D-Day (1961)

D-DAY portrays the Allied landings in France and the resulting drive to the Rhine. Play takes the form of 50 game turns, each representing one week of real time, during which the Allies must establish a beachhead, breakout, organize a Patton-like dash across France, and sustain 10 divisions across the Rhine in the face of heavy German opposition.

This was the first wargame to feature a hexagonal grid.

Re-implemented by:

• D-Day

From The Avalon Hill Company History, 1980

D-Day (1961) Revised 1965, Revised 1977
Designed by Charles Roberts
1965 Design by Larry Pinsky
1977 Design by James Stahler
1977 Development by Richard Hamblen and Don Greenwood

The mapboard and rules were revised in 1965 by Larry Pinsky and the rules were again revised in 1977 by Jim Stahler. The box and counters have remained constant. D-DAY was the first of the "classic" games which remains popular in postal circles to this day (1980), although the 1977 edition rules are a vast improvement and have breathed life into a game which was previously fast becoming forgotten.

The image illustrated is not the cover of the first edition; this featured a drawing of several officers gathered around a map table.

Magazine References:

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.1
  • D-Day – “Plan Red--from Purdue U.” (Strategy) Carl F. Knabe II
  • D-Day – “Plan Red-Face--from Holloman Air Base” (Strategy)
  • D-Day – “D-DAY--Chicago Style” (Strategy) Robert Olson
  • The Question Corner - D-Day
• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.2
  • D-Day – “Plan Red-Phooey” (Strategy) V. P. Philips
  • D-Day – “Credits and Debits on Plan Red.” (Strategy) Carl F. Knabe II
• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.3
  • D-Day – “Cracking the "Unstoppable D-DAY Defense"” (Strategy) Victor Madeja
  • The Question Box - D-Day, Chancellorsville, Tactics II, Dispatcher, Stalingrad
• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.4
  • The Question Corner - Afrika Korps, Tactics II, U-Boat, Stalingrad, D-Day
• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.5
  • Midway, D-Day, Tactics II, Stalingrad – “Midway, D-Day, Tactics II, Stalingrad Re-worked” (Variant Discussion) Victor Madeja
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.1
  • The Question Box - Afrika Korps, Midway, Battle of the Bulge, D-Day, Gettysburg
  • Play-by-Mail Grid-Coordinates - D-Day, Stalingrad, Waterloo
  • D-Day – “German Tactics for D-DAY” (Strategy) Ken Hoffman
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.2
  • D-Day – “New D-Day '65 - Hot off the Press” (Commentary)
  • D-Day – “D-Day Used in Medical Research” (Commentary) Capt. Charles Wickstrom
  • D-Day – “Another Look at D-Day” (Discussion) Laurence Plumb
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.3
  • D-Day – “D-Day '65 Re-visited” (Discussion) Laurence Plumb
  • D-Day – “Operation Robert - D-Day” (Strategy)
  • D-Day – “New D-Day '65 Invasion Diagram in Error” (Discussion)
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.4
  • D-Day – “Defensive Reserves” (Strategy) George Phelps
  • D-Day – “Tactics & Strategy Part 3” (Strategy) David Whiskeyman
  • D-Day – “Stop the Allies on the Beaches” (Strategy) Don Drewek
  • D-Day – “You Can Defend All Areas” (Strategy) Brenton Ver Ploeg
• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.1
  • D-Day – “D-Day: the Left Hook” (Strategy) Barry K. Branch
  • D-Day – “The D-Day That Was” (Historical) Ralph Fellows
• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.2
  • D-Day – “Bombing in D-Day” (Strategy) James Hales
• The GENERAL Vol.12,No.2
  • Question Box – D-Day

Panzerfaust Article List:

• Number 52 Mar-Apr '72-

A Second Look at D-Day '65 by Chuck Lane

• Number 56 Nov-Dec '72
  • D-Day - "The Battles for France" (Variant), Ty Bomba
• Number 62
  • D-Day - "Realistic D-Day" (Variant), Carl Bennett