I was thinking hard on the weekend about whether to pre-order another solo wargame, because the deadline was approaching. The new game is about the attack on the Merville Battery, and it’s designed by the same guy who made the new Guadalcanal game in the “Valiant Defense” series, which I did pre-order. I loved the Lanzerath Ridge game in that series. So I decided to see where Merville Battery fits on the list of most heroic actions by Western nations. In case you want to improve your character with a little humility and gratitude, you can find a good list of stories below. I also included a relevant book, movie or wargame where available.
Outmatched US Navy escort carriers and destroyer escorts of Taffy 3 aggressively charged and fought a desperate delaying action against Admiral Kurita’s vastly superior Center Force (including battleship Yamato) off Samar Island, Philippines, October 25, 1944.
Highlight: Commander Ernest E. Evans (USS Johnston), Lieutenant Commander Robert Copeland (USS Samuel B. Roberts) and Admiral Clifton Sprague made the selfless choice to attack rather than flee, buying vital hours for the Leyte landings.
Book: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Hornfischer (Goodreads: 4.36). Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Carrier Battles: Philippine Sea (Compass Games).
Captain William Barber’s Fox Company (~240 Marines) held a vital hilltop overlooking Toktong Pass during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Korea, November 27–December 2, 1950, against thousands of Chinese attackers in extreme cold.
Highlight: Isolated and outnumbered, they endured five days of assaults with heavy casualties, refusing retreat to keep the escape route open for the 1st Marine Division—ultimate selfless stand that saved thousands; Barber earned the Medal of Honor.
Book: On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War’s Greatest Battle by Hampton Sides (Goodreads: 4.59). Available on Audible.
Under Cmdr. Richard O’Kane, Tang sank 10 ships in one patrol (including a daring night surface attack on a convoy), totaling ~93,000 tons—making her the top-scoring U.S. sub by tonnage in a single war patrol.
Highlight: O’Kane’s aggressive maneuvering and precise torpedo work exemplified selfless risk for maximum damage in hostile waters; he earned the Medal of Honor for his overall command of Tang.
Book: Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of the USS Tang by Richard H. O’Kane (Goodreads: 4.43) – raw, firsthand memoir of the Silent Service’s most successful skipper.
Solo wargame: Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45 (Consim Press, new edition by GMT).
US Marines and Army forces landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942, seizing and defending Henderson Field against relentless Japanese assaults in jungle hell (disease, starvation, constant combat) until February 1943.
Highlight: Isolated troops held critical airfield against overwhelming odds for months—ultimate selfless endurance and resolve; Sgt. John Basilone’s MoH stand on Bloody Ridge (manning guns alone, repulsing regiment-sized attack) exemplified genius under fire and sacrifice that turned the Pacific tide.
Book: Midnight in the Pacific: Guadalcanal — The World War II Battle That Turned the Tide of War by Joseph Wheelan (Goodreads: 4.45). Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Guadalcanal (upcoming DVG solitaire game).
US Navy carriers and land-based aircraft decisively defeated the Japanese Combined Fleet off Midway Atoll, June 4–7, 1942, sinking four Japanese fleet carriers.
Highlight: Outnumbered US forces used genius intelligence/codebreaking and selfless sacrifice by torpedo squadrons (drawing defenders low) to enable devastating dive-bomber attacks—turning the Pacific War from Japanese offensive dominance to Allied initiative.
Book: The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History) by Craig L. Symonds (Goodreads: 4.39). Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Pacific Chase (upcoming DVG solitaire game).
18-man US I&R Platoon (plus 4 observers) ambushed and delayed a 500-man elite German paratrooper battalion on a key ridge in the Losheim Gap, Belgium, December 16, 1944.
Highlight: Lt. Lyle Bouck’s genius lay in perfect ambush discipline—holding fire until point-blank range—disrupting the entire German northern thrust timetable.
Book: The Longest Winter by Alex Kershaw (Goodreads: 4.23) – intense, platoon-focused classic. Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Lanzerath Ridge (DVG).
Small MACV-SOG recon teams conducted high-risk cross-border missions into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam throughout the war, 1964–1972.
Highlight: Operators ran daring insertions and extractions against overwhelming odds, often deep behind enemy lines with minimal support, providing critical intelligence that shaped operations, suffering some of the highest casualty rates in U.S. units.
Books: Uncommon Valor: The Recon Company That Earned Five Medals of Honor and Included the Most Decorated Green Beret by Stephen L. Moore (Goodreads: 4.42). Available on Audible. and Beyond the Call of Duty: The Life of Colonel Robert Howard, America’s Most Decorated Green Beret by Stephen L. Moore (Goodreads: 4.28). Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Warfighter: Vietnam Expansion – MACV-SOG #1 (DVG).
British Commandos and Royal Navy rammed an explosive-packed destroyer into the gates and destroyed the only large Atlantic dry dock at St Nazaire, France, March 28, 1942.
Highlight: Commander Robert Ryder masterminded the precise ramming and commando assault, a selfless plan executed with foresight that denied the Tirpitz safe repair for the war’s duration.
Book: The Greatest Raid of All by C.E. Lucas Phillips (Goodreads: 4.29) – the definitive account. Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Raid on St. Nazaire (Avalon Hill).
British paratroopers (C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion) plus radar expert Flt Sgt C.W.H. Cox dropped into occupied France to steal key parts of a German Würzburg radar set near Bruneval, February 27–28, 1942.
Highlight: Maj. John Frost’s precise planning and split-second execution (parachute drop, ground fight, beach rendezvous) under extreme risk delivered crucial radar intel that shaped Allied air superiority.
Book: The Bruneval Raid: Operation Biting 1942 by Ken Ford (Goodreads: 3.92) – solid, detailed account.
Lt. Cmdr. Dudley “Mush” Morton transformed Wahoo into one of the most aggressive submarines, sinking 20+ ships (60,000+ tons) across patrols, including bold surface gun actions and ramming convoys in confined waters like the Sea of Japan.
Highlight: Morton’s fearless tactics (“Run silent, run deep” but attack aggressively) set the standard for the Silent Service and crippled Japanese supply lines; Wahoo was lost on her final patrol.
Book: Wahoo: The Patrols of America’s Most Famous World War II Submarine by Richard H. O’Kane (Goodreads: 4.40) – firsthand account from Morton’s executive officer. Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45 (Consim Press, new edition by GMT).
150 men of the British 9th Parachute Battalion stormed and silenced a fortified German artillery battery near Merville, France, early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Highlight: Lt. Col. Terence Otway, reduced to 25% strength with no heavy weapons, made the courageous call to press the attack, saving thousands on Sword Beach.
Book: The Day the Devils Dropped In by Neil Barber (Goodreads: 4.43) – definitive 9th Para history.
Solo wargame: Merville Battery (upcoming DVG solitaire game).
Lt. Col. John Frost’s 2nd Parachute Battalion (~750 men) held the north end of Arnhem bridge for 4 days against SS Panzer forces during Operation Market Garden, September 17–20, 1944.
Highlight: Frost’s decision to dig in and fight despite being cut off tied down German reserves and exemplified selfless airborne resolve.
Book: A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan (Goodreads: 4.28) – classic narrative of the operation.
Solo wargame: The Devil’s Cauldron: The Battles for Arnhem and Nijmegen (Multi-Man Publishing).
Nine Norwegian commandos (SOE-trained) infiltrated and destroyed the heavy water production facility at Vemork, Norway, February 27–28, 1943, critically delaying the Nazi atomic program.
Highlight: Joachim Rønneberg led a flawless, bloodless sabotage deep in occupied territory—pure tactical genius and restraint that likely prevented Hitler from acquiring nuclear capability.
Book: The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb (Goodreads: 4.19) – epic, gripping mission narrative. Available on Audible.
Note: Film: The Heroes of Telemark (1965); highly-rated miniseries The Heavy Water War (2015, IMDb 8.0).
Glider-borne D Company, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry seized intact bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River near Bénouville, France, minutes after midnight on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Highlight: Maj. John Howard’s coup de main prevented immediate German counterattack.
Book: Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E. Ambrose (Goodreads: 4.15) – concise and dramatic. Available on Audible.
Note: Featured in The Longest Day (1962, IMDb 7.7).
US 11th Airborne paratroopers, Rangers, and Filipino guerrillas liberated 2,147 civilian and military internees from Los Baños camp, Philippines, February 23, 1945.
Highlight: Perfect multi-axis timing arrived minutes before a planned Japanese massacre, showcasing selfless risk for non-combatants.
Book: Rescue at Los Baños by Bruce Henderson (Goodreads: 4.28) – daring prison camp raid account. Available on Audible.
Note: TV documentary/special: Rescue at Dawn: The Los Baños Raid (2004).
US 6th Ranger Battalion and Alamo Scouts rescued 513 Allied POWs near Cabanatuan City, Philippines, January 30, 1945.
Highlight: Lt. Col. Henry Mucci coordinated the deep infiltration and lightning assault, saving lives just before a potential massacre.
Book: Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides (Goodreads: 4.26) – gripping narrative. Available on Audible.
Note: Film: The Great Raid (2005, IMDb 6.6).
177 USAAF B-24 Liberators (with B-17 elements) flew ultra-low-level to bomb Romanian oil refineries fueling the German war machine, August 1, 1943.
Highlight: Crews pressed through hellish flak, fighters, and balloons at treetop height in a genius low-altitude plan; immense selflessness amid 30% losses delayed Nazi fuel supply critically; multiple Medals of Honor awarded.
Book: Ploesti: The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943 by James Dugan & Carroll Stewart (Goodreads: 4.32).
Solo wargame: B-17 Flying Fortress Leader (DVG).
British 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment fought overwhelming Chinese forces on Hill 235 along the Imjin River, South Korea, April 22–25, 1951.
Highlight: Lt. Col. James Carne’s men held to near annihilation, covering the UN retreat.
Book: To the Last Round by Andrew Salmon (Goodreads: ~4.3) – moving account.
Note: Older film A Hill in Korea (1956) loosely inspired.
Sixteen US Army Air Forces B-25 bombers launched from USS Hornet to strike Tokyo and other Japanese cities, April 18, 1942.
Highlight: Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle led the daring carrier launch and low-level bombing, boosting US morale and forcing Japan to divert resources homeward.
Book: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Capt. Ted W. Lawson (Goodreads: 4.20) – iconic firsthand account. Available on Audible.
Note: Highly-rated classic film: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944, IMDb 7.2).
Solo wargame: Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid (GMT).
The destroyer USS Laffey endured 22 kamikaze attacks in 80 minutes off Okinawa, April 16, 1945, taking 6 plane hits and bombs while fighting back.
Highlight: Crew’s selfless damage control and gunnery kept the ship afloat and fighting—immense resolve under fire saved the vessel (“The Ship That Would Not Die”) and demonstrated US Navy tenacity in the final Pacific push.
Book: Hell from the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II’s Greatest Kamikaze Attack by John Wukovits (Goodreads: 4.41). Available on Audible.
Solo wargame: Picket Duty: Kamikaze Attacks against U.S. Destroyers – Okinawa, 1945 (Legion Wargames LLC).
Many of the books are already done and dusted in my reading list, which might give you even more ideas!
Some of my favorite YouTube channels have excellent documentaries for these events, for example:
I also just discovered House of History, which has very good videos as well, like this one, which reminded me of the book “Air Apaches” by Jay Stout:
And I just watched this one from The Operations Room, which reminded me of the book “The Convoy: HG-76” by Angus Kostam:
