For anyone who’s ever seen photos of the D-Day invasion, one vehicle is notably absent from nearly all of them: tanks.
Very few tanks landed on the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944, but that was not because of a decision to hold them back. In reality, dozens of tanks planned to make opposed landings on the beaches, but were met with tragic consequences” some 29 American “Donald Duck” amphibious tanks attempted to land at Omaha Beach, but 27 were lost to rough seas.
Now, beloved online multiplayer game “World of Tanks” has a new, D-Day-inspired campaign running through July 4 that throws players into an alternate history of Operation Overlord. The game doesn’t say you’re one of the 27 tanks lost in the real invasion, but it feels that way as you land at a heavily contested, heavily mined Omaha Beach under fire for the first chapter of the campaign.
(Spoiler: Coastal bunkers take out your commander right as you land, and you are left with a few other tanks, avoiding fire, staying out of the minefields and trying to knock out bunkers. Luckily for you, the Navy comes to help and your force fights its way up the cliffs and beyond.)
Coastal bunkers and German panzers attack as you make your way inland. The artificial intelligence controlling your allies is sometimes overly aggressive, so prioritize cover and concealment over sticking with your fellow tankers.
British Spitfires step in to help the tanks call for fire, a tip of the hat to the real history of the battle where real Allies figured out how to help each other clear German defenses. “World of Tanks” promises more combined arms moments in future chapters. These naval and air forces use AI to guide their moves, and they perform well in the first chapter.
Two planned chapters, slated for June 13, will follow this D-Day offering, and all three draw inspiration from Operation Overlord. This history in-game is quite loose, featuring tanks much more heavily than the real fighting. It makes for very exciting games, and “World of Tanks’” dynamic fighting and incorporation of weak spots give a good primer on how armored battles really worked in World War II.
On that note, it’s worth doing the overall game tutorial and the tutorial for the Operation Overlord story to see how to protect your weak points and exploit those of others.
For the most part, the breaks from history shouldn’t bother most players, though we feel the need to point out that the crew of the USS Frankford providing you support in this first chapter was much more brave and daring in real life than in the game.
The USS Frankford and other Navy ships provide serious fire support from afar to the player, but you still have to get in knife fights with the other tanks to win.
Wargaming.net, the developer and publisher of “World of Tanks,” is also offering a number of live streams and other events to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and these are expected to hew closely to the real history of the day.
So fight back the seasickness, climb into 63,000 pounds of steel and propel yourself across French sands, cliffs and farms. It’s 700 miles from Normandy to Berlin, and everybody wants the war over by Christmas.
Keep Up With the Best in Military Entertainment
Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, thinking of joining the military or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter to have military news, updates and resources delivered straight to your inbox.
