Clearing Matanikau River

by GeneralHowitzer | Jan 3, 2025 | 1943, Artillery, Infantry, Jungle, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Pacific Theater, Scenario, Tactical

Clearing Matanikau River

The Battle of the Matanikau River was a series of engagements during the Guadalcanal Campaign in late 1942, part of the Pacific Theater in World War II. The battles focused on clearing Japanese forces from the Matanikau River area on Guadalcanal to secure the perimeter around the strategic Henderson Field airbase, held by U.S. Marines.

In several operations between September and November 1942, U.S. Marines, supported by naval and aerial bombardment, launched attacks against well-entrenched Japanese positions along the river. These actions disrupted Japanese attempts to launch counterattacks against the American-held airfield.

General Howitzer’s summary:
We swept the jungle clean—rooted out every last Japanese fighter and locked down the western flank of Henderson Field. Those clearing fights weren’t just mop-up—they were the nail in the enemy’s coffin on Guadalcanal. That island was the start of our long march west, and by God, it was the turning point that broke their back in the Pacific.

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 5

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Historical

Location:

Gaudalcanal

Year:

1943

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Guadalcanal

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s

Terrain:

The Matanikau River cuts horizontally across the battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 2 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 1 Artillery

bi

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture Strategy: your job is to clear the Matanikau River of all enemy belligerents. This will require advancing across the river, but do not do so until your two Artillery units have softened up the enemy forces. This primarily means to hit each unit at least once, thus eliminating the Seshin Kyoiku Doctrine with their powerful plus 1D attack powers.

2. Once they have been sufficiently softened up, and you have the right card combination in hand for an attack, then advance and win!

3. Be aware that the enemy infantry on your left flank at a4 is both a danger and an opportunity: a danger, because they are close enough to attack and gain a tactical medal win; but an opportunity, because they are trapped across the river, separated from their forces without a quick escape.

Axis Strategy

1. Big Picture Strategy: As you are outnumbered, this is primarily a defensive scenario for the Axis. But if you can build up the cards to mount an attack in on one side, you should do it. For example, your Infantry at a4 on your right flank is within striking distance of the enemy Artillery, if you had a Behind Enemy Lines card.

2. Be wary of the powerful Allied Artillery, which historically, was able to turn the tide in many engagements in the Pacific. Keep at least five hexes away from them until you are ready.

3. Make use of your Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine and the Banzai War Cry to overwhelm the enemy when they get too close.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Payback! – Operation Bagration, Phase 1

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 27, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic

Payback! - Operation Bagration, Phase 1

Exactly 4 years after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, the Russians were now ready to pay back the Germans in kind! The Allies had finally landed in France and the German forces were stretched thin. Moreover, an elaborate campaign of deception had the Germans convinced the Russian Summer Offensive would be launched further to the South in Ukraine. Therefore, Army Group Center had been stripped of much of its armour and artillery. The main objective of the offensive was to liberate Belorussia and its capital Minsk. The success was to prove so enormous, however, that by the end of Operation Bagration the Soviets found themselves at the gates of Warsaw and the shores of the Baltic. German Army Group Center, which three years earlier, had come so close to capturing Moscow, had ceased to exist. Will you be able to duplicate this success as the Russian player or will you be able to slow them down and thereby save a substantial number of German troops, playing the Germans? The battle lines are drawn, you are in command and the rest is history!

36 VP’s (!)

Card Balance:

Allies –

Allied player [ Soviet Union ]
6 Command cards for each Breakthrough board
You move first.

Axis –

Axis player [ Germany ]
Start with 3 Command cards for each Breakthrough board
Draw 2 cards each turn until you have 5 for each Breakthrough board

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Year:

1944

Theater:

Eastern Front

Campaign:

Codename:

Operation Bagration

Summary:

Objectives:

36 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/62ne

Battle of Warsaw – Best Move?

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 24, 2024 | Memoir 44, Smackdown

What do you think is the best action in this situation?

It looks like we are possibly one move away from a win; if we choose the right one, and get some fair dice. (They don’t even need to be in our favor for several of these choices; just standard percentages will win it.)

Lots of good choices:

1. Assault in the Center vs. H5

2. Armor Assault vs. H5

3. Behind Enemy Lines vs. h4

4. BEL vs. i4, either destroying, or forcing a retreat to gain the second fortress and it’s VP.

WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?

5

Battle of Warsaw - Best Choice

Make your choice!

1. Assault in the Center vs. H5

2. Armor Assault vs. H5

3. Behind Enemy Lines vs h4

4. Behind Enemy Lines vs. i4

BEL with no battle d8 to b2

If 'Other' is filled, checked answers are ignored.

Operation Spring

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 15, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Operation Spring

Operation Spring was launched on July 25-27, 1944, during the Battle of Normandy. The operation aimed to capture key positions south of Caen, France, and support the larger Allied offensive, including Operation Cobra by the Americans.

The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, supported by tanks from the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, led the assault.
Their objectives included capturing key villages like Verrières Ridge, May-sur-Orne, and Tilly-la-Campagne, vital for controlling the high ground.
The Canadians faced well-entrenched German forces, including elements of the 12th SS Panzer Division and the 1st SS Panzer Division (Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler).
Heavy resistance, powerful defensive fire, and poor visibility caused high casualties.
The operation failed to achieve its primary objectives, though it diverted German forces from other fronts.
Canadian forces suffered over 1,500 casualties, marking one of their most costly engagements in Normandy.

Here are General Howitzer’s comments on the battle:

“Listen up! Operation Spring kicked off on July 25th, 1944. It was the Canadians’ job to take the high ground south of Caen, hit those German defenses, and give the Americans in Operation Cobra a clear path to move out.

Even though they didn’t take everything they wanted, they tied down those German divisions and gave the Allies the breathing room to keep pushing. That’s how you fight, boys—you go where you’re needed, you hit the enemy hard, and you keep the pressure on, no matter the cost!”

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Mediterranean

Campaign:

Battle of Normandy

Codename:

Operation Spring

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s including territorial objectives for town captures

Terrain:

Countryside with a couple of hilly ridges angling across the central section.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 4 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 7 Infantry, 4 Armor, 2 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. Your artillery in the right flank can control all the area around St. Andre. If you move it forward just one row towards the center, and position it between both sections, you will be in a better offensive position to control the right flank, but more importantly, can support the attack against the central hills with 2D rolls.

2. If you get the right set of cards, you can quickly gain the hilly advantage in the center section. From there you will be able to make things much for difficult for the Axis forces. But be aware that your plan must include an assault on the Allies central artillery, and medal objective.

Axis Strategy:

1. Your trapped artilley behind the Orne River will only be basically useful for defensive purposes, should the enemy make a fool-hardy assault on that flank.

2. Your artillery in the town of Verriers will be the key to controlling the central section and eliminating any enemy forces that try to control the central hills.

3. One of the two armor on your right flank should be placed on the ridge in the central section as both a deterrant, and eventual attack function. The other can either defend against any attack towards the town of Tully-la-campaigne, or eventual move into the center to support that attack vector.

Author:

Link:

Thoughts

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 14, 2024 | Memoir 44

This is a great game!

Battle Of Tannenburg Line (BT,EF,TP)

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 12, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic

Battle Of Tannenburg Line (BT,EF,TP)

By the summer of 1944, the Soviet Red Army was on the offensive, pushing westward toward the Baltic Sea in a bid to crush the German Army Group North. One of the most critical defensive positions for the Germans lay in northeastern Estonia, on the Tannenberg Line. This line was anchored by the Sinimäed Hills — a series of three steep elevations known as Lastekodumägi, (Children’s Home Hill), Põrguaugu (Hell’s Hole), and Tornimägi (Tower Hill). These hills provided a natural defensive barrier, and the Germans had heavily fortified them with bunkers, trenches, and artillery positions.

Facing them was the Soviet Leningrad Front, under the command of Marshal Leonid Govorov, tasked with breaking through the Tannenberg Line and opening the path to the Baltic Sea. Soviet forces included powerful infantry, armor, and artillery units, determined to seize the high ground. However, the rugged terrain and Axis fortifications posed a formidable challenge. Swamps, forests, and anti-tank obstacles complicated the Soviet advance, making coordinated assaults difficult. The German defenders, led by General Johannes Frießner, included regular Wehrmacht units and elite Estonian Waffen-SS forces, fighting tenaciously to hold their positions on the Sinimäed Hills. These defensive positions offered a clear advantage, giving the Axis the ability to rain down fire on Soviet units struggling to traverse the open ground and difficult terrain below.

The Soviet assault began on July 25, 1944, with fierce fighting erupting on the hills. Over the course of the battle, Soviet forces launched wave after wave of attacks, while the Axis defenders, outnumbered but well-entrenched, fiercely resisted.

The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.

12 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Estonia

Year:

1944

Theater:

Eastern Front

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s, including some territorial objectives:

Lastekodumägi, Põrguaugu mägi and Tornimägi are Permanent Medal Objectives for the Allied forces.

Terrain:

Includes a series of three steep elevations known as Lastekodumägi, (Children’s Home Hill), Põrguaugu (Hell’s Hole), and Tornimägi (Tower Hill). These hills provided a natural defensive barrier, and the Germans had heavily fortified them with bunkers, trenches, and artillery positions.

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 5 Armor, 2 Artillery

Axis – 10 Infantry, 3 Armor, 3 Artillery

Special Rules:

Russian command rules are in effect

Allied Strategy:

Axis Strategy

Author:

raikster

Link:

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