In the final turn of the 2024 CM Olympiad neither team lose AFVs to FPV drones, do battle with undead Berber warriors, or unearth, with mortar bombs, the northern entrance to a fabled trans-Saharan tunnel.
Team France uses minute fourteen to push its Crusader further into the village. As the cruiser tank motors northward it adds to the misery of German grunts under mortar and small arms fire in H21.
The incoming proves too much for Unteroffizier Poppe’s squad. Three men down and utterly broken, they end the game fleeing like spooked pheasants.
Does the presence of twenty tons of Allied steel fairly close of the village VL flag, cause said flag to swap its question mark for a tricolore when the clock stops?
I’m afraid not, Francophiles. An unscathed DAK squad in H18, and a fighting-fit halftrack and ATR team nearby, mean Team France finish the contest with just one VL to their name.
Can the Englanders do better? With a Union Jack already flying over the village, two half-squads poised to occupy the building SE of the VL, and friendly units applying pressure from both flanks, British fans have cause for optimism.
Things start promisingly. The Tommy mortarman lands every one of his last four HE rounds slap bang on top of the gunner-less halftrack. Only Mars and Battlefront know why this remarkable marksmanship doesn’t result in a blazing SPW 251/1.
Amazingly, it’s not the mortar bombs that eventually persuade the HT to reverse, it’s fire from Corporal Baldrick’s half-squad – the unit that leads the dash into H20. Met with a storm of lead and stick grenades, Baldrick’s boys give as good as they get. By T+60 their HQ and armoured pal is close at hand, they’ve been joined by Sergeant Bluett’s half-squad, and seem to be in control.
When I press ‘DONE’ for the final time and return to the map, my eyes widen and my jaw drops. An it’s-too-close-to-call question mark not a Union Jack now adorns the village VL flagpole! Like Team France, Team GB end the contest in control of just one VL. It looks like enemies slain and casualties suffered are going to decide the 2024 CM Olympiad. Tune in tomorrow for the all-important final score and subsequent medal ceremony.
What is this feeling?? Could it be… sympathy? Towards the BRITS??
Very sorry to see the village VL waver at the final second for you brave sunburnt boys. If it’s any consolation, I still think you’re going to take out the gold.
The ICMOC clearly have their thumbs on the scale in favor of their co-linguists! I protest this scoring decision in the strongest possible—
Well, I’m informed here at the scoring table that I missed the one-minute deadline to lodge a protest by four seconds, so I suppose the scores will stand.
By my count, each team earns 205 points from one victory location, one Panzer III kill, one PSW kill, and one surviving pilot. Team GB loses 25 points for the Bren carrier, while Team France gets full points for theirs (no half points for crippled vs. destroyed, same as the halftrack—only the casualties count). I don’t know how vehicle crews count, but between crew and infantry, we need to have taken 5 fewer or inflicted 5 more casualties to tie.
Seems like it’ll be a nail-biter!