Flames Of War at the National History Day
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Flames Of War at the National History Day
by Dave Taylor, Wargames Illustrated’s U.S. Editor.
We recently received a very nice thank you letter from a Flames Of War player in New Jersey. Greg McNally was keen to not only thank Battlefront for making the game and the miniatures that he and his 14-year old son Payton and he loved playing with, but to let us know about how Payton’s enthusiasm for history and World War Two gaming had made it’s way into his son’s exhibit for National History Day.
National History Day (NHD) is a program run in the U.S. by the NHD Foundation, and it focuses on enthusing teenagers about history and the way it can shape the world around us. For more information about the ins and outs of NHD, you can head to their website: www.NHD.org
Left: Payton’s Blitzkrieg exhibit on display in the National Museum of American History.
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| In the initial thank you letter, Greg let us know
that Payton’s exhibit had made it through the Regional stage, and the
State level, and was one of two exhibits from New Jersey to be invited
to be displayed at the National Museum of American History on 13 June,
2012 (alongside two exhibits each from every other state in the Union). |
As I’m based just a short train ride away from Washington, D.C. I
figured it would be a great opportunity to head down to meet up with
Payton and chat about NHD, his exhibit, and his love of Flames Of War.
It turns out that Payton’s mother had participated in the NHD program when
she was a teenager, and that despite NHD not being directly tied to
middle and high school history programs, there were literally thousands
of kids from New Jersey alone who participated this year. Payton’s
Regional heat alone had over 700 entries, and there were close to 4,500
entries in New Jersey.
Right: Guderian and Rommel, the faces of Blitzkrieg. |
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Each year a theme is chosen and entrants in the program get to decide just how they’ll tackle it. The theme for 2012 was Revolution, Reaction, and Reform. It didn’t take Payton long to decide he would explore the concepts of Blitzkrieg warfare and incorporate some of his own Flames Of War collection into the presentation. Over the course of six months, Payton researched the revolutionary military strategy, the military reaction to this new form of warfare, and the technological reforms that came about as a direct result of Blitzkrieg.
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His presentation looked at the well-know architects and executors of the
strategy (Guderian and Rommel) along with a cast of Allied commanders
who developed strategies to blunt the lightning approach. Dipping into
his former hobby of modeling 1/35th scale World War Two tanks (about six
years worth of it), Payton presented a vignette of German tanks parked
by the smoldering ruin of a Char B, something to catch the eye of the
passersby. The basic tactical elements of Blitzkrieg were then presented
using Flames Of War miniatures.
Left: Technological reforms brought about by Blitzkrieg.
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Although Payton did not win one of the coveted
top spots on the podium at the National level, he did win the prize he
was hoping for – the Salute to Freedom award which includes a trip to
the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, next
January. Payton is naturally very excited about this result,
particularly as this was his first entry into the NHD event.
Next year’s theme has been announced – Turning Points – and Payton’s mind has already started ticking over. Currently a look at Stalingrad seems to be the favorite subject for him to tackle. We here in the Battlefront family wish Payton all the best with National History Day 2013!
Right: The elements of the Blitzkrieg approach broken down using Flames Of War miniatures.
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Payton and his dad have only been playing Flames Of War for two and a half years, but have really dived into to it; at least once a week they can be found at their local gaming store, Dragonhead, about an hour’s drive from home.
~ Dave.
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Below: Payton standing proudly with his award-winning display.
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