U-Boat Wargamers

In January 1943, Admiral Karl Dönitz, leader of the Nazi U-boat fleet, has nearly starved Britain into submission by sinking almost a thousand of their merchant vessels. If the transatlantic supply line is severed, the Allies risk losing their final stronghold in Western Europe. In response, the Royal Navy enlists the help of retired war strategist Gilbert Roberts. His mission is to employ war gaming to unravel and counter Dönitz’s strategies. However, with no available men to assist him, Roberts defies the expectations of the high command by recruiting members of the Women’s Royal Navy Service (WRNS) to simulate the U-boats’ maneuvers. Collaborating with Jean Laidlaw, one of the first female chartered accountants in Britain, and a small group of adept female mathematicians, Roberts reenacts naval skirmishes and strategizes against the U-boats on a linoleum floor, using chalk and wooden ship models.