Martinville Ridge

by GeneralHowitzer | Jan 10, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical

Martinville Ridge

“Listen here, men! The Battle of Martinville Ridge was a mean slugfest in July ‘44, right in the thick of the Normandy bocage. That damn hedgerow country turned every field into a fortress, and every ridge was a death trap. Our boys from the 35th Infantry Division went up that ridge with grit and guts, trying to crack those Nazi defenses wide open.

The Germans had the high ground and those thick hedgerows, making every inch of dirt a hellhole to fight for. We took the ridge at first—bayonets and grenades leading the way—but those Germans counterattacked like devils, forcing us to pull back and regroup. But I’ll tell you what: every drop of sweat and blood we left on that ridge kept the enemy tied up and bleeding too.

We didn’t take Martinville Ridge outright, but we sure as hell rattled the Germans’ cages and cleared the way for our breakout later in Cobra. That’s the price of victory, boys—no easy ground, no easy days. Keep pushing, keep killing, and never give ‘em an inch!”

~~ General Howitzer

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western Front

Campaign:

Normandy Campaign

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, plus territorial objectives for each side.

Allies can target St. Lo and the ridge by Martinville. Axis targets Hill 122.

Terrain:

The battlefield is scattered with hills, towns, hedgerows, and forests.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 4 Armor

Axis – 7 Infantry, 2 Armor, 1 Artillery

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Your forces are scattered and in disarray. You need to coordinate them into a cohesive attack force.

2. Be aware that the enemy will quickly mass their forces for an attack against your forward infantry unit at d8. If you can move your left flank Armor up to support it, you may be able to hold the position for a while and inflict some damage on the Axis.

3. Beware the enemy Artillery in the corner of your right flank. Although he is locked in there, he can still roll powerful attacks on that flank. Stay away and nullify any firepower from there.

4. Your strategy should include plans for a continual push up the center in order to bring pressure to bear upon the two Medal Objectives on the hill and in the city of St. Lo.

5. Possible Attack Vector: One attack plan you can pursue is on the left flank. You only need five medals to win, and there are three enemy units up in the corner. If you get a good set of attack cards, such as Infantry Assault you can quickly surround them and take them out.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Your forces are outnumbered, so you will need to get your armor out of the town into attack positions. You also need to move your infantry from the corner on your right flank and into a more centralized position. An early win for you can be the forward Allied Infantry unit at d8.

2. You have two Territorial Medals to protect. Be aware of the mobility range of their Armor should they push up the center. If you move your units off of those hexes, be certain the enemy cannot sneak in at the end and grab a final medal.

3. The Allies have a Medal Objective waiting for you at ‘i4’ (Hill 122); just go get it! Your Armor, Artillery, and the two Infantry on the left section may be able to provide you with the means to reach it, with the right set of cards.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Panzer Lehr Counter Attacks

by GeneralHowitzer | Jan 9, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Western

Panzer Lehr Counter-Attacks

The Panzer Lehr Counterattacks occurred in July 1944 during the Normandy Campaign in World War II. The Panzer Lehr Division, an elite German armored unit, launched a series of counterattacks against advancing Allied forces, particularly around the town of Saint-Lô, in an effort to halt the Allies’ breakout from the beachheads.

Listen up, men—Panzer Lehr was no ragtag outfit. It was Germany’s pride: tanks gleaming, engines roaring, veterans in every seat. But when the hammer fell, all that iron and swagger met the full fury of Allied steel and sky. Our fighter-bombers tore them apart from above, our artillery shook the ground beneath them, and when the dust cleared, Lehr was bleeding oil and fire across the Norman fields.

Their counterattacks? Brave but doomed—crushed under the weight of Operation Cobra, the breakout that ripped open Hitler’s precious front and sent his armies reeling toward the Falaise trap. Panzer Lehr learned the hard way what happens when you stand in the path of an army that’s rolling for victory.

~~ General Howitzer

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 5

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western Front

Campaign:

Normandy Campaign

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, plus the a exit row medals for the Axis

Terrain:

The battlefield is scattered with hills, towns, hedgerows, and forests.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 4 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 8 Infantry, 2 Armor

Allied Strategy:

1. You have an Armor superiority, but only if you get your armor that are stuck in the right corner, out into the action. It will take two turns to get them out and mobile.

2. You have an Artillery in the center, protect it, and use it.

3. The Axis forces have a massive row of Exit Hexes, which you need to defend. Do not allow their forces to get an incursion deep into your territory in any section. If any Armor makes it to row three, they can escape the next turn.

4. Make use of your defensive cover hexes, and defend against enemy advancements.

Axis Strategy:

1. Big Picture strategy is that your forces begin in disarray. You need to consolidate your forces, and coordinate your efforts. The Allies begin with control of two-thirds of the battlefield. They are protected by hedgerows, towns, and hills. You will need to develop a strategy to attack those units one by one with concentrated firepower until each one is eliminated.

2. Because there are a row of exit hexes which can provide additional medals for you, you should continue a relentless push deep into the enemy territory. If you can bring in your flank forces toward the center, it will make your forces unstoppable.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

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

🔥 Winning as Allies

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.

🔥 Winning as Axis

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:

Hlegu Burma

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 10, 2024 | 1942, Armor, Combat Cards, Infantry, Jungle, Location: Pacific, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Pacific

Hlegu Burma

The engagement at Hlegu in March 1942 was a minor yet notable skirmish during the British retreat from Rangoon amid the Japanese invasion of Burma in World War II.

As part of the broader Battle of Pegu, British forces, including the 7th Queen’s Own Hussars equipped with Stuart “Honey” light tanks, advanced toward Hlegu, only to find it occupied by Japanese troops who had established a roadblock. The Japanese defenders employed Molotov cocktails, successfully disabling one British tank. Despite this resistance, the British forces ultimately overcame the roadblock, forcing the Japanese to retreat under heavy fire.

This encounter was part of a strategic effort by the British to delay the Japanese advance and facilitate the evacuation of Rangoon. Although the city fell shortly thereafter, the actions at Hlegu exemplify the determined resistance offered by British and Commonwealth forces during the challenging Burma campaign.

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6 + 2 Combat Cards

Axis – 4 + 2 Combat Cards

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Historical

Location:

Burma

Year:

1942

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, plus a Sudden Death Exit Hex for the Allies.

Battlefield:

A jungle scenario with a road running vertically through the map, with a roadblock in the center.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 3 Armor

Axis – 9 Infantry

Special Rules:

Roadblock Rules in “Hlegu, Burma”

According to the Terrain Pack Rulebook, roadblocks have the following effects:1j1ju

Movement: Only Infantry units may enter a hex containing a roadblock. Upon entering, the Infantry unit must stop and cannot move further that turn.
Combat:
- A unit positioned on a roadblock hex is protected on all sides.
- When attacked by Infantry or Armor, the attacking unit rolls one fewer Battle die.
- Artillery attacks are unaffected; they roll their normal number of Battle dice.
- A unit on a roadblock hex may ignore the first flag rolled against it.
Line of Sight: Roadblocks do not obstruct line of sight

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. The Allies have a Sudden Death Exit Hex Objective Medal. If a unit begins the turn on the hex and exits, a victory is declared for the Allies.

2. You have Armor units, and the enemy has none. Use them to good effect, but don’t get too close or they will hit you with Molotov cocktails.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. At all costs, defend the Exit Hex.

2. The roadblock is your best chance to surround and destroy the enemy. As they try to cross it, bring all your Infantry to bear against them.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Courtesy of Imperial War Museum

Dug in at Sidi Omar – Armor Cat & Mouse Play

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 2, 2024 | Desert, Memoir 44, Smackdown, Tactical

Sidi Omar - Cat & Mouse Games

So here is the situation. Allies have a superior armor advantage on the right flank – as soon as the two units from the center move over there. But they don’t want to move in too quickly. The reason is that in desert tank scenarios, it is usually the one that strikes first wins. So even though the Allies have four-figure Armor units, they want to proceed carefully.

So even though the selected armor could move up one more hex and fire at the Axis armor, it may not be wise. A good card for the Axis would allow all three on the right to reply, plus there is another Panzer unit lurking in the center section.

So the question is, do the Allied armor wait until they are all grouped together on the right to attack? Or do we go for a quick hit, and maybe take out the lone enemy armor unit?

Villers-Bocage

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 1, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Western

Villers-Bocage

The Battle of Villers-Bocage took place on June 13, 1944, during the Normandy Campaign in World War II. It was a significant tank engagement between British and German forces near the town of Villers-Bocage in France, shortly after the D-Day landings.

Listen up, men—this was no parade down the Champs-Élysées. The British 7th Armoured Division—the famed “Desert Rats”—thought they’d found a hole in the German line near Caen and charged in, hungry for glory. But out of the hedgerows came Michael Wittmann and his awesome Tigers, ambushing them in the narrow streets of Villers-Bocage. In minutes, British columns were burning wrecks—armor smashed, morale shaken.

But here’s the thing: Wittmann’s brilliance bought the Germans nothing lasting. The Rats pulled back, regrouped, and the Tigers couldn’t press the advantage. The town lay in ruins, but the campaign rolled on. Villers-Bocage stands as a brutal reminder—urban fighting is hell, and courage alone doesn’t win the day. You need discipline, coordination, and the will to keep moving forward, no matter what roars out of the fog.

~~ General Howitzer

VP’s:

Allies – 3 medals

Axis – 5 medals

Card Balance:

Allies – 3

Axis – 6

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Location:

Normandy

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western Front

Campaign:

Normandy Invasion

Summary:

This scenario is really unique with the battle between the just five German Tiger tanks vs. 24! Allied tanks, 16 infantry figures. And yet the battle is fairly balanced.

Objectives:

Allies – 3 Medals

Axis – 5 Medals, including two permanent medal exit objectives

Terrain:

Countryside with a road cutting across the battlefield at an angle

Troops:

Allies – 4 Infantry, 8 Armor

Axis – 5 Tiger Tanks

Allied Strategy

1. The only way you can hope to win is by bunching up your forces. Do not try to take on a Tiger Tank, one at a time.

2. Attack the units without forest protection first, as you will be able to roll triple the attack power.

3. You will need to force them out of the forest. Once they leave the forest hex, they cannot return. So a one-two punch is the way to go. Your first tank forces can attack, and hopefully roll a Flag, which will force the enemy out into the open. Then your second tank forces can roll a 3D attack and hopefully secure a kill.

4. As long as the Axis forces stay in their woods for protection, you can backoff and move out of attack range, while you get the rest of your forces on your right flank organized and into action.

Axis Strategy

1. Stay in the woods as long as you can, and keep attacking the enemy from there as long as they are in range. Because the enemy can only roll one dice against you in the woods, the odds of them rolling a hit, and then a second dice with a grenade are exceedingly low.

2. One of your Tigers is already out in the open, so plan on moving and attacking with that one first, but stay close to your other Tigers for support. Do not venture into a forward position where the enemy can surround you from behind.

Author:

Days of Wonder

URL