The Battle of Sokolovo

by GeneralHowitzer | Sep 13, 2025 | 1943, Armor, Artillery, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Eastern, Winter

The Battle of Sokolovo

Historical Summary

8 Medals plus for Axis, the death of the heroic leader

Card Balance:

Allies (Czechoslovak)- 4

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Year:

1943

Theater:

Easter

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

8 VP’s, plus special rules (see the PDF).

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with a river, roads, hills.

Troops:

Allies – see PDF

Axis – see PDF

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Cape Torokina Landings

by GeneralHowitzer | May 31, 2025 | 1943, Armor, Artillery, Beach, Destroyer, Infantry, Jungle, Location: Pacific, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord, Overlord Game, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic, Theater: Pacific

Cape Torokina Landings (Overlord Map)

Cape-Torokina_title

Cape-Torokina_right2

Cape-Torokina_right1

Cape-Torokina_Left2

Cape-Torokina_Left1

Cape-Torokina_center2

Cape-Torokina_center1

IMG_1012

IMG_1013

IMG_1014

IMG_1015

“Listen up, men! On November 1st, 1943, our boys hit those beaches at Cape Torokina like a thunderbolt. Those Marines of the 1st and 3rd Divisions didn’t blink at the sight of jungle, mud, and dug-in enemy troops. They took that beachhead by the throat and held on like bulldogs!

This wasn’t just another island—it was the gateway to busting open Rabaul and cutting off those Japanese forces. The jungle was a green hell, but we cut through it, took the ground, and started building the airstrips and supply bases to keep the hammer coming down.

That’s how you do it, boys—land hard, fight harder, and don’t stop until you’ve got a fortress behind you and the enemy on the run. That’s what those Marines did at Cape Torokina—they paved the road to victory in the Pacific!”

~~ General Howitzer

Timeline of the Cape Torokina Landings (Bougainville)

November 1, 1943 – D-Day for Cape Torokina:
U.S. 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions land at Cape Torokina. Initial beachhead secured despite Japanese resistance and tough jungle terrain.
November 2–3, 1943 –
Marines expand the perimeter, clearing Japanese defenses in nearby jungle areas.
Mid-November 1943 –
Seabees and engineers begin constructing airfields and supply bases within the beachhead.
December 1943–January 1944 –
Marines fortify positions, repel repeated Japanese counterattacks.
Japanese strongpoints isolated and bypassed.
March–April 1944 –
U.S. Army relieves Marines; continuing operations to expand and secure the beachhead.

15 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies (Marines) – 9

Axis (Japan) – 8

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Beach

Context:

Historical

Location:

Solomon Islands

Year:

1943

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Bougainville

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

15 VP’s with various Medal Objectives for various territorial control.

Battlefield:

Islands with many rivers, roads, jungles, and hills

Troops:

Allies – 21 Infantry, 4 Armor, 2 Destroyers, with Landing Crafts to bring them ashore

Axis – 18 Infantry some with Special Weapons, 1 Armor, 1 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. There are a number of special rules which you need to be aware as commander of the Allied forces. First, there are two islands (Torokina & Puruata), which must be taken. Because the enemy begins the battle with forces on the islands, they start the battle with two victory medals. As soon as you eliminate the enemy from an island, you will cause them to lose a victory medal, but you will NOT gain one. Also note that because the Landing Crafts (LC’s) leave after dropping off your troops, they will be stranded on that island. So make sure you commit enough troops to win, but not too many.

2. There are also three Field Bunkers which provide Temporary Territorial Medals to whichever side occupies them. But you must remain in the bunker to keep the medals.

3. What this means then, is that although you begin the battle with overwhelming force, in order to clear the islands, and then occupy the Field Bunkers, you will need to be leaving troops at each of those locations. So your attack force will be diminished for each parcel of land which you capture. This must be factored into your planning commander!

Axis Strategy

1. Your primary role in this battle is a defensive one, but that does not mean passive. You have troops which need to be prepared to fight and brought into the battle arena.

2. You have an Armor unit stuck in the corner in the right flank. Get it into the action as soon as you can.

3. You also have an Artillery which you should use at every opportunity to attack the enemy as they come ashore.

4. Make use of the Seishin Kyoiku doctrine to attack with your full force units at every opportunity in order to maximize your extra firepower while they are still strong.

5. You have a lot of forces on the two islands. Make the enemy pay for every inch of ground they take on the islands in order to reduce their main attack force.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Sbeitla Tunisia

by GeneralHowitzer | May 16, 2025 | 1943, Armor, Artillery, Desert, Infantry, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Mediterranean

Sbeitla Tunisia

Operation Frühlingswind—February 1943. The Krauts thought they had us dead to rights in central Tunisia. They were wrong.

Rommel’s boys hit us hard at Sidi Bou Zid, busted through, and kept pushing west toward Sbeitla. On February 17, they grabbed the town—but that’s where the party stopped.

Because in rolled the 1st U.S. Armored Division—Combat Command B—and they didn’t come to retreat. They dug in, fought smart, and hit the Germans with a counterattack they didn’t see coming. It wasn’t perfect, but it was bold—and it threw a wrench into the Nazi gears. They didn’t push any farther.

Sure, we took our lumps. Our tactics were green, our command still learning the ropes. But what matters is we learned. Fast. That fight at Sbeitla was a baptism by fire—and it forged better soldiers, better leadership, and a better army.

The message was clear: the Americans might get hit, but by God, we hit back—and next time, we’d be coming out swinging.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5 + 2 Combat Cards

Axis – 5 + 2 Combat Cards

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Desert

Context:

Historical

Location:

Tunisia

Year:

1943

Theater:

Mediterranean

Campaign:

Tunisia Campaign

Codename:

Operation Frühlingswind (Spring Wind)

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, including territorial objectives, and exit hexes.

Battlefield:

Desert terrain with a branching roads running through it, and dunes everywhere.

Troops:

Allies – 7 Infantry, 4 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 8 Infantry, 5 Armor

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Guadalcanal [Overlord]

by GeneralHowitzer | Jan 5, 2025 | 1943, Artillery, Infantry, Jungle, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Pacific Theater, Scenario, Strategic, Sudden Death

Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal_title

Guadalcanal_right2

Guadalcanal_right1

Guadalcanal_Left2

Guadalcanal_Left1

Guadalcanal_center2

Guadalcanal_center1

Guadalcanal. August ’42 to February ’43. The place where the tide started to turn in the Pacific—and where the United States Marine Corps showed the world exactly what American grit looks like.

The Japanese thought they were building themselves a nice little airfield to dominate the Solomon Islands and choke off our lifeline to Australia. Big mistake. We hit that island hard, landed the U.S. Marines, and made damn sure that airstrip—Henderson Field—was going to fly our planes, not theirs.

It wasn’t a cakewalk. It was jungle rot, mud, bugs, no sleep, and short supplies. The enemy threw everything they had at us—infantry assaults, air raids, naval bombardments. But we held. We bled. And we broke them.

By the time it was over, the Japanese were down thousands of men, ships, and planes. They’d lost their shot at controlling the Pacific, and we took the initiative. From then on, it was our war to win, and we were going to take it island by island, all the way to Tokyo.

Guadalcanal wasn’t just a battle—it was a message: The United States doesn’t back down. We plant our flag, we dig in, and we don’t leave until the job’s done.

~~ General Howitzer

13 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 9

Axis – 7

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Historical

Location:

Solomon Islands

Year:

1943

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Guadalcanal Campaign

Codename:

Operation Watchtower

Summary:

This is an Overlord game, so make use of the Jungle Command cards, two per side.

Objectives:

13 Medals including Territorial Control, and Exit Row medals and a sudden death hex all for the Japanese.

Terrain:

Jungle terrain with a 21-hex hill in the center which is a majority-control objective for one medal.

Troops:

Allies – 21 Marine Infantry, 3 Artillery

Axis – 24 Japanese Infantry, 3 Artillery

Special Rules:

1. Majority Temporary Territorial Control – whomever controls most of the 21-hill hexes gains 1 Medal

2. Exit Row Medals – to any Japanese forces that exit

3. Sudden Death Hex – to any Japanese forces that maintain control of the hex at the start of their next turn, total win for the Japanese

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture Plan when defending against the Japanese onslaught, is to reduce every full-power unit by at least one hit in order to cancel our their Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine.

2. Because of the special Rules, it is imperative that the Marines defende the center section, and prevent the Japanese forces from overwhelming the hill, to gain that point; or exiting out the back, to get those points, or most importantly, never let them gain access to the sudden death hex.

Axis Strategy

1. Big Picture Strategy for Axis; while the flanks provide an excellent attack possibility, if you have the cards, they should always be considered secondary to your primary objective of overwhelming the 21-hex hill and gaining all the extra win points associated with it, and the exit hexes, and the sudden death hex.

2. When given the opportunity on your flanks, move your forces towards the central section to continue to put pressure on the enemy and eventually overrun his position.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Clearing Matanikau River

by GeneralHowitzer | Jan 3, 2025 | 1943, Artillery, Infantry, Jungle, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Pacific Theater, Scenario, Tactical

Clearing Matanikau River

The Battle of the Matanikau River was a series of engagements during the Guadalcanal Campaign in late 1942, part of the Pacific Theater in World War II. The battles focused on clearing Japanese forces from the Matanikau River area on Guadalcanal to secure the perimeter around the strategic Henderson Field airbase, held by U.S. Marines.

In several operations between September and November 1942, U.S. Marines, supported by naval and aerial bombardment, launched attacks against well-entrenched Japanese positions along the river. These actions disrupted Japanese attempts to launch counterattacks against the American-held airfield.

General Howitzer’s summary:
We swept the jungle clean—rooted out every last Japanese fighter and locked down the western flank of Henderson Field. Those clearing fights weren’t just mop-up—they were the nail in the enemy’s coffin on Guadalcanal. That island was the start of our long march west, and by God, it was the turning point that broke their back in the Pacific.

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 5

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Historical

Location:

Gaudalcanal

Year:

1943

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Guadalcanal

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s

Terrain:

The Matanikau River cuts horizontally across the battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 2 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 1 Artillery

bi

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture Strategy: your job is to clear the Matanikau River of all enemy belligerents. This will require advancing across the river, but do not do so until your two Artillery units have softened up the enemy forces. This primarily means to hit each unit at least once, thus eliminating the Seshin Kyoiku Doctrine with their powerful plus 1D attack powers.

2. Once they have been sufficiently softened up, and you have the right card combination in hand for an attack, then advance and win!

3. Be aware that the enemy infantry on your left flank at a4 is both a danger and an opportunity: a danger, because they are close enough to attack and gain a tactical medal win; but an opportunity, because they are trapped across the river, separated from their forces without a quick escape.

Axis Strategy

1. Big Picture Strategy: As you are outnumbered, this is primarily a defensive scenario for the Axis. But if you can build up the cards to mount an attack in on one side, you should do it. For example, your Infantry at a4 on your right flank is within striking distance of the enemy Artillery, if you had a Behind Enemy Lines card.

2. Be wary of the powerful Allied Artillery, which historically, was able to turn the tide in many engagements in the Pacific. Keep at least five hexes away from them until you are ready.

3. Make use of your Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine and the Banzai War Cry to overwhelm the enemy when they get too close.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Prokhorovka (Kursk)

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 22, 2024 | 1943, Armor, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Russia, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Eastern

La Prokhorovka ( Kursk ) [Overlord]

Prokhorovka_overview

Prokhorovka_Axis_L1

Prokhorovka_Axis_L2

Prokhorovka_Axis_L3

Prokhorovka_Axis_R1

Prokhorovka_Axis_R2

Prokhorovka_Axis_R3

Prokhorovka_fullLeftFlank

Prokhorovka_fullRightFlank

The Battle of Prokhorovka on July 12, 1943, was one of the largest tank clashes of World War II, fought between Soviet forces and Germany’s II SS Panzer Corps during the Battle of Kursk. The Soviets launched a massive counterattack to halt the German advance, resulting in brutal close-quarters fighting.

General Howitzer summarizes the results:

Prokhorovka was the kind of fight that strips war down to raw courage and cold steel. On July 12, 1943, the Germans drove forward with their elite SS Panzer divisions, thinking they’d punch a clean hole through the Soviet lines and finish the Kursk offensive on their terms. Instead, they ran headfirst into a Soviet counterattack that came on like a tidal wave of T-34s.

This wasn’t long-range dueling — this was knife-fight range, tank against tank, guns blazing at fifty yards, machines ramming each other like charging bulls. The battlefield turned into a cauldron of smoke, fire, and shattered armor. And in that chaos, the Russians did what mattered most: they stopped the Germans cold.

The Panzers never got their breakthrough. Kursk slipped from Hitler’s grasp. And Prokhorovka proved once again that in war, the side that holds its ground with grit and fury — not just fancy equipment — is the side that turns the tide.

12 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 10

Axis – 10

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Russia

Year:

1943

Theater:

Eastern

Campaign:

Battle of Kursk

Codename:

Operation Citadel

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s

Battlefield:

A countryside with the River Pesl cutting vertically through the left section.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 15 Armor, 2 Artillery

Axis – 11 Infantry, 14 Armor

Special Rules:

1. The River Psel is fordable.

Allied Strategy:

1. You have two Artillery placed right in the center of the battlefield hidden in the town hexes. They will be much more useful to you, if you can move them forward a hex or two.

2. Move your Armor unit which is in the forest hex just to the left of the city of Prokhorovka up into the forest hex which is exactly in the center of the battlefield. It will give you a magnificent view of the battlefield in all directions.

3. Your Armor units stuck in the right corner, need to come forward to be prepared for attack in that section.

STRATEGIC OVERVIEW

1. This is a 12 medal game so there is a lot of strategic placement which will pay dividends for you to win later on in the game.

2. So grab the forest and town hexes as quickly as possible, so that you can attack the enemy forces from a safe location. There are so many tanks in this scenario that if you leave any of your forces out in the open, they will get wiped out.

3. There are so many tank figures in this game that as many as 50 armor figures could get wiped out before the game is over.

Axis Strategy:

1. The Axis have an attack vector on the right section. They can move their Infantry two hexes forward and capture the woods in the very center of the battlefield. Also, your Armor in the right need to be move forward quickly and placed into the forest hexes to be prepared to attack the enemy.

2. Get all of your Armor which is sitting out in the open in the center section into defensive positions, or they will be wiped out.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link: