Operation Dauntless: The Battles for Fontenay and Rauray, France, June 1944

About this board game

Operation Dauntless: The Battles for Fontenay and Rauray, France, June 1944 is a two-player grand-tactical wargame with a listed play time of 2400 minutes, covering British and German actions near Caen during the Normandy campaign.

Lead the British 49th Infantry Division, “The Polar Bears,” as it seeks to capture Fontenay and secure the high ground near Rauray before the impending Operation Epsom. Opposing them are elements of the elite 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” and Panzer Lehr, whose powerful armored formations can mount frequent and effective counterattacks.

Using the system from Red Winter, the game operates at a scale of 90 minutes per turn and 425 yards per hex, with mostly company-sized infantry units and platoon-sized armor units. Its detailed armor and anti-tank subsystem supports a battlefield filled with Panzer IVs, Panthers, Tigers, tank destroyers, self-propelled infantry guns, and artillery.

• Fight across corn and wheat fields, orchards, woods, bocage, farmhouses, and villages.
• Use British air strikes, sabot ammunition, combat engineers, troop transport, and infantry anti-tank weapons.
• Manage German ammunition shortages, nuisance raids, fortifications, and the effects of the massive British opening barrage.
• Explore a multi-day campaign, approximately 15 scenarios, and 11 tutorials.

The Germans begin dug in and may place a limited number of fortifications during setup, while some shorter scenarios reverse the overall defensive situation and put them on the offensive. Special rules include the 12th SS Fanatical Defense Table and abstracted effects of the British barrage by 650 guns.

Designed for two players, Operation Dauntless also works very well solitaire. With medium complexity and extensive reference, scenario, and tutorial materials, it offers a substantial study of the battles for Fontenay and Rauray.