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.

🔥 Winning as Allies

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.

🔥 Winning as Axis

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:

Liberation of Paris – Attack or Hide?

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 22, 2024 | Memoir 44, Smackdown

Attack or Defend?

So, historically the Axis lost this battle, and according to the DoW Battle Reports, the Allies win 75% of the time. So it is a pretty tough battle for the Axis. So what should the Axis do in this situation? Go up against the full force of the Allies on the right flank, of four Armor and two Infantry? Or practice a strategic retreat and live to fight another day?

I have tried fighting and trying to get some early hits on the Allied forces. The problem is that even with some successful hits, there are just too many of them left to fight. So this time, I decided to retreat into the woods, and fight from a better defensive position in the woods at d8.

Was this the right call or not?

What do you think?

So here is what happened in the next several turns. I think that I held up well, since I was firing from a protected position, and his armor was in the open:So they line up against me, and took out one armor in the town on the lower right section.

Then I fired back and took out two of his armor figures.

Next turn, one of his armor units has been eliminated, and I am still there!

Fortunately, I was blessed with an abundance of right section cards to keep up the attack.

The battle’s not over yet, but I am feeling pretty good, as I am getting better results than I normally do as the defending Axis in this scenario.

And here is the current score:

So, I am one medal behind. Will probably lose, but remember that it is a two-round game, so as long as I do better than usual as Axis, I have a good chance of winning the whole game.

Kalamata Waterfront

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 22, 2024 | 1944, Memoir 44, New Flight Plan Exp Pack, Scenario

Juno Beach – The Kind of Dice I Want

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 21, 2024 | Beach, Memoir 44, Smackdown

When you are defending as Axis in a beach scenario, if you can’t totally destroy the enemy in a dice throw, the next best thing is to throw a Flag to force a retreat.

Like this:

This dice throw which was limited to only 2D, had one Infantry hit, and one Flag; the perfect combination. Degrade their forces, and then push them further back onto the beach, to give you more time to hit them again.

Afterall, for beach scenarios it is all about slowing down the Allied advance. And in this case, (if you can’t get a hit, then at least) Flags are your friend!

Agree or not?

Battle of Bataan

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 19, 2024 | Jungle, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario

Battle of Bataan: Abucay Line

On January 7th, 1942 Japan invaded the Philippines. Under orders from General MacArthur American troops and their allies retreated to a defensive line that stretched from Mt. Bataan to the China Sea. The American troops, although outnumbering Japan, were of mixed quality and had low morale. After three months of hard fighting and with American supplies dwindling, the line broke and thousands of American troops were forced to surrender.

6 VP’s

2 victory metals are placed at the bottom of the American line. Japanese units who make it to the hexs between the metals count as a victory point and are moved to the Japanese players victory stand.

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

For the Air Power card Japan will roll 2 dice and America will roll 1

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Historical

Location:

Year:

1942

Theater:

Pacific Theater

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Requires base Memoir ’44 and Pacific Theater Expansion. Imperial Japanese army command rules are in effect. Marine rules are in effect for units marked with the Marine emblem. Units marked with Chindits emblem are Philippino guerilla fighters and follow same rules as French resistance.

Objectives:

This is a six VP scenario, with Medal Objectives

Battlefield:

Jungle

Troops:

(There is no indication from the author of the troop deployments.)

Allies –

Axis –

Allied Strategy:

Axis Strategy:

Author:

Fan Creation

Link:

Best First Move – Japanese Counter-Attack

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 17, 2024 | Memoir 44, Smackdown

Take a look at this start for the Allies in Japanese Counter-Attack.

Given the hand I have, and all other battlefield considerations, what is the best move here?

Normally, you will want to soften up the enemy first thing with an AirPower Card. I was about to do that, when I remembered this:

No AirPower is allowed with only a 2 of night vision. This also excludes using the artillery for any section cards.

And without artillery, all of the center section cards are pretty unusable, as I only have one infantry in the center, which cannot attack alone.

And at this stage of the game, using Their Finest Hour, would be wasted.

So what to do?