DVG - Merville Battery

In Merville Battery, you take control of the heroic attackers of the 9th Parachute Battalion, 6th Airborne Division in the moments just before the D-Day beach landings on 6 June, 1944, in a desperate assault against the Merville Battery. Your mission is vital. Fail and the British forces landing at Sword Beach will suffer a devastating artillery barrage as they come ashore from the heavy guns of the German 1st Battery, endangering the entire D-Day operation.

 

 

 

Merville Battery is similar to other DVG games, except this time, you are on the attack! You command the assaulting forces, while the game system controls the defenders.

The goal of Merville Battery is to assault the battery compound by passing over mines and barbed wire, withstanding small and heavy arms fire, then disabling the artillery ensconced in four casemates. Your forces must then withdraw safely before the guns of HMS Arethusa open fire on the compound. Unknown to the men of 9 PARA, Oberleutnant Steiner, the 1st Battery commander, may return at any moment from his observation post on the beach at Franceville-Plage and order the guns of the 2nd and 3rd Batteries, located close by, to fire on his own position, catching the paratroopers in the open. The crew of a roving half-track, modified to utilize an anti-aircraft weapon, seeking shelter from the pre-invasion aerial and naval bombardment of the shoreline and surrounding area, may also make a wholly unexpected and unwelcome arrival. 

 

The actions of the defending German 1st Battery, 1716th Artillery Regiment, 716th (Static) Infantry Division are represented by a deck of cards while you make each critical decision on behalf of the British paratroopers.

 

 

 

 

 

The Merville Battery was located in Normandy, approximately 6 miles/10 kilometers east from Sword Beach and less than 12 miles/20 kilometers north east from Caen. It lay directly east from Ouistreham and north east of Pegasus Bridge, on the eastern side of the River Orne. The battery was an important part of the Atlantic Wall. The four massive casemates were believed by British Intelligence to house 150mm guns, which were more than capable of causing massive disruption to the British landings at Sword Beach. In fact, it turned out that the artillery pieces were 75mm French howitzers dating from the First World War and captured during the occupation of France. Nevertheless, the site was identified early on in the D-Day planning as a critical target.

The RAF bombed the compound on several occasions, with one attack killing the original commanding officer, Hauptmann Wolter, on 19 May, 1944, leading to Oberleutnant Steiner replacing him. The bombs though had no effect on the casemates and just disrupted and delayed the rapid fortification of the area for short periods of time. 

A land-based attack was necessary to ensure the (assumed) heavy guns were fully neutralized and the task was given to Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway and the 9th Parachute Battalion.

Otway’s plan called for the battalion to drop close by in the night of 5-6 June, form up, march to the battery and assault the base just before dawn on 6 June, 1944. Offshore, HMS Arethusa had orders to open fire on the compound if no success message was received. The plan, often criticized for being too complex, immediately went awry with the parachute landing being scattered. Of over 600 men in the battalion, Otway marched to the battery with only a quarter of that. Much of the heavy weapons and the explosives needed to destroy the guns was missing, as were all of the expert combat engineers who knew exactly how to disable the German weapons. The equipment needed to signal the HMS Arethusa had also been lost in the drop. The paratroopers therefore had to get in and out quickly before they ran the risk of being blasted by friendly fire. Given the encroaching deadline, Otway had no choice other than to order the desperate attack.

 

 

The defenders, no more than 150, of the battery were led by Oberleutnant Steiner. The men were not trained for close quarters combat and were almost entirely artillerymen or engineers. It is doubtful that few, if any, were psychologically prepared for a fire fight within the compound itself. They did however have the use of a 20mm Anti-Aircraft gun and several machine guns (the precise number is disputed). They were, in short, more heavily armed than the depleted 9 PARA. 

 

Furthermore – an event which to this day remains unexplained – a Horsa glider had crash-landed inside the perimeter during the night of 5-6 June. This was not part of any recorded operation and no one knows where the glider came from, who was in it or what the mission was. All the occupants were gunned down and this, along with the paratroopers dropping all around in the darkness had put the defenders on high alert.

 

The game board depicts the Merville Battery compound, with 9 PARA making their assault from the east. The men of 9 PARA must pass through a minefield and charge into the camp to reach the casemates and disable the guns within. 

With each passing minute, Oberleutnant Steiner and an AA Half-track are moving closer to the compound. If and when they arrive 9 PARA will suffer heavy firepower. 

 

The mission does not end when the guns are disabled. The paratroopers must also aid wounded comrades and help them escape. 

 

 

The 1st Battery deck is comprised of Combat cards and Personnel cards. 

 

 

Combat cards represent off-board battle effects, including Pistol, MG and Small Arms fire, as well as grenades and sniper Fire. Rough Ground cards also cause delays for 9 PARA. 

 

 

Personnel cards determine the speed at which the counter-attack advances.

As well as the strengthening of the four casemates as 1st Battery soldiers retreat to the protection of the thick walls. 

 

As the battle rages, the Bombardment deck determines the speed at which Oberleutnant Steiner and the Half-track will arrive at the compound. 

 

 

The 9 PARA deck gives the player access to Battle Tokens, which can be redeemed to impact combat resolution at critical points in the game, along with access to Grenades and Phosphorus Grenades which will be necessary for breaching the defense of the casemates and repelling the counter-attack. 

 

 

Battle Tokens also give the player the option to use heavier weapons including the Bren LMG and the Vickers MMG. 

 

1st Battery defenders include Gunners, Guards, Fanatics, Snipers, and NCOs. Each Unit type is represented by a counter, which in turn has its own unique abilities. The mix of German 1st Battery counters used in the battle will vary from game to game. 

The player controls Rifle, Sten Gun, Marksman, NCO and Officer units, along with Otway, the Commanding Officer. 

 

Each Unit type has different strengths and weaknesses and finding the best Unit for the task will be critical in ensuring success. 

 

The NCO also confers the Heavy Fire Special Ability while the Officer confers the Direct Fire Special Ability. Otway is able to utilize both Heavy Fire and Direct Fire. 

 

If Stretch Goals are met, the rulebook will include several Variant Rules and components that can be used to make the game harder according to the experience of the player. 

 

EXPANDED EXAMPLE OF PLAY

DVG will also make an Extended Examples of Play PDF available as a free download. While the rulebook contains key examples of play, this free download will go into close detail to make sure every point is covered clearly and in detail (without increasing the cost of the game!!). 

 

Kickstarter price $20 (MSRP $25)

Includes 56 cards that upgrades the German defender's decision making to an advanced level!

Kickstarter price $20 (MSRP $25)

Includes 40 counters and a historical write-up of the soldiers and battle!

SHIPPING

EU, UK, AUSTRALIA, AND CANADA FRIENDLY

We are US, EU, UK, Australia, and Canada-Friendly! DVG prepays taxes and VAT fees for games shipping to the US, EU, UK, Australia, and Canada!

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the volatile US Tariff situation, DVG may need to pass on tariff fees when the games arrive in the US. In the past, DVG has been able to absorb these fees, but it is an on-going situation. The tariff tax has varied from 20% to 150% in 2025.

We will charge actual shipping costs for US and International destinations in the post-Kickstarter Pledge Manager. The below estimates are shipping costs for one core game.

Giving exact shipping prices in the Kickstarter is not possible due to each country having its own shipping weight ranges and package size adjustments to shipping costs. Please keep in mind these are estimates, and the actual shipping costs may change based on the number of Stretch Goals we Unlock and Add-Ons you choose.