Allies win by 2 POC after 8 turns.
Turn 1
Anchors put all fast ships in Barents, the 5-5-3s in NA, the 4-4-4s in SA and the 4-4-3s in NS. The German fleet hid out in the Baltic and the subs went to the SA. Germans lost one sub and an Italian 1-1-7. Hood took 3 hits from the Luftwaffe.
Score: zero
Turn 2
Three 4-4-4s in the SA, Eagle in NA, all fast ships to the Barents and the rest in NS. Hood repaired. Germans hid out in the Baltic and sent subs to SA. Brits lost a 3-3-6 and a 4-4-4 to air and subs respectively. The Germans lost another sub.
Score: zero
Turn 3
Similar set-up for the Brits with the convoy and two CVs in NA, four 4-4-4s in SA, all fast ships in the Barents, and the rest of the BBs with two 0-1-6 CVs in the NS. Marat at sea in the Baltic. Will the Germans come out to play?
Turn 4
Brits put all 5-5-4, 4-4-3s and the QE in North Sea. Two carriers, four 4-5-6s, a 3-3-6 and 8 1-1-7s went to Barents to protect convoy 1A. Three Americans and two carriers protected convoy 2B in NA. Three 4-4-4s and the Eagle went to SA.
The Axis sent their three subs to NA, the Blucher to Baltic, and every other German ship in the game to the NS. Bismarck already had one hit.
Results: The Americans sank one sub and sent the others home. The Luftwaffe and Graf Z missed everything. The RAF sank Pola in the Med.
In the NS, the Germans lost Gneisenau and P Eugen and suffered 8 hits on Tirpitz. All German ships except Graf Z and Bismarck were disabled. The Brits lost two 5-5-4 and one 4-4-3. Two BBs were disabled and two damaged, leaving one undamaged BB and two damaged BBs to face Bismarck and the Graf Z. The Germans retreated.
Brits scored for Barents, NS, NA and SA and delivered the convoy
to Russia: 6 pts.
The Axis scored 3 pts for Baltic and Med.
Score at the end of Turn 4: Brits +3
Turn 5
On turn 5 the Brits patrolled the NS with the surviving slow BBs and filled the Barents with the 4-5-6s, 0-2-7s and 1-1-7s to protect convoy 2B. The NA and SA were held lightly. The Germans repaired Tirpitz and were fortunate enough to escape further injury from the RAF. The Luftwaffe disabled the convoy. The Germans sank Okt. Revolutsia. The subs decontrolled both the NA and SA and sank the Eagle for the loss of one sub. The Axis had the better dice this turn.
Score at end of Turn 5: British +2
Turn 6
Faced with 6 subs on turn 6, the British faced the fact that they could not simultaneously protect two convoys in the NA and guarantee the blockade, so the British abandoned the Barents. Their 4-5-6s stayed in port in Russia. A huge force patrols the NS, and every carrier in the world is with the convoys in the NA. (Note: Rule 14.1 prohibits having two convoys in the same sea area.) The Germans have little choice but to patrol the Baltic and Barents and use subs to de-control the SA.
Next turn will see the climax of the game: all six 4-5-6s, all cruisers and three carriers in the Barents escorting the two convoys. The Brits have a 50% chance of getting both convoys to Russia scoring 6 points, a 37% chance of getting one convoy to Russia scoring 3, and a 13% chance of delivering neither convoy. Much depends on the Luftwaffe.
Turn 7
With the British threatening to control 4 areas and deliver 2 convoys, the Germans send everything, air, subs and ships to the Barents. Ken had allowed himself to be blockaded by a Barents-on-one strategy the entire game, but it was finally gotterdammerung time. Three British battleships were sunk in the 7 rounds of battle. Only Hipper was lost among the Germans, but the British controlled the Barents with only two carriers and the convoy left at sea. Score +8 British. Ken didn't even leave a ship to control the Baltic!
Turn 8
For Turn 8, the Brits have abandoned the Barents and NS, put 5 BBs in SA to be sure the sole surviving Italian cruiser and the 4 subs can't control the SA, and sent everything else (33 ASW shots) to the NA. The Brits need control only one area to win and the German surface fleet cannot reach the NA.
The game ends in an Allied victory. Final score +2 Brits. Brits played Barents-on-One. The German fleet was blockaded in port for the whole game. The only attempts to break out were in North Sea on Turn 5 and Barents on Turn 7, both defeated with moderate loss to the British and minimal loss to the Germans; but the British strategic objective was accomplished. Two convoys reached Russia and one reached Britain. I have never seen a WAS game end with so many German ships still alive. Germany ended with Bis, Tirp, Scharnhorst, 2 pockets, 1 CA and the Graf Z available for duty.