Days of Wonder has announced the first title in its second series of Memoir ’44 Battle Maps, releasing in December.  The Battles of Khalkhin-Gol expansion will feature lesser-known battles between the Japanese and the Soviet Union in the early days of World War II.

Starting in 1939, the Japanese Sixth Army faced off against the Soviet Union’s 57th Special Corps, reinforced with Mongolian cavalry units.  What began as small skirmishes quickly erupted into open war which lasted about five months.  Ultimately, the Soviets were victorious in the battles named after the river Khalkhin Gol.

The Battles of Khalkhin-Gol includes six standard scenarios designed to be played individually or combined together into a single campaign.  Two Breakthrough scenarios and one Overlord scenario can also be played as part of the campaign, while a second Overlord scenario pits the Japanese against US Marines in the battle for Cape Torokina, which took place in 1943.

The expansion includes four pre-printed oversized scenario maps, 6 Soviet BA-10 armored cars, 6 Japanese Type 97 Te-Ke tankettes, and game tokens.  The expansion supports games with 2 to 8 players.  MSRP is $28.00.

To use the materials in The Battles of Khalkin-Gol, players will need a copy of Memoir ’44 (two copies to play the Overlord scenarios), as well as the Terrain Pack, Eastern Front, and Pacific Theater expansions.

Days of Wonder recently announced an expansion for another of its popular titles, Small World (see “‘Small World’ Battles Expand in ‘River World’”).