3 Games for Studying World War II

Today we are sharing 3 games for studying world war II. It can be a tricky topic to cover given some of the atrocities that occurred during that time. It is so important to learn about though. Each year brings the war further from memory and that increases the likelihood that history will repeat itself. So, study this topic! To help, tomorrow we will bring you a free unit study curriculum for world war II. In the mean time, here are our 3 games.

Undaunted Normandy

This is a 2 player deck building game in which you will be playing through battles that occurred at Normandy. The game contains a book of scenarios to play through. Each scenario is a separate battle between the Germans and Allies. The cards available to build your deck with are based on what was actually available to each side in that real life battle. It is an immersive war game that is very accessible. It is also the board game that will be in our board game based unit study tomorrow.

Captain Sonar

U-boats were a big part of the war and this game simulates that experience. Captain Sonar can be played with 2-8 players. Each team has 4 roles to fill. The captain will be navigating the sub through the waters. The first mate readies systems so the captain can fire missiles or use sonar. The engineer will be trying to keep the sub from breaking down. Lastly, is the radar operator, who will be tracking the movements of the other team and trying to pin down their location. It can be played turn by turn or in real time. Real time has teams playing constantly, is chaotic, but also more realistic. There is also a family version that is great for 2-4 players.

Secret Hitler

This game has had a bit of controversy around it. It is such a good game though, for play and especially for learning. We have never played a game of Secret Hitler without explaining the election that brought him to power. Most people we have played with have questioned our playing it. After discussion about how Hitler gained power in the first place, everyone wants to see if they would have elected him too. We would all like to think that we wouldn’t have, but this game helps us remember that we are looking at the situation with 20/20 hindsight. If we want to prevent a future “Hitler”, it is important to know how the first one gained power. There is also a free print and play edition available here: https://www.secrethitler.com/.

There are so many games about WWII. Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!