Battle of Tebourba

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 16, 2024 | Memoir 44, Scenario

Battle of Tebourba (Tigerfibel)

On the November 28 1942, the US led Blade Force failed in its attack on the city of Djedeida.
However, the British controlled Tebourba, Djebel Maïana (Hill 186), the bridge on the Medjerda River, El Bathan and the village of Chouigui.
German Generalleutnant Wolfgang Fischer, commander of the 10th Panzer Division, was ordered to clear the threat on Djedeida.

Initially 3 Tigers and 4 Panzer III’s went into action in the Battle of Tebourba. They were later joined by 3 more Tigers on December 1 1942. By the time the Germans had won the battle on December 5 1942, the Allies, under General Kenneth Anderson, had lost 55 tanks, hundreds of vehicles, and more than 1000 troops had been captured. The Tigers had been devastating, and were responsible for knocking out most of the Allied tanks. The Allied troops were forced to evacuate Tebourba.

12 VP’s

Card Balance:
Allies – 6
Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Context:

Historical

Location:

Date:

Nov/Dec 1942

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Code Name

Context:

Historical

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s

Battlefield:

Troops:

Allies –

Axis –

Allied Strategy

Axis Strategy:

Battle Reports:

Author:

Memoir 44 Japan

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TAKING CAMAIORE

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 16, 2024 | Armor, Countryside, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario

TAKING CAMAIORE (BEF)

Once settled into their new environment, the FEB faced a baptism of fire on September 16 1944. With the support of 3 armored units of the US 5th Army, they took control of Massarosa and Camaiore, north of Pisa. This gave them access to an important network of roads and railways which served as an arterial supply route in the area. The challenge of maintaining the positions led to the Germans retreating further back into the mountains, to establish more efficient defences.

5 VP’s

Card Balance:
Allies – 4
Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Italy

Date:

Sept. 16-18, 1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Brazilian Expeditionary Force

Code Name

Context:

Historical

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, including Temporary Medal Objective

Battlefield:

Battlefield has a railway line, a road, and a river cutting through the field of play at an angle, making movement very interesting.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 3 Armor

Axis – 8 Infantry

Allied Strategy

Axis Strategy:

Battle Reports:

Author:

Icles Rodriquez & Memoir 44 Japan

Link:

Click Here

Iwo Jima – The Meat Grinder

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 10, 2024 | 1945, Armor, Artillery, Infantry, Jungle, Memoir 44, Pacific Theater, Scenario

The Meat Grinder (Iwo Jima)

The “Meat Grinder” was a term used by U.S. Marines to describe a particularly brutal section of the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from February to March 1945. Japanese forces had heavily fortified positions with bunkers, tunnels, and artillery, making them incredibly difficult for the Marines to capture.

Fighting in the Meat Grinder was intense and grueling, with Marines facing fierce resistance and suffering high casualties as they advanced yard by yard. The Japanese defenders used every advantage, including concealed machine gun nests and artillery, to inflict maximum damage on U.S. forces.

After days of relentless combat and heavy losses, the U.S. Marines eventually overcame the Japanese defenses in the Meat Grinder. The capture of this area was crucial to securing Iwo Jima, allowing U.S. forces to move further across the island and ultimately achieve victory.

7 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Historical

Location:

Iwo Jima

Year:

1945

Theater:

Pacific

Summary:

Objectives:

7 VP’s

Battlefield:

Island jungles and hills with caves, allowing for quick movement by Japanese

Troops:
Allies – 10 Infantry, 7 Armor, 2 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 2 Armor, 3 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. Because the Engineers can avoid terrain restrictions during close assault, you need to quickly get them up to the sandbagged hills where the enemy are lodged, and dislodge them!

2. Use your artillery to soften up the enemy before the assault.

3. You need 7 VP’s to win, so you are going to have to address the artillery and deal with it.

4. Your forces on the right and center sections are really bunched together. You need to get some early movement for your infantry, or they will be subjected to some no-retreat hits.

Axis Strategy:

1. You are outnumbered in the center and right sections. Your left flank has more units than the enemy. If you can get your armor into position to defend the open terrain, it will make it difficult for the enemy to move approach.

2. You outnumer the enemy with artillery, 3-2, so use it to soften up the enemy as they approach.

3. Make good use of your full-powered units through the Seishin Kyoiko Doctrine (SKD), to advance on the enemy and roll the extra dice to quickly knock them senseless.

Classic Battle Reports:

(percentage of Allied victories)

30%

Author:

Link:

Breakthrough to Gembloux

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 8, 2024 | 1940, Armor, Artillery, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Mediterranean, Theater: Western

Breakthrough to Gembloux

Historical Background

The Breakthrough to Gembloux was part of the early German invasion of Belgium during May 1940, in the larger Battle of France. German Panzer divisions advanced through central Belgium aiming to break Allied lines near Gembloux, where French forces had fortified positions in the so-called Gembloux Gap—one of the few tank-suitable areas in the region.

Fierce fighting erupted between German armored units and French mechanized divisions, resulting in one of the few early confrontations where French forces held their ground and inflicted significant tank losses. However, the battle was ultimately bypassed when German forces broke through further south in the Ardennes, rendering the defense of Gembloux strategically moot.

General Howitzer summarizes:

At Gembloux, the French finally stood their ground and gave the German Panzers a bloody nose—one of the rare times early in the war they didn’t fold. But while they were trading blows up north, the real storm came through the Ardennes. The fight was solid, but it ended up guarding the wrong damn door.

VP’s

12 VPs

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Date:

May 13, 1940

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

The Battle of France

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

12 Victory Points, plus one Exit by an Axis unit

Battlefield:

Deep breakthrough battlefield with countryside terrain

Troops:
Allies – 8 Infantry, 7 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 10 Infantry, 8 Armor, 2 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. If you want to have any hope of holding out against the Germans, as the French did for two days historically, you will need to hold the line right at the beginning with the three towns on row 13. Get your armor up their to reinforce your infantry. The Axis have overwhelming force, so if you retreat, they will be able to pick you off one by one. Make your stand immediately!

2. Once you get pushed back, the final victory medal for the Axis has to come through escaping on the hex at K1. Guard that with your armor and infantry, and you have some hope of gaining another medal.

Axis Strategy:

1. Remember that no matter how many Allied units you destroy, you will have to get one of your units out the exit row at the end of the battlefield.

Battle Reports:
(percentage of Allied victories)

Author:

jdrommel

Link:

Withdrawal from Hill 112

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 1, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Countryside, Infantry, Memoir 44, Scenario

Withdrawal from Hill 112

The Withdrawal from Hill 112 occurred during the Normandy Campaign in July 1944, following fierce fighting over the strategically important high ground near Caen. British forces, particularly the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, had initially captured Hill 112 during Operation Jupiter (July 10–11), but the position became untenable due to intense German counterattacks, including the deployment of elite SS Panzer divisions.

General Howitzer:

Gentlemen, take a knee. Let me tell you about the grit it took to fight over a patch of real estate called Hill 112—a miserable piece of Norman countryside south of Caen that chewed up men and machines like a meat grinder.

The British and their armor locked horns with the damned Waffen-SS over this hill, not once, not twice—but for weeks. It wasn’t about the trees or the dirt—it was about elevation. Whoever held that hill could see the whole damn battlefield. The Tommies threw everything they had into it—Churchills, Cromwells, and a hell of a lot of courage.

They held it. Then they lost it. Then they bled to take it again.

But here’s the lesson, boys: sometimes the smart move isn’t holding ground—it’s bleeding the enemy dry while they try to take it. The British made Jerry commit his elite SS Panzer divisions there, keeping them pinned down while the Americans punched through elsewhere. And when the time came, they withdrew—not because they were beaten, but because the job was done. The Germans paid in blood for every inch.

That’s maneuver warfare. That’s using terrain like a blade. And that’s how you break the enemy’s back without breaking your own.

Dismissed.

6 VP’s

Card Balance:
Allies – 5
Axis – 6

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater

Western Front

Codename:

Operation Epsom

Summary:

The primary feature of this battlefield is the Odon River running right through the center section. As it is impassable, it severly limits movement between the two half of the field. There are only two bridges allowing crossover, and they are both controlled by the Allies at the start of the game.

Objectives:
This is a six VP game, so attacks must be managed by positional advantages to protect against painful retaliation. The Axis also have an Objective Medal in the town at j2.

Battlefield:
The battlefield is countryside terrain with forests, hedgerows, and hllls, split down much of the middle by the Odon river. Because of only two bridges, mobility from one side of the field to the other is quite limited. Each set of troops for both sides will pretty much have to fend for themselves with little hope of getting assistance from the other side.

Troops:
This is an infantry and tank battle with no artillery for either side.
Allies have 8 Infantry and 4 Armor.
Axis have 8 Infantry and 6 Armor.

Allied Strategy:

1. Because your armor are over-powered by enemy armor in each “half” (due to the Odon River), you will need to play your armor carefully. Open battle will likely result in your losses, just based on statics of the dice roll and the overwhelming numbers of the enemy units. However, if you can hit his armor in the upper left flank while they are still pressed up against the wall, you will increase your hit rate by 17% due to the no-retreat situation they are in.

2. You have near control of the hills. Hold it with your height advantage to try to offset the enemy armor’s larger armored force.

Axis Strategy:

1. The Axis begin this scenario with many of their forces crammed into a corner on the left flank. They are vulnerable to Allied attack, and their mobility is limited, without exposing them to further attack. The mission is to get the troops moving immediately to attack the enemy and create some breathing room for the forces.

2. Keep your infantry and armor as a cohesive fighting force. You will need your infantry to breach the hedgerows and towns, which your armor will soften up first.

Author

Link

Wake Island

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 1, 2024 | 1941, Artillery, Beach, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Pacific Theater, Scenario

Wake Island

Wake Island was a little speck in the Pacific, but in December ’41 it became a fortress of American grit. Right after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese thought they’d steamroll it. On the 11th, they charged in—and got their noses bloodied. Our Marines and gunners blasted ships out of the water and sent the enemy packing, the first time in the war a U.S. force had thrown back an amphibious assault.

But the enemy came back heavier on the 23rd, with more ships, more planes, and more men than that tiny garrison could handle. The Marines fought like crazy, but Wake was finally overrun. Even so, their stand proved to the world that Americans don’t just roll over—we fight, we bleed, and we make the enemy pay dearly for every inch. Wake Island was no surrender; it was a warning shot that the United States was in this war to the finish.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

5 – 5

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Beach

Location:

North Pacific

Year:

1941

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign

Codename

Summary:

The Wake Island scenario has the Japanese attacking Marines who are defending. The beachfront is barricaded with a row of wire. But if they can get past that barrier, every town and fortress hex is a victory medal objective for them.

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus the Axis have potentially 10 (!) Medal Objectives.

Battlefield:

A flat beach defended with wire and Marines in bunkers and one artillery.

Troops:

Allies – 5 Infantry, 1 Artillery

Axis – 12 Infantry!

Allied Strategy:

1. Historically the Allies were overwhelmed in the second attack when 1500 invaders attacked, so the goal is to get some quick hits before they reach the Medal Objectives.

2. Use your artillery at every opportunity, especially early in the game before they move away from it.

Axis Strategy:

1. As a general rule, avoid the artillery in the center-right. Move your troops to the left and attack the left flank. There are plenty of VP’s available on the left side without even having to go anywhere near the artillery.

2. However if you have the cards for a sustained and rapid attack on the right, do it. The fact that there are two hexes unprotected by wire allows the you to very quickly reach the enemy bunkers.

3. You can use your advance infantry unit to quickly gain control of the field bunker at M6, and its VP. Then three more Objective Medals are available to you in the towns. Then as you quickly bring other infantry forward the advance unit can attack the enemy infantry in the town at K8. That’s a total of 5 VP’s relatively unprotected. If you can survive the artillery attacks while you seek out your 6th VP on the left flank, you could have a win to brag about!

DoW Battle Reports

(percentage of Allied victories):

32%

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link: