D-Day at Omaha Beach caused me to rethink D-Day and the role of America in WWII. This was aided by the book that inspired the game Omaha Beach by Balkoski.
The rules are readily available here: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AJs7gI%5Fx7olw3BY&id=BAF113CFB8DCD1CD%2111206&cid=BAF113CFB8DCD1CD
/u/tkdland is the designer and amazing at answering rule questions on bgg.
The rules are fairly complex. The "standard" rules are reasonably easy to learn especially if you play NW: India-Pakistan since you can skip the whole naval subsystem.
The advanced rules are more work. They're fairly logical but the game models tons of capabilities. Want to invade an island using helicopters? Sure. Want to conduct an interdiction on a mountain pass to cut supply from an enemy corps? No worries. Tactical nukes? You just need the OK from Islamabad ;-)...
Looks like you got your question answered over at BGG! If anyone stumbles across this later, the answer can be found in this thread.
Plexiglass for paper maps is good (check Home Depot or Lowes or other big hardware store chain).
Some other things you might find handy:
Retractable lanyards work really well for checking line of sight.
Tweezers are good for games with big stacks of chits.
If you want to get fancy, a mechanical corner rounder will make all the chits look good and stack nicely.
Have fun!
It seems cliché, but the The Art of War by Sun Tzu, being written from both a philosphical perspective and as a practical manual, provides actionable advice.
For tactical level theory, I'd recommend Truppenführung, which is the WW2 era manual on low level tactics for the German Heer. It survives to this day, largely unmodified, in the German Bundeswehr, and US Army and Marine Corps tactical doctrine.
For operational level theory, I'd recommend Soviet Military Operational Art: In Pursuit of Deep Battle by David Glantz. The late WW2 Soviet offensives, especially the campaign against Japan in Manchuria, are still studied today as textbook examples of how to conduct deep operations. As a supplement, I'd recommend Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton by Martin van Creveld, which helps the reader appreciate the specific types of logistical issues one faces at the operational level of warfare.
For game-specific strategies I would read AARs.
Interesting Fact #1: Charles S. Roberts of Avalon Hill, Tactics II, and Gettysburg fame got the idea of hex grids from a visit meeting RAND wargamers.
Interesting Fact #2: The Economist revealed that Persian Incursion was used by staff level officers at the Naval War College.
Interesting Fact #3: Many commercially available computer wargames have military versions, such as Close Combat series, Steel Beasts series, Command: MANO, Harpoon series, and many more.
Interesting Fact #4: In a twist, there's a formerly secret military wargame used in the Vietnam War that's now been declassified, called Tacspiel. John Curry has a book detailing the rules.
I would check out the books Wargames: A History of War on Paper, Zones of Control, and The Art of Wargaming.
Most people suggest the Oregon Laminator counter tool. I use this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008CG7D1S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I am very pleased with it, but note that you'll need to practice on a few counters in order to get some of the grease off the blade or else it'll get on your counters.
I use an Oregon Lamination Corner Rounder, 2mm size. Absolutely worth the price if you want to have perfectly rounded corners on your counters. Once you get the hang of it, it's quick and consistent.
Wow. Try one of these OP. I've done many hundred of counters with an old CD case jig and nail clippers just like you, but the corner rounder is so much quicker and gives better results. Just be sure to practice on a few of the extra blank chits you get on a counter sheet before you tackle the real counters for the first time.
My collection is actually fairly lacking for this topic. I'm really interested in the consensus, myself!
I do have Enemy Action: Ardennes preordered, and it should be on its way soon. All I needed to know about this game is that it was a Butterfield design. Excited to be able to play both sides solitaire, as well as a 2p variant.
I've used Wonderdraft to make some fantasy maps, but it has capability to make lots of terrain with hex overlays, tons of assets you can find and import, etc.
Hex map example: https://i.redd.it/96kmdqk2hmg31.png
Subreddit: /r/wonderdraft
I use card board boxes for my card heavy games like B-17 Leader, Corsair Leader and Wing Leader. The rest like COIN games I put in baggies.
Theses are the boxes I got from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/BCW-400-Count-Storage-Trading-Strength/dp/B00H5HC9G4
These are the best chit tweezers I have had in 30 years.
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Stainless-Precision-Tweezers-Serrated/dp/B01N6BBTJR/
Hmm, damn. That's where I got mine, but it was a few years ago. I'd use it as the seed of a search; maybe someone else is manufacturing them. It does look like something some makes in their garage shop (though is well made, for that).
Here's something that does the same thing: https://boardgamegeek.com/microbadge/23638
Amazon link: amazon.com/Radius-Deluxe-Corner-Rounder-Cutter/dp/B00G08PEXO
This appears to be a similar tool that people liked (Amazon): amazon.com/Radius-Steel-Corner-Cutter-Rounder/dp/B0048IVWTI
I think that's a decent sample of alternatives. I may have to grab one of these myself. Looks a lot easier than the jig/Xacto thing I was using.
Some people use foam mounting tape. It's like two-sided tape. Half-inch counters fit perfectly. Here's a link