The Cadets of Saumur

by GeneralHowitzer | May 31, 2025 | 1940, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Hedgerow Hell, Infantry, Location: France, Map Type: Overlord, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

The Cadets of Saumur (Overlord Map)

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“Let me give it to you straight, boys—back in ‘39, before the big show kicked off in Europe, there was a damn fine brawl brewing out east along the Khalkhin-Gol River. The Soviets, under that iron bastard Zhukov, took on the Japanese who were itching for a scrap in the borderlands.

Those Russians didn’t just trade blows—they went for the kill. They wrapped the Japanese 23rd Division up tight in a steel trap—tanks on the flanks, artillery in the rear, and air power pounding them into the dirt. No escape, no second chances—just one big, smoking ruin when the Red Army was done.

The result? The Japanese learned a lesson in modern warfare and didn’t forget it, and Zhukov walked out of there with a reputation as the man who could gut an enemy army whole. That’s how you fight a battle, boys—encircle, crush, and leave nothing but wreckage behind!”

~~ General Howitzer

Timeline of the Battle:

June 17, 1940 –
German forces approach the Loire River as French defenses collapse elsewhere. Cadets at Saumur are ordered to hold the bridges.
June 18, 1940 –
The cadets and their instructors begin preparing defenses, mining bridges, and setting up strongpoints.
June 19, 1940 –
German troops launch assaults to seize the Saumur bridges. The cadets, though heavily outnumbered, fiercely resist throughout the day and destroy bridges to slow the advance.
June 20, 1940 –
After holding for two days and inflicting delays on the Germans, the cadets receive orders to withdraw. German forces occupy Saumur later that day.

12 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies (France) – 8

Axis – 10

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1940

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s with two Permanent Medal Objectives for the Axis.

Battlefield:

Countryside with many rivers, railroad, and towns

Troops:

Allies – 17 Infantry, 2 Armor, 3 Artillery

Axis – 20 Infanty, 3 Armor, 3 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author: Jdrommel

Link:

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Poterie Ridge

by GeneralHowitzer | May 8, 2025 | 1944, Artillery, Countryside, Fan-Created, Infantry, Location: France, Map Type: Standard, 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: Jdrommel

(Usage: Played at Chattanooga Open, 2023; and The Finest Hour Open, Chicago 2025)

Link:

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Escouves Forest

by GeneralHowitzer | May 7, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Countryside, Fan-Created, Infantry, Location: France, Map Type: Standard, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Western

Escouves Forest

August 1944—Écouves Forest. Thick woods, rough country, and Germans with their backs to the wall. Perfect place for a fight.

After we busted out of Normandy, the Krauts tried to make a stand in that damned forest north of Alençon, thinking trees and shadows would stop the Allied hammer. Well, General Leclerc’s French 2nd Armored Division rolled in and showed ’em that no terrain—no matter how dense—can save you when the Allies are coming.

It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t easy. The fighting was up close, personal, and vicious—tanks blasting through trees, infantry ambushed from behind every stump. But the French didn’t blink. They cut through that forest like a buzz saw through timber, rooting out the enemy one foxhole at a time.

And when the smoke cleared, the Écouves Forest was ours—and the jaws of the Falaise Pocket slammed tighter on those retreating bastards.

That fight mattered. It sped up the collapse of the German line in France and helped crack the door wide open on the road to Paris.

Moral of the story? You corner a desperate enemy in the woods, you don’t tiptoe in—you charge in, guns blazing, and don’t stop till the last one runs or drops.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 5

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus the City of Ecouche for the Allies

Battlefield:

The center of the battlefield is dominated by the large Ecouves forest which is hiding some Germans.

Troops:

Allies – 6 Infantry, 6 Armor

Axis – 5 Infantry, 4 Armor

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author: Jdrommel

(Usage: French Open, 2022; Also played at The Finest Hour Open, Chicago 2025)

Link:

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Closing the Falaise Gap

by GeneralHowitzer | May 6, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Map Type: Standard, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Closing the Falaise Gap

August 1944—Falaise. The trap was nearly shut, and the Germans knew it. Hell, they could smell it.

By the 18th, the Canadians had taken Trun and St. Lambert, putting the lid on the Falaise Pocket. But it wasn’t locked down yet—hell no. The line was thin, the crossroads fragile, and both Allied and Axis forces were stampeding toward Chambois. It wasn’t just a battle—it was a goddamn race: the Germans racing to escape, and us racing to slam the door shut on their sorry rear ends.

The Poles and Americans came in hard, shoulder-to-shoulder, pushing east while the Germans were pushing west—like two trains headed for a crash in a one-track tunnel. The enemy made one last hellbound breakout near the Polish lines, and yeah, some of them got out—but not for long.

Because on the 19th, the line was reinforced. And in St. Lambert, one man—Major David Currie, a Canadian, led from the front like a true warrior. Under fire from both sides—his own artillery damn near clipping his boots—he stood his ground, gave no quarter, and turned that village into a graveyard for the Wehrmacht. He earned the Victoria Cross, and every inch of it.

By the time we closed that pocket, the Normandy campaign was finished—two months of blood, steel, and grit had paid off. The Liberation of Paris was just days away. Looked like it was over for Hitler’s goons—but we weren’t fooled.

The war wasn’t done until the last Nazi was crawling out of a foxhole with his hands in the air. And that took till ’45.

The lines are drawn, the orders are yours, and the clock is ticking.

Now go finish the job.

~~ General Howitzer

7 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

The Invasion of Normandy

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

7 VP’s, including Exit Row Objectives for the Axis

Battlefield:

Countryside with an impassible (except for bridges and fords) river going across the battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 3 Armor

Axis – 9 Infantry, 1 Armor, 1 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Originally developed for the London Open, 2022. Also played at The Finest Hour Open, Chicago, 2025.

Link:

View

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Closing the Gap

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 29, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Campaign Book Vol. 1, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Map Type: Standard, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Closing the Gap

The Battle of Closing the Gap near Falaise from August 19–22, 1944, marked the final phase of the Falaise Pocket, where British, Canadian, Polish, and American forces worked to encircle and destroy retreating German units in Normandy.

Fighting was intense as the Allies tightened the noose, with the Polish 1st Armored Division holding key high ground at Mont Ormel against desperate German breakout attempts. Despite some Germans escaping, the Allies captured or killed tens of thousands, crushing what remained of German Army Group B in the West.

Closing that pocket slammed the door on the German army in Normandy—choked ’em off, chewed ’em up, and cleared the road straight to Paris. From there, it was full speed ahead into the heart of France.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

The Battle of Normandy

Codename:

Operation Tractable

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus Territorial Objective Medals for Allies, and Exit Objectives for Axis

Battlefield:

Countryside with a road and the Dives River cutting off the Axis forces from their objective.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 3 Armor

Axis – 10 Infantry, 2 Armor

Special Rules:

Rescue attempt aspect: Each side may order up to 2 armor units into battle as Armor Breakthroughs. Axis armor units that are sent in to rescue cannot escape through any of the Exit hexes.

Overall Strategy

This game is interesting because each side is given the opportunity to bring in two Armor units into the battle, right into the heart of the enemy territory. And so within the first couple of turns it is a crazy mixed-up battle with enemy forces attacking from multiple directions. You must learn to engage in a two-front war.

Allied Strategy:

1. The challenge for the Allies is to get your forces across the bridges. Otherwise, you will be blocked and congested in your attack efforts. Of course, you also have to deal with the enemy armor that will show up on your end of the battlefield.

2. If any of the original Axis forces (not the ones which spawned on that side) make it across the river, you must prevent them from exiting.

3. You can hide out in the towns near the river for a while and attack the enemy forces in an attempt to degrade their fighting ability, but eventually you may have to cross over and attack if the enemy doesn’t come to you.

Axis Strategy

1. On your right flank, you are evenly matched with the Allied forces with four Infantry units each. Due to their congested starting postion, there is an opportunity to move in and claim control of the town of Moisy and prevent the Allies from getting objective medal without a bitter fight. Then from there, it is a short 3 hex run to exit through the Exit hex and gain a medal.

2. You have a lot of forces, but you will need to get them up to the river to attack the enemy. But keep some in reserve to deal with the enemy forces that will show up to rescue their troops.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Download PDF

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Saint-Martin and Bull Bridge

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 28, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Campaign Book Vol. 1, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Map Type: Standard, 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:

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General Howitzer’s Field Guide to Memoir 44

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