Sentence:  He had been a Commando during the war, had landed on Sword Beach and skirmished his way across the ravaged remains of Europe after D-Day before slogging out the <WSD>endgame</WSD>, attached to the 63rd Anti-Tank Regiment. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The final stage of an extended process or course of events, especially with the implication of the imminent realization of a masterful strategy or plan.