January 1943: Admiral Karl Dönitz, head of the Nazis’ U-boat fleet, has brought Britain to the brink of starvation by ruthlessly destroying close to a thousand of their merchant ships. If the transatlantic shipping route is cut off, the Allies will lose their last foothold in Western Europe. The Royal Navy turns to retired war gamer Gilbert Roberts. Roberts is to use war gaming to try to decipher and combat Dönitz’s tactics. To do this, he needs a team, but the Navy can’t spare any men. Instead, he risks the ridicule of high command by turning to the Women’s Royal Navy Service (WRNS) to war game the U-boats’ tactics. In partnership with Jean Laidlaw, one of Britain’s first female chartered accountants, and a small team of resourceful female mathematicians, Roberts acts out naval battles and games the U-boats’ moves on a linoleum floor, using chalk and wooden model ships.
Seasons & Episode
The Mastermind: World War II breaks out and a force of U-boats attempt to starve Britain into submission. Meanwhile, Vera Laughton Mathews recruits talented women into the Wrens.
False Dawns: France falls in 1940 and Donitz's U-boats embark on a race to sink British merchant ships. Roberts' wargaming ideas are at last entertained by a desperate Admiralty.
The Wrens: Though the Admiralty are convinced the Allies have the expertise to defeat Germany, Roberts and the Wrens start devising wargaming tactics to combat U-boat formations.
The Game: Roberts and Laidlaw uncover a fatal flaw in the Royal Navy's anti-U-boat strategy and develop their own countertactic. Their next task is winning over the Admiralty.
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