Drop in the Night: 82nd

by GeneralHowitzer | Aug 11, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, D-Day, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Drop in the Night: 82nd

In the dead of night before D-Day, the All Americans of the 82nd Airborne didn’t tiptoe into Normandy—they dropped in like thunder. C-47s hauled them over the Channel, and under flak, wind, and pure hell, they jumped straight into the enemy’s lap. The plan was simple: grab the crossroads, smash German lines of communication, and choke off any counterattack toward Utah Beach.

They got scattered to hell and gone, fighting in small bands with nothing but guts and rifles. But by God, they took Sainte-Mère-Église—the first French town freed—and held the line until the rest of the army came ashore. It was messy, it was costly, but it damned well crippled the Germans and locked down the flank for the greatest invasion in history.

~~ General Howitzer

VP’s

8

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Normandy

Year:

1944

Summary:

Victory Points:

8 Medals, including some objectives for capturing towns, bridges, and permanent medals for blowing up bridges.

Terrain:

there is a lot of terrain here with the battlefield being a breakthrough that is 17 rows deep, composed of countryside, rivers and marches.

Troops:

Allies – 10 elite Infantry units

Axis – 10 Infantry, 1 Armor

Allies:

1.

Axis:

1.

Author.

URL

Battle of Dubno – Brody

by GeneralHowitzer | Aug 4, 2025 | 1941, Armor, Artillery, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Russia, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Eastern

Force vs. Finesse: Battle of Dubno - Brody

The Battle of Dubno–Brody (June 23–30, 1941) was one of the largest tank battles of World War II, fought during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa between Germany’s Army Group South and the Soviet Southwestern Front.

Results:

German Panzer forces decisively defeated the numerically superior Soviet armored units, destroying or capturing thousands of tanks.
Soviet forces suffered catastrophic losses and were forced into retreat.

Strategy:

The Germans used fast, coordinated Panzer thrusts and encirclement tactics to neutralize Soviet armor.
Soviet forces, hampered by poor coordination, mechanical breakdowns, and weak communications, failed to execute an effective counteroffensive.

General Howitzer summarizes its impact:
That win at Dubno–Brody blew the road wide open for the Germans into Ukraine and straight toward Kiev. It showed the Soviets their armor doctrine was a mess, and they paid for it in steel and blood. But they’re stubborn—those losses lit a fire under them, and the lessons they learned there would come back to bite the Germans hard later in the war.

24 VP’s (!)
[ This is a ‘break-lord’ scenario ]

Card Balance:

Allies –

4 cards for each half of the board

Axis –

6 cards for each half of the board

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Russia

Year:

1941

Theater:

Eastern Front

Campaign:

Codename:

Operation Barbarossa

Summary:

Objectives:

24 VP’s, plus many other conditions. Read the PDF special rules.

Terrain:

Countryside with rivers and roads

Troops: (check the PDF for specific the specific troop deployments)

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Author:

Willem Boersma

Complete Scenario Link:

https://generalhowitzer.com/bsk-pdf-manager/battle-of-dubno-brody/

Wittmann’s Final Battle

by GeneralHowitzer | Jul 29, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic, Theater: Western

Wittmann’s Final Battle

Wittmann’s last ride came on August 8, ’44, when the Canadians kicked off Operation Totalize south of Caen. He rolled out in his Tiger, thinking he’d stop the Allied push cold—but this wasn’t the Eastern Front, and the Allies weren’t amateurs anymore.

Somewhere near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil, his luck ran out. A Sherman Firefly—packing that damn fine 17-pounder—put a round through his armor and ended the fight before it started. Wittmann and his crew never saw it coming.

That day didn’t just take out Germany’s star tank ace—it proved the tide had turned, and our boys could kill Tigers just as fast as they came at us.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Battle of Normandy

Codename:

Operation Totalizer

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s

Battlefield:

Countryside

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 4 Armor

Axis – 8 Infantry, 2 Armor, 1 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture Strategy: You need to move fast during the cover of night. Every turn there is a possibility of getting a star which will increase daylight and extend the range of the enemy artillery.

2. You have four special forces units which can very quickly move in range to attack.

3. There are two objective medals in the right flank. You can keep pushing your forces in that direction as you have opportunity.

Axis Strategy

1. Big picture strategy; you will do well to delay and allow the presence of daylight to assist your defensive forces with your artillery. Do not rush out to attack. Allow several turns to take place so that you get more daylight and thus more range for your artillery.

2. Wittmann’s battalion is the four-tank unit with the special medal. It can ignore the first retreat flag, which can assist you in close quarters battles with enemy armor.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Resource:

BGA

Capture of Parry

by GeneralHowitzer | Jul 25, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Beach, Campaign Book: V2, Infantry, Jungle, Location: Pacific, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Pacific

Capture of Parry

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Capture-of-Parry_description

Parry Island was a textbook assault—our 4th Marines hit the beach with tanks rolling, guns blazing, and the Navy pounding from offshore. The enemy was dug in and ready to die, and they did—every last one of them. In just over a day, we turned their fortress into a smoking ruin. That win locked down Kwajalein and put us one step closer to Japan’s front porch. Fast, brutal, and effective—just the way war ought to be fought.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 4

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Beach & Jungle

Context:

Location:

Marshall Islands

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Marshall Islands

Codename:

Operation Flintlock

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s

Battlefield:

Beach.

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 6 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 2 Armor, 1 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Resource:

Campaign Book, Volume 2

The Defense of Wanssum Woods

by GeneralHowitzer | Jul 15, 2025 | 1945, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Netherlands, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Pacific

The Defense of Wanssum Wood

The Defense of Wanssum Woods in 1945 was part of Operation Snowman, a late World War II engagement in the Netherlands. German forces mounted a stubborn defense in the wooded area near Wanssum to delay the Allied advance.

General Howitzer has some thoughts on this battle:
Wanssum Woods was a thick, muddy brawl—Germans dug in deep, using every tree and shadow to stall us. The Brits and Canucks had to fight for every damn yard, ambush after ambush. But they didn’t quit. They rooted the enemy out, inch by inch, and kept the advance rolling into northern Germany. Forest or no forest, when you’re relentless, no defense holds.

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies (Great Britain) – 6

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Winter Forest

Context:

Location:

Netherlands

Year:

1945

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s

Battlefield:

Combination of woods and winter.

Troops:

Allies – 13 Infantry

Axis – 9 Infantry

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Resource:

Campaign Book, Volume 2

Umurbrogol Pocket

by GeneralHowitzer | Jul 15, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Campaign Book: V2, Infantry, Location: Pacific, Memoir 44, Pacific Theater, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Pacific

Umurbrogol Pocket

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The Battle of the Umurbrogol Pocket in November 1944 was one of the fiercest and most grueling phases of the Battle of Peleliu during World War II. U.S. Marines faced deeply entrenched Japanese defenders in a mountainous, cave-ridden area known as “Bloody Nose Ridge.”

General Howitzer’s summary:

The Umurbrogol Pocket was a nightmare carved into rock—our Marines went up against die-hard defenders holed up in caves. The Japanese were dug in deep, fighting to the last man, and made us pay for every inch in blood. Flamethrowers, grenades, and guts—that’s what it took to root them out. It was slow, savage, and costly, but in the end, we crushed them. That ridge showed just how far the enemy would go—and how much farther we were willing to go to win.

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies (US Marines) – 5

Axis – 4

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Jungle Beach

Context:

Historical

Location:

Marianas & Palau Islands

Year:

1944

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

The Battle of Peleliu

Codename:

Operation Stalemate II

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s plus a Last to Occupy Medal Objective

Battlefield:

Combination of hills and hills with caves .

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 4 Armor, and 2 Artillery

Axis – 8 Infantry

Allied Strategy:

1. Use your Artillery and Armor as much as you can to attack the Japanese defenders at a distance. When they are sufficiently weakened, you can move in your infantry, beginning with your Engineers to finish up the forward units.

2. The fresh water river is a victory medal which goes to the Last to Occupy. Keep some forces on hand to grab it as a final victory point.

Axis Strategy

1. You have a very strong defensive position which allows you to quickly move between caves and hide your weak units when necessary.

2. Take advantage of your Seishin Kyoiku powers and attack any enemy troops using the Banzai War Cry which come within two hexes of your Infantry.

3. Guard the fresh water source, and keep the enemy away from it, as they will attempt to grab it on their final move.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Resource:

Campaign Book, Volume 2