U-Boat Wargamers: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

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.

Series details

• Title: U-Boat Wargamers
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Genres: War, History
• Premiere date: 2023-02-21
• Status in TVmaze: Running
• Network listed by TVmaze: Sky History
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 75 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 67192
• TVDB ID: 431419

Cast and credited roles

• Andrew Havill — Gilbert Roberts
• Molly Vevers — Jean Laidlaw
• Jack Ashton — Karl Dönitz

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2023-02-21; final listed air date 2023-03-28; episode order: 6.

Source and licence

Adapted from U-Boat Wargamers on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.