After their success on the Continent, the Paneuropeans quickly marshaled their forces and launched an invasion of England, the last bastion of Combine power in this part of the globe.  Because the Combine had managed to evacuate many of their units from Dunkirk, they would have ample forces to defend their coastline.

The Paneuropeans developed a plan that would involve a combined arms army.  They would wait for a day of relative calm on the Channel, enabling effective crossing by a large force of GEV's.  These would be the units that would make initial contact with the enemy's defenses.  Behind them would come marines using their special battlesuits to cross the waters, and Ogres which would come over as fast as they could on the Channel bottom.  The rest of the Paneuropean forces would come over on a single, gigantic transport ship that was specially built for this one purpose.  It could carry hundreds of armored vehicles and men, and sported multiple defenses against enemy attacks.  However, it had to use a dock to unload its deadly cargo, and in spite of its defenses, landing in an unsecured zone would spell its certain doom, so that rest of the Paneuropean forces would have to clear the way.

The initial portion of the landing went poorly for the Paneuropeans.  Tentative tactics and poor use of their GEV's led to their wholesale slaughter for no appreciable gain.  Many of their Ogres were smashed on the beaches, caught piecemeal as they exited the Channel.  It was only the efforts of a battalion of marines that saved the day with daring tactics.  Many of the marines lost their lives that day, but they were able to secure a beachhead long enough for the gigantic transport ship to be able to unload.  (Unfortunately, Rod forget his camera for this first part of the battle - doh!)
 
The Paneuropean at the end of the first day was still by no means secure.  That night, however, a panicky Combine general, fearing that a second wave was on its way, ordered all forward Combine units to withdraw some 15 miles to prepared defenses.  This kept the Combine from staging a counterattack that would have surely swept the Paneuropeans from their bridgehead.  Only the cool morning light revealed the blunder, and, after sacking the responsible general, Combine High Command issued orders for renewed strikes against the Paneuropean invaders.  They had superior numbers in certain parts of the line, and if used wisely, they would be able to overwhelm or at least contain the invasion force.  However, they had to do it all before Paneuropean reinforcements arrived, and, according to satellite photos, they were already on their way!
 
Initial deployments for the second day of battle are below.
 
The Combine defenders in London.
 
GEV reinforcements to the north of London.
 
Part of the Combine center, with a few Ogres in support.
 
The reserve forces on the Combine right.
 
The Paneuropean left, around the destroyed refinery.
 
The Paneuropean left, facing the outskirts of London.
 
At the moment that dawn broke, the Paneuropean forces on both flanks roared forward, the sound of their engines audible for miles.  The invader's right flank sent their artillery and heavy armor forward over the hills and through the woods, while their lighter units headed down the local two lane highway, in support of their Ogre Mk. III, "Little Willy".  Their infantry, not wanting to get caught in the open ground beyond the woods, formed a reserve in the ruins of the oil processing center.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Meanwhile, racing across the Channel as fast as they could travel were several waves of GEV reinforcements.  And, traveling across the Channel bottom as done the day before, came several Paneuropean Ogres, including a Mk. V, a Mk. III, and three Mk. IV's!  While the GEV's headed straight towards London, the Ogres came at the heart of the Combine defenses, but their progress was hampered by the rough Channel bottom, and it would take several turns for them all to arrive.  (Note that the transport ship, while in shot, was actually on its way from the shores of France, and would not actually appear until Turn 5.)
 
 
 
As the Paneuropean left flank advanced, the Combine right and part of the center rolled forward to meet them.  It appeared that a fight was in the offing, but the Paneuropean player had other plans!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To the extreme eastern portion of the battle line, the Paneuropeans first tentative advances were met with extremely heavy fire from the Combine defenders of that ancient city, London.  The only Paneuropean unit from the first wave to make it into the outskirts of town was a lone Mk. III Ogre.  Attempting to punch a hole in the Combine lines, the sleek, black-and-red death machine attempted to overrun some infantry holding some buildings.  The Combine troopers were well supported, however, and before the smoke cleared, the Ogre had lost all its guns but for a few AP's!  It rumbled on, however, and managed to ram a Combine heavy tank, but when the firing paused, the Ogre was heavily damaged and slowed for its efforts.  Worse yet, the subsequent Combine fire managed to cripple its support units, leaving it a prime target for future attacks.
 
 
 
In a fit of strategery, the Paneuropean commander in charge of the left flank turned his advancing troops around and headed back toward the security of the refinery!  I guess having to face all those Ogres and heavy tanks was too much for him...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As the Paneuropean GEV's approached the southern shores of England, they suddenly changed their heading and made for the Themes.  This caused a little confusion in the Combine ranks, as they attempted to maneuver reinforcements to block this Mongol-like horde of GEV's!  You can also see some of the Paneuropean GEV's coming out of the Channel and onto the shores.  In the background, what's left of the Paneuropean first wave on this flank attempts to come at London from a different angle.
 
 
 
 
 
The Paneuropean Ogre Armada arrives in England!
 
As the Paneuropean GEV's reached the shores of England, they formed up into a dense column, with LGEV's to the front, regular GEV's in the middle, and GEV-PC's to the rear, loaded with infantry.  The Combine reinforced the western flank of London, in case they turned to attack him, while the Combine commander in the center was left to fend for himself, although GEV and LGEV reinforcements were being rushed to the front to counter the latest Paneuropean threat.
 
 
 
 
Far to the west, the Paneuropean commander was replaced for his complacency, and the newly commanded troops were sent forward against the advancing Combine armor.  The initial clash took place here near the village, along the old highway.  As Ogre Mk. III's and V's maneuvered like colossal battleships, the smaller armored units darted about, attempting to use the Ogres for cover in a deadly game of cat and mouse.  The Paneuropean artillery units scored the first casualties, supported by their Ogres' missiles.
 
 
 
 
The Combine commander's decision to reinforce the western flank of London proved wise, as the Paneuropean GEV's wasted little time in changing course once again to the flank of the city.  Initial clashes on the outskirts of London proved costly for the Paneuropeans, but additional reinforcements were on their way, and their costly assault was only paving the way for future waves.  They were losing two or three vehicles for every one they destroyed, but they had to punch a hole in the Combine defenses or the entire landing would be jeopardized.
 
 
 
 
Some of the Paneuropean GEV's were sent north along the Themes.  It appears that their original thought was to encircle the southernmost Combine defenders, however, the Combine had other ideas, and they sent their reserve - a large force of GEV's and LGEV's, racing down the Themes.  As soon as they were within range of the Paneuropean forces, they opened fire, spewing atomic shells throughout the enemy before withdrawing out of range.  A subsequent repeat of this tactic eliminated any threat of the Paneuropeans encircling the defenders, but it didn't eliminate the other Paneuropean threats...
 
 
 
 
Paneuropean GEV's join the battle to the west!
 
The Paneuropean focus on London was beginning to pay off.  Although they had lost approximately 50% of their GEV force, they had managed to make their way into London proper, and now they were beginning to insert infantry into the city.  The Combine still had a significant number of men and vehicles in the southeast portion of the City, and it appeared that they would soon be cut off.
 
 
 
 
 
 
To the west of the Themes, a battle amongst giants was getting under way, as the Paneuropean Ogres met the Ogres of the Combine center.  While one of the Paneuropean Mk. I's had punched through the enemy lines (mostly because it had been ignored as insignificant), the rest were being pummeled by a Mk. V, a Mk. III, and a Mk. IIIb, as well as a great deal of heavy and superheavy tanks.  Still, this mighty force could not hope to do much more than delay the Ogre horde fielded by the Paneuropeans!
 
 
 
 
 
The Paneuropean left flank had been stopped in its tracks, and advanced no further.  Their two ogres had been chewed up in a series of incautious overruns, and, with their threat eliminated, the Combine Ogres plowed up acres of earth in an effort to reach the Paneuropean center lines before more reinforcements could be disembarked.  They were to prove too late...
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paneuropean reinforcements have landed!
 
Combine forces swarm the immobile enemy Ogres!
 
Several LGEV's defending London were dispatched south of the City to eliminate some Paneuropean vehicles which were currently disabled.  The LGEV's were caught by the next wave of Paneuropean reinforcements while complying with their orders, however, and were all destroyed.  In the background, the Paneuropean Ogre Mk. III burns...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As the clash of Ogres continues, the Paneuropean armor advances from the docks.  The right wing of this advance can be seen in the left center of this picture.  In the distance, camouflaged amongst the fields, are some of the Combine GEV reinforcements, waiting for an opportunity to dart into the struggle.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You've heard of the four howitzer defense?  How about the nine howitzer defense?!?  The Paneuropean reinforcements included more than a few mobile howitzers, and they quickly deployed near the docks and started up a heavy fire on any Combine Ogre foolish enough to come within range.  Concentrating on treads, the approaching Mk. V and Mk. III were soon reduced to a crawl.  the remaining six miles to the docks now seemed like the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Although they were tearing the enemy apart, the Paneuropean forces dropped back, no doubt to take advantage of their superior range and the now slow-moving Combine Ogres.  In the background, you can see the Combine Ogre Mk. IIIb, "Black Jack" advancing down the freeway towards the docks.  The Paneuropeans have held about half their armor in this area, and are hesitant to deploy outside.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The battle on western flank is all but done.  The Paneuropean Ogres and armor destroyed, all that stands between the surviving Combine Ogres and armor are a few squads of infantry.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As the Paneuropeans continue to focus their fire on the two Ogres to the west (the ones at the bottom of the photo), the Ogre "Black Jack" rolls right up to the edge of town, and in near-mint condition to boot!  The local Paneuropean commander was not about to let this continue, so he focused all his artillery fire on the Ogre.  When the flash subsided and the fallout began to fall gently from the sky, "Black Jack" remained, its paint job a little the worse for wear, and a main battery and some treads destroyed, but otherwise okay.  Its retaliation resulted in the destruction of several mobile howitzers and missile tanks, and allowed the other Ogres to approach a little closer to the docks.
 
 
 
 
The battle around the docks comes to a climax!
 
Although the Combine had managed to repulse the Paneuropean left flank, and had come close to halting the invader's center, the battle around London raged on and it was still anyone's guess.  The massive forces that the Paneuropeans had committed to this portion of the front was beginning to tell, and, in spite of horrendous casualties, they had secured the southern part of the City.  Combine GEV's were striking at the Paneuropeans in classic GEV hit-and-run attacks, but, although they inflicted heavy casualties, they could not halt their advance into the northern portion of town.  And, now that the Paneuropeans had managed to insert infantry into London, getting them out would take some serious effort, and would result in even more destruction to the venerable City.
 
With the City's defenders all but annihilated, Combine High Command ran a quick computer analysis of the situation.  Agreeing with the outcome, they ordered a withdrawal to the third line of defense in the northern portion of England.  With the closest reinforcements being in North America, they realized that, if the Paneuropeans wanted it badly enough, they would soon overrun the entire island.  Preparations were made to hold out as long as possible, and those units on the front line still in a condition to move were withdrawn, leaving the field to the Paneuropeans.
 
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ANALYSIS:
 
In the end, the Paneuropeans won the battle, but only just barely.  In fact, calling it a marginal victory would be giving them too much credit.  In order to win, they had to take and hold a significant number of locales on the battlefield, however, London itself was to count significantly.  In the end, it was their ability to push the Combine defenders out and entrench themselves with infantry in the City that gave them their victory, because they had all but failed elsewhere.  However, it needs to be pointed out that, if the game had been allowed to go on three or four more turns, they would likely have secured a few more points, but probably not many more.
 
This was a ripping great battle by any measure!  The Combine defense was very solid.  The Paneuropeans played basically three different games in three different parts of the battlefield.  I feel that if they had committed their GEV's elsewhere and not focused so heavily on London, they would have swamped the Combine defenders and overrun the rest of the battlefield for a more major victory.  However, I have to give them a lot of credit for making a plan and sticking to it in spite of heavy casualties.  They were so determined to take London that they were shuttling infantry with GEV-PC's from one end of the battlefield to the other.  Now that's dedication!
 
Although the Paneuropeans are eager to invade America, they will have to subdue the rest of England first.  Look for the next installment of our "Ogre, 2040" campaign soon!
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HOW WE DID IT:

We used an 8x8 wargaming table down at the Mangrove Games.  As always, our thanks to Anthony the owner for allowing us to further our wargaming cause in his shop!

All the Ogre figures, armor and infantry were made by Steve Jackson Games!  The modern microarmor and militia figures are all from Irregular Miniatures.  The laser towers and jam screen are a mix of old resin Ogre line models, and ones we used to make for Flagship Games' game, Mecha!  The roads are Geohex road cloth.  The city bases are also Geohex cloth.  The English Channel is a strip of blue vinyl table cloth.  The forests are a mix of Woodland Scenics and K&M Trees, placed on custom finished bases.  The low hills are made from shaped blueboard with paint and flock added by Adam of Bartertown.  The majority of the buildings are by JR Miniatures (available through Geohex), while the larger "skyscrapers" are from Pegasus (they're awesome - they come prepainted, they're made of a high-quality resin, and they're cheap!), and the rest are either Village Green 6mm or some of the old, out-of-print Mecha! range.  Finally, the ship is a model kit, by Lindberg, I believe.
 
We have also taken to using some modern "microarmor" by other manufacturers.  In particular, we like the "bolo" scale vehicles by Reviresco.  They make some very excellent vehicles, some of which are ideal for Ogre.  You can use them to create the other armies listed in the rule book but not yet manufactured by SJ Games, or you can use them to fill out your forces with alternate looking vehicles.  FYI, we use some of the smaller helicopter models as LGEV's that don't pay or benefit from any terrain type, and some of the cool "laser" tanks as mobile laser vehicles with limited range (A2, D2, R24, M4).
 
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I hope you enjoyed this battle report.  Next will be the Battle of Briton 2041!
 
If you would like to see the first game of the campaign, click here.
 
If you would like to see the Dunkirk game, click here.
 
If you would like to see some pictures of the CGC 2001 Wargame/Party, click here.