USSR. A new type of conflict, primarily ideological, emerges: the Cold War. But in 1950, a zone filled with tension heats things up. Divided into two distinct entities, Korea becomes the stage for the first clash of the Cold War.
In June 1950, communist North Korea decides to invade South Korea that is part of the United States’ sphere of influence. With the approval of the UN, the Americans put their “containment” doctrine into practice to impede the extension of the Soviet sphere and quickly arrive in South Korea, while China lends its unfailing support to North Korea.
The Korean War is also the setting for one of the American army’s most audacious maneuvers (the landing at Incheon) but also one of its most painful retreats (the Chinese attack on the Yalu). Relive this war, a symbol of the east-west opposition, the last war to call on all the armed forces, and the war that marks the new age of jets.
Designer and release dates
Designed by Colonel Michel Goya, collaborator of numerous newspapers, teacher at some of the most famous French schools and Director of Studies at IRSEM.
To be released in Q3 2015.
October War 1973
The war
October 6, 1973, during the Ramadan period and while the Israelis are celebrating Yom Kippur, Egyptian and Syrian forces simultaneously launch an assault on Sinai and the Golan. Egyptian president Anouar el-Sadate and Syrian president Hafez el-Assad want to retrieve their former territories lost to Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. Despite the various intelligence that predicted such a move, Israeli Chief of Staff David Elazar is surprised by this joint attack.
Only a few hundred Israeli men and tanks face hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Egyptian soldiers. But quickly, Tzahal succeeds in mobilizing its forces and calling in some of its most famous soldiers including Ariel Sharon. For 20 days, 400,000 Israelis find themselves confronted with nearly a million Arab soldiers on two distinct fronts for a conflict marked by the first massive use of state the art military technologies, and especially surface to air missiles and sophisticated anti-tanks weapons. Play the Israelis and react quickly to this surprise attack by making the right strategic and tactical choices to reverse the situation, or choose the Arab nations and exploit your initial advantage to ensure a strategic victory.
Designer and release dates
Designed by Pierre Razoux, Research Director at IRSEM (http://www.defense.gouv.fr/irsem) and specialist of the middle-east.
Released in June 2015.