Memoir '44: Air Pack

Battle of the Bridgehead

On D-Day +1 the Canadians still sought to achieve their D-Day objectives and push through to the airfields at Carpiquet. Elements of the 9th Brigade, consisting of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and armour provided by the Sherbrooke Fusiliers,…

Po Valley

In the last months of the war, between February and April 1945, the Wehrmacht built a fortified defensive system, along the Gothic Line's last limit ("The Green Line II"), near Montese. It was organized around Mount Montello (919 meters over …

Kasserine Pass

After the Anglo-American landings in North Africa on November 8, 1942, the Americans remained optimistic about their ability to fight an opponent like Rommel and the Afrika Korps. Although in headlong retreat after the Battle of El Alamein, Rommel…

Clearing Matanikau River

At the start of the new year, General Patch ordered the 2nd and 8th Marines to drive westward and clear the Japanese Resistance from the hills overlooking the coast near Point Cruz. On January 13th, Marines assaulted the Japanese positions …

Bloody Ridge

Bloody Ridge consisted of a series of grassy ridges south of Henderson Field where Colonel "Red Mike" Edson had positioned his troops. The Japanese attack began with a bombardment, followed by a powerful thrust that pushed back the Marine companies …

Tenaru

During the night of August 20-21, Marine scouts on the east bank of Alligator Creek detected the movement of a large body of Japanese troops. Col. Kiyonao Ichiki ordered his infantry troops forward, using "human wave" tactics, but the 2nd …

Mabatang

The first major battle of the "Fighting Retreat" occurred south of Calaguiman River. Supported by artillery, the 57th Infantry, set up a line of defense extending from Manila Bay through Mabatang across open ground. The Japanese 65th Brigade and 9th…

Sea of Azov

On September 26, 1941, Soviet units from the 9th and 18th Army attack the northern flank of the German 11th Army. The 1st Mountain Division and the "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" Motorized Division are rushed into position to bolster the …

Lipovec

Operating in central Ukraine as part of the 17th German Army, a Slovakian motorized brigade, named after its commander, Brigadier General Rudolf Pilfousek, was ordered on July 22nd to capture the town of Lipovec. Made up of mechanized armor, infantry…

Russian Breakout

By late July the Russian 6th and 12th Armies are in full retreat, trying desperately to avoid encirclement by the German Seventeenth Army. General Tyulenev, the southern front commander, orders Musychenenko (6th Army) and Ponedelin (12th Army) to…

The Meat Grinder

On February 26, 1945 the Marines of the 4th Division found themselves facing a formidable complex of defensive positions on Iwo Jima. Hill 382, The Amphitheater, Turkey Knob and the village of Minami, were to become collectively known as the …

Sugar Loaf and Half Moon

The Japanese units defending the western flank of the Shuri line were in a strong defensive position. Entrenched in tunnels with interlocking fields of fire between Sugar Loaf, Half Moon and the surrounding hills, they were able to hold off …

Japanese Counter-attack

Lieutenant General Takeshi's counter-attack plan called for a night attack on July 25/26. The goal was to split the 3rd Marines Division and target ammunition and supply dumps. The front-line of the 3rd Marines was stretched thin in the area …

Guam Landings

On July 21st, the first wave to hit the northern landing beaches off the island of Guam in the Marianas, were amphibious tank units. Most of the Japanese infantry had pulled back from their beach defenses during the heavy naval …

Slopes of Mount Austen

At the close of the year, Major General Millard Harmon, commanding U.S. Army Forces in the South Pacific concluded that Mount Austen, the high ground that dominated American positions around Henderson Field, had to be taken in order to secure …

Matanikau River

A four-pronged Japanese plan to attack and recapture Henderson Field on Guadalcanal was scheduled for October 22nd, 1942. The main force, 7,000 men under the command of General Maruyama, planned to approach the airfield from the South, but found…

Wake Island

A coral atoll lost in the vast expanse of the North Pacific, Wake Island was home to "PAAville", a small stopover on Pan American Airways' U.S.-China route during the 1930s. In the military build-up to the war, the US Navy …

Valkenswaard

At 2:35 September 17, Lieutenant Keith Heathcote, commander of the leading tank troop, ordered his tanks forward. The objective, just a short three hours drive down the southernmost stretch of road soon to become know as Hell's Highway, was…

Battle for Rostov

The Battle for Rostov was a seesaw battle. Army Group South, with Ewald von Kleist's 1st Panzer Army in the vanguard, had taken the city by November 21st. But the German lines were over-extended and no longer in position to …

Beda Fomm

On February 4th, Major-General O'Connor, with armored cars leading the way followed by 4th Armored Brigade, moved out to trap the Italians. The going was tough and a fast-wheeled vanguard was dispatched under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Combe…

Bug River

On June 22, 1941, the 18th Panzer Division made an unusual assault across the Bug River. The first wave of infantry in "Sturmboot" assault craft was followed by anti-tank and artillery on decked inflatable rafts. Even more remarkable, were the …

Breakout to Lisyanka

In January 1944 a large pocket of 6 German divisions with over 56,000 troops had been cut-off by the Soviet Army's 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Front troops. For days the Russians continued the attack in an attempt to split up …

Ponyri

The village of Ponyri was the focal point of General Walther Model's planned breakthrough in the area north of Kursk. Three German infantry division were ordered to assault the village, while elements of two Panzer divisions supported the attack.…

Red Barricades

By mid October the fighting amidst the rubble of the Red Barricades factory complex in the northern section of Stalingrad had drawn in more and more of the German 6th Army's forces. On the 22nd the 79th Infantry division, supported …

Breakout at Klin

When the German offensive against Moscow came to a halt on December 6, 1941, the 1st Panzer Division was ordered to Klin with the mission of keeping the town open for the withdrawal of other German formations. It succeeded in …

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