Bardia

by GeneralHowitzer | May 17, 2025 | 1941, Armor, Artillery, Desert, Infantry, Location: Libya, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Mediterranean

Bardia

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Bardia, January 1941—now that was a proper kick in the teeth for the Italians, and the Aussies delivered it with style.

This was the first big ground fight cooked up and led by an Australian outfit—6th Australian Division, under General Mackay—and let me tell you, those boys weren’t there to play games. Their target? Bardia, a heavily fortified Italian stronghold in Libya. Italians thought they were sitting pretty behind wire, guns, and concrete. Big mistake.

The 16th Brigade hit ’em from the west—smart move, weakest spot in the line. The engineers crawled through hell, cut through barbed wire, filled anti-tank ditches, and cleared a path like pros. Then came the punch: Matilda II tanks from the Brits’ 7th Royal Tank Regiment rolled in with the infantry. After that, it was a hammer-and-anvil job—17th and 19th Brigades came crashing in to finish the job.

By the end, Bardia was ours. Thousands of Italians surrendered, and the whole damn front cracked wide open. That victory let the Allies charge deeper into Libya and gave Rommel a reason to pack his bags for North Africa.

The Aussies proved two things at Bardia: one, they could plan and fight like hell; and two, when you combine tanks, grit, and coordination—you win. That’s the kind of war I like: fast, bold, and overwhelming.

~~ General Howitzer

7 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 6 + 2 Combat Cards

Axis – 6 + 2 Combat Cards
(Note that Italian rules call for a loss of one Command Card for every Italian unit/hex lost, until 3 remain.)

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Desert

Context:

Historical

Location:

Libya

Year:

1943

Theater:

Mediterranean

Campaign:

Western Desert Campaign

Codename:

It was part of Operation Compass

Summary:

Objectives:

7 VP’s, including two building territorial objectives and two hill territorial objectives for the Allies

Battlefield:

Desert terrain with a branching roads running through it, and some dunes.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry, 4 Armor, 2 Artillery

Axis – 10 Infantry, 1 Armor, 2 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture Strategy: follow the roads that points like an arrow to your targets in the center section, which contains four territorial medals awaiting you at the two towns and two hills.

2. Watch out for your right half of the battlefield which is dominated by the Italian artillery.

Axis Strategy

1. Big Picture Strategy: stay behind the sandbags! The Italians are in a defensive posture, and tactical wins are not worth the cost to your forces should you venture forth from your sandbags.

2. Be aware that the rules of engagement for the Italian nation is that for every unit/hex which gets destroyed, you lose one command card, down to three cards in your hand. This makes the loss of any unit devastating to your offensive capabilities.

3. You have a strong set of Artillery on the left side of the battlefield. Use them at every opportunity.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

St. Joseph’s Farm

by GeneralHowitzer | May 16, 2025 | 1942, Armor, Artillery, Combat Cards, Desert, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Tactical, Theater: Mediterranean

St. Joseph's Farm

Chouigui Pass—November 1942. One hell of a day for the U.S. Army, and the first time our boys showed the Krauts what American steel could do.

We were green, no doubt about it. The 1st Battalion, 1st Armored Regiment—part of my beloved 1st Armored Division—rolled into action near a place called Chouigui Pass, northwest of Tebourba. The brass might call it St. Joseph’s Farm, but I’ll tell you—there was nothing holy about what went down there.

Our men, riding those M3 Stuarts and M4 Shermans, spotted a German convoy and didn’t hesitate. They tore into it with everything they had. And wouldn’t you know it? A short time later, they ran into the 10th Panzer Division—real hardened bastards—but our boys didn’t back down.

We hit ’em hard. Burned up their vehicles, shattered their lines, and let ’em know the Americans were here and we weren’t playing. It wasn’t some grand campaign-ending victory, but it mattered. It was the first time U.S. armor took the fight to the Wehrmacht and came out standing.

That fight at Chouigui Pass proved something: our tanks could run, our boys could fight, and American grit was just getting started. North Africa wasn’t going to be easy—but after that day, the Germans knew we were in the game.

And from there, we only got meaner, faster, and a whole lot more dangerous.

~~ General Howitzer

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5 + 2 Combat Cards

Axis – 5 + 2 Combat Cards

Complexity:

2

Conditions:

Desert

Context:

Historical

Location:

Tunisia

Year:

1942

Theater:

Mediterranean

Campaign:

Tunisia Campaign

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

5 VP’s, including St. Joseph’s Farm as a Temporary Objective for the Axis.

Battlefield:

Desert terrain with a branching road running through it, and ridges on each flank, which provide the defensive surprise that historically occurred.

Troops:

Allies – 3 Infantry, 8 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 5 Infantry, 5 Armor

Allied Strategy:

1. Historically, the Allies surprised the Germans by hiding their Armor reserves behind the ridges. In this scenario, the enemy obviously knows you are there, but you can still use the ridges as defensive protection until the Axis Armor gets close enough for you to launch your Armor assault, and maybe recreate history with an Allied victory.

Axis Strategy

1. Historically, the Axis were surprised by the Allied forces hiding behind the ridges. You know they are there, and they outnumber your forces, so you will need to score some quick hits against the forces in the center, to take them out of the action before their support shows up on the flanks.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Battle of Westerplatte

by GeneralHowitzer | May 6, 2025 | 1939, Artillery, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Poland, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic, Theater: Western

Battle of Westerplatte

September 1st, 1939—0448 hours. That was the shot that lit the damn fuse on World War II.

The Germans kicked things off by bringing in the battleship Schleswig-Holstein, sitting nice and cozy in Danzig harbor, and then—boom—she opened up with a full broadside on the Polish outpost at Westerplatte. They thought they’d scare the Poles into folding before breakfast.

Then came the assault: crack German marines, three platoons strong, storming across the land bridge, expecting a little parade through the depot. They even blew open the rail gate like it was just another drill. They thought they were walking into a skirmish.

Wrong.

They walked straight into a kill zone. The Poles were locked, loaded, and waiting—concealed firing positions, crossfire, barbed wire, the whole damn package. And those German troops? They didn’t find a pushover—they found hell on Earth.

The plan was for the Poles to hold for twelve hours. Instead, they held that godforsaken strip of land for seven damn days—against artillery, naval fire, and relentless infantry assaults. They bled, they fought, and they showed the world what grit looks like under fire.

Westerplatte didn’t stop the war. But it told the Nazis one thing loud and clear: this wasn’t going to be easy. It became a symbol—of resistance, of courage, and of never giving an inch when everything’s on the line.

The lines were drawn, the fuse was lit, and history roared to life in a blaze of fire and steel.

Now the only question left is—when it’s your turn to hold the line… will you stand, or will you fold?

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Poland

Year:

September 1, 1939

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

The Invasion of Poland

Codename:

Fall Weiss / Case White

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus one Permanent Medal Objective for each side (The Destroyer and the Supply Shed.)

Battlefield:

Contains countryside with a road, a railway, and a river.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry (3 figures each), 2 Artillery

Axis – 10 Infantry, 1 Artillery, 1 Destroyer!

Allied Strategy:

1. Because of the surprise nature of the attack, all of the Polish Allied Infantry only have three figures each. They are therefore very quickly overrun by the German forces. Gain the hits you can, and protect the Supply Shed!

Axis Strategy

1. You have a Destroyer at your disposal, with massive range. Use it every chance you get.

Battle Reports

Author:

Originally developed for the Belgium Open, 2017; Also used by The Finest Hour Open, Chicago, 2025.

Link:

View

Bain Tsagan Heights

by GeneralHowitzer | May 4, 2025 | 1939, Armor, Artillery, Big Guns, Breakthrough Game, Countryside, Infantry, Location: Russia, Medal Objectives, Memoir 44, Scenario, Special Weapons, Strategic, Theater: Eastern

Bain Tsagan Heights

“Listen up, boys! In early July ‘39, over in the dusty wilderness of Mongolia, the Japanese thought they’d pull a fast one at the Bain Tsagan Heights—cross the river, flank the Soviets, and wrap the whole show up in a bow. But Zhukov wasn’t about to let those plans play out!

Zhukov hit back hard and fast, bringing in tanks, artillery, and infantry to pound those Japanese troops into the dirt. They fought like hell on those heights—bayonets flashing, guns roaring, tanks rolling—and the Soviets broke that flanking move right in half.

This wasn’t just a local scrap, boys—it was a turning point. That Soviet victory at Bain Tsagan sent a clear message: you mess with the Red Army, you pay in blood. It helped push Japan to shift its focus away from Siberia and toward the Pacific, changing the whole game for the coming war.

So remember this—when you see the enemy making a move, you don’t wait—you smash him before he knows what hit him! That’s the way to win!”

~~ General Howitzer

10 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 7

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Siberia

Year:

1939

Theater:

Eastern

Campaign:

Khalkin Gol

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

10 VP’s, including four! objective medals; ( two ridges and a 2-medal bridge)

Battlefield:

Countryside with a river cutting through the Allies left flank, and long road cutting at an angle through the terrain directly to the two-medal bridge.

Troops:

Allies (Russia) – 12 Infantry, 9 Armor, including two Armored Cars, plus two Supply Trucks, 1 Big Gun!

Axis (Japan) – 12 Infantry, 7 Armor, including 3 Tankettes, 2 Armored Cars, 1 Artillery.

Allied Strategy:

1. Big Picture: Allies are initially on the defense, due to the attack by the Japanese. But they have enormous armor resources at their disposal on their left flank to bring to bear upon the battle in both the left flank and the center section. And historically, this is what General Zukhov did. In fact a pivot by the Allied Armor on the left flank over the ridgeline at river will allow them to reign down terror upon the Japanese forces assaulting the Remisova Hill.

2. Your puny Armor and Infantry forces in the right flank are pretty useless, as they need to cross the river before they can engage the enemy. But if they can at least move forward one hex, so that they do not get pinned against the backwall, that will be sufficient.

3. Guard the bridge crossing the river. It is worth two medals.

4. You have a Big Tom Gun, which has massive range of 8 hexes, and allows you to zero in on forces in a hex and increase your attack strength by another 1D. Use it early and often.

Axis Strategy

1. Big Picture Strategy: this was a long-shot for the Japanese historically, which they lost, but they have been known to win this scenario. Use your Tankettes, which have good movement, to get into the battle and score some wins. Advance forcefully with your infantry and overwhelm them using your Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine might combined with your Bonzai speed.

Battle Reports

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

BTH_map_breakthrough_full

BTH_FlankLeft

BTH_Center

BH_FlankRight

[Ukraine] Soviet raid on Grigorevka

by GeneralHowitzer | Apr 29, 2025 | 1941, Artillery, Beach, Breakthrough Game, Combat Cards, Countryside, Destroyer, Infantry, Medal Objectives, Scenario, Strategic, Theater: Eastern

Soviet Raid on Grigorevka

September 1941—Odessa’s under siege, and the Soviets are getting hammered by Romanian artillery. So what do they do? They go on the offensive—hard.

Captain Koren takes the lead at sea with the 3rd Naval Infantry Regiment, nearly 2,000 marines, while a small team of 23 paratroopers drops inland. The plan? Hit ’em from the front and the rear—paralyze their command, cut their lines, and blow those damned guns to hell.

Night of September 21st, the paratroopers jump near Hill 57.3—not clean, not pretty, but they get the job done. Took out a whole Romanian regimental HQ—with two dozen men. Meanwhile, Koren’s marines land at Grigorevka under a curtain of naval fire from the destroyers Bojkij and Bezuprechnyj, and they take those artillery batteries by storm.

By sunrise, they’re linking up with the 421st Rifle Division, and the Romanians? They’re pulling back—the 13th and 15th Divisions, thrown into reverse. That’s pressure off Odessa, and a big black eye for the Axis.

This wasn’t some massive Soviet steamroller. This was initiative, coordination, and guts. A rare joint strike—air, land, and sea—and it worked. Captain Koren didn’t wait to be hit—he hit first.

That’s how you win a war. Not by sitting in the trenches—but by getting out, striking hard, and making the enemy bleed where they thought they were safe.

~~ General Howitzer

12 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 4

Complexity:

4.5

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

Ukraine

Year:

1941

Theater:

Eastern

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

12 VP’s, plus Objective Medals for Allies for the Romanian HQ, and each Artillery battery destroyed.

Battlefield:

Countrsyide and beach in a deep breakthrough battlemap

Troops:

Allies (Soviet Union) – 14 Infantry, 2 Destroyers!

Axis (Romania ) – 10 Infantry, 3 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. Soviets, as Allies, do a six unit paradrop. Drop them where you have the best set of cards to assist your attack.

Also, note that the paratroopers will not battle the first turn they are dropped, so they have to endure one round of enemy fire before they can attack.

2. The Axis outnumber you on your right flank at the start of the game, and the three forward units are in strong defensive positions, which suggests attacking elsewhere.

3. As Allies, you have two Destroyers at the start of the game. Two factors affecting their performance are visibility and location.

Visibility: Because of the night visibility rules, the Axis units may have time to move out of range of the ship guns before daylight arrives.

Location: This concerns the ability to get the Destroyers onto the border line so they have more flexibility on which section cards can activate them.

Once daylight arrives the Destroyers have a range of eight hexes, so their maximum firing range is row ten. Of course, that is their maximum range, but their effective firing range (of 2D attacks), is actually row six.

4. There is a Temporary Medal Objective at the Romanian HQ on row 13. If you keep pushing in that direction to keep pressure on the enemy, it should afford you some success.

5. Each of the enemy Artillery is worth two! victory points, so target them when you can.

6. Because the enemy has three very powerfully placed artillery, and you have a lot of artillery, your plan will have to be to so overwhelm the artillery that you are able to take them out with your superior numbers before they take you out with with their superior firepower.

7. Possible Attack Vector: completely by-pass the territory controlled by the enemy Artillery when you do your para-drop. Aim for the back of the battlefield around the Romanian HQ, and the town of Novi Bilvari. There are plenty of Infantry units to take out, while you wait for daylight to arrive, so that your Destroyers can engage with the Artillery batteries.

Axis Strategy:

1. Your first defensive objective is to respond to wherever the Allied paratroopers happen to land. Respond immediately with available Infantry and Artillery to address the threat.

2. Bring your reserve units into play as soon as you can by moving the rear units forward on the map.

3. Because each Artillery unit is worth two! Medals, you will need to protect them in some way. Either move them back from the Destroyers’ range, or protect them from Infantry attacks by bringing your own Infantry into play.

4. The enemy forces are elite, so they can move two hexes and still attack. So be aware of this so that a single Infantry unit doesn’t get surrounded and destroyed.

5. It is going to take an average of six turns before the daylight arrives and the Destroyers are fully activated to row 10. This will give you time, if you want to, to move your Artillery further back on the battlefield out of their range.