Operation Crusader

by GeneralHowitzer | Jun 1, 2025 | 1941, Armor, Artillery, Big Guns, Breakthrough Game, Desert, Infantry, Location: Libya, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Mobile Artillery, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Mediterranean

Operation Crusader

“Listen up, men! In November ‘41, the British Eighth Army—under the command of General Auchinleck—thundered across the sands of the Marmaric Desert like a damn hurricane, aimed straight at those Italian-German armored divisions. Cunningham’s boys rolled out with 700 tanks, ready to grind the Germans and their Italian buddies into the dirt and lift the siege at Tobruk.

For three weeks, it was a seesaw slugfest around Sidi Rezegh, with that garrison at Tobruk busting out to join the main show. The German Panzergruppe fought like devils, but they were no match for the sheer weight of British armor and artillery.

Rommel might have been a cagey fox, but even he had to admit defeat when he saw the Eight Army rolling over his battered panzers. He ordered the survivors to pull back to Gazala, leaving Tobruk free and the British in charge of the field. That’s what happens when you bring overwhelming firepower to a knife fight, boys—you don’t just win, you drive the enemy clean out of the desert!”

~~ General Howitzer

12 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Desert

Context:

Historical

Location:

Libya

Year:

1941

Theater:

Mediterranean

Campaign:

Tobruk Breakout

Codename:

Operation Crusader

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s, plus a Territorial Objective Medal for the Axis.

Battlefield:

Desert with a ridge of hills in the center of the battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 8 Armor, 3 Artillery (Big Guns and Mobile)

Axis – 10 Infantry, 5 Armor, 3 Artillery (including a Flak88 and a Big Gun)

Allied Strategy:

1. Make use of your Tobrouk forces and especially the Artillery as much as possible.

2. You have a massive force gathered together in the center section. You will need to peel off a few to deal with the isolated Axis forces at hex 6 and 7 on your right section, and the rest towards the Axis forces on the other side.

Overall Strategy

1. Both sides have to make immediate decisions on overall strategy. Do the Allies move straight for Tobruk, or the Axis main force, or do they clean up the battlefield from A to M as they go? [~Admiral Frigate]

2. There are four Oasis hexes; two primarily in Allied territory and two mainly in the Axis territory. This is a long scenario, so take the opportunity to restore your units back to strength.

Axis Strategy:

1. If you can surround and wipe out the forces at Tobrouk quickly, then your forces can swing around and assist your brothers at arms further north.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Bain Tsagan Heights

by GeneralHowitzer | May 4, 2025 | 1939, Armor, Artillery, Big Guns, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Russia, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic, Theater: Eastern

Bain Tsagan Heights

“Listen up, boys! In early July ‘39, over in the dusty wilderness of Mongolia, the Japanese thought they’d pull a fast one at the Bain Tsagan Heights—cross the river, flank the Soviets, and wrap the whole show up in a bow. But Zhukov wasn’t about to let those plans play out!

Zhukov hit back hard and fast, bringing in tanks, artillery, and infantry to pound those Japanese troops into the dirt. They fought like hell on those heights—bayonets flashing, guns roaring, tanks rolling—and the Soviets broke that flanking move right in half.

This wasn’t just a local scrap, boys—it was a turning point. That Soviet victory at Bain Tsagan sent a clear message: you mess with the Red Army, you pay in blood. It helped push Japan to shift its focus away from Siberia and toward the Pacific, changing the whole game for the coming war.

So remember this—when you see the enemy making a move, you don’t wait—you smash him before he knows what hit him! That’s the way to win!”

~~ General Howitzer

10 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 7

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Siberia

Year:

1939

Theater:

Eastern

Campaign:

Khalkin Gol

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

10 VP’s, including four! objective medals; ( two ridges and a 2-medal bridge)

Battlefield:

Countryside with a river cutting through the Allies left flank, and long road cutting at an angle through the terrain directly to the two-medal bridge.

Troops:

Allies (Russia) – 12 Infantry, 9 Armor, including two Armored Cars, plus two Supply Trucks, 1 Big Gun!

Axis (Japan) – 12 Infantry, 7 Armor, including 3 Tankettes, 2 Armored Cars, 1 Artillery.

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture: Allies are initially on the defense, due to the attack by the Japanese. But they have enormous armor resources at their disposal on their left flank to bring to bear upon the battle in both the left flank and the center section. And historically, this is what General Zukhov did. In fact a pivot by the Allied Armor on the left flank over the ridgeline at river will allow them to reign down terror upon the Japanese forces assaulting the Remisova Hill.

2. Your puny Armor and Infantry forces in the right flank are pretty useless, as they need to cross the river before they can engage the enemy. But if they can at least move forward one hex, so that they do not get pinned against the backwall, that will be sufficient.

3. Guard the bridge crossing the river. It is worth two medals.

4. You have a Big Tom Gun, which has massive range of 8 hexes, and allows you to zero in on forces in a hex and increase your attack strength by another 1D. Use it early and often.

Axis Strategy

1. Big Picture Strategy: this was a long-shot for the Japanese historically, which they lost, but they have been known to win this scenario. Use your Tankettes, which have good movement, to get into the battle and score some wins. Advance forcefully with your infantry and overwhelm them using your Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine might combined with your Bonzai speed.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

BTH_map_breakthrough_full

BTH_FlankLeft

BTH_Center

BH_FlankRight

Market Garden (Nijmegen Bridges)

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 1, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Big Guns, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Netherlands, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Terrain Exp Pack, Urban

Market Garden (Nijmegen Bridges)

The Battle of Nijmegen Bridge was a key engagement during Operation Market Garden in September 1944, a large Allied operation aimed at securing key bridges in the Netherlands to create a direct route into Germany.

General Howitzer’s comments:

“Listen up, men! In September of ‘44, at Nijmegen, those bridges over the Waal River were the keys to the kingdom—a direct shot into Germany itself. The plan was big—Operation Market Garden—take the bridges, link up the airborne and the armor, and ram straight for the Ruhr.

But those Germans weren’t just going to hand over those bridges. They had them locked down tight, and it took the 82nd Airborne, those American paratroopers, to cross that river in flimsy little boats under fire like hell itself. They paddled across, outflanked the Germans, and took those bridges with guts and bayonets.

We got the bridges, but we couldn’t hold Arnhem, and the whole damn operation fell short. But don’t let that fool you—the boys at Nijmegen showed what it means to fight with everything you’ve got. That’s how you break the enemy’s back—take the objective, hold it, and never let go until the job’s done!”

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 5

Allies move first.

Complexity: 4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Netherlands

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western Front

Codename:

Operation Market Garden

Summary:

Objectives:

6 Medals including bridge hex objectives.

Terrain:

Countryside with a river and train tracks cutting across the battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 7 Infantry, 6 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 1 Armor, 1 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. Use your armor to attack the many defensive positions of the enemy. When the time is right, then capture your objective medals.

2. Take the time to move your artillery into a more centralized position for attack.

3. The Axis forces are so well-defended that you will need to attack them from a distance and significantly degrade them before direct assaults. But you need to do this quickly as many of their forward forces are close to your and able to launch some subtantial attacks against you.

4. The Axis Artillery is a Big Gun! That means that once they hone in on you with one hit, they are able to increase the dice attacks by one. So if they hit you once, and you have any figures remaining in the hex, you need to bug out, and move those figures to a new hex.

Axis Strategy:

1. The Allies have an overwhelming armored force, so much of your work is defensive in nature, although you should pursue any soft targets you can locate. However, your two advanced infantry forces in the center have the ability to do significant damage to the enemy armor if you can quickly attack them while they are in no-retreat positions. Be aggressive and you may be rewarded!

2. There are two bridge objectives which you must protect. Stay close to each of them, and protect them well.

3. Your Artillery is a Big Gun, so use it on semi-permanent targets so that you can take advantage of the additional die roll.

Author

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