Disaster at Dieppe

by GeneralHowitzer | May 22, 2025 | 1942, Armor, Artillery, Beach, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Scenario, Strategic

Disaster at Dieppe (Overlord Map)

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Alright, listen up—

The raid on Dieppe? That was a damn mess. We sent in brave boys—mostly Canadians—straight into a meat grinder without proper prep, cover, or firepower. The plan? Hit the Germans fast, grab intel, wreck their defenses, and get out. But hell, it was all wrong from the get-go. No real surprise, no heavy bombing to soften ’em up, and we landed right on their gun barrels.

The beaches were narrow, rocky deathtraps. Our tanks got stuck, the infantry got chewed up, and the Navy couldn’t do a damn thing once the chaos started. Over half the force was wiped out, captured, or bleeding in the surf. It was a bloody disaster—but those boys fought like hell.

And I’ll tell you this: we learned. We learned what not to do. Next time, we brought the whole hammer—air, sea, tanks, everything. That’s how you do it. That’s how we did it on D-Day. Dieppe was a painful lesson—but it paid off in Normandy.

~~ General Howitzer

10 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 7

Axis – 8

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Beach

Context:

Historical

Location:

Baltic area

Year:

1944

Theater:

Eastern

Campaign:

Codename:

Operation Jubilee

Summary:

Objectives:

10 VP’s with Temporary Medal Objectives for two bridges, a casino, and a chateau.

Battlefield:

A beach with towns, ridges, and a river cutting through the center.

Troops:

Allies – 20 Infantry, 5 Armor, 2 Half-Tracks

Axis – 15 Infanty, 4 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Bardia

by GeneralHowitzer | May 17, 2025 | 1941, Armor, Artillery, Desert, Infantry, Location: Libya, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Mediterranean

Bardia

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Bardia, January 1941—now that was a proper kick in the teeth for the Italians, and the Aussies delivered it with style.

This was the first big ground fight cooked up and led by an Australian outfit—6th Australian Division, under General Mackay—and let me tell you, those boys weren’t there to play games. Their target? Bardia, a heavily fortified Italian stronghold in Libya. Italians thought they were sitting pretty behind wire, guns, and concrete. Big mistake.

The 16th Brigade hit ’em from the west—smart move, weakest spot in the line. The engineers crawled through hell, cut through barbed wire, filled anti-tank ditches, and cleared a path like pros. Then came the punch: Matilda II tanks from the Brits’ 7th Royal Tank Regiment rolled in with the infantry. After that, it was a hammer-and-anvil job—17th and 19th Brigades came crashing in to finish the job.

By the end, Bardia was ours. Thousands of Italians surrendered, and the whole damn front cracked wide open. That victory let the Allies charge deeper into Libya and gave Rommel a reason to pack his bags for North Africa.

The Aussies proved two things at Bardia: one, they could plan and fight like hell; and two, when you combine tanks, grit, and coordination—you win. That’s the kind of war I like: fast, bold, and overwhelming.

~~ General Howitzer

7 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6 + 2 Combat Cards

Axis – 6 + 2 Combat Cards
(Note that Italian rules call for a loss of one Command Card for every Italian unit/hex lost, until 3 remain.)

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Desert

Context:

Historical

Location:

Libya

Year:

1943

Theater:

Mediterranean

Campaign:

Western Desert Campaign

Codename:

It was part of Operation Compass

Summary:

Objectives:

7 VP’s, including two building territorial objectives and two hill territorial objectives for the Allies

Battlefield:

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

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 4 Armor, 2 Artillery

Axis – 10 Infantry, 1 Armor, 2 Artillery

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Big Picture Strategy: follow the roads that points like an arrow to your targets in the center section, which contains four territorial medals awaiting you at the two towns and two hills.

2. Watch out for your right half of the battlefield which is dominated by the Italian artillery.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Big Picture Strategy: stay behind the sandbags! The Italians are in a defensive posture, and tactical wins are not worth the cost to your forces should you venture forth from your sandbags.

2. Be aware that the rules of engagement for the Italian nation is that for every unit/hex which gets destroyed, you lose one command card, down to three cards in your hand. This makes the loss of any unit devastating to your offensive capabilities.

3. You have a strong set of Artillery on the left side of the battlefield. Use them at every opportunity.

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:

St. Joseph’s Farm

by GeneralHowitzer | May 16, 2025 | 1942, Armor, Artillery, Combat Cards, Desert, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Mediterranean

St. Joseph's Farm

Chouigui Pass—November 1942. One hell of a day for the U.S. Army, and the first time our boys showed the Krauts what American steel could do.

We were green, no doubt about it. The 1st Battalion, 1st Armored Regiment—part of my beloved 1st Armored Division—rolled into action near a place called Chouigui Pass, northwest of Tebourba. The brass might call it St. Joseph’s Farm, but I’ll tell you—there was nothing holy about what went down there.

Our men, riding those M3 Stuarts and M4 Shermans, spotted a German convoy and didn’t hesitate. They tore into it with everything they had. And wouldn’t you know it? A short time later, they ran into the 10th Panzer Division—real hardened bastards—but our boys didn’t back down.

We hit ’em hard. Burned up their vehicles, shattered their lines, and let ’em know the Americans were here and we weren’t playing. It wasn’t some grand campaign-ending victory, but it mattered. It was the first time U.S. armor took the fight to the Wehrmacht and came out standing.

That fight at Chouigui Pass proved something: our tanks could run, our boys could fight, and American grit was just getting started. North Africa wasn’t going to be easy—but after that day, the Germans knew we were in the game.

And from there, we only got meaner, faster, and a whole lot more dangerous.

~~ General Howitzer

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5 + 2 Combat Cards

Axis – 5 + 2 Combat Cards

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Desert

Context:

Historical

Location:

Tunisia

Year:

1942

Theater:

Mediterranean

Campaign:

Tunisia Campaign

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, including St. Joseph’s Farm as a Temporary Objective for the Axis.

Battlefield:

Desert terrain with a branching road running through it, and ridges on each flank, which provide the defensive surprise that historically occurred.

Troops:

Allies – 3 Infantry, 8 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 5 Infantry, 5 Armor

Allied Strategy:

1. Historically, the Allies surprised the Germans by hiding their Armor reserves behind the ridges. In this scenario, the enemy obviously knows you are there, but you can still use the ridges as defensive protection until the Axis Armor gets close enough for you to launch your Armor assault, and maybe recreate history with an Allied victory.

Axis Strategy

1. Historically, the Axis were surprised by the Allied forces hiding behind the ridges. You know they are there, and they outnumber your forces, so you will need to score some quick hits against the forces in the center, to take them out of the action before their support shows up on the flanks.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Poterie Ridge

by GeneralHowitzer | May 8, 2025 | 1944, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic

Poterie Ridge

July 4th, 1944—while folks back home were waving flags and lighting fireworks, the boys of the 82nd Airborne were earning every damn star on that flag with blood and grit in the fields of Normandy.

The 325th Glider Infantry and 508th Parachute Infantry, fresh off taking Hill 131, were ordered to grab La Poterie Ridge and Hill 95—the last line before Mont Castre, the Germans’ last high ground in that sector. The order came, and they didn’t hesitate. On Independence Day, they moved—through the open, under artillery cover.

But then the guns stopped. Too soon. Our boys were still in the open. The Krauts opened up with machine guns and mortars, and all hell broke loose. Those fields became a slaughterhouse—but those troopers kept pushing, kept fighting, and by nightfall, they took that ridge.

They paid for every inch of it with guts and lives. That was the last fight the 82nd Airborne saw in Normandy. By July 11, they were pulled back, replaced by the 8th Infantry, and sent back to England to get ready for the next jump.

You’re in command now. The lines are drawn. The men are ready. What comes next? That’s up to you. Just remember: fortune favors the bold—and so do the history books.

~~ General Howitzer

7 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

The Invasion of Normandy

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

7 VP’s, plus two temporary medals for the Allies

Battlefield:

The battlefield is covered with many forest and hedgerow hexes.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 1 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, equipped with machine guns and mortars

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Originally played at Chattanooga Open, 2023; and The Finest Hour Open, Chicago 2025.

Link:

Resistance on the Scheldt

by GeneralHowitzer | May 7, 2025 | 1940, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Belgium, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic

Escaut - Schelde: Resistance on the Scheldt

May 1940—Belgium. The Ghent bridgehead’s gone, the line’s buckling, and the enemy’s coming fast. But those Belgian boys? They didn’t flinch. They stood tall along the Upper Scheldt, and by God, they fought like hell.

May 20th, the Germans tried to cross near Gavere and Oudenaarde, slipping through the Scheldt loop. But the 10th Belgian Infantry Division wasn’t having it. They hit back hard at Zingem, backed by dead-on artillery, and shoved the enemy right back across that river like yesterday’s garbage.

Meanwhile, the British Expeditionary Force was dug in south of Oudenaarde, watching the flank all the way to the French border. And when it came time to blow the bridges? They did it right—every span destroyed, nothing left for the Nazis to use. That’s how you do a withdrawal—scorched and smoking.

But the Germans weren’t done. After licking their wounds at Zingem, they regrouped behind the Koppenberg and came back swinging on May 21—infantry, Luftwaffe, and the river running low enough to wade. Despite a hell of a stand by the Brits, the Krauts got a foothold. That foothold became a push—toward the Lys, toward the coast, toward the final stand.

May 28, King Leopold III surrendered. Belgium was down—but not for lack of courage.

You want to talk guts? Talk Zingem. Talk the Scheldt. Talk men who held the line until the last minute. The field was set, the players were in position, and history came charging through the smoke.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Belgium

Year:

1940

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus Exit Rows for Axis; a town medal for Allies, and a Permanent Medal if the Allies blow up two bridges.

Battlefield:

Countryside with a river cutting across the field.

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, some with machine guns, 1 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, some with machine guns and mortars , 2 Armor, 1 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Originally prepared for Belgium 2022; also used in The Finest Hour Open, Chicago 2025

Link:

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