Sunday, 7 June 2026

Carronade Show with Omaha 2026

 Well the first thing to say is it was a great day out in a new location with lots of space.

We attended the Carronade Wargame Show with our "revised" Omaha Beach D Day Game on the 6th June 2026.  The date also suited the Dumfries Wargaming club they had a fantastic St. Mere Eglise game. The guys at the Falkirk club were great hosts.

So the second thing to mention is we won. We won the shield for the Demonstration Game 2026. Which was great - 1st place (in a tight field).

The game was a massive 12 foot x 12 foot table (with a walk in section for access). It was huge -our largest. There were well over 1,200 28mm figures on the table. It was a logistical nightmare... assembling, painting boxing -up, transporting then unpacking. But we made it happen. 

A special thanks to our support troops (Joe, Gavin and Roberta) and also to everyone who came up and had a chat.

Omaha Beach - west side - Draw 1 (Verville) and Draw 3 (Les Moulins).

US side -  29th Infantry Division (with a small section of 1st Inf ) 2nd and 5th Rangers

German Defenders - 352nd Infantry Division  

  

Carronade



So here is how the game went.

GAME REPORT

So we start with the second waves approaching the beach.  D-1 (WN72) gap in at the bottom right of the picture.

We used 2 (6x4ft) sea mats and 2 (6x4) beach mats with the hillside made from blue extruded foam board. The beach mats were not wide enough for us so we also used sand boards (plywood covered sand) to extend the beach.

Apologies for the amount of pictures ...but it was the longest day. CARRONADE 2026


Obstacles were barbed wire strips, czech hedgehogs, log ramps, log posts and Belgium gates (Element C).   
Omaha

Omaha

We had engineers blowing up gates in the sea.



Getting to the beach was hard - you had to manoeuvre and wait... under fire.  



As it was second wave we could use the larger Landing Crafts

And the swimming tanks DD Sherman tanks. One has a collapsed cape in this photo.




  The larger Landing Craft we scratch built.

But when you land this much from one LC - it can have a big impact. 

Below:US Navy guy seen giving orders.  This lot landed at Les Moulins Side.


The other side (Verville) had lots of Shermans but held up by obstacles...
Until the bagalore team showed up.
The Sherman bulldozer ploughed through the obstacles.






 
                                       This is a good overhead shot of the table

A Bulldozer arrived and helped to make some headway through the obstacles.. I was able to clear 3 sections with this one unit.


Then it was charge!

Below: Sherman took a hit from WN 72 bunker...



Nearer to the middle the 29th were just taking shots at the German 352nd ...I kept the US 29th behind the wall (hard cover) until the MG42 tobruks on the cliff  were silenced.


Below: the Vierville side from the German perspective.


As I pushed through to D1 with the armour another Sherman tank took a hit from WN 72 (at almost point blank range). All of the tanks and LC's are numbered for Omaha.



Casualties were mounting at both draws.
















More LC's get in.


The German 50mm in the open casement in front of Les Moulins is overrun along with the MG34 tobruk.


Below: This guy takes a breath and goes to work with a bangalore.



A lot of stuff landing at Les Moulins...view from the house.

Lets Go! Over the wall in numbers.






The house is in US hands.


At D1 draw the picture is starting to look similar.


But theres still one German gun firing at Les Moulins...


Below: Engineers strap up the submerged Belgian Gate with TNT.

Below: Another Belgian Gate on the beach is blown away!
Still taking hits on the shore

Below: A small group of the 352nd block the Les Moulins draw


err...did somebody bring a rope with a grappling hook...


"I did...no problem we will be up here in a flash..."

Danger pops up everywhere..

But it is dealt with...its not so much good dice rolling -its just lots the US dice to roll!




Below: A signalman tells the destroyers which targets to hit... 




Bangalores take out more seawall


On the beach more arrive

Below: A signalman in the water guiding in those Landing Craft - using flags.

Engineers remove the last of the obstacles






At Moulins, on their left the  29ers are on the bluffs looking to take out that last gun.




err did anyone bring the panzerfaust....!  I thought you had it! Ohhh No.

I gave it to you!

Below: the 29's locate the last gun

The Germans are flanked.


A Captain gives the command and a grenade is thrown into the gun below ...Kaptut!


Below: In the centre it is all go - take out the HMG and up on onto the top



Below: Then the bunker with TNT

The German does not see what he is up against...behind him the numbers gather and a flamethrower. 


The German try to fall back using the trenches.

Its over

Some pockets of small resistance still continue the defence. But its the weight of numbers.


More guys arrive on shoreline to lighter fire.

 
More and more and more...


The anti tank wall is breached and Sherman Tanks roll up D1 at Vierville

Winners!