2007 Oklahoma D-DayBy: Hugh R. Walls
Friday September 28, 2007
Allied forces mounted the single largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare on June 6, 1944. Airborne units dropped behind German fortifications guarding the beaches of Normandy, France. Just after dawn, tens of thousands of amphibious troops stormed the beaches.
And on June 9 this year, 4,019 paintball players inserted into a tribute to that battle, and the largest game the world has ever seen: Oklahoma D-Day.
The Wyandotte, Oklahoma event set many records in the last eight years, including longest single event (nine days this year), most tanks (more than 25 this year), and largest in terms of players for 2005, 2006, and, up to that point, 2007. Campers arrived for the June 9-10 event in May—on the 30th, more than a week ahead of time.
There is a paved road leading into the facility, courtesy of the Oklahoma state government, after event promoter Dewayne Convirs explained to them the number of people—and amount of money—the event brings to the state. Players packed that road, coming in early to play in the games and activities leading up to Saturday’s invasion.
Like the real thing, this D-Day took training. Players trained in mini-scenarios held all week long, starting the Monday before game day. The paint flew between dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of players as the scenarios grew over the week. Those who aspired to “Special Forces” roles proved themselves capable of handling the duty: Wetworkz ran players through an obstacle course and other challenges as part of an exhausting test each player needed to pass before getting assigned to Special Operations Command.
Sniper and leadership courses taught players the ropes, from how to find and eliminate a hard target, to the most effective ways of getting other people to do what you won’t. By the opening ceremonies Friday night, there were nearly 4,000 players on-site, and the most hard-core among them were fresh out of training.
Saturday morning it was time to rock.
Omaha Beach was the most heavily fortified of those stormed in 1944, and troop allocation followed history: Hundreds of Axis players dug into the trenches and bunkers on a hillside overlooking a farm pond, where floated a pontoon boat with plywood sides. It filled with Allied players, plowed low through the water toward the beach, and lurched aground. The loading door dropped, and Oklahoma D-Day began.
“Air drops” placed players all over the field, and landing craft deposited allies on two other beaches—Sword and Utah. Axis armor rolled around the field, and their defensive positions braced hard against an assault that seemingly came from everywhere.
The action ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and players shot more than 10 million paintballs. The points came in, and at the awards ceremony that evening, history prevailed: The Allies won. The final score: 2,519 for the Allies, 1,259 for the Axis.
D-Day 2008 will be June 9-15—and smart players will show up early. www.oklahomadday.com
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