Battle of Abbeville

by GeneralHowitzer | Jun 28, 2025 | Armor, Artillery, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Battle of Abbeville

The Battle of Abbeville was a hard-hitting brawl that showed just how unprepared we were for the kind of fast, mechanized war the Germans were waging. After their lightning dash to the Channel, the Germans dug in around Abbeville, threatening to cut off our northern forces. The French, led in part by de Gaulle and his 4e Division Cuirassée, threw in the big boys—those heavy Char B1 bis tanks and Hotchkiss H35s and H39s. The Brits rolled up with Matilda I and II tanks, tough as hell but slower than molasses in January.

We launched a series of assaults to punch the Germans off those Somme bridgeheads, but coordination was lousy, the terrain was brutal, and too many tanks broke down before they even fired a shot. The enemy wasn’t sitting on their hands either—they had Panzer IIIs and IVs guarding the line, with light Panzers filling in the gaps and 88mm Flak guns ripping through anything we sent their way.

Despite brave pushes and a few local breakthroughs, we couldn’t dislodge them. The Germans held the high ground, held the bridges, and held the initiative. That failure didn’t just cost us a patch of land—it helped seal France’s fate. The Germans kept their corridor, tightened the noose, and by the end of June, France was on her knees.

Abbeville wasn’t the biggest battle, but it damn sure mattered. It reminded us that guts alone wouldn’t win this war—we needed better gear, tighter coordination, and leaders ready to move fast and hit hard.

~~ General Howitzer

10 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1940

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

10 VP’s, including two Temporary Objective Medals.

Battlefield:

A countryside with a stretch of river across one end.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 3 Artillery

Axis – 10 Infantry, 6 Armor, 2 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture Strategy: You have 5 Armor to the enemy’s none, but they have three well-entrenched Artillery, which give them a strong defensive advantage. You will have to bring your two Artillery forward to provide some balance; at the same time, using your Armor to attack their many Infantry and keep them back as you move your Artillery into range.

2. Concentrate your forces and just pick off each forward enemy infantry unit, section by section, as you move your forces forward together.

Axis Strategy:

1. Big Picture Strategy: Consolidate your forces and remain in a defensive stance. You have an Artillery advantage. Use it.

2. Your forces are spread out and unable to defend each other. If you have the opportunity, you may want to pull back your forward units, and attempt to form some sort of a defensive line.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Hedgerow Hell

by GeneralHowitzer | Jun 7, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Hedgerow Hell

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Here’s a brief summary of the Battle of Hedgerow Hell in July 1944:

When & Where:
July 1944, in the dense hedgerow country of Normandy, France.
Context:
After the D-Day landings, U.S. forces faced stiff German resistance in the bocage (hedgerow) terrain, which made attacks and movements extremely difficult.
The Battle:
Fighting was slow and brutal—close-quarters combat with tanks and infantry often forced to blast through thick hedgerows. German forces used the terrain to launch ambushes and hold up the American advance.
Outcome:
Despite the difficulties, American troops adapted with new tactics and overcame German defenses, breaking out of the hedgerows and paving the way for the later launch of Operation Cobra.

Here is General Howitzer’s comments on it:

“Listen up, men! July ‘44 in Normandy—the damn hedgerows were like fighting in a jungle made of dirt and stone, and the Germans knew every inch of it. We called it Hedgerow Hell, and that’s exactly what it was.

We started on July 1st, smashing forward, inch by inch, day by day. Those Germans were dug in like ticks, every hedgerow a fortress, every field a killing ground. But our boys didn’t back down—they learned to blow holes in those hedgerows with explosives, and we turned those obstacles into stepping stones.

Week by week, we kept at it—infantry, tanks, engineers working together, and by the end of July, we’d beaten the bastards back. We learned to fight smarter, and we learned to hit ‘em so hard they couldn’t catch their breath.

July 25th—Operation Cobra—that was the payoff, boys! We broke out of that green hell and took the fight back to where they didn’t have those hedgerows to hide in.

So remember this—no matter how tough the terrain or how deep the enemy’s dug in, we keep pushing, keep killing, and never let the bastards stop us!”

13 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 8

Axis – 10

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Normandy, France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Normandy

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

13 VP’s, plus Territorial Objective Medals for each side, and Exit hexes for the Allies.

Battlefield:

Countryside with rivers, roads, hills, and many hedgerows.

Troops:

Allies – 21 Infantry, 8 Armor and some Trucks, 3 Artillery

Axis – 14 Infantry, 5 Armor, 4 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Download PDF

The Cadets of Saumur

by GeneralHowitzer | May 31, 2025 | 1940, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

The Cadets of Saumur (Overlord Map)

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“Let me give it to you straight, boys—back in ‘39, before the big show kicked off in Europe, there was a damn fine brawl brewing out east along the Khalkhin-Gol River. The Soviets, under that iron bastard Zhukov, took on the Japanese who were itching for a scrap in the borderlands.

Those Russians didn’t just trade blows—they went for the kill. They wrapped the Japanese 23rd Division up tight in a steel trap—tanks on the flanks, artillery in the rear, and air power pounding them into the dirt. No escape, no second chances—just one big, smoking ruin when the Red Army was done.

The result? The Japanese learned a lesson in modern warfare and didn’t forget it, and Zhukov walked out of there with a reputation as the man who could gut an enemy army whole. That’s how you fight a battle, boys—encircle, crush, and leave nothing but wreckage behind!”

~~ General Howitzer

Timeline of the Battle:

June 17, 1940 –
German forces approach the Loire River as French defenses collapse elsewhere. Cadets at Saumur are ordered to hold the bridges.
June 18, 1940 –
The cadets and their instructors begin preparing defenses, mining bridges, and setting up strongpoints.
June 19, 1940 –
German troops launch assaults to seize the Saumur bridges. The cadets, though heavily outnumbered, fiercely resist throughout the day and destroy bridges to slow the advance.
June 20, 1940 –
After holding for two days and inflicting delays on the Germans, the cadets receive orders to withdraw. German forces occupy Saumur later that day.

12 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies (France) – 8

Axis – 10

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1940

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s with two Permanent Medal Objectives for the Axis.

Battlefield:

Countryside with many rivers, railroad, and towns

Troops:

Allies – 17 Infantry, 2 Armor, 3 Artillery

Axis – 20 Infanty, 3 Armor, 3 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Reichswald – The Siegried Line

by GeneralHowitzer | May 9, 2025 | 1945, Armor, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Netherlands, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic, Theater: Western

Reichswald - The Siegried Line

February 9th, 1945. The Reichswald—five miles of hell standing between us and the Ruhr, the industrial heart of Hitler’s war machine. You want to break Germany? You punch through there.

We stacked the odds—brought in the numbers, massed near Groesbeek, and started pushing toward Kleve. The Krauts had about 11,000 defenders, and hell, some of ’em were barely fit to fight—one unit full of men with stomach problems, another made up of deaf troops. Sounds easy, right?

Wrong.

Because they were dug into the Siegfried Line—pillboxes, dragon’s teeth, minefields—you name it. They’d flooded the land to the north and south, squeezing us into a freezing, muddy kill zone. And just when you think it couldn’t get worse? The sky opens up with six days of cold, soaking rain. Floods everywhere. Roads turned to soup. Trucks bogged down. Men freezing.

But don’t forget this: they still had paratroopers in reserve. Hardened, mean, disciplined bastards with nothing to lose.

That was the hand we were dealt. The map was a mess, the weather was hell, and the Germans were desperate—but we were coming anyway.

You are in command now. The question ain’t whether it’s hard—the question is: do you have the guts to drive through it and break their damn line?**

Because history doesn’t wait. You either make it—or get buried under it.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Netherlands

Year:

1945

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus two city temporary Objective Medals

Battlefield:

Countrsyide with marsh on one side, a road running through much of it, and numerous ‘dragon’s teeth’ roadblocks which can only be removed by use of the Allied Dozer tanks.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 3 Armor

Axis – 9 Infantry, 1 Armor

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Originally played in the Dutch Open, 2022; and in The Finest Hour Open, Chicago 2025.

Link:

Escouves Forest

by GeneralHowitzer | May 7, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Western

Escouves Forest

August 1944—Écouves Forest. Thick woods, rough country, and Germans with their backs to the wall. Perfect place for a fight.

After we busted out of Normandy, the Krauts tried to make a stand in that damned forest north of Alençon, thinking trees and shadows would stop the Allied hammer. Well, General Leclerc’s French 2nd Armored Division rolled in and showed ’em that no terrain—no matter how dense—can save you when the Allies are coming.

It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t easy. The fighting was up close, personal, and vicious—tanks blasting through trees, infantry ambushed from behind every stump. But the French didn’t blink. They cut through that forest like a buzz saw through timber, rooting out the enemy one foxhole at a time.

And when the smoke cleared, the Écouves Forest was ours—and the jaws of the Falaise Pocket slammed tighter on those retreating bastards.

That fight mattered. It sped up the collapse of the German line in France and helped crack the door wide open on the road to Paris.

Moral of the story? You corner a desperate enemy in the woods, you don’t tiptoe in—you charge in, guns blazing, and don’t stop till the last one runs or drops.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 5

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus the City of Ecouche for the Allies

Battlefield:

The center of the battlefield is dominated by the large Ecouves forest which is hiding some Germans.

Troops:

Allies – 6 Infantry, 6 Armor

Axis – 5 Infantry, 4 Armor

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

French Open, 2022; Also played at The Finest Hour Open, Chicago 2025.

Link:

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Closing the Falaise Gap

by GeneralHowitzer | May 6, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Closing the Falaise Gap

August 1944—Falaise. The trap was nearly shut, and the Germans knew it. Hell, they could smell it.

By the 18th, the Canadians had taken Trun and St. Lambert, putting the lid on the Falaise Pocket. But it wasn’t locked down yet—hell no. The line was thin, the crossroads fragile, and both Allied and Axis forces were stampeding toward Chambois. It wasn’t just a battle—it was a goddamn race: the Germans racing to escape, and us racing to slam the door shut on their sorry rear ends.

The Poles and Americans came in hard, shoulder-to-shoulder, pushing east while the Germans were pushing west—like two trains headed for a crash in a one-track tunnel. The enemy made one last hellbound breakout near the Polish lines, and yeah, some of them got out—but not for long.

Because on the 19th, the line was reinforced. And in St. Lambert, one man—Major David Currie, a Canadian, led from the front like a true warrior. Under fire from both sides—his own artillery damn near clipping his boots—he stood his ground, gave no quarter, and turned that village into a graveyard for the Wehrmacht. He earned the Victoria Cross, and every inch of it.

By the time we closed that pocket, the Normandy campaign was finished—two months of blood, steel, and grit had paid off. The Liberation of Paris was just days away. Looked like it was over for Hitler’s goons—but we weren’t fooled.

The war wasn’t done until the last Nazi was crawling out of a foxhole with his hands in the air. And that took till ’45.

The lines are drawn, the orders are yours, and the clock is ticking.

Now go finish the job.

~~ General Howitzer

7 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

The Invasion of Normandy

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

7 VP’s, including Exit Row Objectives for the Axis

Battlefield:

Countryside with an impassible (except for bridges and fords) river going across the battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 3 Armor

Axis – 9 Infantry, 1 Armor, 1 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1.

Axis Strategy

1.

Battle Reports

Author:

Originally developed for the London Open, 2022. Also played at The Finest Hour Open, Chicago, 2025.

Link:

View