Sergeants: Miniatures Game Day of Days - 75th Commemorative Edition Now Available

Join in the action with the all new 75th Commemorative Edition of Sergeants: Miniatures Game – Day of Days. The 75th Commemorative Edition contains the original Sergeants: Miniatures Game – Day of Days, the Road to Carentan Expansion and 4 additional soldiers (2 US Paratrooper and 2 German Light Infantry) to fill out your squads for instant action.
 
For the first 75 copies sold the designer and developers will sign and number your copy of this commemorative edition.

SMG – Command Group – Now Available

Take advantage of additional command and control abilities by adding officers to your squads and platoons. Utilize their tactical capabilities to get the most out of each of your soldiers. The Command Group comes with 6 unique officers who each have a Unique Soldier card, 1 Equipment card and 14 Action cards. This offer also comes with the Limited Edition 75th Anniversary Commemorative Squad Box and new squad inserts to transport up to 20 soldiers and their decks all in one.

D-Day 75th Anniversary Playing Cards Kickstarter – Funded in 12 Hours!

Our 75th Anniversary D-Day Playing Cards is now fully funded. We’d love to invite all of our loyal customers to check out the project and lend us your support. Each deck showcases illustrated art work from Normandy, World War 2 and historical facts and timelines of the battle on each card.

Also, keep an eye out on your Facebook feeds, as we will be continuing to post historical facts about the battle for the next several days.

Greatest Skirmish Battle in History Begins

At 0010, June 6th, 1944 the pathfinders of the 101st Airborne Division jumped into Normandy. The 300 American pathfinders dropped into Normandy mere minutes ahead of the main force. They were tasked with scouting and marking the landing zones for the thirteen thousand parachute infantry of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. They had only a few minutes to scout the fields where thousands of paratroopers and glider-borne infantry were to land. The night sky was still somewhat subdued, with only sporadic antiaircraft fire. They moved quickly to find and eliminate sentries or patrols in the LZs (Landing Zones), all the while seeing the night sky begin to be pierced with tracers and searchlights.

As the leading wave of 800 C-47 aircraft crossed the coast the plan fell apart. German light and heavy Flak lit up the night sky. Night navigation under fire was unlike the training jumps and many planes had no navigator aboard. The lead aircraft changed course avoid the Flak, fog, clouds and to see the landing beacons. Many aircraft exploded or were damaged as the initial wave of American’s were scattered across the battlefield. In desperation the soldiers jumped from their transport aircraft as soon as possible, some ending up 21 miles from the designated LZs. As they found each other in the night units were forgotten and squads were made ad-hoc.

First contact was not made by well-organized teams of soldiers starting from the planned drop sight and moving on toward assigned objectives. The confusion in the American drop completely thwarted the German tactical response to an Airborne assault – the German doctrine became pointless, because there was no center of mass to the airborne toward which to counterattack. Suddenly, in the space of the first hour of the invasion all the training and doctrine devolved into the largest skirmish battle ever seen. Eisenhower has been quoted saying “Plans are useless, but planning is essential”. The Day of Days was off to a completely unforeseen start.

Operation Deadstick

The British Red Devils landed a commando force directly adjacent to Pegasus Bridge. The first glider crash landed into the defensive wire around the bridge at 00:16.

The British 6th Airborne were dropping 7900 troops in the gap between the German 716th and 711th Static Divisions. Their objectives were several; Secure Pegasus Bridge to allow the British 3rd Infantry Division to link up with the 6th Airborne; destroy Merville Battery to insure the – yet to be installed – German heavy guns located there would not shell “Sword Beach”; and cut the highway into Caen by destroying bridges and raiding the main highway. The Red Devils, in true British panache, engaged in heroics and daring feats of valor during D-Day. Such as the attack on the Troarn bridge to name but one…

"We set off down the road at a moderate pace with everyone ready with a Bren gun or one of our several Sten guns for any trouble. Just before the level crossing we ran slap into a barbed wire knife-rest road block. One Boche fired a shot and then went off. It took twenty minutes' hard work with wire cutters before the jeep was freed. We then proceeded on, leaving behind, it transpired later, Sapper Moon; two scouts were sent ahead to the next cross roads. As they arrived a Boche soldier cycled across complete with rifle. On being dragged from his bicycle he protested volubly and we made the mistake of silencing him with a Sten gun instead of a knife.

"The town (Troarn) was now getting roused so we lost no time and everyone jumped aboard while I tried to make the best speed possible. As the total load was about 3,000 lbs we only made about 35mph. At the corner (of the town) the fun started, as there seemed to be a Boche in every doorway shooting like mad. However, the boys got to work with their Sten guns and Sapper Peachey did very good work as rear gunner with the Bren gun. What saved the day was the steep hill down the main street. As the speed rose rapidly and we careered from side to side of the road, as the heavy trailer was swinging violently, we were chased out of the town by a German machine gun which fired tracer just over our heads.
 
"On arrival at the bridge which was not held, we found that Sapper Peachey and his Bren gun were missing. Thirty-nine General Wade charges were immediately placed across the centre span, a Cordtex (detonating cord) lead was connected up and the charges fired. The demolition was completely successful - the whole centre span being completely demolished giving a gap of 15 to 20ft. The time taken was about five minutes.

"I decided Troarn would not be a healthy spot to return to, so we drove the jeep up a track due north towards Bures as far as possible and then ditched it. It was now 0500 hrs. Lieutenant Breese made a reconnaissance of Bures which led him to believe it was occupied. The party therefore swam several streams south of Bures and took to the woods. A good deal of machine gun fire from a road junction ahead made me alter my plan and I decided to make for Le Mesnil which was reached at 1300 hrs." Major Tim Roseveare RE

The whole of the 6th Airborne Division’s performance in Normandy was replete with such valor. The Red Devils were teaching the German forces what a perfect Airborne operation looked like.