3D- Day!!

Operation Overlord

 Commemorating a “3D-Day”

This coming June 6^th, 2019 will mark the 75^th anniversary of the Allied invasion on North West Europe; the landing of American, British and Canadian forces on the beaches of Normandy and the airborne landings that immediately preceded them.

There are multiple scenarios for replicating these battles in existing Bolt Action books as well a new release of a specific D-Day-Overlord campaign book

Bolt Action Campaign: D-Day: Overlord

For those of us seeking to 3d print a table top force for fighting this, likely the best-known campaign of world war two, we have no shortage of material to work from. Let’s look at what’s out there, 3d model wise, to build both forces as well as scenarios and battlefield terrain.

The Wehrmacht

For those who play Germans in 28mm gaming, this is your high-water mark. You have everything from captured French Renaults to King Tigers to put on the table.

Here are just a few of historically correct .stls that are available. Most of these are already in 28mm scale, but some – such as Tiger Ace’s – are in 1/100. Check the scale and upsize in your slicer as required. There isn’t a faxed ratio; check the hull length and width and go to tank encyclopedia or another site and do the math – ( Length or width divided by 56 = length or width to entire into your slicer; resize all parts at the percentage indicated).

The British and Canadian

The commonwealth forces were equipped with mostly American tanks – Shermans and Stuarts – but still had British armour with them; the Churchills and their many variants, the ubiquitous universal carrier, and the Canadian RAM, which never saw action in its original form but was converted into a fully tracked APC.

The airborne units employed tetrarch tanks, special converted jeeps, among other bits of kit.

The Americans

By 1944 the American economic engine was running at full speed, and the U.S. was not only supplying the millions of American troops fighting across the globe but also supplying its Western allies with equipment but also providing vast quantities to the Soviet Union under Lend Lease. Vast numbers of tanks, trucks, jeeps and half tracks rolled into France and towards the heart of the Reich.

Where to look for the appropriate files?

First, make sure what you are looking for is appropriate for the summer of ’44. Development of new weapons was quite rapid, so something really appealing – say, an M26 Pershing or a M24 Chaffee, was not in Europe until the following winter. While we are used to seeing the German Uber-tanks – King Tigers and awesome Panthers – on a lot of game tables, the Germans in the Normandy sector also employed, due to equipment shortages – a lot of dated captured equipment, such as R35 and H35 French tanks, re-purposed Universal carriers they had captured in 1940, among other items. They even used Renault FTs in fighting around Paris in August 1944.

A great catch all, particularly for smaller scale and SLA prints, is the Bergman 1-100^th pack

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3553160

British/Canadian

Sherman tanks – check the file scale and upsize accordingly.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2926163

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2318834

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:178292

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2612054

Tank Destroyers

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2476519

Churchill Tank

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/churchill-tank-4-versions-28mm/

Universal Carrier

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/british-universal-carrier-28mm/

25 pounder field gun

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/british-25-pounder-field-gun/

Tetrarch Tank

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3415578

Armoured Bulldozer

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/d-8-armoured-bulldozer/

Airborne Jeep

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/british-airborne-jeep/

C-8 truck (cut down for glider landing)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2844126

Eureka Landing Beacon

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2990866

17 pounder ATG

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/17-pounder-atg/

Field Artillery Tractor (F.A.T.)

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/f-a-t-field-artillery-tractor/

RAM Kangaroo APC

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/canadian-ram-kangaroo-apc/

CMP F-60 Truck

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/marmon-herrington-armoured-car-mark-ii-28mm/

American

A great package of files, at 1/100^th scale, is available from Manifold Destiny

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1037138

Higgins boat

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3499664

Sherman tanks (check scales, some are 1/100^th and would require upsizing)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2926163

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2318834

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:178292

Tank Destroyers

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2476519

M5 Half track

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/m5-half-track-28mm/

M16 / M17 motor gun carriage

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/m16-m17-motor-gun-carriage/

Armoured Bulldozer

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/d-8-armoured-bulldozer/

M 8 Greyhound

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3239043

 

German

Pak 40

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2624377

Pak 97/38

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/german-pak-97-38-atg/

Raketenwerfer 43 (puppchen)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3026084

88mm Flak 36

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3001442

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/flak-36-88mm-28mm/

Nebelwefer

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/nebelwerfer-model-41-15-cm-42-21-cm-in-28mm/

Opel Mule half track

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/german-opel-maultier-mule-half-track/

Citroen 11 CV staff car

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/citroen-11-cv-civilian-car-28mm/

Kubelwagen

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2737010

Panzer Mark IV

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2090672

Panzer Mark V

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2839014

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3042963

Panzer Mark VI  -Tiger

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2060989

Hanomag half tracks

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2927447

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3229638

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2815960

Renault UE (captured) and variants

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/french-renault-ue-carrier/

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/renault-ue-chenilette-with-wurfrahmen-40-rockets-28mm/

Stug Assault Guns

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2611947

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1817251

German Artillery (includes many files)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2163838

Terrain

(always check the size of item in your slicer; some have their scale clearly posted but others do not post the original design scale; to see if the scale works; up or downsize proportionately as needed!)

Czech Hedgehogs (tank stops)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1007119

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3590368

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2498348

Bunker, emplacements

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2412327

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2100028

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3640845

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3460047

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2636965

Barbed Wired supports

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2915335

Hedgerows

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2746672

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:566764

Normandy bungalow

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3391737

Normandy house

www.thingiverse.com/thing:3239789

stone fence

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/stone-fence-system/

village shop

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/stone-fence-system/

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There are many other files out there, but this gives you an overview and a starting point. as always, consider if the file is designed for your printer- e.g. SLA printers can do one piece prints well, FDM printers do better with files that are in multiple parts that are flat to the build plate.

I hope this helps inspire both your printing and gaming interest. Why not dust off the Band of Brothers DVD and pop it into the DVD player and get printing, painting and playing?