Rats in a Factory

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 29, 2025 | 1942, Armor, Artillery, Infantry, Location: Russia, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Eastern, Urban

Rats in a Factory [ Overlord ]

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“Rats in a Factory”—Stalingrad, late ’42. You want to know what hell looks like? This was it.

The Germans thought they could storm into those Red October, Barrikady, and Tractor factories like it was just another checkpoint. What they walked into was a damn grinder. Concrete, steel, smoke, and blood—that’s what those factories became.

The Soviets didn’t fight for blocks—they fought for bricks, for stairwells, for every bolt and beam. One room would belong to the Germans, the next to the Soviets. Sometimes they were fighting in the same building—on different floors. It was war in a cage, and every inch came with a cost.

The term “Rats in a Factory” wasn’t poetry—it was reality. Men crawled, fought, and died like animals in a twisted maze of rubble and twisted metal. **Snipers in shadows, ambushes around corners, grenades down stairwells—**no rules, no rest, no mercy.

And guess what? The Soviets held. They bled the German 6th Army dry, right there in that industrial slaughterhouse. That stand helped snap the spine of the Nazi push in the East.

You want a lesson in raw, unbreakable resolve? Look no further. That’s what it means to fight like you’ve got nothing left to lose—and no intention of backing down.

~~ General Howitzer

18 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 9

Axis – 10

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Urban

Context:

Historical

Location:

Stalingrad

Year:

1942

Theater:

Eastern

Campaign:

Summary:

This is an Overlord game.

Objectives:

18 Medals including both Permanent and Temporary Medal Objectives.
The 5 road hexes exiting the Axis player’s baseline are Permanent Medal Objectives for the Allied forces. The Allied player gains the Medal when he occupies the hex at the start of his turn.
The 5 road hexes on the Allied player’s baseline are Permanent Medal Objectives for the Axis forces. The Axis player gains the Medal when he occupies the hex at the start of his turn.
The 9 factory hexes of the Dzerzhinskiy Tractor Factory form a Temporary Majority Medal Objective worth 2 Medals for whoever controls the majority of its hexes.
The 7 factory hexes of the Red Barricades Factory form a Temporary Majority Medal Objective worth 2 Medals for whoever controls the majority of its hexes.

Terrain:

Urban factory complex with any factory and city hexes.

Troops:

Allies – 21 Infantry, 6 Armor, 3 Artillery

Axis – 20 Infantry, 12 Armo, 4 Artillery

Special Rules:

1. Temporary Medal Objectives

2. Permanent Medal Objectives

3. Temporary Majority Medal Objectives

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

[Ukraine] Soviet raid on Grigorevka

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 29, 2025 | 1941, Artillery, Beach, Breakthrough Game, Combat Cards, Countryside, Destroyer, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Eastern

Soviet Raid on Grigorevka

September 1941—Odessa’s under siege, and the Soviets are getting hammered by Romanian artillery. So what do they do? They go on the offensive—hard.

Captain Koren takes the lead at sea with the 3rd Naval Infantry Regiment, nearly 2,000 marines, while a small team of 23 paratroopers drops inland. The plan? Hit ’em from the front and the rear—paralyze their command, cut their lines, and blow those damned guns to hell.

Night of September 21st, the paratroopers jump near Hill 57.3—not clean, not pretty, but they get the job done. Took out a whole Romanian regimental HQ—with two dozen men. Meanwhile, Koren’s marines land at Grigorevka under a curtain of naval fire from the destroyers Bojkij and Bezuprechnyj, and they take those artillery batteries by storm.

By sunrise, they’re linking up with the 421st Rifle Division, and the Romanians? They’re pulling back—the 13th and 15th Divisions, thrown into reverse. That’s pressure off Odessa, and a big black eye for the Axis.

This wasn’t some massive Soviet steamroller. This was initiative, coordination, and guts. A rare joint strike—air, land, and sea—and it worked. Captain Koren didn’t wait to be hit—he hit first.

That’s how you win a war. Not by sitting in the trenches—but by getting out, striking hard, and making the enemy bleed where they thought they were safe.

~~ General Howitzer

12 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 4

Complexity:

4.5

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Ukraine

Year:

1941

Theater:

Eastern

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s, plus Objective Medals for Allies for the Romanian HQ, and each Artillery battery destroyed.

Battlefield:

Countrsyide and beach in a deep breakthrough battlemap

Troops:

Allies (Soviet Union) – 14 Infantry, 2 Destroyers!

Axis (Romania ) – 10 Infantry, 3 Artillery

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Soviets, as Allies, do a six unit paradrop. Drop them where you have the best set of cards to assist your attack.

Also, note that the paratroopers will not battle the first turn they are dropped, so they have to endure one round of enemy fire before they can attack.

2. The Axis outnumber you on your right flank at the start of the game, and the three forward units are in strong defensive positions, which suggests attacking elsewhere.

3. As Allies, you have two Destroyers at the start of the game. Two factors affecting their performance are visibility and location.

Visibility: Because of the night visibility rules, the Axis units may have time to move out of range of the ship guns before daylight arrives.

Location: This concerns the ability to get the Destroyers onto the border line so they have more flexibility on which section cards can activate them.

Once daylight arrives the Destroyers have a range of eight hexes, so their maximum firing range is row ten. Of course, that is their maximum range, but their effective firing range (of 2D attacks), is actually row six.

4. There is a Temporary Medal Objective at the Romanian HQ on row 13. If you keep pushing in that direction to keep pressure on the enemy, it should afford you some success.

5. Each of the enemy Artillery is worth two! victory points, so target them when you can.

6. Because the enemy has three very powerfully placed artillery, and you have a lot of artillery, your plan will have to be to so overwhelm the artillery that you are able to take them out with your superior numbers before they take you out with with their superior firepower.

7. Possible Attack Vector: completely by-pass the territory controlled by the enemy Artillery when you do your para-drop. Aim for the back of the battlefield around the Romanian HQ, and the town of Novi Bilvari. There are plenty of Infantry units to take out, while you wait for daylight to arrive, so that your Destroyers can engage with the Artillery batteries.

Big Picture Strategy:

1. This is a Breakthrough game.
The field of battle is very deep. It is more than likely your troops are not going to be placed where they need to be. Therefore, all the section cards which allow you to attack in one section and then move units anywhere, are your friend. In the beginning of the game it is actually as important to make use of cards that might have limited attack power (like 1 or 2), but allow you to move two units around. This will allow you to get them into play.

2. Nightime attack rules.
The game starts in complete darkness, where you can only attack units that are next to you. We know that daylight is definitely an advantage for the Allies, because once you reach full daylight, the power of the Destroyers begins to be felt, as they can reach out to row 10, and pummel you from above. But what about Nightime settings from 2-5? These are actually better for the Axis, as it allows them to use their Artillery and attack at a distance any of the Allied Infantry coming for them. Because the Allied Infantry can move two hexes and still battle, they can very quickly get to the Artillery an overwhelm them. So allowing some range attacks up to 3 hexes away is good for the Axis Artillery forces. (See pic2 above)

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Your first defensive objective is to respond to wherever the Allied paratroopers happen to land. Respond immediately with available Infantry and Artillery to address the threat.

2. Bring your reserve units into play as soon as you can by moving the rear units forward on the map.

3. Because each Artillery unit is worth two! Medals, you will need to protect them in some way. Either move them back from the Destroyers’ range, or protect them from Infantry attacks by bringing your own Infantry into play.

4. The enemy forces are elite, so they can move two hexes and still attack. So be aware of this so that a single Infantry unit doesn’t get surrounded and destroyed.

5. It is going to take an average of six turns before the daylight arrives and the Destroyers are fully activated to row 10. This will give you time, if you want to, to move your Artillery further back on the battlefield out of their range.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Download PDF

Operation Market Garden (Overlord)

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 29, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Netherlands, Medal Objectives, Overlord, Overlord Game, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Operation Market Garden (Overlord Map)

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Operation Market Garden, fought in September 1944, was a major Allied offensive during World War II aimed at ending the war quickly by capturing key bridges in the Netherlands and entering Germany’s industrial heartland.

The operation combined a massive airborne assault (Market) by British, American and Polish paratroopers with a ground advance (Garden) by British XXX Corps. The goal was to seize bridges over several rivers, including the Rhine at Arnhem, to create a direct route into Germany.

Listen up, men—Operation Market Garden was bold, daring, and damned near brilliant on paper. Our boys dropped from the sky and stormed bridges across Holland like thunder on the move. They seized their early targets with guts and grit—but at Arnhem, the lion met the cage. The British 1st Airborne fought like hell for every inch, surrounded, outgunned, and cut off from relief.

In the end, the last bridge stayed in enemy hands. The link-up failed, and what was meant to end the war early turned into a costly lesson in overreach. We aimed for glory—and came up “a bridge too far”.

~~ General Howitzer

13 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 13 (!)

Axis – 3 (!)

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Netherlands

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Operation Market Garden

Summary:

Objectives:

13 VP’s with Temporary Majority Medal Objectives for whomever holds the majority of the 13 town hexes; plus Turn Start Temporary Uncontested Medal Objectives for the three key bridges.

Battlefield:

Countryside with many roads, towns, rivers, and forests

Troops:

Allies – 20 Infantry, 8 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 17 Infanty, 7 Armor, 1 Artillery

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. The Allies have an overwhelming tank force on their right flank. They will need to attack vociferously and eliminate all enemy forces in that section, so that they can turn their armor to attack the central sections.

2. You can get some early medals by attacking the enemy forces which were surprised and surrounded by your forces in the left and right sections. There are two infantry units on each side which you can quickly take out, and gain some early medals.

3. Watch out for the Tiger Tank on your left flank. It can only be taken out with two successful rolls, first an armor or grenade roll, and then the second roll must be a grenade.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. As Axis, because of the surprise nature of this attack, you only start with three Combat Cards vs. the Allies 13!. But every time you take out an Allied unit, the Allied Commander loses a card (which you get to pull from his hand), and you are given a new card from the deck (not the one from his hand) and your total cards to use each turn increases. So as the battle progresses the card ratio will begin to even out, until eventually the Axis will have more cards than the Allies. Cards are attack-ability, so your attack-ability will increase, as the other’s declines.

2. Your tanks, since you were not suspecting the airborne attack, are not in play at the start of the game. You will need to use some of your early turns to get them into attack positions. And because the tanks can only move two hexes in this scenario (unless start and ending on a road, when they can move 4 hexes), it will take two to three turns to get them into place. So you need to start early.

3. Control of the three bridge medals is based on being either on the bridge hex, or in the nearby vicinity of the six hexes surrounding it. But note that if the enemy is able to get into the proximity of the bridge, you will lose that bridge medal until you clear them out. If the bridge is contested, then no one gets the medal. So keep the enemy forces well away from your bridges!

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Saint-Martin and Bull Bridge

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 28, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Tactical

Saint-Martin and Bull Bridge

After the Allied breakout from Normandy (Operation Cobra, late July 1944), U.S. forces rapidly advanced across northern France. As they pursued retreating German forces, small but fierce battles flared up at key defensive points.
Battle Overview:
In early August 1944, elements of the U.S. Army (likely from Patton’s Third Army) encountered stiff German resistance at St. Martin and the nearby Bull Bridge, vital crossings over local waterways.
The Germans, using hastily organized rear-guard units, attempted to delay the American advance by holding these positions. Fighting involved close-quarters combat, sniper fire, artillery strikes, and quick assaults to seize the bridge intact before the Germans could demolish it.
Outcome:
U.S. forces ultimately captured St. Martin and secured Bull Bridge, helping to maintain the momentum of the Allied advance toward the Seine River.
German forces were forced into further retreat, suffering losses in men and equipment.
Significance:
Though a relatively small engagement compared to larger battles like Falaise, holding key river crossings like Bull Bridge was critical for sustaining the speed of the Allied liberation of France.

General Howitzer’s observation:
We took St. Martin and locked down Bull Bridge—small on the map, but damned vital. Every bridge we held kept our boys rolling toward the Seine and sent the Germans running with their tails between their legs, bleeding men and steel all the way.

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Operation Cobra

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, plus the temporary Allied Objectives of city of St. Martin and Bull Bridge

Battlefield:

Countryside with forests and hedgerows, and a small river in the corner with Bull Bridge crossing it.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 4 Armor

Axis – 6 Infantry, 3 Armor, 2 Artillery

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Big picture strategy is that you can put the pressure on the enemy by both attacking units, and pushing towards the Bull Bridge medal objective. This is only a 5 medal game, so there is not a lot of time for deep strategy. You mainly just have to get into good attacking positions, and take out the enemy.

2. The Axis have two Artillery units and a Mortar Infantry unit. This means they have a lot of range for their attacks. It may be best to hunker down in hedgerows and on hills and wait for the enemy to attack you. Use your Armor to attack the enemy Infantry while you wait.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Big picture strategy is that you need to defend the town of St. Martin and the Bull Bridge. Historically, the bridge was completely undefended, so you need to get some forces near there to protect it from enemy capture.

2. You have an Infantry Mortar unit. With it you can ignore terrain restrictions and attack anything that comes near you with a range of 3,2,1,1. Use it to defend the town of St. Martin.

3. Defensive Response: the enemy has more Armor and Infantry than you, so stay in your protective stance, in your hedgerows and the sandbagged town. Let them come to you, and then attack them from a safe position. This should even things out a bit. Your Armor needs to spread itself out across all three sectors fo the battlefield to be prepared for wherever the enemy may try to attack.

Battle Reports

Author:

Link:

Counter-Attack with Assault – or Not?

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 5, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Smackdown, Special Weapons, Strategic

STRATEGY SMACKDOWN:

Take a look at this situation in the Drive on Caen scenario.

Historically, in 1944, the Allies, through Operation Charnwood, were attempting to take the city of Caen.

In this battle, the Allies have just barraged and taken out the Axis armor in the center section at h6. With the armor out of the way, the Allies have a dominating position in the center.

Axis has just played Assault on the Center, and made a couple of defensive moves with their infantry.

Now an Assault on the Center would be a pretty powerful move for the Allies. They have six units in the center section.

So the question is, do the Allies take advantage of their Counter-Attack card and also play Assault on the Center? Or, would that be a waste of a good counter-attack card? (Since they would not be in a position to do great damage to the enemy.) ?

GeneralHowitzer.com

Drive on Caen

by GeneralHowitzer | Feb 23, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Western

Drive on Caen

The “Drive on Caen” was a series of battles during the Normandy Campaign in World War II, aimed at capturing the city of Caen in France. This was a key objective for British and Canadian forces following the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. The battle unfolded in multiple phases, including Operations Perch, Epsom, Charnwood, and Goodwood, as the Allies attempted to break through German defenses.

The city of Caen was heavily defended by the German 21st Panzer Division and SS Panzer units, leading to intense urban combat and bombardment. While the British and Canadian forces faced stiff resistance, they gradually secured portions of Caen by mid-July 1944. The battle played a crucial role in drawing German forces away from the U.S. sector, aiding the overall success of Operation Overlord.

“Listen up! The Drive on Caen wasn’t just one fight—it was a whole series of hammer blows aimed at the heart of the German line in Normandy. The British and Canadians were tasked with taking that key city after D-Day, and by God, they were going to get it.

It wasn’t easy—21st Panzer, SS Panzer, and every last German who could hold a rifle was dug in deep. It turned into a meat grinder—street fights, rubble, tanks trading shots at point-blank range. Operations Perch, Epsom, Charnwood, Goodwood—each one was another turn of the screw, breaking those Germans down piece by piece.

By mid-July, they finally cracked Caen open. It didn’t just put that city back on the map for the Allies—it kept Germany’s attention right there, which meant the Americans could make their big breakout in the west.

So remember, boys—it’s not always about speed; it’s about grinding down the enemy, one bloody inch at a time, until they crack! That’s how you win a campaign!”

~~ General Howitzer

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western Front

Campaign:

Battle of Normandy Campaign

Codename:

Operation Charnwood

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, plus the objective medals

Battlefield:

Countryside with a few forests

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 4 Armor, Artillery

Axis – 7 Infantry, 2 Armor, 1 Artillery

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Big picture strategy for Allies is to make a relentless push towads the town of Caen, which has medal objectives, as you also attack the enemy.

2. Be aware that on your left flank, are Anti-tank equipped Infantry forces. And on your right flank, the enemy has an Artillery. This means, the center section may actually be your best way forward.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Big picture strategy for the Axis is that this is primarily a defensive scenario for the Axis as they attempt to prevent the historical push of the Allies toward the city of Caen.

2. The Allies have you outnumbered with armor, but if you put your two Anti-Tank Infantry to good use, you may be able to even the score.

3. You have two Medal Objectives to protect in the city of Caen. Make sure the enemy does not get close enough to capture it.

4. Be careful of moving your Armor into unprotected territory in the center section. The Allies have two armored units which can very quickly attack.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link: