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The Command Card
January 14, 2026
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Play Smarter. Strike Harder.
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Memoir '44 News
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We have already reported about the Refresh in 2025.
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The main article reviewing it on the General Howitzer site is HERE.
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Here is a pic of the new attack/movement tokens from the 2025 Refresh:
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We also previously reported on the FIVE new scenarios which are part of the Base Game Refresh. They are listed as scenarios 7 -11, and took place on July 10th - 11th, 1944 in the area of the village of Hauts-Vents. They can be played as a mini-campaign and are listed on our Campaign page HERE. You can find all five scenarios here as well as links to each individual scenario.
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But we decided to dedicate this Command Card eNews to a focus on the campaign scenarios which are a part of the refresh. So in this edition, you will see a general summary of tactics for the scenarios, and a historical perspective from General Howitzer.
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STRATEGY & TACTICS
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A General Summary of the Strategy for Hauts-Vents Campaign Scenarios (from the 2025 Refresh)
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While individual strategy and tactics for each of the five new scenarios is listed with their scenario, (If we have studied it; if not, feel free to send in your own strategy tips for each scenario.), in this article we will briefly summarize the similar strategic elements of all five of the new scenarios. You can then apply this general plan with the specific steps necessary to achieve victory in each case.
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Like many bocage battles, hedgerows predominate most of the five scenario battles. Because of this, most of the battles are a slow slog - just like it was historically. This requires patience. So the first strategic plan of the day is to Be Patient! If you try to launch a kill-all attack by rushing out into the open, your forces will get chopped up. In fact, historically, the Americans tried a rapid assault against the German forces who were lodged in the thick bocages. The Allies had to cross open terrain, and were summarily shut down by the Axis forces. The Allies had to halt the attack after suffering many casualties.
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Memoir 44 forces you to be - in most cases - content with small wins and hits ("plinking"), and gaining small incremental advantages turn by turn until a unit is completely destroyed. This works best with Infantry units.
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Look for positional advantages. Use the terrain to protect yourself. As hard as it is to fight against an enemy in a hedgerow, it is also great to be hiding in one and attacking the enemy from it.
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2. ATTACK: Focus on Plinking the Enemy until gone. Fight systematically, and carefully.
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3. MOVEMENT: Focus on Positional Gains, get into the Hedgerows when you can.
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From General Howitzer:
The Battle of the Hedgerows
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The "Battle of Hauts-Vents" in July 1944 was a fierce engagement near Saint-Lô, France, as part of the larger Battle of the Hedgerows. It primarily involved the American 3rd Armored Division and the German Panzer Lehr Division in heavy fighting on and around a key hill on July 10th, where the Americans eventually secured the objective after intense close-quarters combat.
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Context: The battle was part of the U.S. First Army's offensive to break out of the Normandy bocage, a region of thick hedges, and the struggle for control of the area around Saint-Lô.
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Forces involved: The primary U.S. force was the 3rd Armored Division, which faced the German Panzer Lehr Division.
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- On July 10th, the 3rd Armored Division attacked towards a key hill.
- The German forces mounted a strong defense, engaging in heavy fighting with both tanks and infantry.
- The fight was characterized by intense, close-range combat in the hedgerow terrain.
- After a day of intense fighting, American forces ultimately took the objective, though the battle was costly.
Significance: The battle was a small but brutal part of the larger effort to break the German lines in Normandy. The intense hedgerow fighting exemplified the difficulties the Allies faced in advancing from the beachheads.
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Ruins of St. Lo, near the Battle for Hauts-Vents
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(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARuins_of_St._L%C3%B4.jpg?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
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The five new scenarios in the 2025 Memoir 44 Refresh attempt to recreate the historical realities of these battles.
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From the main game Scenario book:
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Scenario 7 - Battlegroup Heintz at Hauts-Vents - the battle begins on July 10th, 1944 in and around the village or Hauts-Vents
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Scenario 8 - Belle-Lande - an attempt is made to outflank the Germans by attacking the nearby town of Belle-Lande
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Scenario 9 - Panzer Lehr at Hauts-Vents - at midnight on July 11th, the Panzer Lehr, one of the best German units in action on the western front, moved in to attack
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Scenario 10 - Counter-Attack of Panzer Lehr - the Germans are able to stage a counter-attack and even get as far as 2,000 yards behind the American front, until the 9th Army shows up
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Scenario 11 - Hauts-Vents is Taken - principally Hill 91.
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[ Part of this article was assisted by AI; double-check for accuracy when necessary.]
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Recent Updates to the General Howitzer Community
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Capture of Sapun Ridge
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6 VP'sCard Balance: Allies (Soviet Union) - 6 Axis (Germany) - 5Complexity: 2Conditions: Countryside Context: HistoricalLocation: CrimeaYear: 1944Theater: EasternCampaign: Codename: Summary: Objectives: 6 VP's Battlefield: Countryside with trees and hills Troops: Allies - 11 Infantry, 2 Armor, 1 Artillery Axis - 9 Infantry, 1 Artillery Special Rules: 1. Sniper 2. Special Weapons 3. Night Attacks 4. Steep Hills Allied Strategy: …
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Capture of Asosa
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Listen up—this is how wars are won. In March of ’41, a hard-fighting outfit from the Belgian Congo—the 11th Battalion of the Force Publique—marched into Abyssinia to take the fight straight to the Italians. No hesitation, no excuses. They clawed their way up the brutal high ground of Mount Kirin, took their hits in ambushes near Asosa and Megale, and …
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Easy Company - Paradrop in the Night
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They dropped our boys all over hell and back—but that didn’t stop them. The 506th Parachute Infantry hit the Normandy bocage scattered, disorganized, and under fire. But Americans don’t wait for perfect conditions—we make them. Lieutenant Richard Winters pulled together what he had—35 men—and went looking for the fight. Through hedgerows thick as walls and Germans lurking in every field, …
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Scenario Field Guide: Braskir Offensive
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Scenario Field Guide: Soviet Raid on Grigorevka [Ukraine]
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Scenario Field Guide: Knightsbridge [Battle of Gazala]
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Keep track of wins & losses for Axis vs. Allies in each scenario!
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Battlefield & Strategy Tips
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Events, Sitelinks, & Resources
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Upcoming Memoir 44 EVENTS!
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Dutch Open
February 21-22, 2026, Klundert, Netherlands
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