NORMANDY ’44 – PLAY NOTES AND DESIGNERS’ NOTES

PLAY NOTES

GAME FOCUS
The Normandy Campaign had at least three phases: 1) the landings and consolidation of the
beachhead, 2) the buildup phase, and 3) the breakout phase. During the first phase, the Allies
secured the landing areas, fought off the German counterattacks, and generally expanded the
beachhead. This time period saw the gradual expansion of the beachhead, Monty’s initial
efforts to take Caen, the capture of Cherbourg and the German’s failed efforts to repulse the
Allies. The second phase of the battle started with the end of Operation Epsom around July 1,
1944. From that time the battle truly bogged down into one of attrition. For example, during the
July advance on St Lo the Americans took 12 days to capture only 15 square kilometers, losing
about 5000 men in the process. That equates to taking 15 game hexes in 120 game turns in
NORMANDY ’44, truly slow going, and frankly not that much fun to play if modeled correctly.
The final phase of the battle started around July 25th where American carpet-bombing allowed
for the achievement of a true breakthrough and started Patton’s exploitation that would not end
until he reached the German border.

NORMANDY ’44 concentrates on the initial stage of the battle, the landings and the
consolidation of the beachhead. However, we have provided a map covering all of the ground
covered in all three phases of the battle, and we have provided the full German and Allied Order
of Battle through August 15, 1944, giving players the tools to recreate any of the latter battles of
the campaign.

NORMANDY ’44 VS. SMOLENSK ‘41

The first thing to realize is that NORMANDY ’44 has as much in common with SMOLENSK ’
41 as the Normandy Campaign had with the race to Moscow. You still pulled the trigger to
shoot the guns in the West Front like in the East, and the computer game mechanics are all
the same. However, one is an exploitation battle and the other is a campaign largely of attrition.
Rather than racing through the steppes, you are slugging through bocage.

UNIT SCALE
NORMANDY ’44 uses a smaller unit scale than SMOLENSK ‘41. This was required because
of unit frontages and the German need for more units, but also desirable to better differentiate
units and the armies themselves. If you don’t have AT guns forward, your infantry is going to
get pounded. Each unit has a historical use, and players will not be rewarded for non-historical
play.

EXPECTED LOSSES
Losses will first appear very light. You will fire and fire and fire and only cause a few losses if
any per shot. But remember that with the company/platoon unit scale, units are small. The
loss of 20 men to an infantry company is 10%. Historically units that lost over 20% were
wasted for combat purposes. The Fatigue / Disruption system is there working to grind down
the units, even when losses are not apparent. Overall the result in the long run is a battle of
attrition, which is largely what Normandy was. Slugging through the bocage was just that, slow
work. When the campaign has ground down, remember what Normandy fighting was like.

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Playtesters have remarked that the apparent low effect of fire in the game. The feeling that
losses are too small is very misleading. Players will spend a few turns shooting away with no
apparent effect, then check the overall casualties in the VP Screen and be shocked at how
quickly the losses have actually accumulated.

Rest and refit are very important, especially in the longer scenarios. Battle fatigue will make
most units blown after one or two days. It will take longer than that for refit to take place.
Players who non-historically push and push their forces will not be rewarded with historical
results. Remember that Monty made repeated major attempts to take Caen. These
multi-divisional assaults would be blown after a few days, and the Brits would have refit for
days if not weeks before making another effort.

AIR INTERDICTION
Our research regarding the historical effects of Allied Air Interdiction were mixed. They range
from German officers’ post-war interviews claiming total shut downs in road movement during
the day, to German official record loss data showing little or no appreciable long term effect on
combat ability. We have tried for a balance. Travel Mode movement during the day will result
in frequent air attacks, and the results will be largely ones of delay and disruption.

LANDING AND GETTING OFF THE BEACHES

Remember ‘SAVING PRIVATE RYAN’? They were caught on the beach. Could barely fire
back. They were disorganized.

That is what it is like trying to get off Omaha in NORMANDY ’44. The only way to get off it is to
act as historical. When you land on Turn 2, don’t do anything. Lay low, don’t fire (because the
return OPP FIRE will do you more harm than you dish out), just sit there and wait for the next
wave to arrive on Turn 3. Then on Turn 3 pick one or two gap hexes and try an Assault. Under
no circumstances Assault across the bluff other than to support an Assault through a gap. The
Americans historically could only get out successfully through the gaps, and that is what you
are going to have to do. If you take 1 gap hex by Turn 3 you are doing great, if its takes you until
Turn 4, then fine. If you still don’t have one after Turn 5, then you better call for a beach
evacuation, as the German reserves will likely be arriving. And, YES, given perfect luck in
getting all their reserves released, and a little luck in combat, the Germans CAN keep the
Americans on Omaha Beach. In the mean time, the American on Omaha will have an
organizational nightmare, with commands all jumbled up, in various states of disorder, and
once off the beach it will take some time to get reorganized. It may be frustrating at times, but
so was it on June 6, 1944.

The other Beaches each have their own tactics, but just remember not to rush. Repeated play
between two equal opponents has shown historical advances at the end of D-Day.

INTO THE HEDGEROWS

Once you get off the beaches you are going to have to consolidate your commands and rest a
little. Set a goal for each advance. When you reach it, stand down and rest again unless
something really beneficial can be otherwise done. If you don’t reach your goal, then rest,
regroup and start out again after time. Remember that Monty launched several major attacks
to take Caen and was sent back to the drawing board.

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ADVICE TO THE GERMANS
There is much that might be said to the German player on how to fight this campaign. But we
simply could not do better than relate the historical commander’s own advice when things
looked bleak. On July 1, 1944, OKW chief Keitel asked von Rundstedt in a telephone call “
What shall we do? What shall we do?” “Make peace, you idiots,” responded von Rundstedt, “
What else can you do?” We are sure you can do better than that. When things looks bad, just
think of what old Keitel would do.

BACKGROUND

DESIGN NOTES
From our standpoint, NORMANDY ’44 started by chance. Ever since its release in the late
1970’s SPI’s Highway To The Reich has been one of our favorites. The game’s appeal comes
not only from its topic, but in particular its unit, time and ground scales which give players a
sense of both the tactical as well as operational aspect of the battle.

In the mid 1990’s with the advent of computers, desktop publishing permitted us to work up a
four-map monster game using a modified HTTR system covering the Operation Avalanche
landings at Salerno. Although SALERNO reached a stage of development that was about
ready for submission to a publisher, it remained in mothballs for a number of years due to
things such as work and family and money.

Enter John Tiller. Jim stumbled upon John by accident while attempting to do a home brewed
Computer Murfreesboro, which ultimately resulted in Jim’s design of the Murfreesboro
component to Talonsoft’s Battleground 9: Chickamauga. After the completion of that project,
Jim mentioned to John SALERNO and his desire to see a computer WWII game along the lines
of HTTR. Coincidently John was working on SMOLENSK ‘41 for a new Panzer Campaigns
series and suggested we look into converting over SALERNO to that system.

Since we had all the original OOB and map sources still around, conversion was pretty quick.
Wig knocked out the map, and Jim converted the OOB. At that point we knew that
SMOLENSK ‘41 was on the front burner, so at John’s suggestion we began to look at other
possible western front topics than Salerno. We started roughing out ideas and rounding up
sources a number of options such as Crete, Sicily and Crusader, and John finally decided
upon NORMANDY ’44 as the initial western front release.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Order of Battle (OOB)

In general terms, the order of battle is based on the following: Americans: Stanton;
British/Canadians: Joslen; Germans: Captured German Records. Overall we feel that the OOB
is based on verifiable sources and about as good as it gets, right down to the miscellaneous
German converted French tanks.
As you can see from the bibliography, we used a wide range of sources, many original. These
were crosschecked as many places as possible. In particular, David Hughes and James
Broshot were of great assistance early on in giving constructive comments, particularly on all of
the British, Canadian and several German formations. David and James are publishing a
series on WWII United Kingdom forces for the Nafziger Collection. After we had done our best
with the German OOB, we were very fortunate to get it reviewed by Niklas Zetterling who has
an excellent website on Normandy as http://home.swipnet.se/normandy/. Niklas made a

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number of comments and corrections. J.J. Fedorowicz will soon publish Niklas’ book,
tentatively entitled German Ground Forces in Normandy 1944, sometime this year. Check
http://www.jjfpub.mb.ca/ for details.

We first converted all OOBs into master Excel spreadsheets. Copies of some of these sheets
are available upon request to give you an idea of how we went about the process. Where
possible we identified specific weapons counts for each unit, and used these exact counts for
the ultimate unit ratings.

We intentionally left out a lot of units, and consolidated a lot more. For example, we decided to
only give the Germans some Recon Air units. Historically the German air was of little influence
and the small number of combat aircraft did not seem to warrant their inclusion. Since the
Germans would have minimal Air units in the battle, there was little need to include most of the
Allied AA. Historically these units spent most of their time in their true AA role. Given the
foreknowledge that the German has virtually no air units and that the Allied AA are not needed in
that role in the game, many players would not resist the urge to throw them into the front lines
as cannon fodder, regardless of the VPs for losing them. Thus the simple solution was to not
include them in the OOB. Similarly decisions had to be made regarding many other Allied
units, such as construction engineers and many combat engineers that never saw a true
combat role in the course of the battle.

There is a little fudge in the American corps asset assignments and artillery groupings. The
groupings are not historical, but rather according to type and entry. What we did was identify
each American artillery battalion present during the campaign. We then tried to group them
based upon gun type and entry date, as leaving them as battalions would give to much flexibility
and increase the already large unit count. We then attached them to corps accordingly. With
the player’s ability to reattach them, this seemed the way to go.

Player will note some difference in organization of the armies. For example, most of the Allied
armored units were consolidated into companies, rather than platoons, as are some the
Germans. This gives the Allies less flexibility with their armor than the Germans, which
seemed historically valid; and it also cut down on the final unit count. Likewise as stated above
most artillery was consolidated into battalions to give less artillery flexibility for all. Again this
seemed historically warranted. The breakdown / consolidation features of the game allowed us
to keep many German units at the platoon level. This gives that player the flexibility and unit
count necessary to cover a wide front at times, and also the ability to make his forces more
manageable by consolidation.

While this is predominantly a ground game, every Allied combat air squadron is shown with its
historical base plane count, and each plane is rated based on the same criteria as ground
units. Similarly each Allied ship, which participated in the battle, is reflected with its ratings
based on actual turret and gun counts by size.

MAP
Wig found excellent period map sources which were scanned into the computer and then
overlaid in the map editor, for what has to the best 1000m per hex map you will ever find of
Normandy. The overlay allowed all elevations, road, streams and other terrain to be virtually
copied into the computer for exact translation.

UNIT RATINGS
Rating the units was a chore. The following is given only for those truly interested in what is

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behind the ratings. We are not ballistics experts or such, but in giving you the knowledge of
how we came up with the ratings, you will have the tools to change them if you feel there are
any errors and if you are so inclined. So if you disagree about how strong that Tiger tank
should be, go ahead and make the change. However, you can be assured that on a relative
scale each unit is rated according to a standard system with logical reasoning. IF YOU ARE
NOT INTO THE DETAILS, YOU MIGHT SKIP DOWN PAST THIS SECTION.

First we knew that each unit would have to be rated for Strength, Quality, Speed, Fire against
Soft Targets (HE), Fire against Hard Targets (AP), Assault (AF) and Defense, along with some
other various abilities. For these ratings we started with Strength.

STRENGTH
Each man, gun and vehicle has been counted into the strength per our Excel OOB files. If it is
shown on a source, it should be there as close as we could some in type, etc. For other
foreign equipment in German operation (t) = Czech, (r) = Russian, (f) = French, (it) = Italian.
Wherever possible we have tried to be as specific as we could as to what each component
piece of a unit is primarily composed of.

SPEED
Next we determined speed by average cross-country MPH. For some units we used a generic
base. Thus, Foot = 4, Horse (Towed Guns) = 6, Bicycle = 10, and Truck/Half-track Motorized
(including Towed Guns) and Motorcycle = 15. For specific vehicles we have gone with data
available for each specific tank, armored car and self-propelled weapon. Thus a tank with a
speed of 8 could average about 8 mph cross-country. The only exception is Truck, which
would be more like 8 MPs cross-country when loaded. However, PDT modifications take care
of this.

AP RATINGS
AP Ratings were determined by considering each weapon’s average penetration at 100m,
250m, 500m, 750m and 1000m. For each of these range bands a To Hit percentage was
considered which was used to modify the penetration. The final AP rating was derived by
taking a weighed average of these modified penetration numbers and dividing by a base to get
a manageable AP Rating. The exception to this practice was for Infantry anti-tank rifles (e.g.
bazookas, panzerfausts and piats). For ATRs the range bands used were 10m, 25m, 50m and
100m. These shorter range bands were used since we quickly decided that all infantry
companies would have an AP range of 0 hexes, and they would only be able to fire AP in
relation to an Assault. When the total ATRs in the standard infantry companies of 1944 were
looked at in relation to the total manpower of those personnel companies, this methodology
quickly resulted in our learning that just about every 1944 standard personnel company would
have an AP Rating of 4, which became our base Infantry AP Rating.

The issue of special AP ammo types caused some concern. This ammo, such as Hollow
Charge and HVAP was in limited supply, etc, but really increased penetration. We looked at
general availability for summer of 1944 and averaged it in to the AP ratings for those weapons
systems that were using this type of ammo at the time. In general this means the Germans get
a boost, since the Allies did not have such ammo available for their larger AT weaponry in June
1944. While the amount of special AP ammo was in short supply, we used a 50/50 average of
special verse regular AP to come up with the ratings on units that would have had it available.
This does not mean we thought such special AP made up half the supply, but to reflect shot
selectiveness, with the unit only using it when and where necessary.

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The final AP Rating issue was what to do with primarily HE firing weapons, like artillery,
mortars, rockets and aircraft bombs, that did not have penetration per se. For these a base AP
Rating was determined as follows based on caliber:

AP

Light Mortars – Less than 80mm 2

Medium Mortars - 81-100mm 4
Heavy Mortars – Over 100mm 6
Light Artillery – Less than 100mm, 110lb bombs 4

Medium Artillery - 101-149mm, 250lb bombs 6

Heavy Artillery – Over 150mm, 500lb bombs 8

Super Heavy Artillery – variable, 1000lb bombs 9
Rockets – 150mm 8
Rockets – 210mm 10
Rockets – 280mm 12

HE AND AF RATINGS
For HE and AF ratings, each weapon type was assigned a base HE or AF value by type.

HE AF

Rifle (per 10 men) 4.3 8.6

Flamethrower 0 6
Medium MG 4 6.4
Heavy MG 8.6 10.6
1st Tank Mounted MG 2.6 6
Each additional Tank Mounted MG 1.3 3
Anti-Air (Guns 20mm or more with High ROF) 10.6 14
Vehicle Mounted Guns – Less than 70mm 6 4
Vehicle Mounted Guns - 70-100mm 10 6.6
Vehicle Mounted Guns - Over 100mm 14 9.4
Light Mortars 6 2.6

Medium Mortars 10 4
Heavy Mortars 14 0.6
Light Towed Guns and SP Artillery, 110b bombs 10 6.6
Medium Towed Guns and SP Artillery, 250lb bombs 14 9.4
Heavy Towed Guns and SP Artillery, 500lb bombs 18 12
Super Heavy Towed Guns and SP Artillery, 1000lb 24 2
Rockets – 150mm 22 2
Rockets – 210mm 26 2
Rockets – 280mm 30 2

From these base values, all the HE and AF ratings were calculated on spreadsheets rounding

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to the nearest whole number. For single type units, the calculation is very straightforward. For
example, a unit composed of 105mm Howitzers would have an AP of 6, HE of 14 and AF of 9.
For personnel type units the calculation is basically the same but more complicated, since the
program combines men into 10 man increments. Thus a German Infantry company of 142
men, 10 MGs and 2 8cm Mortars would have a more detailed calculation as follows:

142 men / 10 = 14.2 x 4.3 (Rifle is the base weapon) = 61.06

10 MGs x 4 = 40
2 8cm Mtrs x 10 = 20

61.06 + 40 + 20 = 121.06 / 14.2 (Ten man increments of 142 men) = 8.52 = 9 HE Rating

This calculation was done for each and every unit (thank God for computer spreadsheets), and
you will see a tremendous range and variation, particularly in the German personnel units on
the coast since they had such a wide variety and hodge podge of weapon. Remember that the
computer will multiply the Rating x Manpower/10 to come up with the firepower. So the entire
company above will have a HE firepower of 14.2 x 9 = 127.8 HE. Thus the German 42 and
64-man beach units with high ratings are really not as good as they first appear.

Assault Ratings were calculated using the same methodology. For Vehicle units, their AF
Rating was also finally modified be its size (larger vehicles are given a little boost), whether or
not it has a turret (turretless vehicles are reduced slightly) and whether or not the vehicle is
open topped (having you head hanging out in an assault cannot be good).

Example of Vehicle AF Rating Calculation

PzVIe Tiger I (88L56, 2 MGs)

88L56 Vehicle Mounted Gun = 6.3

1st Machinegun = 6
2nd Machinegun = 3

6.3 + 6 + 3 = 15.3 + 0.5 (Large Vehicle) = 15.8 = 16AF Rating

The reason subsequent machineguns are ½ as effective as the first is due to their difficulty in
operation in conjunction with the main gun, etc.

One thing that looks odd to some is that the Light Artillery category is so large and thus there is
no difference between a 50mm AT firing HE and a 75mm IG firing HE. This is justified by things
such as rate of fire of the smaller caliber weapons, etc.

We have made some additional modifications of the final ratings. In general all American
personnel units receive a final +2 to their AF and HE Ratings. Likewise all Engineers receive a
final +2 to their AP, AF and HE Ratings. Also all German Ost units (usually POWs using
captured Russians weapons with their associated ammunition and spare parts issues) receive
a final – 2 to their AP, AF and HE Ratings. Units that benefited from the availability of extra ATR
teams (such as historic German Panzerfaust teams) receive a final +2 to their AP Ratings.
And personnel units which were known to have less than average ATR support have their final
AP Rating adjusted – 2. There are also other modifications here and their where we felt it
necessary, too numerous to detail.

Although the majority of weapons such as heavy mortars and artillery are broken out into

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separate units, special mention should be made of German Heavy Weapons companies. In
general and where appropriate, a number of heavy mortars and infantry guns, which were part
of these companies, have been consolidated within the unit. It was decided that this should be
done to reduce the unit count (too many 2 strength point 75L12 infantry gun units are of
questionable use) and also for effect. In general these German HW units have are capable of
Indirect Fire from at 2-3 hexes. While not all of the weaponry within the HW company can
conduct indirect fire, historically from time to time the HW company would send out its extra
MGs and equipment in support of the other infantry companies within its battalion. Rather than
just split up this equipment, we have allowed the HW company, through its 2-3 hex IF
capability, to “support” its brother infantry companies within a reasonable range. So what plays
out as Indirect Fire in the game is also the HW company lending its MGs, IGs, and Mtrs to the
rest of its battalion directly. The 2-3 hex radius should allow the proper range of support along
the line.

Air unit AP and HE values are based on an 11% chance of TO HIT for bombs, and base ratings
are adjusted accordingly.

RANGES
A comment should also be made regarding maximum fire ranges. For guns, this was
determined by looking at historical data on each gun, weapon system and also historical
doctrine. Thus a PzIVd with its short 75L42, which was used for infantry support, will have a 2
hex HE range, but 1 hex AP. While a PzV Panther with its long 75L71 will have a 2 hex AP
range and 1 hex HE range. It is not that the Panther could not fire HE over 1000m, but that due
doctrine, historical use and ammo availability it was not used that way.

As stated earlier, all personnel units have an AP range of 0, which is only useful in Assault
situations. For HE ranges, all Allied units were given a base of 1 hex. This is due to the
American and British Infantry company reliance on LMGs, Light Mortars and mostly Rifles for its
firepower. On the other hand, most of the German Infantry company firepower comes from its
MGs and 8cm Mtrs, with their Rifles being in more of a supporting role. These TO&E
differences, along with the fact that the Germans are operating for the most part on the
defensive with better knowledge of the local terrain, warrant an edge for them in HE range.
German Ost units, however, retain only an HE range of 1 hex.

DEFENSE RATINGS

SOFT TARGETS
Working with some knowledge of SMOLENSK ’41 and the base ratings being used there, we
started with a base rating for infantry of 16. From this we calculated downward for other Soft
units.

DF
Personnel 16
Light Mortars – Less than 80mm 14
Medium Mortars - 81-100mm 14
Heavy Mortars – Over 100mm 12
Light Artillery – Less than 100mm 14
Medium Artillery - 101-149mm 12
Heavy Artillery – Over 150mm 10

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Super Heavy Artillery – variable 10
Rockets – 150mm 10
Rockets – 210mm 10
Rockets – 280mm 10

HARD TARGETS
Hard Defense Ratings were calculated by looking at the armor thickness of the vehicles at 18
points. Since the game does not use facing, it was then assumed that shots would hit as
follows on average:

Assume shots coming in:

30% Direct Front
20% Front Angle
35% Side
10% Rear Angle
5% Rear

Assume Target Location Hit:

33.3% Turret
33.3% Upper Hull
33.3% Lower Hull
Suspension Hits are ignored

Result is 18 potential Hit locations. Armor in mm is then determined for each location.

Multiply millimeters of Armor at Location Hit times Probability of hitting that location to obtain
Base Number.

Add all 18 Base numbers together

Modify Base Sum as follows (this modifier reflects that bigger targets are easier to Hit):
-10 Vehicle is Heavy
-5 Vehicle is Large
+5 Vehicle is Small
+10 Vehicle is Very Small

Divide by 5 to get Final Defense Strength.

Since this calculation uses a similar methodology and data as used in calculating the AP
Ratings, we feel comfortable of the accuracy of AP and DF Ratings relative to one another.

AA RATINGS AND AIR

Basically Aircraft AP and HE are rated based upon the weaponry and bomb load using similar
formulas as those above. It is assumed that Heavy Bombers have an accuracy of 11%, and all
other bombs are twice as effective. Special allowance is made for various aircraft.

For AA Ratings the following chart is used.

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 AA RANGE
Ost-Type units 1 0
Medium MG 2 0
Heavy MG 2 1
20mm 8 2
20mm Quads 14 2
37mm 10 3
40mm 10 3
80mm+ 10 5
All other units 2 0

We also gave every German personnel and vehicle unit at least an AA Rating of 1 with an AA
Range of 0. All these units had some form of machinegun and this give them a minimal AA
defense in their own hex. Allied units were not given AA ratings since the only German air units
are Recon.

MORALE
This is probably the most subjective area of the game. All I can tell you is that we decided that
Rangers should be A’s and German Ost units should be E’s, and everyone else had to fall in
between. Basically the levels are A = Elite, B = Good, C = Average, D = Below Average, E =
Poor, F = Abysmal. We ran our ratings up the flagpole wherever possible, including on Internet
discussion boards, got some feedback, and you have the rest.

MISCELLANEOUS OOB
We made a number of decisions that might not be readily apparent.

For the British Infantry Battalions the Carrier Platoon created a problem. It was used in various
ways to support the Infantry companies of the battalion. We elected to split up its 60 men, 13
LMGs, 4 Piats and 4 2” Mtrs and divided these equally among the 4 infantry companies. This
raised the Infantry company strengths and ratings. The HQ company was ignored as far as
strength and equipment and this is consistent with all nationalities. We elected to retain the
MGs that were historically assigned to support the AT Platoon within that unit. Thus you will
see that the AT Platoons within the Infantry companies are designated “6 Pounder AT w/ MG” ,
and they have a higher HE and AF than those within the AT Companies.

The British 17 Pounders and Firefly tanks have reduced HE and AF than would have resulted
from counting the main gun. This reflects our information that the HE ammunition for the 17
Pounder was is little or no supply until the very end of the Normandy campaign.

The Recon Squadrons of the British Infantry Divisions have been consolidated. Historically
each squadron contains a Staff Troop of 1 Humbar IV mounting a 37mm AT gun, plus 4 Troops
each containing 2 x 2” Mortars, 2 x Humbar IVs and 12 x Humbar Scout Cars with HMGs.
Lastly there is an Assault Troop of 30 men with 4 MGs. All of these weapons have been
combined for HE, AP and AF purposes, and then divided by the 19 Humbars per squadron to
give a consolidated value for this Mxd unit.

Similarly, the Commando S Platoons combine MGs and Mtrs.

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 Almost every Allied AA specific unit has been eliminated. This includes everything from
40mmAA towed guns, to Crusader AA tanks to all Self-Propelled AA vehicles. The reason for
this is that historically these units played an almost exclusive AA role. In NORMANDY ’44, the
Allied player will know that he has virtually nothing to fear from German air and will be tempted
to use the otherwise tremendous amount of Allied AA in a ground role or as cannon fodder.
Rather that tell players to treat these units as historical, we simply eliminated them. Plus there
are too many units anyway and this seemed like a good place to cut down.

Historically, the British Tank Platoons had 4 x Shermans and 4 x Firefly tanks (w/ 17 Pdr gun).
This would have created too many counters, but we did break the Firefly tanks into 4 tank
platoons for added flexibility and firepower.

The UK 34th Tank Brigade has had its tanks consolidated, hence the * designation. In fact,
every unit with the * designation is a consolidation of other units within its battalion.

Night fighters have not been included. For the rest of the Air OOB, planes have been grouped
into historical “wing” units of the correct type. Then for every historical squadron the historical
average plane count has been included. It is hoped that over the course of a days fighting
including the ammo rules applicable to air, this will result in the correct number of sorties per
wing.

HW units are also a little interesting. These companies formed a pool of heavy weaponry for
the battalion. They both fought as a group and dispersed among the line companies. Basically
these units are composed of a large number of medium and heavy mortars, medium and
heavy machineguns and infantry guns (basically small artillery). Players will quickly note that
most of these HW companies are rated as Indirect Fire in NORMANDY ’44. This does not
mean that we believe that machineguns can fire indirectly. What this does is simulate the
historical effect of these machineguns and other units being lent out to support the other units
in the battalion. By placing the HW company behind the front line units of the company, the HW
company “support” the rest of the battalion in game terms very much as they did in historical
practice. Also because of their high assault values, these units form a good “shock/storm”
company to help when needed to stop or create a breakthrough when needed.

We have set the Stockpile rate fairly high for NORMANDY ’44. In game terms, artillery up to
twice per turn. Since other units are firing up to three times per turn, artillery is 1/3 less
effective than other units. This is to simulate the difficulties of fire control and other things
associated with Indirect Fire. In NORMANDY ’44 stockpiling represents short term stockpiling
of ammo and taking the time to establish better fire control and observation. It does not
represent the massive stockpiling that occurred in Russia for major assaults. But for players
willing to do a little planning, stockpiling will allow artillery to fire a double effectiveness for a
short period of time to help with more deliberate softening up of enemy positions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:

Bevis, Mark; Various Orders of Battle; MicroMark Army Lists.

Benamou, Jean-Pierre; Bataille de Caen, 6 Juin - 15 Aout 1944; Heimdal, 1988.

Blumenson, Martin; Breakout and Pursuit; Center of Military History, United States Army,

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 Washington

Carell, Paul; Invasion, They’re Coming!; New York: E. P. Dutton Co., 1962.

Center of Military History; Utah to Cherbourg (6 June-27 June 1944). American Forces in Action
Series;

Center of Military History (CMH Pub 100-12), United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1984.

Center of Military History; St-Lo (7 July-19 July 1944). American Forces in Action Series; Center
of Military History (CMH Pub 100-13), United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1984.

Center of Military History; Small Unit Actions. American Forces in Action Series; Center of
Military History (CMH Pub 100-??), United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1984.

Ellis, John; Brute Force, Allied Strategy and Tactic in the Second World War; Viking, New
York, 1990.

Ellis, L. F., Victory in the West, Vol 1; HMSO, 1962.

Forty, George; British Army Handbook; Sutton Publishing, 1998.

Forty, George; U.S. Army Handbook; Scribner’s, 1980.

Guderian, Heinz Gunther; Das Letzte Kriegsjahr im Western - Die Geschichte der 116.
Panzer-Division - Windhunddivision - 1944 -1945; (1994)

Harrison, Gordon A.; Cross-Channel Attack; Center of Military History, United States Army,
Washington, D.C.

How, J. J.; Hill 112, Cornerstone of the Normandy Campaign; London: Kilmer. 1984.

Hughes, David, et at; The British Armies in World War Two, An Organizational History, Volume
One: British Armoured and Cavalry Divisions; Nafziger, 1999.

Jentz, Thomas; Panzer Ttruppen 2; Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, 1996.

Joslen, H. F., Orders of Battle, HMSO, 1960

Lehmann, Rudolf; The Leibstandarte Volume II; Winnipeg: J. J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.,
1988

Lehmann, Rudolf; The Leibstandarte Volume III; Winnipeg: J. J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc.,
1990

Luther, Craig W. H., Blood and Honor: The History of the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitler Youth,”
1943 - 1945; San Jose CA: R. James Bender Publishing, 1987

Man, John; The D-Day Atlas; Facts on File, New York, 1994.

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Marshal, S. L. A., Night Drop, Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1962.

Meyer, Hubert, The History of the 12. SS-Panzer Division “HITLERJUGEND” ; Winnipeg: J. J.
Fedorowicz Publishing Inc., 1994

Milano, Vincent; Normandiefront; Spiess Publishing Co., 1994

Neihorster, Leo; World War II Organization and Equipment – Book 1, German Panzer and
Panzergrensdier Divisions 1943-1944; Enola Games, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1982.

Order of Battle – Operation Overlord (4 Volumes); Raveiln, Lincolnshire, UK, 1994.

Reynolds, Michael; Steel Inferno I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy; New York: Sarpedon, 1997.

Ritgen, Helmet; Die Geschichte der Planzer-Lehr-Division im Westen 1944-1945; Stuttgart:

Motorbuch Verlag, 1979.

Shaw, Ian; WWII Army Organizations and Equipment, 3rd Edition; Tabletop Games, 1986.

Stacey, Charles P., The Victory Campaign, The Operations in Northwest Europe, 1944-45
(Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War), Vol III, Ottawa: Queen’
s Printers, 1960.

Stanton, Shelby; World War II Order of Battle; Galahad Books, New York, 1984.

Tessin, Georg; Verbande und Truppen der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten
Weltkrieg 1939-1945; Osnabruck; Biblio Verlag

Taylor, Charles H., Omaha Beachhead (6 June-13 June 1944). American Forces in Action
Series; Center of Military History (CMH Pub 100-11), United States Army, Washington,
D.C., 1984.

Tiemann, Ralf; The Leibstandarte Volume IV/2; Winnipeg: J. J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc., 1998
[“Command List” in Appendix]

U.S. War Department; Handbook on German Military Forces; Louisiana State University Press,
Baton Rouge, 1995.

MAPS:

U. S. Army Map Service

OKH Maps
French Maps

NATIONAL ARCHIVES (Microfilm/Microfiche/Paper Documents):

Page 13
Capture German Records [Record Group 242]:

Series Rolls Organization Description

T-78 446 OKH Allied OB charts
T-311 1 Army Group B Allied OB charts
T-313 420 PzGpWest/PzA.5 KTB (War Diary) with attachments
T-312 1564-70 AOK.7 KTB (War Diary), misc reports, orders, maps, OB
charts
T-312 516 AOK.15 misc maps and OB charts
T-314 747 XXV.AK (Brittany) misc maps and OB Charts
T-314 1496 LVIII.PzK misc daily reports
T-314 1583 LXXX.AK (S.France) misc OB Charts
T-314 1593 LXXXI.AK (N.France) misc OB charts
T-314 1568 LXXXIV.AK misc reports, maps, and OB charts
T-314 1607 LXXXVI.AK misc OB charts
T-314 1622 LXXXVIII.AK (Holland) misc OB charts
T-314 1629 LXXXIX.AK (Belgum) misc OB charts
T-314 1533 LXVII.AK (N.France) misc OB charts
T-315 1841 266.ID misc reports
T-315 2260 716.ID misc maps and OB charts
T-354 148 9.SS misc OB charts

Foreign Military Studies Series, Office of the Chief of Military History (OCMH),
(Post War Manuscripts written by German Officers) [Record Group 338]:

Number Organization Description

ETHINT-Series: initial interviews - English

ETHINT-13 Pz Group West Pz Tactics in Normandy

ETHINT-17 116.Pz Normandy

ETHINT-24 I.SS.PzK Avranches
ETHINT-38 Panzer Inspectorate Pz Tactics in Normandy
ETHINT-48 AOK.7 Normandy
ETHINT-66 Pz.Lehr Jan-Jul 44
ETHINT-67 Pz.Lehr Normandy Critique
ETHINT-69 Pz.Lehr at start of Cobra
ETHINT-73 OB West Normandy
ETHINT-76 FJR.6 Cobra
ETHINT-78 3.FJ 6 Jun - 16 Jul
A-Series: interviews/questionnaires/manuscripts written before 1946
A-859 II.FJK 21 Aug - 3 Sep
A-865 OB West troop movements Jun - Aug 44
A-871 21.Pz vs US troops in Fr
A-872 general org of troops

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A-894 AOK.7 Normandy, Cobra, Mortain
A-902 Pz.Lehr effect of air attacks
A-903 Pz.Lehr 15-20 Jul
A-904 2.Pz Avranches
A-906 3.FJ Normandy questionnaire
A-907 AOK.7 20 Jun - 20 Aug
A-918 AOK.7 Avranches
A-919 AOK.7 Argentan-Falaise
A-920 AOK.7 Avranches to Falaise
A-921 AOK.7 Avranches counterattack
A-922 Pz Group West Falaise encirclement
A-923 II.FJK 25 Jul - 14 Sep
A-956 6.FJR 6-24 Jun
A-959 16.LW 1-23 Jul
A-968 LXXXIV.AK 28 Jul - 20 Aug
A-969 II.FJK 26 Jul - 5 Aug
A-974 AOK.7 29 Jun - 24 Jul
A-975 275.ID org and commitment
A-983 353.ID org and commitment
A-984 to 987 353.ID 24 Jul - 14 Sep
B-Series: manuscripts written before 1948 - some English versions are drafts
B-007 276.ID 1 Jan - 20 Aug
B-008 346.ID Feb - 24 Jul
B-009 277.ID 15 Apr - 25 Jul
B-010 91.ID 10 Jul - Aug
B-012 89.ID Mar - 6 Aug
B-017 116.Pz 6 Jun - 12 Aug
B-019 Pz Group West estimate of 15 Jun
B-020a to 020d 3.FJ 6 Jun - 8 Mar
B-021 352.ID Normandy questionnaire
B-043 709.ID Vosges defense
B-056 277.ID 25 Jul - 10 Sep
B-058 116.Pz 21 Aug - 19 Sep
B-122 AOK.7 prep vs invasion
B-155 I.SS.PzK 16 Aug - 18 Oct
B-157 LVIII.PzK 22 Aug - 6 Sep
B-162 116.Pz 11-24 Aug
B-163 363.ID Jan - 24 Aug
B-169 Kriegsmarine Marine Gp West
B-178 AOK.7 critique
B-179 AOK.7 25 Jul - 20 Aug
B-204 AOK.7 Caumont Gap
B-230 708.ID 10-19 Aug
B-234 AOK.7 prep for invasion
B-240 II.FJK May - 6 Jun
B-241 352.ID 18-22 Jun

Page 15
B-242 LVIII.PzK corrections to B-157
B-244 85.ID Feb - Jul organization
B-255 LXXXIV.AK 17-18 Jul
B-256 271.ID Mar - 13 Aug
B-257 2.Pz 6 Jun - 24 Jul
B-260 709.ID Contentin Art 6-18 Jun
B-261 II.FJK 6 Jun - 24 Jul
B-284 OB West 6 Jun - 24 Jul
B-339 91.ID comments on B-010
B-346 II.FJK 25 Jul - 25 Aug
B-358 1.SS.Pz Aug
B-370 to 373 275.ID 31 Jul - 1 Oct
B-381 16.LW organization and training
B-384 Artillery art organization problems
B-388 352.ID 6 Jun telephone log
B-401 II.FJK Jan - 24 Jul
B-403 711.ID Jan - 24 Jul
B-418 LXXXIV.AK 18 Jun - 15 Jul
B-419 18.LW 6 Jun - 24 Jul
B-424 85.ID 31 Jul - 8 Aug
B-425 89.ID 8-15 Aug
B-426 LVIII.PzK Corps Artillery 1 Aug - 6 Sep
B-432 352.ID Jan - 6 Jun
B-433 to 439 352.ID 7 Jun - 10 Jul
B-441 21.Pz Jan - 3 Jul organization
B-445 LVIII.PzK 24 Jul - 15 Sep
B-455 352.ID 11-18 Jul
B-464 352.ID 19-24 Jul
B-466 Pz Group West revision of B-258 and B-019
B-469 91.ID 18 Jun - 31 Jul
B-470 9.SS.Pz 20 Jun - 24 Jul
B-486 LVIII.PzK 6 Jun - 24 Jul organization and training
B-489 352.ID 25-30 Jul
B-490 352.ID conclusions 6 Jun - 30 Jul
B-509 II.FJK 6-28 Jun
B-519 709.ID supplement to B-043
B-526 276.ID Jan - 20 Aug
B-528 271.ID Mar - 13 Aug - supplement to B-256
B-529 271.ID 12-28 Aug
B-532 346.ID 24 Jul - 15 Sep
B-536 89.ID 15 Aug - 16 Sep
B-540 272.ID Jan - 26 Jul
B-541 3.FJ Jan - Aug
B-597 III.FlaK May – Sep
B-610 277.ID 13 Aug - 8 Sep
B-620 II.LW K Jan - 28 Jun - air situation

Page 16
B-621 716.ID Jan - 28 Jun
B-623 I.SS.PzK 16 Aug - 18 Oct
B-630 277.ID Jan - 24 Jul
B-631 21.Pz 28 Jul - 14 Sep
B-663 OB West Coastal Artillery
B-666 II.SS.PzK 15 Jun - 24 Jul - artillery
B-673 XLVII.PzK 11 Jun - 27 Jul
B-677 LW LW ground organizations
B-679 277.ID 25 Jul - 10 Aug
B-702 272.ID 26 Jul - 12 Sep
B-719 OB West Avranches and Falaise questionare
B-722 OB West Vol 1: 25 Jul - 14 Sep
B-723 OB West Vol 2: 25-31 Jul
B-724 OB West Vol 3: Brittany
B-725 OB West Vol 4: Avranches counterattack 1-11 Aug
B-726 OB West Vol 5: 5.PzA 25 Jul - 25 Aug
B-727 OB West Vol 6: Falaise - Argentan
B-728 OB West Vol 7: AOK.1 11 Aug - 15 Sep
B-731 LXXXIV.AK 12-24 Jun
B-738 LXXX.AK 6 Jun - 11 Aug
B-747 II.SS.PzK 14 Jun - 5 Jul
B-748 to 749 II.SS.PzK 15 Jul - 5 Sep
B-758 LXXXI.AK Jan - 2 Aug
B-763 AOK.7 6 Jun - 29 Jul
B-784 LXXXIV.AK Jan - 17 Jun
B-796 711.ID 24 Jul - 15 Sep
B-807 LXXXI.AK 2 Aug - 4 Sep
B-814 Pz Group West Pz ops questionare 6-8 Jun
B-820 5.FJ 6 Jun - 24 Jul
B-822 AOK.7 1-15 Aug rear area after breakthrough
B-824 LXXIV.AK May - 10 Sep
B-832 I.SS.PzK 6 Jun - 30 Jul - artillery
B-837 9.Pz 24 Jul - 4 Sep
B-839 FJR.6 1 May - 20 Aug
B-840 Pz Group West 3 Jul - 9 Aug
B-841 AOK.7 22-31 Aug
B-844 91.ID 5-20 Jun - KG.Keil
B-845 709.ID Jan - 30 Jun
B-846 85.ID Feb - 22 Sep
C-Series: manuscripts from 1948 on - mostly Mediterranean /East Front - most not
translated
C-018 709.ID Jul - Cotentin
C-024 I.SS.PzK Jun - Sep
C-048 I.SS.PzK continuation of C-024
C-056 AOK.7 comments on B-418
C-057 AOK.7 comments on B-784

Page 17
D-Series: hastily written/less reliable - mostly Mediterranean /East Front - most not
translated
D-330 91.ID Jun - artillery
D-331 709.ID 6-12 Jun
D-332 Pz Group West 6-8 Jun Pz operations
D-382 243.ID Mar – Jun
D-429 AOK.7 OB charts
P-Series: written after 1951 - not translated
P-156 III.FlaK 6-30 Jun
P-157 LXXXVI.AK Jun - Nov
P-159 2.SS.Pz Jun - Sep
P-162 9.SS.Pz 25 Jul - Nov
P-163 10.SS.Pz Jun - Nov
P-164 12.SS.Pz Jun - Sep
P-165 17.SS.Pz Jun - Sep
P-168 77.ID Jun - Aug
P-176 266.ID Jun - Aug
P-177 271.ID Jul - Aug
P-179 326.ID 30 Jul - 2 Sep

GAMES AND RULESETS

Res-Taylor, Bruce; Korps Commander, World War 2; Tabletop Games, 1986.

Highway to the Reich, 2d; Simulation Publications, Inc.

Atlantic Wall; Simulation Publications, Inc.

Stokes, Brian; Tank Charts; GHQ, 1984.

St. Lo; West End Games

Clash of Armor; Clash of Arms Games

Command Decision, 3d

Spearpoint

Jadgpanzer

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