Life in Miniature

History class rarely lets you outflank your enemy before breakfast—but at the desktop, it’s all part of the lesson. In Tom Mullane’s Military History II class, in which students are currently learning about Operation Overlord, or D Day, the Allied cross-channel invasion of France,they are playing Flames of War, a board game in which they weigh decisions regarding terrain, timing, and supply lines, all of which were critical. It’s immersive, a little competitive, and surprisingly educational, turning history from something students memorize into something they experience. The goal is to see if their tactical choices can change the outcome historically.

 

Students are divided into teams and asked to deploy, manage, and maneuver their forces to try and win the game over the course of several days. There are two intricate boards at play: one which represents a village in Normandy, France on the eve of the invasion and another which represents Sword Beach, where the British have landed and are trying to push through the defenses to get inland. The boards are beautifully designed with trees, churches, roads, houses and people.

 

The game is complex and involves dice, measuring tape, chips, and pieces or miniatures representing military units, including infantry, tanks and armored vehicles (Sherman, Panzer), artillery, recon units, and support units. 

 

Here’s some of the dialogue from a recent game:

“Allies roll next”

“One platoon is hiding inside the church.”

“Please be nice to us!”

“You can call an airstrike if you want.”

“Roll the dice..anything but a one. He rolled a one and just destroyed a tank unit.”

“Put fire on that tank!”

“Deploy the platoons, and decide where you want to put your troops.”

 

The most impressive part of Tom Mullane’s game is that he hand-painted all the miniatures and created a lot of the terrain over the last 10 years. 

 

It’s his passion. 

 

“I used to play in tournaments around the country, but I got busy and don't travel for it as much. I mostly bring this in so kids can learn through play. Getting to hear them coordinate with each other and try and enact strategies is always a lot of fun. The group I have this year is particularly motivated and are usually pretty engaged and involved.”

 

Although students may not have changed history this week, they now understand, through hands-on experience, the decisions, challenges, and realities that shape warfare.