Foray into the Med

[papa_smurf]

I've decided to start a new career in the med, as I have yet to patrol there - as I stick to the atlantic. I've started with a Type VII/C 41 in late 1943 (I know im suicidal), but I thought it would amke for a challenging career, and a change of scenery - im sick of atlantic storms lasting for weeks on end.
So if anyone could offer advice on how to survive in the med, and still get decent tonnage hauls would much be appriciated.

[bigboywooly]

Get used to Med storms for weeks on end

:rotfl:

Not eally given the med a good run out so cant offer any advice
There are plenty that have though

[Gezoes]

Block the gap between Tunis and Sicily.
Lots of taskforces between Valleta and Cairo. :smug:

[KeptinCranky]

Best thing to do in the Med is to be very very careful, the escort to merchant ratio is just not cool, you'll often see a small merchant being escorted by 2 DDs, stay away from those would be my suggestion. Look for TFs with cruisers instead, plenty of those around

1943 you say...well the most important thing would be to stay submerged for as long as possible, everywhere! the planes will find you anyway but if you play your cards right you'll bag yourself some nice troopships and maybe even some american Capital ships, oh and don't fight it out with Sunderlands, really, don't

a good spot is south of Sardinia, good hunting to you

[papa_smurf]

Best thing to do in the Med is to be very very careful, the escort to merchant ratio is just not cool, you'll often see a small merchant being escorted by 2 DDs, stay away from those would be my suggestion.

Yup, noticed these - have seen mostly town class escorting single merchants so far, as im about half way to my patrol grid on my 1st patrol. I tries to sink a large cargo escorted by a town class, I missed and had to go deep really fast to evade.

[JU_88]

Just took a moment to play the 1.04 beta today.
I just started a quick carreer in the med in 1943, I headed southwest though the channel between italy and sicily when I got a radio report of a convoy... turned out to be 12 peice Royal Navy taskforce with 3 Battle ships!
Managed to launch a fanshot at the Nelson, but only 2 torps hit her on the bow (I had a bad angle and very small window of opportunity) she didnt sink :( ,
I had to attack with a destroyer just a few hundred meters off my port bow, it was scary as hell! As soon as the torps left the tubes i went down to 150m.

On the plus side I managed to give the DDs the slip - thanks to a distraction from the italian airforce who kindly showed up with half a dozen SM79s, they all ended up in the drink though.

The med rocks!! :rock: :rock:

[Jimbuna]

More escorts per merchant than the Atlantic and shallower water....but very enjoyable and one hell of a challenge....SINK EM ALL!! :arrgh!:

[KeptinCranky]

And as an added bonus you're not sailing your boat all the way to Newfoundland or even farther to get sunk by the first Destroyer you encounter :up:

[-SWCowboy.]

Now that would be an idea...
I'm still in 1940 and my only two flotillas are 1st and 7th... Might have to dip back into the career that's in '43 and see what's up.

If I ever get a chance to transfer I will, might try some harbor raids if I get lucky but I doubt I'll get past Gibraltar :damn:

[TarJak]

Plenty of bigger fish plus some interesting sights to see including some very colourful Italian ships. Patrolling east west along the obvious shipping routes is best but if you are stuck drop in to Malta where there is almost always a a capital ship or two to have a crack at in the harbour if you are feeling very brave!

[papa_smurf]

Patrolling east west along the obvious shipping routes is best but if you are stuck drop in to Malta where there is almost always a a capital ship or two to have a crack at in the harbour if you are feeling very brave!

I know about the east west shipping routes, but I might have a go at a bit of harbour raiding:hmm:

[Jimbuna]

Remember!! These guys are on your side....well, for a little while anyway :lol:

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/4058/sh32007111112050035xp2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/3788/sh32007111112051995nx1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/4805/sh32007111112053940cz4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/717/sh32007111112055592vc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[TarJak]

Depends on how late in '43 you start. If you start after September 1943 they are on the other side, as are their aircraft!

[Jimbuna]

Depends on how late in '43 you start. If you start after September 1943 they are on the other side, as are their aircraft!

Hence the "for a little while anyway" http://imgcash4.imageshack.us/img144/3336/tonguecm5.gif

[papa_smurf]

Well my career last barely 6 days, before I was sunk by a Black Swan whilst attacking a single large cargo - I missed, had to deep fast, but the damn thing hounded me for 3 hrs before a depth charge went off right next to me, and I went down fast:damn:

So I starting again, but this time in 1941, so I should last a little bit longer..........I hope.

[Hartmann]

I´m in the med but i have a problem now .

i had sunk two cruisers, one destroyer, one troop ship (torpedoed and deck gun fire), one landing ship with vehicles and some merchants but i had my IX-B boat base at lorient.:88) i don´t have to stay here.:hmm: my patrol grid was in the atlantic.

what i have to do ?? return to gibraltar , run and pray ? or scuttle my boat ? or try a transfer from one italian port ?

only three torpedoes left, morale (still) high , Waiting a response of BDU.......:roll:

[KeptinCranky]

Dock at an Italian port, send a Telegram to BDU about your whereabouts and expect a fairly cross response, like being reassigned to patrolling on the Russian front without any cold-weather gear :stare:

WTF are you doing in the med with a IXB?!? :o it's supposed to be used near Freetown and Newfoundland

My suggestion, grab some eels in Sardinia, stock up the boat with Pizza and Pasta and other Italian delicacies and get back through Gibraltar ASAP before the guards there get really nasty, if that doesn't work, keep resupplying in Italy until Salamis is available and then transfer to there

or use the Return to Base teleportation device your boat is equipped with and if you bring enough Italian goodies Donitz may not have you shot...:D

Or as an absolute last resort, or if you're tired of life, try to get through the suez canal and visit Japan

[Hartmann]

Ok thanks for the advices. :hmm:

suez ?... british are there and the waters are very shallow, they can close the doors and empty the water...like a fish in the barrel, but it sounds interesting.

i think that i will ressuply and after go to gibraltar again. if my ix-B can get into, it can do it again in the opposite direction , i think... it´s still early 1942.:roll:

i like a lot IX-b boats , but i had some nasty aircraft encounters, including at night with lights.:o and i think that is a bit too large for the med. it´s a blue waters shark.

[KeptinCranky]

Ah the planes, gotta hate them :damn:

My standard operating procedure after 1941 and in the Med is to run surfaced by day and submerged at night until i get to the shipping lanes, when I only surface when I've run out of air or battery juice, and only long enough to replenish.

The idea is that before radar warning is available the planes will get you easier at night than by day, when you can at least see them coming and dive in time (hopefully)

[Stealth Hunter]

Just something I wanted to warn you about, be ready for all Hell when the Americans attack our Italian brothers. The Med can be your best friend for tonnage OR your worst enemy, in which case YOU are made into someones tonnage.

If you need to make an escape, there's pretty much only one safe way: Gibraltar.

Otherwise, I hope you have a bit of flight training... and some sort of anti-gravity device that makes your U-boat fly.