diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameMemory.h b/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameMemory.h
index 53c0e59619d..52e5d3e894f 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameMemory.h
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameMemory.h
@@ -837,6 +837,10 @@ extern void userMemoryManagerGetDmaParms(Int *numSubPools, const PoolInitRec **p
 */
 extern void userMemoryManagerInitPools();
 
+#ifdef MEMORY_MANAGER_HARDENING_TESTS
+extern Bool userMemoryManagerParsePoolOverrideLineForTest(const char* line, char* poolName, size_t poolNameSize, Int* initial, Int* overflow);
+#endif
+
 /**
 	This function is declared in this header, but is not defined anywhere -- you must provide
 	it in your code. It is called by createMemoryPool to adjust the allocation size(s) for a
diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemory.cpp b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemory.cpp
index 5c70904eb95..32b63b5586f 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemory.cpp
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemory.cpp
@@ -1775,12 +1775,16 @@ Int MemoryPool::releaseEmpties()
 	ScopedCriticalSection scopedCriticalSection(TheMemoryPoolCriticalSection);
 
 	Int released = 0;
+	Int blobCount = countBlobsInPool();
 
 	for (MemoryPoolBlob* blob = m_firstBlob; blob;)
 	{
 		MemoryPoolBlob* pNext = blob->getNextInList();
-		if (blob->getUsedBlockCount() == 0)
+		if (blob->getUsedBlockCount() == 0 && blobCount > 1)
+		{
 			released += freeBlob(blob);
+			--blobCount;
+		}
 		blob = pNext;
 	}
 	return released;
@@ -3292,6 +3296,19 @@ void operator delete(void *p)
 	TheDynamicMemoryAllocator->freeBytes(p);
 }
 
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/**
+	overload for sized global operator delete; send requests to TheDynamicMemoryAllocator.
+*/
+void operator delete(void *p, size_t size)
+{
+	(void)size;
+	++theLinkTester;
+	preMainInitMemoryManager();
+	DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(TheDynamicMemoryAllocator != nullptr, ("must init memory manager before calling global operator delete"));
+	TheDynamicMemoryAllocator->freeBytes(p);
+}
+
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 /**
 	overload for global operator delete[]; send requests to TheDynamicMemoryAllocator.
@@ -3304,6 +3321,19 @@ void operator delete[](void *p)
 	TheDynamicMemoryAllocator->freeBytes(p);
 }
 
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/**
+	overload for sized global operator delete[]; send requests to TheDynamicMemoryAllocator.
+*/
+void operator delete[](void *p, size_t size)
+{
+	(void)size;
+	++theLinkTester;
+	preMainInitMemoryManager();
+	DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(TheDynamicMemoryAllocator != nullptr, ("must init memory manager before calling global operator delete"));
+	TheDynamicMemoryAllocator->freeBytes(p);
+}
+
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 /**
 	overload for global operator new (MFC debug version); send requests to TheDynamicMemoryAllocator.
diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryInit.cpp b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryInit.cpp
index 6bdd7e65706..85e50d51665 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryInit.cpp
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryInit.cpp
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@
 #include "PreRTS.h"	// This must go first in EVERY cpp file in the GameEngine
 
 // SYSTEM INCLUDES
+#include <ctype.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 
 // USER INCLUDES
 #include "Lib/BaseType.h"
@@ -101,6 +104,56 @@ static Int roundUpMemBound(Int i)
 		return (i + (MEM_BOUND_ALIGNMENT-1)) & ~(MEM_BOUND_ALIGNMENT-1);
 }
 
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+static Bool parseMemoryPoolOverrideLine(const char* line, char* poolName, size_t poolNameSize, Int* initial, Int* overflow)
+{
+	if (line == nullptr || poolName == nullptr || poolNameSize == 0 || initial == nullptr || overflow == nullptr)
+		return false;
+
+	if (line[0] == ';')
+		return false;
+
+	const char* cursor = line;
+	while (isspace(static_cast<unsigned char>(*cursor)))
+		++cursor;
+
+	if (*cursor == '\0')
+		return false;
+
+	const char* poolNameBegin = cursor;
+	while (*cursor != '\0' && !isspace(static_cast<unsigned char>(*cursor)))
+		++cursor;
+
+	const size_t poolNameLength = cursor - poolNameBegin;
+	if (poolNameLength == 0 || poolNameLength >= poolNameSize)
+		return false;
+
+	char* end = nullptr;
+	errno = 0;
+	const long parsedInitial = strtol(cursor, &end, 10);
+	if (end == cursor || errno == ERANGE)
+		return false;
+
+	cursor = end;
+	errno = 0;
+	const long parsedOverflow = strtol(cursor, &end, 10);
+	if (end == cursor || errno == ERANGE)
+		return false;
+
+	memcpy(poolName, poolNameBegin, poolNameLength);
+	poolName[poolNameLength] = '\0';
+	*initial = static_cast<Int>(parsedInitial);
+	*overflow = static_cast<Int>(parsedOverflow);
+	return true;
+}
+
+#ifdef MEMORY_MANAGER_HARDENING_TESTS
+Bool userMemoryManagerParsePoolOverrideLineForTest(const char* line, char* poolName, size_t poolNameSize, Int* initial, Int* overflow)
+{
+	return parseMemoryPoolOverrideLine(line, poolName, poolNameSize, initial, overflow);
+}
+#endif
+
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 void userMemoryManagerInitPools()
 {
@@ -123,12 +176,10 @@ void userMemoryManagerInitPools()
 	if (fp)
 	{
 		char poolName[256];
-		int initial, overflow;
+		Int initial, overflow;
 		while (fgets(buf, _MAX_PATH, fp))
 		{
-			if (buf[0] == ';')
-				continue;
-			if (sscanf(buf, "%s %d %d", poolName, &initial, &overflow ) == 3)
+			if (parseMemoryPoolOverrideLine(buf, poolName, ARRAY_SIZE(poolName), &initial, &overflow))
 			{
 				for (PoolSizeRec* p = PoolSizes; p->name != nullptr; ++p)
 				{
diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryNull.cpp b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryNull.cpp
index 54f8fd770fe..1a34365467d 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryNull.cpp
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/GameMemoryNull.cpp
@@ -172,6 +172,12 @@ extern void __cdecl operator delete(void *p)
 	free(p);
 }
 
+extern void __cdecl operator delete(void *p, size_t size)
+{
+	(void)size;
+	free(p);
+}
+
 extern void * __cdecl operator new[](size_t size)
 {
 	void *p = malloc(size);
@@ -186,6 +192,12 @@ extern void __cdecl operator delete[](void *p)
 	free(p);
 }
 
+extern void __cdecl operator delete[](void *p, size_t size)
+{
+	(void)size;
+	free(p);
+}
+
 // additional overloads to account for VC/MFC funky versions
 extern void* __cdecl operator new(size_t size, const char *, int)
 {