The Relief of Peiper

by GeneralHowitzer | Jul 21, 2026 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Combat Cards, Infantry, Location: Belgium, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western, Winter, Winter Wars

The Relief of Peiper

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The Germans threw everything they had into one last gamble to rescue Peiper’s trapped Panzers at La Gleize. They failed. American infantry, paratroopers, and armor slammed the door shut, cutting off every road to freedom. Out of fuel, out of options, Peiper abandoned his tanks and slipped away on foot, leaving behind the pride of Hitler’s armored force. The relief never came—and with it died the momentum of Germany’s last great offensive in the West.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 4

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Ardennes Forest

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus the Axis can gain a medal by exiting off the back row

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with trees, hills, and an impassable river

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 2 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 3 Armor

Special Rules:

1. Winter Weather – all units can only move two hexes

2. Blow Up Bridges – Allies can sacrifice one sectional card to blow up a bridge in that section; but they forfeit one Command Card for the rest of the game.

3. Winter Combat Cards – each side starts with one Winter Combat card, which can be used anytime with the other Command card played. Each time a Recon (sectional) card is played, you can choose one more Winter Combat card.

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Prevent the Axis forces from exiting out the back row!

2. The Allied Artillery are absolutely critical to prevent the forward advance of the Axis.

3. If the Axis are pushing hard toward the back exits, you can blow up a bridge in that section by forfeiting a section card.

4. Eliminating the German tanks is critical so that they can no longer shoot at you across the river.

5. Don’t forget to use the Winter Combat cards in conjunction with your regular Command cards at every opportunity. They can give you a great competitive edge.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. The Axis Infantry can make a great push up the center with the right set of cards. But make use of the forests and towns to advance forward. But you need to cross the bridges before the Allies blow them.

2. Keep pushing forward toward the Exit hexes.

3. The left section also presents a great opportunity for a forward assault.

4. Don’t forget to use the Winter Combat cards in conjunction with your regular Command cards at every opportunity. They can give you a great competitive edge.

Author:

Link:

Okinawa Hacksaw Ridge

by GeneralHowitzer | Jun 19, 2026 | Armor, Artillery, Infantry, Jungle, Location: Pacific, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Pacific

Okinawa Hacksaw Ridge

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7 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6

Axis – 4

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Jungle

Context:

Location:

Okinawa

Year:

Theater:

Pacific

Summary:

Objectives:

7 VP’s

There is one Medal Objective for the Allies, the Axis HQ.

There is also an Exit Hex for the Allies which will result in one VP for every Allied unit that escapes.

Battlefield:

Jungle with a severe ridge and hills with tunnels

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry, 4 Armor including 3 Fire Tanks, 2 Artillery

Axis – 11 Infantry, 1 Artillery

Special Rules:

1. Air Power – Remove the Air Power card

2. Pfc. Desmond Doss – is able to heal any adjacent infantry, as long as enemy units are not adjacent to him. Process is the same as the Medics & Mechanics card. But he only heals Infantry. He is a non-combatant and cannot attack anyone. If eliminated, it does not result in a Victory Point.

3. HQ rules – should the Allies capture the Axis HQ, the Axis will lose one card from their hand until they regain control of it.

4. Fire Tanks – they attack with +1 dice when in Close Assault; perfect for attacking units in Caves on a Hill.

Allied Strategy:

1. Use your Fire Tanks as much as possible in Close Assault, so that they can help you conquer the Japanese units on the top of Hacksaw Ridge.

2. The Armor on your left flank should keep pushing toward the Exit Hex.

3. There is a pathway on the right flank which will allow you to get beyond the ridge and attack the Artillery near the Japanese HQ.

4. Make good use of Pfc. Doss to heal any injured Infantry so that they can keep fighting!

Axis Strategy:

1. Guard the Exit Hex on your right flank.

2. Guard the passage to your HQ on your left flank.

3. Attack with your full-strength Infantry units at every opportunity so that you can make use of the Japanese Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine, and attack with four dice while in Close Assault.

4. If Pfc Doss tries to heal Infantry units, you will have to take him out with your Artillery, or Infantry, but you will not gain a Victory Point for eliminating him.

Battle Reports

Source: Chicago’s Finest Hour Open

Link:

Patton’s Kasserine Crucible

by GeneralHowitzer | Jun 16, 2026 | 1943, Armor, Artillery, Desert, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Mediterranean

Patton's Kasserine Crucible

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8 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 8

Axis – 8

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Desert

Context:

Historical

Location:

North Africa

Year:

1943

Theater:

Mediterranean

Summary:

Objectives:

8 VP’s

Battlefield:

Desert with dunes, ravines, hills & ergs

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 5 Armor, 2 Artillery

Axis – 7 Infantry, 7 Armor, 1 Artillery

Special Rules:

1. Air Power – Remove the Air Power card

2. Patton’s Iron Fist – As Allies, at the end of your turn, when it is time to draw a new card, you may choose any one card from the discard file and place it back into your hand. This may only be done once.

3. Tiger Tanks – Axis have two Tiger Tanks

4. Ravine – the Ravine is impassable

5. Ergs – the swirly terrain is an Erg. It is like a Hill, but once a unit moves onto it, the unit must stop.

6. Bridges – Allies can destroy either of the two bridges, with an Infantry unit on it, can roll two dice, and a Grenade will destroy it. The Infantry unit is not destroyed.

7. German Infantry Units – they are all Special Forces, and can move two hexes and still attack.

Allied Strategy:

1. The Allies have an Escape Hex on their left flank. Each unit making it out wins a medal for the Allies. But do not make a mad dash for it with all of your forces, as this is an eight medal game, and if you run, the Axis forces will overwhelm your troops, killing many of them and then escaping out their own Escape Hex. So you need to practice a strategic retreat where some of your forces practice a delaying action.

2. Attack with your Infantry on the forward front dunes. They are close to the enemy and can cause lots of damage.

3. Do not advance your Infantry on the right flank rear dunes forward. If your Infantry tries to attack enemy Armor in the open desert, they will get slaughtered.

4. Stay behind your sandbags as long as you can.

Axis Strategy:

1. Immediately attack the enemy Infantry on the dunes right in front of you.

2. Get your two Tigers into action ASAP.

3. As you move and attack, keep pushing your forces toward the center Escape Hexes to put pressure on the enemy forces.

Battle Reports

Source: Chicago’s Finest Hour Open

Link:

Clervaux – The Road to Bastogne

by GeneralHowitzer | Jan 4, 2026 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Combat Cards, Countryside, Infantry, Location: France, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Western

Clervaux - The Road to Bastogne

Clervaux Axis Left

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Memoir 44 Clervaux

December 16-17th, 1944:

Clervaux was the first hard punch the Germans threw on their dash toward Bastogne during the opening of the Battle of the Bulge, and our boys met it head-on.

At Clervaux, the men of the 110th Infantry Regiment were badly outnumbered and staring down German armor—but they didn’t blink. They fought from roadblocks, stone buildings, and that old castle like seasoned professionals, squeezing every minute they could out of the enemy. They knew the mission wasn’t to win ground; it was to bleed time.

Clervaux fell, but it fell hard—and that delay threw sand in the German gears. Those precious hours helped seal Bastogne’s defenses and turned a German gamble into a fight they couldn’t win. That’s how wars are won: not by retreating fast, but by making the enemy pay for every damned mile.

~~ General Howitzer

VP’s: 8

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

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:

Eight Medals. There are also two Exit Medals for the Germans to breakthrough, and three Permanent Medal Objective (Turn Start), including the castle at Clervaux.

Battlefield:

Winter conditions, with roads and rivers cutting through the battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 3 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 7 Armor

Special Rules:

1. Winter Weather 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

3. The river is frozen, but impassable.

4. Pontoon Bridge rules – use an Attack card to build a bridge; instead of moving three units, build one Pontoon Bridge.

5. Also play with Winter Combat cards in addition to regular Combat cards

6. Winter Combat Cards – two per player;

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. The enemy has overwhelming force against you – if they can get their Armor across the river. So your strategy includes two phases; Phase One: Attack while you can before the Armor shows up. Phase Two: once the Armor makes it into the battle, then retreat to defensive positions.

2. Defend the Exit Hexes.

3. Defend the three Permanent Medal Objectives.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. First priority is to get some bridges built across the impassable Our River, so that your tremendous tank force can make a difference in this battle. Play an Attack card, and instead of moving three units, build a Bridge in that section. The goal will be to build one bridge in both the left and right sectors.

2. Once you have the Pontoon Bridge built, get your Armor across immediately and start pushing towards the Objective Medal Hexes on both your right and left sectors. They are Permanent Objectives (Turn Start), so you will need to get your forces onto the hex and hold out for one turn to win it.

Author: Days of Wonder

URL

Peleliu Landings [Overlord]

by GeneralHowitzer | Nov 24, 2025 | 1944, Armor, Artillery, Beach, Destroyer, Infantry, Jungle, Location: Pacific, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Overlord Game, Pacific Theater, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Pacific

Peleliu Landings (Overlord)

Listen up. When our boys hit Peleliu, they weren’t stepping onto some quiet stretch of sand — they were walking straight into a hornet’s nest carved out of coral and steel. The Japanese didn’t waste men on the beaches; they dug themselves into the ridges, the caves, and the guts of that island, building a fortress designed to bleed us dry.

The 1st Marine Division landed under murderous fire — artillery, machine guns, everything the enemy could throw. They took casualties by the score, but they kept pushing, clawing their way off those beaches yard by yard. By nightfall, they’d carved out a foothold. Not victory — just a place to start swinging.

Peleliu wasn’t taken in a day. It was a slugging match, the kind where grit and guts matter more than numbers. And the Marines proved that when the chips are down, America’s fighting men don’t back up — they break through.

~~ General Howitzer

13 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 11

Axis – 8

Complexity:

5/5

Conditions:

Beach

Context:

Historical

Location:

Palau Islands

Year:

1944

Theater:

Pacific

Campaign:

Guadalcanal Campaign

Summary:

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

Objectives:

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

Terrain:

Beach and jungle terrain, and mountains, and an airfield.

Troops:

Allies – Infantry, Armor, Destroyers

Axis – Infantry, Armor, Artillery

Special Rules:

1. Majority Temporary Territorial Control – whomever controls 3 of the 4 buildings of the airfield

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

3. Imperial Japanese Army Command rules – Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine (SKD), Yamato Dashi Concept (No Surrender), Banzai War Cry

4. US Marine Corps rules – Gung Ho! rule – activate one extra unit more than the card played indicates

5. Airfield rules – no movement restrictions, no combat restrictions, no line of site restrictions

6. Jungles – Movement, must stop; Battle, only if starting in, or adjacent to hex; blocks Line of Sight;

7. Minefields,

8. Marshes,

9. Mountain terrain – only Infantry may move onto Mountains; Battle, up the mountain reduces dice by two; blocks Line of Site

10. Destroyers – attacks at 3,3,2,2,1,1,1,1

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. The Marines should avoid the Japanese up in the mountains on their left flank. There is little to be gained in that sector. Instead direct your forces at an angle towards the center, to bring pressure to bear towards the airfield.

2. The two Exit hexes for the Marines are an excellent and achievable goal. Work your way through the jungle and send some of our boys home to safety!

3. You have a warship at your disposal on your left flank. Use it at every opportunity to degrade the enemy forces. It is close enough to the center, that you can provide some good support for the forces fighting on the center beach.

4. The Marines are able to use their Gung Ho! ability to command one additional unit – but only in one section at a time. So the Command-In-Chief (CIC) should decide which sector requires the additional unit to be ordered, to either shore up a section that needs additional defense, or to enhance an attack with one additional unit to command.

5. You start the battle with three Engineer units. Get them off the beach and into the jungle as soon as possible. They will be able to overcome the jungle terrain protections, ignoring them at Close Assault, and being able to roll three dice for each attack. This will help to quickly blunt the Japanese SKD abilities.

BIG PICTURE STRATEGY FOR BOTH SIDES:

1. Because this is an Overlord game, hand management becomes critical. At the start of the game, both sides have plenty of cards to fight with. The Allies get 11 cards, and the Axis get 8. But because they can spend up to three cards per turn, and only get replenished at the rate of 2 cards per turn, each side will begin to run out of playable cards, about half-way through the game, and will have to resort to Initiative Rolls for one of their Field Commanders.

2. The center two sections are where most of the action is going to take place. As the Marines push up toward the Airfield, and the Japanese bring their Armor out from behind the mountains, they will all converge for an awesome bloodbath on the central beach.

3. This is a long scenario with 13 Victory Points. This means strategic hits, and good defensive moves, so that you are attacking the enemy from places of protection, will slowly build up to a successful attack, unit by unit. This scenario is not won in a single decisive attack. You will need to use your forces everywhere for a total war attack methodology.

4. This is an Overlord game, so be sure to understand the rules for how the Commander-In-Chief (CIC) distributes cards, and who is authorized to attack in which sections. Clarify before the game starts, any special rules for how to apply multi-sectional cards, and Tactic cards. The official Days of Wonder Overlord rules can be found here on the General Howitzer site.

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. You have a number of powerful Armor which are capable of doing great damage to the enemy on the beach. But they are blocked in by your Infantry. So get the Infantry moved out of the way, and take a couple of turns to attack the unprotected and helpless forces on the beach.

2. Keep a few forces close to the Airfield, which is a Permanent Majority Medal Objective. If the enemy controls three of the four building hexes at the end of their turn, this will earn a Permanent Medal Objective.

3. Also keep a few forces close to the Exit hexes to prevent the enemy from escaping, and earning medals.

4. Because of the Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine (SKD), your full force Infantry units get to roll one extra dice in Close Assault attacks. If you move your forces quickly forward onto the beach, you can capture the Marines at their weakest, and with your extra dice rolls, either kill them, or push them back into the sea for retreat kills. (Although it should be noted that historically, the Japanese attacked the beach from a distance and waited for the Marines to come to them, all the while inflicting heavy losses upon them for each territorial gain.)

5. You have two Artillery units which can reach all the way to the beach. Use them at every opportunity to attack the enemy from a distance. Do not move out your forces too early to the beach. Make them come to you, and keep hitting them with the Artillery as they approach.

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link: