Drop in the Night: 82nd

Drop in the Night: 82nd

Drop in the Night

In the dead of night before D-Day, the All Americans of the 82nd Airborne didn’t tiptoe into Normandy—they dropped in like thunder. C-47s hauled them over the Channel, and under flak, wind, and pure hell, they jumped straight into the enemy’s lap. The plan was simple: grab the crossroads, smash German lines of communication, and choke off any counterattack toward Utah Beach.

They got scattered to hell and gone, fighting in small bands with nothing but guts and rifles. But by God, they took Sainte-Mère-Église—the first French town freed—and held the line until the rest of the army came ashore. It was messy, it was costly, but it damned well crippled the Germans and locked down the flank for the greatest invasion in history.

~~ General Howitzer

VP’s

8

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Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Normandy

Year:

1944

Summary:

Victory Points:

8 Medals, including some objectives for capturing towns, bridges, and permanent medals for blowing up bridges.

Terrain:

there is a lot of terrain here with the battlefield being a breakthrough that is 17 rows deep, composed of countryside, rivers and marches.

Troops:

Allies – 10 elite Infantry units

Axis – 10 Infantry, 1 Armor

medal allies

Allies:

1. 

medal axis

Axis:

1.

1
BR - Drop in the Night

Author.

URL

Battle of Dubno – Brody

Force vs. Finesse: Battle of Dubno - Brody

Scenario_Toulon_start_Allies

The Battle of Dubno–Brody (June 23–30, 1941) was one of the largest tank battles of World War II, fought during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa between Germany’s Army Group South and the Soviet Southwestern Front.

Results:

  • German Panzer forces decisively defeated the numerically superior Soviet armored units, destroying or capturing thousands of tanks.

  • Soviet forces suffered catastrophic losses and were forced into retreat.

Strategy:

  • The Germans used fast, coordinated Panzer thrusts and encirclement tactics to neutralize Soviet armor.

  • Soviet forces, hampered by poor coordination, mechanical breakdowns, and weak communications, failed to execute an effective counteroffensive.

General Howitzer summarizes its impact:
That win at Dubno–Brody blew the road wide open for the Germans into Ukraine and straight toward Kiev. It showed the Soviets their armor doctrine was a mess, and they paid for it in steel and blood. But they’re stubborn—those losses lit a fire under them, and the lessons they learned there would come back to bite the Germans hard later in the war.

24 VP’s (!)
[ This is a ‘break-lord’ scenario ]

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Card Balance:

Allies –

  • 4 cards for each half of the board

Axis –

  • 6 cards for each half of the board

Complexity:

5

Conditions:

Countryside

countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Russia

Year:

1941

Theater:

Eastern Front

Campaign:

Codename:

Operation Barbarossa

Summary:

Objectives:

24 VP’s, plus many other conditions. Read the PDF special rules.

Terrain:

Countryside with rivers and roads 

Troops:  (check the PDF for specific the specific troop deployments)

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Allied Strategy:

1.  

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Axis Strategy

1. 

0
BR - Dubno-Brody

Author:

Willem Boersma

Complete Scenario Link:

https://generalhowitzer.com/bsk-pdf-manager/battle-of-dubno-brody/

Wittmann’s Final Battle

Wittmann’s Final Battle

scenario_Wittmann's-Final-Battle

Wittmann’s last ride came on August 8, ’44, when the Canadians kicked off Operation Totalize south of Caen. He rolled out in his Tiger, thinking he’d stop the Allied push cold—but this wasn’t the Eastern Front, and the Allies weren’t amateurs anymore.

Somewhere near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil, his luck ran out. A Sherman Firefly—packing that damn fine 17-pounder—put a round through his armor and ended the fight before it started. Wittmann and his crew never saw it coming.

That day didn’t just take out Germany’s star tank ace—it proved the tide had turned, and our boys could kill Tigers just as fast as they came at us.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

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Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Battle of Normandy

Codename:

Operation Totalizer

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s

Battlefield:

Countryside

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 4 Armor

Axis – 8 Infantry, 2 Armor, 1 Artillery

 

medal allies

Allied Strategy:

1.  Big Picture Strategy:  You need to move fast during the cover of night.  Every turn there is a possibility of getting a star which will increase daylight and extend the range of the enemy artillery. 

2.  You have four special forces units which can very quickly move in range to attack.  

3.  There are two objective medals in the right flank. You can keep pushing your forces in that direction as you have opportunity.

medal axis

Axis Strategy

1.  Big picture strategy; you will do well to delay and allow the presence of daylight to assist your defensive forces with your artillery.  Do not rush out to attack. Allow several turns to take place so that you get more daylight and thus more range for your artillery.

2.  Wittmann’s battalion is the four-tank unit with the special medal.  It can ignore the first retreat flag, which can assist you in close quarters battles with enemy armor.  

Battle Reports

5
BR - Wittmann

Author:

Days of Wonder

Resource:

BGA

Singapore

Singapore

The Battle of Singapore in February 1942 was the climactic phase of Japan’s “Bicycle Blitzkrieg” during the Mare Shinko Sakusen (Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere offensive). Japanese forces, using speed, surprise, and bicycles to maneuver swiftly through Malaya, overwhelmed British Commonwealth defenses and pushed them back to Singapore.

Despite its strong coastal defenses, Singapore fell after a week of land-based attacks and psychological warfare. General Percival surrendered on February 15, 1942, in one of Britain’s worst military defeats, with over 80,000 Allied troops taken prisoner. The fall of Singapore stunned the Allies and gave Japan control over a key strategic stronghold in Southeast Asia.

General Howitzer sums it up in one sentence:
The Japanese rolled through Malaya on – can you believe it! – bicycles, outmaneuvered the Brits, and took Singapore without breaking stride—proof that arrogance and poor leadership lose wars faster than bullets.

11 VP’s, including at least 5 Medal Objectives for the Axis player.

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Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Jungle Beach

Context:

Historical

Location:

Singapore

Year:

1942

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Bicycle Blitzkreig

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

11 VP’s including Permanent Medal and Temporary Majority Medal Objectives

Battlefield:

Combination of beach assault and jungle terrain and the city of Singapore.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry including Machine Gun, 2 Artillery, a gun boat, and optional British Hawker Hurricanes

Axis – 10 Infantry, 4 Armor, 3 Artillery

 

medal allies

Allied Strategy:

1.  You have a gun boat in the corner right next to the enemy. Use it as many times as you can before they take it out.

2.  You have a couple of Artillery. Use them well, but note that the unit at Changi only has enough ammo for three hits. 

3. You have many Permanent Medal Objectives to guard, so in most cases you will need to keep your forces in a defensive position.

4.  Air rules are optional. It is important for British defenses to make use of them as you have two Hawker Hurricanes at your disposal.

medal axis

Axis Strategy

1.  You have many forces which can be brought to bear but you will need to use your landing craft to get them ashore. 

2.  You need to take out the enemy gun boat in the corner of your right flank ASAP. That will only take one Grenade. 

3.  Once you have dealt with immediate threats near the beach, you can take some time to repair the causeway, which will take two Stars.  Then you can advance your three Armor units into battle.

4.  Your right flank is your strongest. Once you get your forces ashore with the landing craft, you can advance against Tengah and capture your first Medal Objective. Then you can continue deep into enemy territory.

Battle Reports

0
BR - Singapore

Author:

Days of Wonder

Resource:

Campaign Book, Volume 2

Namur

Namur

The Battle of Namur took place on February 1–2, 1944, as part of the U.S. assault on the Marshall Islands during World War II. U.S. 2nd Marine Division forces landed on Namur Island, part of the Kwajalein Atoll, facing fierce resistance from well-entrenched Japanese defenders. The battle saw intense close-quarters combat, complicated by Japanese bunkers, sniper fire, and booby traps. A massive explosion at a Japanese ammunition dump—triggered by American fire—caused heavy U.S. casualties but also disrupted enemy defenses. After two days of brutal fighting, the Marines secured the island. Namur’s capture was a key step in the U.S. island-hopping campaign, giving the Allies a critical foothold in the central Pacific and weakening Japan’s outer defensive ring.

General Howitzer’s summary:

Namur was a two-day slugfest—our 2nd Marines hit the beach and ran headfirst into bunkers, snipers, and traps laid by fanatical Japanese soldiers dug in like ticks. One hell of a blast tore through their ammo dump—and some of our boys with it—but it cracked their line wide open. When the smoke cleared, Namur was ours, and we had a solid damn grip in the Marshalls. Another island down, and one step closer to Tokyo.

5 VP’s

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Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Jungle Beach

Context:

Historical

Location:

Marshall Islands

Year:

1944

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Codename:

Operation Flintlock

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s plus the Ammunition Bunker Permanent Medal Objective

Battlefield:

Combination of beach assault and jungle terrain with some small villages.

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 7 Armor, and a Destroyer ship

Axis – 12 Infantry

 

medal allies

Allied Strategy:

1.  Like all beach scenarios, the first objective is to get off of the beach as quickly as possible and assemble all of your forces into a cohesive fighting unit. 

2.  You have a Destroyer which has an attack range and power of 3,3,2,2,1,1,1,1; so 8 hexes deep!  Plus with a successful hit you gain a targetting reticule upon the hex, which increases the dice by one until the hex is destroyed or vacated.   Use it!

3.  Use your Armor to soften up the enemy at a distance, should any of them venture near the shore.  Remember that because of the Seishin Kyoiku principle, and full-force Japanese units attack with four dice at Close Range.  So hit each one at least once before venturing near them.

4.  The Ammunition Bunker is a Permanent Medal Objective(!) – if you can blow it up.  So occupy it and roll two dice, and hope for a star; but a grenade will kill one of your Marine figures, so be careful!

medal axis

Axis Strategy

1.  You have superior numbers on your right flank and central section.  So move your forces into the jungles and town hexes to hold off the enemy forces.

2.  Get close and then by combining the Banzai two-hex Close Assault attack with any full-force units, you can hit them with the Seishin Kyoiku princple and roll four-dice with each attack.

3.  Guard the ammunition bunker so that the enemy does not get an easy Permanent Medal Objective.

4.  With all of the enemy tanks in the area, do not get any of your forces caught in the open.

Battle Reports

1
BR - Namur

Author:

Days of Wonder

Resource:

Campaign Book, Volume 2