Jim Bell (left) and Ilan Woll pair off.	Tim Hitchings abandons wooden ships for a while.

In its fifth year, the ournament returned to its 2006 format. A player could advance to Round 2 Friday by winning a match during the Mulligan Round on Thursday or Round 1 on Friday. As in 2006, players fought a two-game match of the scenario for each round, switching sides between games. Players advanced to the next round based on most total medals earned and most enemy figures eliminated during the two games.

The theme of this year's tournament was the Mediterranean Theater featuring the Po Valley Scenario in Round 1, Tunisia in Round 2, Gallabat-Metemma in Round 3, Kasserine Pass in Round 4, Toulon in Round 5, and Montélimar in Round 6 (the Final). All scenarios were the versions published in the Air Pack Expansion and the Air Rules were used in Rounds 3-6. For the first time since 2004 when Memoir '44 was added to the WBC, players had to be turned away in the Mulligan Round due to a lack of games. Fortunately, enough games were brought to Round 1 to accomodate all players on Friday morning.

There was to be no third straight Final showdown between Joe Harrison and Jonathan Miller as both faltered in Round 4; Jonathan lost to Mike Wojke and Joe was done in by Rob Mull. In the semi-finals, Scott Gibson beat Mike Wojke 12-7 and Sam Edelston beat Rob Mull 12-5 to advance to the Final. Although they had never before met in person before the Final, Sam Edelston and Scott Gibson had played Memoir '44 against each other previously on-line

In the Final's first game, Sam played the Axis in Montélimar. The Axis initially advanced with a tank to shoot at the infantry on Hill 294 and an infantry to unblock their Center tank.  The Allies then used a 2-2-2 and Direct Fire from Headquarters in successive turns to knock out the Axis tank and an Axis Right 3-figure infantry. During Turns 3-4, each side targeted and destroyed one of the other's tanks in the center, and on Turn 5, the Allies destroyed another 3-figure infantry, leaving the score 4-1, Allies. On Turn 6 the Axis eliminated the other Allied tank and then began a four-turn onslaught against the Allied Right. One unprotected Allied infantry was killed, then another Allied infantry was retreated out of Grane for a medal, and then that unit's last two figures were Barraged away.  Meanwhile, the Axis Left tank came around the back door and punished an Allied infantry that had advanced to the sixth row, inflicting three hits and two retreats, making the score 5-4 Axis after ten turns, a dramatic turnaround. On Turn 11, the Allies used an Infantry Assault in the Center to engulf that full-strength Axis armored unit, and also to retreat two 1-figure infantries "safely" away from their pursuers, along the back line.  So, the Axis played Air Power and brought in a Messerschmitt on a strafing run to instantly score the winning medal. Final score: Medals 6-5 Axis, Figures destroyed:  22-18, Axis.

With the players switching sides, the second game featured a near continuous six-turn onslaught by two Axis Armored units and two Panzer Grenadier Infantry. On the first turn, the Axis player played a 2-2-2, to allow these four units to attack four different Allied infantry units and score three hits and two retreats.  The Allies played Dig In, hoping to blunt the onslaught. On Turn 2, the Axis used Their Finest Hour to order three infantry units and a tank, which resulted in the destruction of the infantry guarding the Allied artillery.  The Allies responded by using a Direct from Headquarters to destroy an Axis armored unit to tie the score at 1-1. On Turn 4 the Axis played Assault Center and destroyed an Allied artillery unit and a full strength tank. With weakened units in several places on the board, the Allies played Medics & Mechanics on one of their two 1-figure infantry units, but the Axis picked off the other 1-figure infantry unit to make the score 3-2. On Turn 5, the Axis played Attack Center, using three hits to finish off a pair of weakened infantries, and two more hits to weaken another infantry.  The Allies played a Probe Center, and were thankful to finish off the 1-figure Axis infantry there. On Turn 6, the Axis played Probe Center, rolling nine dice against a full-strength Allied infantry and hitting it five times, to win the game 6-3. The Axis also destroyed 27 figures twhile losing 11.With the match split 1-1, Scott won on medals, 11-9.

The GM wishes to especially thank Sam Edelston for taking meticulous notes during the Final Match for this After Action Report.