includes one Unit Leader M1 Garand Rifle team , five M1 Bazooka Teams, two M1919 LMG Teams, one 60mm Mortar Teams, five M1 Garand Rifle Team, five M3 Halftracks, one decal sheet, and four Unit cards.

Mounted up in M3 Half-tracks, these troops are highly mobile and well armed. The 'armored doughs' are well supported by the division's tanks and tank-destroyers, making them an unstoppable force in the field.

includes Three Unit Leader M1 Garand Rifle Teams, two Formation Command SMG Teams, four M1 Bazooka Teams, One m1917 HMG team, four M1919 LMG Teams, two 60mm Mortar Teams one 81mm Mortar Team, eleven M1 Garand Rifle Teams, two Flame-thrower teams and nine Unit cards.

Due to the limited load capacity of the landing craft, every man is critical and the company's heavy weapons were distributed across several craft to minimise losses .

By September 1944 and the Allies have stormed across France. Patton’s Third Army was poised to strike into Germany itself, with the 4th Armored Division in the lead. Hitler’s new Panzer Brigades were diverted to meet the Americans in the Lorraine.

By early December 1944 it seemed unlikely that the Germans would attack. On 16 December that illusion was shattered when the might of German Sixth Panzer Army smashed into the thinly-held US lines in the Ardennes forests. In the central sector, the Germans approached the town of Bastogne on 19 December, defended by the veteran 101st Airborne Division. What followed was an epic seven-day struggle. On 26 December the siege was broken by the arrival of the 4th Armored Division.

After the Ardennes, the US Army turned its attention to crossing the Rhine into the German heartland. Leading the march of the US First Army is the 9th Armored Division and in early March 1945 they cross Remagen’s Ludendorff Bridge across the Rhine.

Background on the US Army during liberation of France, the Battle of the Bulge, and the battle for Germany.

Inside Bulge: American Forces on the Western Front, 1944-45 you will find: Background on the US Army during liberation of France, the Battle of the Bulge, and the battle for Germany.

Instructions on how to build:
* Veteran M4 Sherman (Late) Tank Company with options for new variants of the M4 Sherman, like the M4 Sherman (late 75mm) with improved armour and mobility, the M4 Sherman (late 76mm) also with improved mobility, and the M4 Jumbo assault tank with heavy front and side armour so they can lead the way. The M4 Easy Eight has a 76mm gun and improved suspension for even better mobility and improved stabiliser benefits. You can also tank the mighty M26 Pershing heavy tank with its 90mm gun and thick armour, or an experimental T26 Super Pershing with its extra long 90mm gun and even more armour.
* Veteran M24 Chaffee Tank Company: these well motivated and trained light tankers benefit from the new M24 Chaffee light tanks. This new tank is just as fast as the Stuart, but benefits from a 75mm gun, just like the M4 Sherman. These can be backed up by M8 Scott assault gun for indirect fire support.
* M4 Sherman (Late) Tank Company represents the fresh troops just arriving in Europe and are equipped with the same selections of M4 Sherman tanks as the Veterans. They can also call on their own artillery in the form of the M4 Sherman (Calliope) tank platoon fitted with salvo rocket launchers, or the M4 Sherman (late 105mm) assault gun armed with a 105mm gun.
* M24 Chaffee Tank Company also represents fresh troop who have been issued with new M24 Chaffee light tanks.
* Battle Weary Armoured Rifle Company: Some troops have been fighting nonstop since Normandy, and though they vastly experienced they are less inclined to do anything rash in battle.
* Battle Weary Rifle Company: The riflemen of the infantry divisions in particular have had a hard slog from Normandy to the German border. However, their experience makes them excellent fighters, especially in defence.
* Bastogne Parachute Rifle Company: The toughest troops in the book are the parachute riflemen. These battered bastards of Bastogne will hold out at all cost, mounting savage counter-attacks when required. They are supported directly by their own artillery, anti-tank and recon.
* Bastogne Glider Rifle Company: By late 1944 the green glider troops of Normandy have become veteran fighters, almost equal to their parachute brothers in their skill and determination.
* M18 Tank Destroyer Company sees the arrival of the M18 Hellcat tank-destroyer, a fast and mobile anti-tank vehicle armed with the excellent 76mm gun.
* M36 Tank Destroyer Company: These veteran troops can either be armed with the tried and trusted M10 tank-destroyer, or the new up-armed M36 tank-destroyer with the excellent 90mm anti-tank gun.
* All these formations are well-supported with artillery, anti-tank, anti-aircraft, aircraft and reconnaissance. Among these you will find the new M5 Stuart Cavalry Recon Patrol, armed with fast and well-armed Stuart tanks instead of M8 Greyhound armoured cars, and T27 Xylophone multiple rocket launchers to saturate the battlefield with high-explosive rockets.

You will also find Painting and Basing guides as well as three new Bulge themed Missions.

And optional Fog and Winter Weather rules to add the effects of adverse weather conditions to your games.

100p

D-Day: American is a 120pg Hardback Book that contains Forces for Parachute Rifle Company, Glider Rifle Company, Ranger Company, Assault Company, Rifle Company, Veteran Assault Company, Veteran Rifle Company, M4 Sherman Tank Company, M5 Stuart Tank Company, Armored Rifle Company, Veteran M4 Sherman Tank Company, Veteran M5 Stuart Tank Company, Veteran Armored Rifle Company, and M10 Tank Destroyer Company.

The D-Day landings were the biggest undertaking of the US Army to that point in the war. The US Army was huge, but most of its divisions were totally inexperienced. Only a handful of divisions had taken part in the fighting in North Africa, and most of those were still engaged in Italy. To offset this inexperience, they had raised elite assault troops, such as paratroopers and rangers, reorganised their regular troops for assault landings, and brought experienced veteran divisions back from the Mediterranean. This gives an American commander a wide choice of forces, even though their equipment was standardised to maximise the benefits of Americsn-style mass production. Do you want to field fresh, eager troops, available in significant numbers, or do you want to field the less common desert veterans. Are you content with regular army troops, or do you want a small, elite strike force?

What's In The Book?

Parachute Rifle Company
* Hard-as-nails volunteers. Fearless and trained exceptionally hard, so ready for anything.
* Ready for anything. Platoons include riflemen, light machine-guns, mortars, and bazookas.
* Platoons can be further reinforced with extra bazookas and light machine-guns.
* Light infantry, so few integrated weapons. Just mortars, pack howitzers, anti-tank guns, and recon jeeps.
* Can parachute into battle in airborne assault missions.
* Regular army troops can provide tanks and heavier fire support.
* Tanks, who needs tanks? I’ll just rip it apart with my bare hands!

Glider Rifle Company
* Large rifle platoons reinforced with light machine-guns, mortars, and bazookas.
* Platoons can be further reinforced with extra bazookas and mortars for more firepower.
* Small, hard-hitting formation with just two rifle platoons, heavy machine-guns, mortars, anti-tank guns, and pack howitzers.
* Can land by glider in airborne assault missions.
* Take the objective, then hold it with massed firepower.
* Easy to convert from Rifle Company in Fortress Europe.

Ranger Company
* Deadly assault troops who rally and hit in assaults on 2+!
* Small, elite platoons with flexible organisation including mortars and bazookas if needed.
* Compact company of two range platoons makes it easy to scale. Take as many or few companies as you need.
* Scale impassable cliffs with ease.
* Lead the way in assaults.
* Easy to convert from Rifle Company in Fortress Europe.

Assault Company & Veteran Assault Company
* Rifle company reorganised to spread the risk for assault landings.
* Up to six small platoons with plenty of weaponry: rifles, bazookas, mortars, and flame-throwers.
* Either normal support platoons or integrated platoons with both a heavy machine-gun and a mortar, escorted by riflemen.
* Swarm the enemy, pushing through any weak spots found.
* Field as desert veterans – better tactics, less gung ho.
* Easy to convert from Rifle Company in Fortress Europe.

Rifle Company & Veteran Rifle Company
* Cost-effective infantry with large, cheap platoons that can withstand a lot of enemy fire.
* Platoons can be further reinforced with extra bazookas and light and heavy machine-guns for more firepower.
* Formation has integrated heavy machine-guns, mortars, anti-tank guns, and artillery.
* New 57mm anti-tank guns and 105mm light howitzers.
* American riflemen manoeuvre quickly at dash speed.
* Field as desert veterans – better tactics, less gung ho.
* Fire and manoeuvre. Lots of artillery and firepower to support rapid assaults.
* Easy to convert from Rifle Company in Fortress Europe.

M4 Sherman Tank Company & Veteran Sherman Tank Company
* Cost-effective medium tanks with integrated support.
* Stabilisers for greater volume of fire on the move.
* Up-gun an M4 Sherman platoon to 76mm guns for more anti-tank punch.
* Heavy fire support from M4 Shermans armed with 105mm howitzers and half-track mounted 81mm mortars.
* Flexibility. Can swap out a platoon of M4 Shermans medium tanks for a platoon of M5 Stuart light tanks.
* Field as desert veterans – better tactics, less gung ho.
* Grab their nose, manoeuvre to the flank, kick them in the butt.
* Easy to convert from M4 Sherman Tank Company in Fortress Europe.

TM5 Stuart Tank Company & Veteran M5 Stuart Tank Company
* New upgraded M5 Stuart light tank.
* Exceptionally fast, ideal for flanking manoeuvres.
* Cheap light tanks with light and fast M8 Scott or heavy M4 Sherman assault guns as artillery support.
* Flexibility. Can swap out a platoon of M5 Stuart light tanks for a platoon of M4 Shermans medium tanks.
* Field as desert veterans – better tactics, less gung ho.
* Speed around the enemy flank to seize the objective before they can react..
* Easy to convert from M5 Stuart Tank Company in Fortress Europe.

Armoured Rifle Company & Veteran Armoured Rifle Company
* Armoured M3 half-tracks for battlefield mobility, even under fire.
* A weapon for every occasion.
* Platoons have riflemen, light machine-guns, mortars, bazookas, and half-track-mounted machine-guns.
* Formation has integrated heavy machine-guns, mortars, anti-tank guns, and self-propelled artillery.
* New 57mm anti-tank guns and M8 Scott light assault guns.
* Massed firepower overwhelms the enemy when attacking and shoots down any attack.
* Field as desert veterans – better tactics, less gung ho.
* Large, resilient platoons withstand a lot of enemy fire.
* Easy to convert from Rifle Company in Fortress Europe.

M10 Tank Destroyer Company
* Massed self-propelled anti-tank guns, with up to 12 in a company.
* Up to three security sections for perfect initial deployment, spearheading into No Man’s Land to flank enemy tank attacks.
* New M20 scout car in HQ and security sections. Fast and well-armoured.
* Use Seek, Strike, and Destroy doctrine to blitz into position and then scoot back out of sight after shooting up the enemy.
* As mobile as a medium tank, and almost as well armoured, but fewer machine-guns and no top armour, so stay away from enemy infantry.
* Easy to convert from M10 Tank Destroyer Company in Fortress Europe.

Support
* New M8 Greyhound armoured car mounting 37mm gun operates with machine-gun and mortar armed jeeps as well-armed cavalry recon.
* New 3-inch towed tank destroyer for solid anti-tank firepower.
* New L4 Grasshopper air observation post makes sure that your artillery are always on target.
* New M12 155mm self-propelled gun for heavy artillery support and bunker busting.
* Three batteries of towed 105mm or self-propelled M7 Priest or M12 155mm artillery give American forces powerful artillery support on top of the integrated artillery in formations.
* Time on Target rule allows supporting artillery to make enemy infantry and guns re-roll successful saves for extra deadliness.
* New P47 Thunderbolt fighters armed with eight machine-guns, bombs, and HVAR rockets have the right weapon for any target.
* New M15 and M16 self-propelled AA guns. Mix of 37mm guns for punch and quad .50 cals for volume of fire.

How Do The Americans Play?
The Americans have three basic varieties of troops in D-Day: American. You can field elite paratroopers and rangers, regular troops fresh into battle, or experienced veterans. Each of these has a different play style.

The elite paratroopers of the parachute rifle company are a new experience for American players. They are some of the best infantry in the game, being rated as Fearless, Veteran, and Careful. On their own, they need to be aggressive as they don’t have the long-range firepower to stop the enemy from sitting back and picking them off, but used this way they can be hard to stop. Given tank-destroyer and artillery backup, they also make excellent defensive troops, so you can swing either way.

The other elite option, the rangers, are more assault oriented, being Aggressive, so easier to hit, and rallying and hitting in assaults on 2+. If you sit around, you’ll get shot to pieces, but if you go for it, the rangers are hard to stop without killing every last one of them!

The regular troops are well trained and eager for battle, although still lacking in actual combat experience to polish off the rough edges and teach them the difference between training and life-or-death battle. Most are rated as Confident, Trained, and Aggressive. Their eagerness shows in their ‘Blood and Guts’ approach to warfare which gives their tanks a better Last Stand rating and their infantry a better Rally rating. Once again, they usually need to take a fairly aggressive stance to prevent more skilful enemies massing firepower against them, although rifle companies can often mass enough firepower of their own to turn the tables.

The veteran formations have learned what works and what doesn’t, so are rated as Careful, making them harder to hit, and have ‘Yankee Ingenuity’ pushing their tactics up to 3+. Of course, they’re no longer so ‘Blood and Gusts’ as the green guys. Their skill allows them to match the best, but they are more expensive in points, so your force is smaller, so tactics need to be more cautious.

The American strategy can be summarized in the phrase mobile tactics. They win by using their mobility, their ability to fire on the move, and their numbers to outflank their opponents and keep them off balance, while applying massed firepower to overwhelm any opposition.

Normandy Campaign Missions
D-Day: American includes three new missions and a linked campaign. The first mission is Shot in the Dark, an airborne assault gone wrong with the attackers scattered across the board (and possibly off it) while the defenders attempt to organise a defence in the dark before the attackers reform and overwhelm them. It uses simple rules to reflect the chaos and uncertainty of airborne assaults.

The second mission is Help Is On Its Way, a refight of the Rangers’ battle at Pointe du Hoc. This mission uses the amphibious assault rules to bring the attacking forces ashore. A shortage of landing craft forces the attackers to land in multiple waves, which tanks to the attacker’s Overwhelming Force rule may include units from previous waves that have already been destroyed. The defenders have bunkers, nests, minefields, and barbed wire to delay the attack, while both sides hope desperately for assistance from a rescue force coming from inland.

The third mission is FUBAR (an acronym for Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition) which allows you to refight the bloody battles on Omaha Beach. This uses the same amphibious assault rules, but is a much more straightforward frontal assault into heavy defences with victory being determined by how fast, or even if, the American player can capture their objectives.

These three missions are linked together with two standard missions from the rulebook in a simple campaign where the outcome of one battle has an effect on the next. If the American player can make their final breakthrough in the fifth mission, they win the campaign.

Who Are The Warriors
The D-Day: American book has four warriors: Norman ‘Dutch’ Cota, Lafayette Poole, James Earl Rudder, Turner Turnbull.

Norman ‘Dutch’ Cota, famous for leading his troops off Omaha Beach, showing them how an assault should be done, allows infantry under his command to attempt to charge again if they are driven back by defensive fire.

Lafayette Poole, America’s most successful tank ace, is ideal for leading your tanks’ advance. His men will follow him as he dashes forward, then when he gets close, his accuracy while firing on the move us unparalleled.

Turner Turnbull’s paratroopers refused to give up ground, no matter how many times the Germans attacked. His platoon’s defensive fire is virtually impenetrable.

James Earl Rudder led the rangers at Pointe du Hoc, steadfastly counterattacking any German penetrations into the rangers’ defensive positions.

Command Cards
The command cards introduce a new concept, title cards. These cards have the title of a division and a special rule giving the division’s flavour. The key is that you can only have one title in your force.

Title command cards for D-Day: American give you the option to field twelve new infantry divisions in addition to the two in the book. These allow you to customise your rifle company force to fight in many different ways. Some divisions give you new equipment, such as SMG-armed assault groups or M7 Priest assault guns as far of the formation. Others give your troops new abilities like attacking at night, riding tanks, navigating reserves to where they are needed, and improved artillery support. Most of the title cards give your division a different focus, trading out the ‘Blood and Guts’ rally bonus of the ‘yankee Ingenuity’ tactics bonus for other advantages.

Your tankers and armoured infantry aren’t left out, gaining the option to be the Free French ‘Division leClerc’, determined to liberate France or die trying. If they want to stay good ol’ boys from the US of A, they get lots of interesting equipment for their Sherman tanks: DD amphibious gear, Cullins hedgerow cutters, tank telephones, and sandbag armour.

The Americans are known for their love of fire support, and the command cards don’t disappoint, giving naval gunfire support, heavy mortars, air superiority, and new weapons loads for your P47 Thunderbolts including napalm and really big bombs!

If all this firepower seems to blunt to you, you can get all sneaky with the French resistance. They can mess with your enemy’s reserves or fight alongside you on the battlefield! And, when everything else fails, there’s always luck, with the Lucky card giving you a re-roll at the critical moment.

includes one resin and metal L4 Grasshopper aircraft, one Plastic Flight Stand Sprue and one Unit card.

Each artillery battalion has a pair of Air Observation Post L4 Grasshopper aircraft. These planes report enemy troop locations and call in artillery strikes, making them the bane of German troops across Normandy and Brittany. The L4 Grasshopper is a reliable asset, always present in the skies when it's called upon, rain or shine, day or night. The pilot and observer take great risks, loitering over their target as they call in the artillery.

includes five plastic M24 Chaffee Tanks, one Decal Sheet and one Plastic Tank Commander Sprue.

The M24 Chaffee was developed to overcome the inadequacies of the M5A1 Stuart Light tank. These shortcomings included the poor performance of the M5A1 37mm gun. Troops had been complaining about the performance of the 37mm gun as early as 1942 during the campaign in North Africa.

By 1944, the US Army was fighting in Western Europe and was facing the cream of the German Panzer Divisions. What was required was a tank with a high degree of mobility and a gun powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with opposing armour.

The Chrysler Division of the General Motors Corporation was entrusted with the task of developing the new design. While Chrysler took care of the automotive package, the Rock Island Arsenal developed a short-recoil 75mm gun that utilised the same ammunition and enjoyed the same ballistic performance as the M3 75mm used in the M4 Sherman.

As dissatisfaction with the M5A1 became more widespread, demand for the M24 grew but, due to logistic problems, delivery of the first batch of M24s did not occur until December 1944. Upon arrival they were urgently thrown into action in an attempt to stem the German offensive in the Ardennes.

By the end of the war in Europe, the M24 made up 34 percent of light tanks deployed by the US Army. Performance in the field was much improved over that of the M5A1; this ensured that the Chaffee would continue serving with the US Army during the post-war years.

includes five plastic M3 Halftracks, four M3 Halftrack crew sprues, one decal sheet, and two Unit cards.

The M3 half-track is the essential US armoured transport, which has been in service since North Africa. These half-tracks come with their own firepower, but in classic American style, they have plenty of hard points to mount even more machine-guns when needed.

includes three M4 (81mm mortar) Self-propelled Mortar Carriers and two Unit cards.

Armoured mortars are ideal for supporting your troops. They can keep up with your half-tracks and don't need to dismount to fire an artillery bombardment. Keeping your troops well supported with artillery is key to success.

includes five plastic M4 Easy Eight Sherman Tanks, one Decal Sheet and one Plastic Tank Commander Sprue.

The M4A3E8, better known as the Easy Eight, marked the pinnacle in the Sherman design. Essentially the same as the M4A3 (76mm), the Easy Eight model introduced a new track and suspension system.

The Horizontal Volute Suspension System (or HVSS, for short) made it much easier to replace damaged road wheels and a new wide track was developed to improve the tank’s offroad performance. Together this gave the Sherman a much improved ride and far better flotation over soft ground.

To help counter the German weapons of the period, such as the simple-to-use hand-held Panzerfaust anti-tank launcher. To deal with these threats, US tankers made their own improvements to their Shermans, such as adding extra armour plating, sand-bag improvised armour, additional machine-guns, and taking aboard dedicated riflemen as tank escorts to keep the enemy at bay.

includes four plastic M4 Jumbo Tanks, one Decal Sheet and one Plastic Tank Commander Sprue.

Fears of having to breakthrough the German Siegfried Line led to the development of the M4A3E2 assault tank. The late M4A3 chassis was used with extra armour added all around. Its sheer bulk led to the nickname: Jumbo.

The obvious points to look for on the Jumbo are the thick frontal and side armour plates, making it substantially larger than a normal M4A3 Sherman.

The second is the Jumbo’s massive turret, built especially for the tank. The massive 7”/18cm thick mantlet is particularly characteristic of the Jumbo. One last thing to spot is the tank’s duckbill wide tracks, which had to be permanently installed to deal with the tank’s 42-ton weight!

The M4A3E2 Jumbo entered combat in late October 1944 after the battles in the Lorraine. The Jumbo’s first major actions were in the Ardennes.

A handful of M4A3E2 Jumbo’s were retro-fitted in the field with the M1 76mm gun taken from spare guns originally intended for a modification planned to fit them into 75mm gun turrets.

includes five plastic M4 Sherman (late) tanks, one Decal Sheet and one Plastic Tank Commander Sprue.

The M4A3 was developed as a replacement model for the M4 and M4A1. There are two major features that you can use to identify an M4A3 Sherman tank.

While the M4A3 improved the breed, some things still needed to be addressed. One of the critical flaws was the fact that the tank’s ammo tended to catch on fire with practically every hit. To fix this, designers added ‘wet’ stowage ammo racks. They also added another hatch on the top of the turret to help the crew get out faster.

The front end of the M4A3 also underwent some changes. The drivers’ hatches were made larger, prompting the front armour plate to be tilted at a steeper angle. Extra armour protection was also added. The M4A3 (late) model first saw action as replacement vehicles from September 1944 and served to the end of the war.

The M4A3 (76mm) married the new M4A3 hull with the 76mm gun, making for a fast, hard-hitting tank. This gave US tank crews a definite edge over German medium tanks, as well as giving Panther and Tiger crews something to truly fear.

Like the other late M4A3 models, the M4A3 (76mm) tank by its steep front armour plating and crew hatches. Of course the 76mm gun is another dead give-away, but once again the turret was redesigned and the loader’s hatch was made into a single-piece oval hatch. The M4A3 (76mm) came into service along side the M4A3 (late) models in September, 1944.

The 105mm assault gun variant was developed to lend serious firepower to the fight. Their role was to use their high-calibre shells to knock out enemy infantry and gun positions.

The assault gun was based on both the older M4 and the late M4A3 chassis and are similar to those models in appearance.