Torshaven air patrols are insane in 39 - 41

[GoldenRivet]

Air poatrols off the northern Brit coast are insane early in the war (1939 - onward)... these boys are persistant!

returning from a fairly boring patrol, fuel reserve is low - but adequate for the return to kiel. as a result of fuel conservation measures my routhe takes me south of toshaven and north or lerwick then to the norway coast down to kiel canal... instead of way around the north end of torshaven then over to norway and then south to kiel canal

my log book reads like this
======================
21 may 1941

4 cargo ships sunk for a sickening total of under 17,000 tons... fuel is low but sufficient for the return voyage if we can avoide the long route around the north side of Torshaven. returning to base at this time.
======================
22. May 1941

10:51 hours Grid AM26 - crash dive to evade aircraft, will sail on the surface by night only until reaching the north sea.
======================
22. May 1941

23:30 hours - Surfaced to replinish air and batteries, within minutes an air patrol was spotted heading straight for us. crash dived to evade attack, sea bombed heavily, sustained minor damage.
======================
23. may 1941

0334 hours - have been running undetected on the surface for 2 hours when we were forced to crash dive to evade air patrol. sea bombed heavily - no damage.
======================


for an additional 9 log entries averaging 3 entries per day i was forced to crash dive due to air patrols in that area... however - there were NO air patrols encountered north of torshaven on the outbound patrol... NO air patrols encountered ANYWHERE from the irish coast westward to the rockall banks or any of the north atlantic areas.

look out up there gentlemen perhaps there are some shore mounted radar installations??

[Brag]

I've also ran into lots of air patrols off Scotland in 39-40:huh:

[KeptinCranky]

yeppers, noticed that too
oddly enough it's not so noticable when in the north sea off Aberdeen. but from 1940 onwards I always stay submerged by day, it's better in shipping heavy areas anyway, hunt by hydrophone.
also, until end of 1940 I find it worthwhile to slip between Orkneys and Shetlands, submerged by day, surfaced and 12 knots by night. it's a lot shorter and you're almost guaranteed a shot at one merchant just to get you off the mark.

It's not as bad as near Gibraltar though, that's just not funny, trouble is some of those planes are spanish and I even crash-dived for a Condor there :oops:

[GoldenRivet]

From day one in the war i have noticed that during the outbound passage that if you draw a line from AN75 to AM25 there are relentless air patrols... they start about 0400 hours and continue until about 2300 hours. This area doesnt wait until 42 and later to start getting hot with aircraft.

however if you pass north of Torshaven on a line from AN72 to AE91 there are virtually NO air patrols at this early stage in the war... and from AE91 to just about anywhere in the atlantic there is nothing in the air but stellar bodies and clouds.

[Henri II]

I suppose this is to be expected, since it is pretty much the only short route from the North Sea into the Atlantic. If I have enough fuel I usually go between the Faroers and Iceland, the air coverage does not reach there until 1941 and at that time you operate from France anyway.

[Brag]

yeppers, noticed that too
oddly enough it's not so noticable when in the north sea off Aberdeen. but from 1940 onwards I always stay submerged by day, it's better in shipping heavy areas anyway, hunt by hydrophone.
also, until end of 1940 I find it worthwhile to slip between Orkneys and Shetlands, submerged by day, surfaced and 12 knots by night. it's a lot shorter and you're almost guaranteed a shot at one merchant just to get you off the mark.

It's not as bad as near Gibraltar though, that's just not funny, trouble is some of those planes are spanish and I even crash-dived for a Condor there :oops:

I am in the Gulf of Cadiz right now, been there for almost 3 weeks (Sept 1941). Not a single air patrol.

Weather been rain, fog, visibility 400 meters. Bwaaa ha ha.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[KeptinCranky]

well yah, that would help:yep: :rotfl:

but a 3 week storm in gulf of Cadiz just doens't happen, IRL there's depressions moving east there in winter, usually one every 2 weeks or so, between that weather is windy but clear-ish (varies of course) and in summer the ocassional storm but not for that long, why do you think everyone goes on vacation there every summer?:D should still be nice in september maybe a bit more wind but good visibility, you're just lucky mate:up:

as for that sort of weather, I usually get frustrated after 2 weeks of that, I then take stupid risks like raiding harbors, unless in north atlantic in winter, then it's expected