World War II on the Western Front (2025)

Overview

World War II on the Western Front is a game of the lightening fast Blitzkrieg that shattered France in 1940, to the massive Allied push from the beaches of Normandy in 1944, the Western Front was a battlefield of strategy, sacrifice, and high stakes.

Take command of German or Allied forces in this dynamic, turn based strategy game where every choice influences the outcome of the war. Can Germany shatter the Allies in France and threaten the United Kingdom itself in 1940? In 1944, will the Allies break out from the beaches and start their relentless drive across France and into the German heartland? High stakes require bold decisions!

Outwit your enemies, manage your resources, and rewrite the story of the West in the ultimate World War II showdown!

—description from the publisher

This game comes with its own rules & game mechanics, map, and components, but consider this to be an unofficial expansion to Axis & Allies. It includes rules for terrain, such as forests, mountains, rivers, and beaches. Game mechanics allow for rapid exploitation and reinforcement. The optional event cards included add unpredicatble events, such as storms, civil unrest, and political interference.

Two scenarios are included in the game:

The Battle of France, May 10th, 1940. The Germans are about to launch their long awaited invasion of France and the Low Countries. The French, British and Belgian armies are positioned north of an expected German attack, but the Germans have their forces ready to smash through the Ardennes forest. As the Allied player, you will need to quickly reposition your forces to blunt the German attacks, and maybe even push them back to Germany. As the German player, you have the initial advantage of the Allies being in the wrong place, but you will need to be fast to reach Paris before the Allies regroup.

D-Day to the Rhine, June 6th, 1944. The Allies land in France. Will the Germans contain the Allied breakout, or are the Germans better to defend behind the Siegfried Line? As the Allies, you will enjoy numerical superiority in planes, tanks, and men. But as you drive deeper into France and then into Germany, you will find that keeping your armies supplied is a real challenge. The German player will need to either contain the Allies, or at least slow the Allied breakout and advance to keep them out of Germany. Taking advantage of the long Allied supply lines and bad weather will be crucial ...

What is included? The components found in the base set are: - 1 18x27 mounted folding game map - 1 41 page fully illustrated colour rulebook with index - 1 double sided battleboard for land and sea combat - 4 double sided set-up charts & player’s aid - 30 event cards for The Battle of France - 30 event cards for D-Day to the Rhine - 3 Off Board Cards

In the deluxe set, the following is also included: -Control markers for France, Germany, UK, and US - Fortress tokens - Beachhead markers - Supply tokens - Strategic Damage markers - Entrenched markers - Mulberry Harbour token - Airfield tokens - Flooded markers - mine tokens - tokens for airborne, trucks, SS tanks, SS mechanized infantry, jets, and air transports - weather markers - 6 Dice - 3 storage bags

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/world-war-ii-on-the-western-front-deluxe-set

In addition the the components provided in this game, you will need to supply the following in order to play:

- Miniatures units for France, UK, US, and Germany - Coloured chips

These miniatures can be found in many popular WW2 games such as Axis & Allies. Specifically, Axis & Allies 1940: Europe