|
All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
Thanks International SS for A Few Acres of Snow!
-
This continues a series of strategy guides for Memoir ’44 that I started some time ago.
These guides are meant to be short and to the point. I invite any alternate opinions as I can always learn something new. The key focus will be on the opportunities and weaknesses of each side in the battle and where possible I will make reference to cards that ‘could be key’ if you are lucky enough to pull them. All that said I hope someone finds these useful at best or interesting at worst.
The passing of time (since the first two I wrote) has also seen the release of the Air Pack. I still want these guides to focus on the original scenarios, but I will add an Air Pack Section at the bottom to highlight changes and additional implications as a result of those changes.
Sword Beach
History – This scenario is about as balanced a scenario as you could hope to see. The Axis enjoys a 53% margin of victory after 1034 logged battles (at time of posting this report - taken from DoW website).
Axis – The Germans have a pretty sound defensive position for this battle. The 3 bunker units are the key, with the Artillery being the lynchpin. They can be used to attack units almost anywhere on the beach and are great for picking off weak Allied units after the Infantry have attacked.
The German Armour can be very handy and I always try to get them into the forest as early as possible. From there they can be brought forward to support the bunker on that flank and inflict damage. If the opportunity presents itself I move them into Close Assault on the beach in order to earn an Armour Assault attack. Just take note though that this is a high risk option. If you lose those tanks, the village of Riva Bella is terribly exposed and that could mean an easy middle.
I tend to keep the infantry in the villages. You really shouldn't need them and moving them forward just offers the Allied Tanks a juicy target.
I like to move the Infantry on the German right, back into the woods (usually at the same time I move the Armour into the woods), and I like to move the Infantry on the left/centre flank into the woods for extra protection.
From there it is all about reacting to the Allies. That is the advantage the Germans hold at Sword Beach. The Allies have to make something happen.
Like any beach scenario, attacking units on the first row of shore hexes is the go as flags will result in automatic casualties. The only time this advice should be ignored is when a bunker is under serious threat or an Armour unit threatens to streak towards an unprotected village.
Like always, it makes good sense to get another Infantry unit into a bunker if the Allies manage to clear one out.
Those pesky British Commandos should be a priority target too as their ability to storm your bunkers is a concern.
Always target Infantry in the early stages of the battle as they only lose 1 dice against your bunkers and are more dangerous than the Armour, which lose 2 dice.
Allies – Sword Beach can be a tough ask for the Allies but victory is possible. There are essentially 2 mistakes to avoid -
 Plan Carefully - Your forces are pretty spread out. Don't make the mistake of attacking 'willy nilly' on a different flank each turn. This will only leave your forces exposed and vulnerable. Assess your hand and identify where you can make a series of attacks. The key is to take out a bunker, as this will buy you enough time to get additional forces up the beach.
 Armour is your Enemy - It is always tempting to move those Tanks forward, but with their reduced beach movement and -2 combat dice against bunkers, they represent a liability for you and easy medals for the Germans. Always try to keep them back and use your Infantry to soften the bunkers up. Once Infantry are within good attacking range of the bunkers, bring the Armour units up. This will give the enemy a tough decision to make.
Ideally the Allied right flank is the best option for an attack. This is mainly due to the fact that there is no German Armour within 'cooee'.
The centre is the next best option if the right isn't viable due to poor orders. This is the best section to utilise an 'Infantry Assault' type card. If your hand has a few left flank cards then it can be a good idea to maneuver some centre section troops to the left before making a solid attack on the left.
Before any of the above options are considered, it is a good idea to move up some of those 'deep water' troops so they can be included in a consolidated attack. It goes without saying that the Commandos are important units.
Always utilise the Hedgehogs where possible to help minimise forced retreats.
'Barrage' is a lovely card to help clean out a bunker. Assess your hand and target the bunker where you can quickly rush up troops. The enemy will often be surprised by Barrage and take a turn or two to respond to the threat. That's your ticket to victory.
If your Armour units do get up the beach, use them to remove the barbed wire, making life easier for your Infantry.
Summary – Not my favourite scenario in the world (on account that both sides options are fairly limited) but I do enjoy playing the Germans and picking off those pesky 'water rats'.
Sword Beach with Airpack
Changes - The only change is that all of the Allies 'deep water' units are now on Landing Craft.
Implications - That means those 'deep water' Allied Infantry units can reach the beach with 1 move, making the Allies far more dangerous. Good luck to the 'Thin Blue Line'.
Links to Other Strategy Guides
Pegasus Bridge
Sainte Mere-Eglise
Pointe-Du-Hoc
Mont Mouche
Omaha Beach
Vassieux, Vercors
Operation Cobra
-
Tim Earl
United States
Portage
Michigan
-
Nice job. I've played this three times now, twice as the Axis, and the Allied have never won, even with the Air Rules.
I'll have to give this one a shot as the Allies again and see if I can pull it off.
According to the Memoir site, the Allies win 47% of the time, so it is definitely do-able.
-
Mark Jackson
United States
Fresno
California
Am I a man or am I a muppet? If I'm a muppet then I'm a very manly muppet!
-
Again, excellent job. Please keep doing these - it's not that I haven't thought about a lot of these things, but it's really nice to have them put together in one coherent & well-written article.
Well done!
-
All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
Thanks International SS for A Few Acres of Snow!
-
gamemark wrote: Again, excellent job. Please keep doing these - it's not that I haven't thought about a lot of these things, but it's really nice to have them put together in one coherent & well-written article.
Well done!
Thanks Mark. I plan to do quite a few of these in my 2 weeks of Easter holidays. I'm glad people are enjoying them.
-
Sheldon Morris
Canada
Elora
Ontario
-
I've been in a couple of games with this scenario now, each time as the axis, and each time the allies have focused on the flanks, nearly ignoring the center. Is this common for Sword Beach? What have been the results when people have focused on the middle?
Next time I'd like to give a push up the middle to see if I can get a good beachhead established. Of course, It'll depend on the cards if that would even be a viable strategy.
-
-
I have also played this scenario several times recently, the wins going either side, but usually 5:4.
The center section is a risk for the allies. The artilery is a powerfull weapon and its hard to kill it. The Germans can shoot both from the artillery and from the infantry bunker on their C/L flank.
I am a little in favour of using the allied left flank also. The Germans must choose between ordering units on their right flank or the artillery. Its hard to order both at the same time. I would start with my armor on the left moving up and shooting 3 dice at the exposed infantry. Especially if coupled with barrage to destry the german armor.
-
William Hyman
United States
Unspecified
Georgia
-
Thanks for the guide. I am new to Memoir 44, what a great game I have been missing out on. For the Allies, barrage is a key card to winning, but I use it to take out the Axis artillery bunker almost exclusively. I seem to have a much better win rate when I suppress the artillery early.
-
All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
Thanks International SS for A Few Acres of Snow!
-
bhyman wrote: Thanks for the guide. I am new to Memoir 44, what a great game I have been missing out on. For the Allies, barrage is a key card to winning, but I use it to take out the Axis artillery bunker almost exclusively. I seem to have a much better win rate when I suppress the artillery early.
True and a rule that is sometimes missed by people is that Artillery that start in bubkers cannot retreat so flags count as hits...making Barrage even more effective.
-
|
|
|
Thanks International SS for A Few Acres of Snow!
