AAR - Arctic Slaughter, 1944-04-06

[Outeniqua]

Hi Kaluens,

First off I would like to extend thanks to the modders and community members. Having had endless problems playing a GWX 3 campaign, due to a CTD at the start or CTD's when loading. Since it only affected me when trying to do a campaign, but not in single missions, I deduced it had to be memory issue. I remember reading H.sie's patch contains the 64bit OS memory fix and patched the game. Every single issue was resolved, as well as all the other awesome stuff included in the patch. Lots of thanks to H.sie and Stiebler. Fantastic work!

I would like to share a part of my new campaigns first patrol. The patrol of Erich-Otto Meyer in command of U-2502. A Type XXI U-boot, put to sea ahead of schedule after a accelerated shake down.

Bergen 1944-04-01 18h18

Oblt.z.S. Erich-Otto Meyer looks his new command over, a top from the conning tower of U-2502. She's a sleek modern boat. Far larger than the Type VII he trained on. She's also far more sluggish and rough handling on the surface. Submerged, however, is where all of this changes. Specifically designed for the most efficient submerged operation. The sleek hull cuts through the water like a shark and with 3 times the battery capacity than the VII can stay under for almost 3 days. If pushed hard, she will hit 17 knots underwater. With everything clear it's time to push off.

Ahead 1/3! The order is repeated by Wolfgang Sonnekalb, U-2502's watch officer with one patrol and an Iron Cross 2nd class behind his name. Awarded for a selfless act on his first patrol that saved his ship and crew, allowing his last boat, a Type IX, to limp back to Lorient. U-2502 lurches forward from the safety of her bunker. The clear sky of a cool April evening greets the watch crew of U-2502.

Rudder 15 degrees starboard! U-2502 turns to follow its minesweeper escort and settles behind the escort at 5 knots. The watch crew are keeping a keen eye out for anything that might be silly enough to run into them. Also a watchful eye is kept on the sky. The Luftwaffe are probably having it worse than the Kriegsmarine at the moment. The Allies have full control of the skies and the usual fighter patrols over the bases, so common two years ago, is rarely seen now. Departures at night does offer some protection.

18h23
Detecting radar signals, 220! The call comes from August Schiemann, U-2502's young new radio operator. Meyer and Sonnekalb swing their binoculars to the south. With only land in the way, this could only mean one thing. Not a minute later, air raid warning sirens sound off behind the boat and flak guns dotting the base and few ships in the harbour are manned. Meyer orders U-2502's two flak zwilling to be manned. "Aircraft Spotted!" Comes the call from the watch crew. A large formation of Lancasters are racing towards Bergen. Meyer disregards harbour regulations as a staccato of anti aircraft fire erupts all over bergen and orders Ahead Flank. There's nowhere to hide in the shallow water and speed is the only thing that can spare them.

The bombs start raining from the bombers. 2 ships at dock take direct hits and buildings around the base is set ablaze. Several bombs narrowly miss the U-2502 and detonate less than 100m from U-2502. Luckily no damage was suffered. Flak all around Bergen is still blanketing the sky with a wall of shrapnel. A couple of the attacking bombers are trailing smoke and one can be seen trailing flames. The bombers turn south east with their attack complete. U-2502 completes it's passage of the fjords without further incident. The navigator, Friedrich Groß, another man with a patrol under the belt, plots a course for the northern coast of Norway, off Trondheim.

The transit has been without incident. No allied aircraft this far out, the time was spent drilling the crew. The Chief Engineer has been pushing the boys hard. The most experienced man on the U-2502 with 5 war patrols, he is one of the best engineers around. The boat is in great combat shape and ready for anything.

AF58 1944-04-05 12h00

Aircraft Spotted! Allied marked aircraft dive through the clouds from the north west. The boat managed to slip beneath the waves in the nick of time. Two, what appeared to be F4F or F6F fighter aircraft. This means a carrier is nearby. Meyer sticks his head into the hydrophone station where Ferdinand Fietsch, the keen eared sonar man with 3 patrols on his belt scans the water. There are no contacts. Meyer orders a course for north west at 5 knots. They will stay down for about an hour, then surface. There must be a task force nearby - the perfect target for U-2502.

AF54 13h17

On the surface, heading NW at 10 knots. A contact report is received for a task force to the north west. It appears Meyer's hunch may have been correct. A task force is 330 degrees off U-2502, at a range of 600km. Their course is ENE and speed of advance is 6 knots. Groß plots a course north at 10 knots for the assumed course of 060 and 6 knots SOA of the task force. The weather has deteriorated, heavy seas with a low overcast and heavy fog setting in.

1944-04-06 04h27

Another contact report. An updated position for the convoy is received. They are now at 338 and a distance of 360km, still steaming ENE at 6 knots. Their course is refined to 070 now. Poor weather and near collision with an iceberg pack as slowed U-2502's advance. Seems the radar is good for something after all. A new course and speed is plotted, 010 at 14 knots. The weather seems to be clearing. A welcome development.

18h06

Contact report. The task force is now at 345. Range 50km. Their course and speed is unchanged. The weather has cleared and wind is about 7-8m/s. Meyer maintains his current course and speed and expect to start detecting the task force in an hour.

19h00

"Radar signals detected!" Schiemann reports several radar emitters. They've detected the task force. The U-2502 slows and turns east to 070 at 10 knots. Meyer, Groß and Schiemann quickly get to work to plot the track of the convoy. Taking a bearing reading every 5 minutes a far more accurate track is developed for the task force. Their course is 075 and speed is 6 knots. Range is estimated at 30km, bearing 300.

19h25

Meyer orders a dive to 40m at ahead 2/3, heading north. They should be detecting them any second now on hydrophones and will make their approach. Fietsch is listening with all his might, almost willing the sound contacts.

19h30

"Sound Contact, Warship, moving slow, closing, bearing 270, long range!" Fietsch is now reporting each new contact. Many warships, as expected from the task force report and the number of radar emitters. We turn west to 255 to close the distance quicker with the task force.

20h30

"Up periscope!" Meyer scans the horizon and sky, then turns the scope to look for the first ships in the task force. It doesn't take long before he spots the first ships. Destroyer escort running a picket about 1km in front of the first line of the task force. More escorts are flanking on the flanks. It's 4 columns and seems at least 8 ships deep, maybe more. There are 2 more warships in the lead of the 2 middle columns, another destroyer and a light cruiser. There's no carriers, only merchants. This does not seem to be the task force Meyer was suspecting the fighters came from. The periscope is lowered and Meyer orders 40m and turns for 2 knots. The rigs U-2502 for silent running. Meyer is confidant that the XXI is quiet enough, to slip into the convoy, between the northern 2 columns without being detected.

20h55

"The lead escort is closing, Herr Kaleun. Bearing 320, he's close." Fietsch reports with some concern in his voice.

Meyer takes the headphones from Fietsch to have a listen. He is indeed close, far closer than he expected. Meyer hands the headphones back to Fietsch:

"Stay calm, Fietsch. They will only able hear us, if they have the best man in the world on hydrophones. That will be difficult when he is the U-2502, wouldn't you say?"

"Jawohl, Herr Kaleun."


20h58

BAWAAAAH! "The enemy is pinging us!"

The destroyer was too close. The sound from the destroyer's ASDIC reverberates through U-2502, startling every crew member. Meyer overestimated how quiet the Type XXI was. Practise evasion was done against Kriegsmarine DDs. Not nearly in the same league as the allied anti submarine forces, creating a false impression of how quiet she truly was. A costly mistake by Meyer.

"All ahead flank! Flood tube 6 and open outer doors and bow caps! Bearing to the target!"

Everybody springs to action. Walter pushes the powerful electric motors to ahead flank and rest his hands on the dive plane men, ready for more orders. Otto Prehm prepares tube 6 to fire. U-2502 has only 2 G5es Zaunkönig aboard. One is loaded in tube 6.

"Bearing 290, moving right to 300, Herr Kaleun!"

"Set torpedo bearing 315, depth 4m!" Prehm dials the bearing into the TDC for tube 6. The gyro's in the torpedo spin up.

"Bearing set 315, Herr Kaleun!"

"Fire tube 6!"

Otto Prehm hits the firing trigger. "Firing Tube 6!"

The torpedo screams from its tube and turns left to it's preset course of 315. It will soon be armed being listening for the sound of cavitating propellers.

"Decoy launched! 30 degrees down on both stern and bow planes, Herr Kaleun!" U-2502 nose dove for the depths of the ocean. Speed now at 12 knots and increasing, she is diving fast. Already at 60m from the 40m she started and accelerating.

"Torpedo impact!"

A second later a large explosion rocks the U-2502 and her crew. Closely followed by a series of secondary explosions, ripping the destroyer apart, followed by some cheers from the crew, quickly put to an end by the Bosun.

"She's breaking apart, Herr Kaleun."

"Very well, Fietsch. Chief, bring us up to 100m, ahead 1/3."

Walter levels the U-2502 at 180m and begins to slowly rise. Hoping the cacophony of noise in the convoy would mask them, Meyer orders tube 6 be reloaded with a T1 FAT. She's still carrying some speed from her sprint, and has managed to get under the first ships of the convoy. Fietsch reports 2-3 more escorts racing to the front. Some depth charges are heard being dropped on the decoy, far behind the U-2502.

The escorts give up their pursuit and return to their positions. Meyer orders the U-2502 up to 25m. This takes some time and she has now drifted to the middle of the convoy, still between the 2 northern columns. Once at 25m, he raises the scope to look for shadows. . Furious the blew his attack, the last thing he needs now is a collision. Meyer doesn't see nearby shadows over them. He lowers the scope and orders a depth of 15m.

Raising the scope to take another look, he sees the are less than 100m a large cargo ship to their port beam. The scope is lowered and a hard turn to port at ahead 2/3 is ordered with a depth of 25m, to bring them east on course 075, same as the convoy. Again at periscope depth, the scope is raised. This time, special attention is paid to where the largest targets are. U-2502 is now positioned, between the 2nd and 3rd columns, heading 075 at 10 knots slowly advancing up the convoy.

21h00

At 120, a large tanker type, a whale factory ship, range probably between 1000-1500m. At 330, less than 500m, a medium cargo. Two Victory ships at 260 and 270, range seems to be around 1000m. There's another large ship at 350 in front of the medium cargo. Unfortunately, it just can't be made out. A plan of attack is now developing. Maybe the attack was not botched.

The tubes are loaded with T3 electrics in tubes 1 and 2. Tubes 3-6 are loaded with T1 FAT 1. Staying on a course of 075 at 6 knots to match the convoy, Meyer will take large angle gyro shots on the whaler and the 2 victories, 2 eel's each. Drop a decoy, go to 10 knots and a depth of 60m, then begin evasion when the escorts come in. Meyer slows U-2502 down to 4 knots, to have the whaler catch up to 090. The range to all the targets are within 1200m, which is set as the firing range.

21h25

Meyer raises the scope and swings it right to 090. Bearing 090, AOB 90 port, speed 6 knots, range 1200m.

"Fire Tube 1!"
"Fire Tube 2!"

He swing the scope left, next up the Victories. The TDC is updated with their bearings and AOB. Tubes 3 through 6 are fired. Shortly followed by 6 impacts. A decoy is launched and U-2502 goes down to 60m at 10 knots, then at ahead 1/3.

21h26

The Whale Factory Ship is breaking up and begins to sink. Two escorts in the rear start looking for the attacker. However, they give up their pursuit. The convoy is still maintaining course. Fietsch follows and reports the escorts have returned to their positions. Meyer is puzzled by this surely they know they're under attack? A ship is sinking and two others are badly damaged and can be heard slowing down. Meyer orders the U-2502 up to 15m and increases speed to 6 knots.

Scanning through the periscope, he sees the burning wreck of the whaler slowly sinking below the waves. The 2 Victories are listing heavily to starboard and dropping back. The convoy has started zigging, but these ranges they could just as well stand still. Lowering the scope, he takes U-2502 down to 25m and orders a speed of 10 knots. He plans to push further up to the front of the convoy, to identify the large ship in front of the medium cargo, and get a better grasp on the targets leading the convoy.

21h30

Fietsch reports one of the Victories is sinking. At Periscope depth, Meyer takes stock again. The ship in front of the medium cargo is a 9000 ton ore carrier at 330, left of the ore carrier a small tanker at 030. Leading the column to the left is a destroyer, 2 columns over is definitely a light cruiser type. The medium cargo is now at 270. He decides to fire a single torpedo and tube 2 is flooded and opened.

21h34

Bearing 270, AOB 90 starboard, speed 6 knots, range 500m.

"Fire Tube 2!"

Meyer keeps looking until the torpedo hits. No search lights and the escorts on the north flank and the front, leading the 3rd column do not move. The convoy continues heading 075, with a regular zig-zag. He lowers the scope and takes the boat down to 25m again at 10 knots, to push toward the ore carrier, and orders torpedoes reloaded. How is this possible? Do they not realise they're being attacked? 2 sunk merchants, and 2 more damaged from torpedo attacks, with no reaction?

21h52

The second victory is sinking. At the scope again, Meyer sees the Victory's bow sticking in the air. The ore carrier is now at 270 at 400m and the small tanker is at 090 at 800-1000m. Meyer takes a closer look at the light cruiser at 060. Two funnels, three turrets on the bow, two on the stern. Looks very much like a Dido. The convoy is still zigging, so a shot on the Dido will be difficult. Meyer decides to go down to 25m at 6 knots and course of 075, and wait for the convoy to be confident in their safety. Maybe they will stop zigging. Meyer is putting one T3 from tube 3 at 8m for the Dido. The deflection angle, should not be a problem is the eel can get under the keel and detonate magnetically. 2 more eels for the ore carrier and one for the small tanker, hopefully hitting it amidships. Tubes 2 and 4 are set to 10m for the ore carrier and tube 5 at 4m for the small tanker.

22h35

Taking another look through the scope, the convoy has stopped zigging. They've settled on a steady course, still heading 075 at 6 knots. Time to set up the attack. Meyer is positive once these torpedoes hit, the escorts must surely react. He plans to fire on the Dido first and only fire on the ore carrier and tanker, once the torpedo has struck the Dido, in 2 mins after launch. For evasion he plans to drop a decoy, go ahead flank and rudder hard to port for a course of 255, at the maximum dive angle. This should put the U-2502 under the 2nd column and continue the dive until under 240m.

22h39

Meyer relays the targeting data to Prehm: "Bearing 060, AOB 120 Port, Speed 6 knots, Range 2000m."

"Tube 3 ready, Herr Kaleun."

"Flood, open outer doors and bow caps on tubes 2, through 5."

"Jawohl, Herr Kaleun! Tubes 2 through 5, doors opened."

"Fire tube 3! New target, bearing 270, AOB 090 starboard, range 400m, ready tubes 2 and 4."

"Tubes 2 and 4 ready to fire, Herr Kaleun. Standing by to fire."

Now the men wait for the long 2 minutes, until the torpedo reaches the Dido. Every single one of them hoping the magnetic exploder does its part.

22h41

Fietsch has been following the steady progress of the eel. It tracks true on its intercept of the Dido...

"Torpedo Impact!" The excitement in Fietsch's voice is as clear as the noise of the explosion. The torpedo that hit the Dido woke up every single escort, which immediately began racing to U-2502 approximate location. Meyer moves to the next part of the attack:

"Target AOB, speed and range unchanged, bearing 270."

"Ready!" Reports Prehm

"Fire Tube 2! Fire Tube 4"

"Firing tubes 2 and 4, Herr Kaleun! Torpedoes away!"

Meyer swings the scope right to 090.

"New target, bearing 090, AOB 090 Port. Ready tube 5!"

"Ready!"

"Fire Tube 5!"

"Firing Tube 5! Torpedo Away, Herr Kaleun!"

"Launch decoys! Full left rudder! All ahead flank! Maximum Dive!"

Walter relays the order to the engine compartment and helm. Sliding down the ladder from the conning tower, Meyer hasn't relealised they fired on the small tanker with the wrong range. With these large gyro turns, inputting the accurate range is important to ensure the torpedo ends its turn correctly.

Torpedo Impact. Torpedo Impact... Torpedo Impact.

Both of the ore carrier's eels hit, and very fortunately, the eel for the small tanker scored a hit as well. U-2502 is now heading the opposite direction, passing through 100m and driving deeper at an increasing rate. The escorts have a sniff and are heading straight to the U-boot. Now at 14 knots, Meyer orders ahead 1/3 to drift deeper. The escorts are being hampered by panicked merchants and decoys. U-2502, now passes past 200m, heading 255 at slowing down, now at 6 knots and decreasing.

22h50

U-2502 is at 250m, heading 255 and creeping at 4 knots. Meyer would prefer to drop speed lower, to about 55-75rpm, but it is impossible to maintain depth at such slow speed. Fietsch is keeping a close monitor of the hydrophones, report the ore carrier is sinking and he can hear the hull breaking apart as she is being drawn under the water. The escorts have been depth charging the last known position of the U-2502 relentlessly, now far behind the U-2502.

22h55

The Dido is sinking. Escorts are still depth charging last known possible locations with depth charges.

23h48

There's an audible sense of relief, as Fietsch reports the last escort racing away to catch up with the convoy. You could sense the tension lifting among U-2502's crew. Meyer orders the boat to periscope depth. Fietsch is still detecting 2 stationary merchants. One to the north east and another to the south.

1944-04-07 01h46

At the scope Meyer examines the stricken small tanker. She is down by the stern and on fire. He realises that he had the range wrong and is lucky he managed to get a hit at all, which seems to have taken her screw out. Tube 2 is readied and fire.

CLANG! A dud. Meyer and the rest of the crew swear under their breaths. At least this is not a moving and escorted target, which would have their lives risked for no reason. They've all heard the horror stories of April 1940. Another eel is readied.

01h48

Tube 3 is fired and strikes the small tanker amidships. A large plume of flame shoots from her. Burning oil oozes into the ocean, twilight sky almost as bring as day.

01h51

Meyer watches the burning wreck of the tanker, until she slips below the water. He lowers the scope, orders a depth of 25m and set a course to the remaining, stationary merchant to the south.

02h16

Meyer looks at the medium cargo ship, listing heavy to starboard. I admires the efforts her crew has gone throw to keep her a float, their bilge pumps must just barely keep up. She will probably go down in another hour or two. Unfortunately you can't risk ships be salvaged and put back into rotation. With some pity, Meyer orders and fires a torpedo at the cargo ship to finish her off.

02h17

The medium cargo ship sinks. U-2502 proceeds submerged for another south west. She surfaces to begin recharging batteries and to inspect the exterior for possible damage that may have been caused by the past 3 hours' action. A status report is also sent BdU. Not a bad night's work.

And so ends The Arctic Slaughter of 1944-04-06.
--------------------------------------------------------

Well this got out of hand. My apologies for the word vomit and wall of text. I just wanted share the action, but it seems I would have been better served to rather author it in a first person perspective. My sincere apologies if your eyes start bleeding.

Some interesting things here. I was assigned BF27 to patrol, but happened to watch a documentary on Tirpitz a week agao and when noticed the date. Thought I might check if I can intercept the task force. Who doesn't like sinking carriers?

You can imagine how happy I was when a task force was reported, after seeing carrier aircraft. Though I didn't get the carrier task force, this was worth the trip. I think that was a PQ convoy I hit. I did almost hit an iceberg. Radar does a use! The behaviour of the escorts was very weird to me. I spent my time never below 25m and mostly at 2/3, reloading torpedoes and firing at ships, with no reaction. I wonder if sinking the leading escort with that snapshot after it detected me had anything to do with it?

My log of my tally. I'm still on patrol though with 8 eels left.

[Buhring]

Beautiful story!

Never boarded a XXI, yet...

(BTW, what mod do you use to have Lat/Long coordinates of sinkings, instead of quadrants, on your log?)

Gute Jagd

HB

Hey ! Great story ! I like it ! I want to play SH3 now !

Originally Posted by Outeniqua

"Stay calm, Fietsch. They will only able hear us, if they have the best man in the world on hydrophones. That will be difficult when he is the U-2502, wouldn't you say?"

"Jawohl, Herr Kaleun."


20h58

BAWAAAAH! "The enemy is pinging us!"

That is SH3 ! The ennemy is always 100 % ready to destroy you ! He is always hearing at the hydrophone and the ASDIC. He's always ready to depth charge you. He's always ready to fire with his deck guns ... So there can't be any surprise ...

[Outeniqua]

Originally Posted by Buhring

Beautiful story!

Never boarded a XXI, yet...

(BTW, what mod do you use to have Lat/Long coordinates of sinkings, instead of quadrants, on your log?)

Gute Jagd

HB

I think that's standard with GWX 3.

[Solyom2]

Hello!

Could you post the link for H'sie 64 bit patch?

I struggle with these GWX loading CTD's for years, perhaps it's the solution for my problem.

Thank you, and good story+:Kaleun_Wink!

[Outeniqua]

Originally Posted by Solyom2

Hello!

Could you post the link for H'sie 64 bit patch?

I struggle with these GWX loading CTD's for years, perhaps it's the solution for my problem.

Thank you, and good story+:Kaleun_Wink!

This thread is good place to start.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=174225

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=4412

[Solyom2]

Thanks, I will check it, and hope

I'm curious what was changed in those files, that solved the CTD's on your game. Perhaps now we can find finally find the soluton for this universal GWX bug.

[Outeniqua]

It would be useful if it is nailed down. As I mentioned, I only had the CTD's when attempting to start a campaign. Single missions had no issues. Hence my suspicion that it could have been a memory issue. Being able to use larger addresses, seemed to be the next thing to cross off my list, and it seemed to have done the trick. It could very well be coincidental and something else fixed the issue.

Originally Posted by Outeniqua

I think that's standard with GWX 3.

I think even the vanilla game uses the geographic coordinate system outside the Kriegsmarine grids. For some reason the game doesn't model the grid system roughly north of the Arctic Circle.

[1480]

[fanch]

what a story ! I really loved to read it...

And as i'm a newbie in subs, i learn a lot from thjis kind of experience: for example, i never thought to escape under the convoy, that make a big noise.