Their Finest Hour

About this board game

Their Finest Hour is a two-player game of up to six hours recreating the Battle of Britain and Operation Sea Lion during the summer and fall of 1940.

Following the defeat of France, Germany prepares for the invasion and conquest of Britain. The British defense depends on the Royal Navy and, especially, the Royal Air Force: if the Luftwaffe can drive the RAF from the skies over southern Britain, German armies may have a chance to cross the English Channel and engage Britain’s recovering ground forces.

Each player controls the air, naval, and ground forces committed to the invasion or defense of Britain. Air units represent groups of approximately 40 aircraft, while naval units represent destroyer flotillas and individual capital ships and cruisers. Ground forces are represented at divisional, brigade, regimental, and battalion scales.

The maps use a scale of 16 miles per hex and cover the entire British Isles, along with northern France and western Norway. The rules use the basic Europa game mechanics as a framework, with specialized rules detailing the historical military situation.

• Two 21 x 27 maps
• 1,200 die-cut counters
• A complete set of rules and a chart set
• Two dice

With its detailed forces, broad geographic scope, and historical focus, Their Finest Hour presents the struggle for control of the skies and the threat of invasion in a substantial simulation for two players. The game is rated Master in complexity and was originally designed by Marc W. Miller, Paul R. Banner, and Frank Chadwick.