Return to World War II

Introduction

In 2025, I consumed much time on a return to wargames set in World War II (WW2).

This post is intended as an introduction to a series of posts on these activities.

In the Beginning …

Like most wargamers of my vintage (born in the early 1960’s), I was steeped in a culture for which WW2 was a benchmark; as a young child, Mum had been an evacuee from London; we regularly met her older cousin who had served with the Royal Engineers; films that centred on WW2 were frequently broadcast on the television (TV) - there was no streaming then; there were only 3 channels on the TV. One of our teachers had spent some of the war as a prisoner of the Japanese; and there was a plethora of WW2 models from Airfix and other manufacturers.

Models were traded in the school playground; books, rules and magazines abound (there was no internet). The product of authors such as Donald Featherstone and Bruce Quarrie (to name only 2) adorned the shelves of many a teenager. 

At various times, WW2 wargames were played in the loft or on a large piece of plywood board above my bed, hinged from the wall.

… Circa Fifty Years Later

Through one of our daughters, I met Alex during the Covid19 pandemic. Alex was (and still is) a very keen board-gamer with an impressive collection and sharp brain. More recently, he acquired and enjoyed WW2 board-games such as Undaunted and Memoir ’44. Knowing that I had an interest in historical tabletop wargames, Alex advised that he’d like to wargame WW2; oh dear …