Guadalcanal [Overlord]

by GeneralHowitzer | Jan 5, 2025 | 1943, Artillery, Infantry, Jungle, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Pacific Theater, Scenario, Strategic, Sudden Death

Guadalcanal

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Guadalcanal. August ’42 to February ’43. The place where the tide started to turn in the Pacific—and where the United States Marine Corps showed the world exactly what American grit looks like.

The Japanese thought they were building themselves a nice little airfield to dominate the Solomon Islands and choke off our lifeline to Australia. Big mistake. We hit that island hard, landed the U.S. Marines, and made damn sure that airstrip—Henderson Field—was going to fly our planes, not theirs.

It wasn’t a cakewalk. It was jungle rot, mud, bugs, no sleep, and short supplies. The enemy threw everything they had at us—infantry assaults, air raids, naval bombardments. But we held. We bled. And we broke them.

By the time it was over, the Japanese were down thousands of men, ships, and planes. They’d lost their shot at controlling the Pacific, and we took the initiative. From then on, it was our war to win, and we were going to take it island by island, all the way to Tokyo.

Guadalcanal wasn’t just a battle—it was a message: The United States doesn’t back down. We plant our flag, we dig in, and we don’t leave until the job’s done.

~~ General Howitzer

13 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 9

Axis – 7

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Historical

Location:

Solomon Islands

Year:

1943

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Guadalcanal Campaign

Codename:

Operation Watchtower

Summary:

This is an Overlord game, so make use of the Jungle Command cards, two per side.

Objectives:

13 Medals including Territorial Control, and Exit Row medals and a sudden death hex all for the Japanese.

Terrain:

Jungle terrain with a 21-hex hill in the center which is a majority-control objective for one medal.

Troops:

Allies – 21 Marine Infantry, 3 Artillery

Axis – 24 Japanese Infantry, 3 Artillery

Special Rules:

1. Majority Temporary Territorial Control – whomever controls most of the 21-hill hexes gains 1 Medal

2. Exit Row Medals – to any Japanese forces that exit

3. Sudden Death Hex – to any Japanese forces that maintain control of the hex at the start of their next turn, total win for the Japanese

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Big Picture Plan when defending against the Japanese onslaught, is to reduce every full-power unit by at least one hit in order to cancel our their Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine.

2. Because of the special Rules, it is imperative that the Marines defende the center section, and prevent the Japanese forces from overwhelming the hill, to gain that point; or exiting out the back, to get those points, or most importantly, never let them gain access to the sudden death hex.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Big Picture Strategy for Axis; while the flanks provide an excellent attack possibility, if you have the cards, they should always be considered secondary to your primary objective of overwhelming the 21-hex hill and gaining all the extra win points associated with it, and the exit hexes, and the sudden death hex.

2. When given the opportunity on your flanks, move your forces towards the central section to continue to put pressure on the enemy and eventually overrun his position.

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:

Battle in the Schnee Eifel

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 10, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic, Winter, Winter Wars

Battle in the Schnee Eifel

The Battle of Schnee Eifel occurred in December 1944 during the early days of the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive on the Western Front in WWII.

The Schnee Eifel, a forested ridge in eastern Belgium, was held by U.S. forces, mainly the 106th Infantry Division. On December 16, 1944, German forces launched a surprise attack, encircling and overwhelming two regiments of the 106th. After intense fighting and lacking supplies, around 6,000 American soldiers were forced to surrender—one of the largest mass surrenders of U.S. troops in the war.

The loss was a setback for the Allies but did not stop their eventual counteroffensive and victory in the Ardennes.

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 4

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Belgium

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Battle of the Bulge

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus three Permanent Medal Objectives for the Axis (Turn Start) for Roth by Prum, Auw by Prum and Pleialf), plus a Sudden Death Exit hex for the Axis

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with a hilly ridge across the center, with scattered forests, and a road encircling almost the entire battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry including two Engineers, 3 Armor (Tank Destroyers), 2 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry including one Machine Gun unit and five Elites, 2 Armor, including one Tank Destroyer, 1 Artillery

Special Weapons: Tank Destroyers, Machine Guns.

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Historically, the Allies got routed, so the primary goal here is to protect the permanent medal objectives and the exit hex.

2. Get your two Artillery into play quickly and use them as much as you can to take out the enemy.

3. Your two Tank Destroyers on the left flank should move forward, in and around to defend the city of Roth by Prum, which is a Permanent Medal Objective.

4. Your other Tank Destroyer and two Artillery should defend the city of Blelaif, which is another Permanent Medal Objective.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Historically, the Axis had the largest victory of the war in this battle, so speed and attack are your principle tools.

2. Get your Tank Destroyer and Infantry on the right flank mobile and engaging the enemy as soon as you can.

3. On your left flank, you have overwhelming advantage with your four Infantry units, and one Armor. Use it to overwhelm the defenses at the town of Blelaif to gain the Permanent Medal Objective.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Wardin

by GeneralHowitzer | Dec 10, 2024 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Winter, Winter Wars

Wardin

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December 19th, 1944:

At Wardin, in the frozen hell of December ’44, the Germans came on hard, hunting roads and junctions like wolves looking for a gap in the line. They wanted Bastogne, and Wardin was one of the doors they had to kick in to get there.

The men of the 28th Infantry Division didn’t run. They fought. Outgunned and pressed by armor, they traded ground for time—yard by bloody yard—smashing the enemy’s schedule and making him pay for every step forward. Wardin fell, but the Germans lost something far more valuable: momentum. That stand helped slow the drive on Bastogne and proved once again that determined American soldiers, fighting smart and stubborn, could wreck even the best-laid German plans. That’s how you beat an enemy—make him bleed for every mile.

~~ General Howitzer

VP’s: 7

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Winter

Location:

Belgium

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Battle of the Bulge

German Name:

Unternehmen Wacht Am Rhein

Summary:

This is a fun and exciting scenario as the Americans attempt to hold off a German onslaught of tanks and infantry in the Battle of the Bulge.

Objectives:

Seven Medals. There are also four Temporary Objective Medals for the Germans to reach, and a Temporary Majority Objective for the five hexes of Wardin.

Battlefield:

Winter conditions, with roads, rivers, and ridges cutting through the battlefield with the town of Wardin dominating one section.

Troops:

Allies – 7 Infantry including 2 Engineers, 6 Armor including a Tank Destroyer, 1 Artillery

Axis – 7 Infantry, 6 Armor including 2 Half-Tracks, 1 Artillery

Special Rules:

1. Winter Combat rules – two hex armor movement

2. Reduced Visibility rules – only hit with Grenades unless in Close Assault

3. Tank Destroyer (2,2,2,2), and hits Armor on Stars

4. Half-Tracks – move 0-2 and attack (2,2)

5. The river is frozen, but impassable.

6. Winter Combat Cards – play the Winter Combat cards in addition to regular Combat cards, two per player

7. Allied mines

Overall Strategy:

1. The Winter Weather rules and Limited Visibility rules totally change the strategy for this battle. Any units which are not in Close Assault can only hit when they roll a Grenade. That means the the distance power of Armor and Artillery is really limited, as they too, can only hit on grenades. In fact, Artillery is quite useless in this scenario unless they are right next to you. So all planning goes into how to mass your troops for multiple Close Assault attacks at once during a single turn.

2. The name of the scenario is Wardin, and for good reason. The five-hex town dominates the right half of the battlefield. And the battle to control the majority of its hexes becomes a focal point for those forces.

Allied Strategy:

1. Defend the four Temporary Medal Objectives.

2. Defend the town of Wardin from take-over by the Germans.

3. The enemy Tank Destroyers are glass cannons which can be quickly eliminated because they are also hit when Stars are rolled. (They also hit when they roll Stars.)

4. The Half-Tracks only roll two-dice each time, so use them in conjunction with your forces. They should not go out to battle alone.

Axis Strategy:

1. Overall objective is for you to breakthrough on both fronts, through the minefield and the town of Wardin to the Objective Medals near the battlefield edge. If you can keep both of these objectives in mind you can put more pressure on the enemy as they will have to both defend their own forces from getting destroyed, but also defend the Medal Objectives on the edges of the battlefield.

2. The two Axis Engineers can be either used to clear the minefield on your left flank, or even better, they are best used to clear the town of Wardin, because they can attack the forces within the town hexes with full power since Engineers can ignore battle terrain restrictions. Don’t be distracted by the minefield; get them over to Wardin!

3. You can obtain two goals with one Armor unit if you move it onto the Temporary Medal Objective just past the town of Wardin. From that vantage point you will both get the medal as long as you stay on the hex and still be within range to attack the Allied forces with the town of Wardin.

4. You have many forces stuck on the back row behind the row of forest hexes. You need to move them out of either side, and also just directly through the forest so that you can get into the battle in the center section.

Author: Days of Wonder

URL

Sword of Stalingrad

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 30, 2024 | 1942, Armor, Artillery, Battle Maps, Countryside, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Urban

Sword of Stalingrad

Stalingrad. July ’42 to February ’43. One of the bloodiest, ugliest slugfests in the history of war—and the place where Hitler’s dreams started bleeding out in the snow.

The Germans charged in hard, aiming to take the city and crack open the Soviet underbelly on their way to the Caucasus oil fields. They bombed Stalingrad to rubble, thinking they could steamroll the Soviets in the ashes.

But rubble favors the defender—and the Soviets fought like wild dogs in every street, every cellar, every damn staircase. House-to-house, room-by-room, tooth-and-nail. The Germans took ground, lost it, and bled for every inch.

And then came the real punch: a Soviet counterattack that closed the trap, surrounded the German 6th Army, and squeezed until there was nothing left but cold, hunger, and surrender.

Stalingrad wasn’t just a Soviet victory—it was the beginning of the end for the Nazi war machine. From that frozen hellhole, the Red Army started marching west—and they didn’t stop till they hit Berlin.

You want to talk grit? Talk Stalingrad. That’s what happens when an enemy pushes too far and meets a defender with nothing left to lose.

~~ General Howitzer

17 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 9

Axis – 10

plus Combat Cards

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Urban

Location:

Russia

Year:

1942

Theater:

Eastern Front

Campaign:

Context:

Historical

Summary:

This is a massive and complex scenario with many strategic elements that makes for an exciting and challenging game.

Objectives:

17 VP’s (!), including numerous territorial medals

Battlefield:

This battlefield has countryside on the Axis side, and urban factories, towns, and other buildings on the Allied side. It is a quite complex battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – Infantry, Armor, Artillery

Axis – Infantry, Armor, Artillery

Allied Strategy

1. Historically, the Russians were defending themselves from the Nazi’s, so much of this scenario is spent behind sandbags, attacking the enemy where you can, to degrade their offensive capabilities.

2. You need to protect the territorial medals which are available to the Axis, should they gain control of various railroad stations, the central hills, or the factory complexes. At the start of the game, you will be granted control of these and the three medals that go with them. But as the game proceeds it will be increasingly difficult to defend and keep this territory and its medals.

3. Your left flank is the most medal-rich area for the Axis to target. So be prepared for an attack there. Manage your cards so that you can respond to aggression.

Axis Strategy

1. This game is won by making your forces mobile. Invade the city hexes with your infantry, and get your armor onto the Allied back row to start snatching those territorial medals.

2. There is a large hill and woods complex in the center section which is worth two VP territorial medals. Control it with both infantry and armor.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Battle Maps, Vol. 3

Link: