U-flak: crew not firing?

[minute]

Hi all

I'm using GWX 1.03 and since I reached June 1943, I just got myself a nice Turm IV for my VIIC. I set off from Bergen towards the western approaches. My U-flak is now loaded with two quad-firing (Flakvierling) 20mm canons (one in front and one in the back on the top position) and one automatic 3.7 canon on the lower back deck.

As I am passing south of Faroe Islands I get a lot of air activity. I don't like taking risks, but for once the weather is good and we get these two puny Avengers closing in so I say let's stay and fight.

I man the flak positions - I order two Flak-trained petty officers, two canon-trained officers and two other highly experienced sailors on the deck, plus my flak and canon-trained officer to supervise in the conning tower.

But, alas, the Avengers make their run and my crew doesn't fire a single shot. They come and make the second run, and no shots either. I rush to the stations, fire each of the canons, switch stations, reload ammo, change firing orders, every trick in the book. From time to time one of the Flakvierlings fires anemically for a few seconds but barely hits anything. After perhaps something like the eleventh run we manage to down one of the Avengers and then the other one after that.

That's not exactly what I would call an inspiring performance from my crew. Later on we were ambushed by something like eight Wellingtons and I did see a bit more will from my crew to put the lead out of those cannons but still they could do better.

I know that U-flaks are not the saving grace against allied air power, but is there any way I can get more enthusiasm from my crew to actually fire at the damn planes?

Thank you for any insight...

[Fusek]

Was silent running on? What also helps is (when surfaced) click on the WO, click on the flak gun, then choose 'Fire at will' & 'Incoming only (or something like that). Now they will then open fire on incoming aircraft.

[minute]

Was silent running on?
No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't...

What also helps is (when surfaced) click on the WO, click on the flak gun, then choose 'Fire at will' & 'Incoming only (or something like that). Now they will then open fire on incoming aircraft.

I did that - I changed the orders in a number of ways without much luck.

There are a couple of things that I suspect (but I would appreciate some confirmation)

- I had only two flak-skilled petty officers, perhaps I need six?
- The officer in the conning tower had Flak skills but no Watchman skills, perhaps a watchman would be required?

[BulSoldier]

I think the training only efects the accuracy of the guns and reload times.They SHOULD fire even if their efficiency (the green bar above the stantion) is low.I have met such problems though the war in different boats and flak guns.Sometimes only one fires sometime neither of two.
I still dont know the exact reason for this "bug" ???

[Dowly]

Sometimes you need to manually man each gun, and then go back to the bridge, that usually helps me. :up:

[minute]

Sometimes you need to manually man each gun, and then go back to the bridge, that usually helps me. :up:
I did that too, but in the end, as BulSoldier said, only one of the canons would occasionally fire, nomatter how much I would yell about the deck :damn:

Will try more experiments, but I've read a number of other threads where people tell of similar problems...

[flag4]

hi Minute,

this has happened to me on my last patrol...

they stood at their stations and waited to die...

i checked everything i could, and then came on here to find more info......nothing changed.

in the end, i dipped under the moment plane was mentioned - finished my patrol and it has'nt happened again - yet !!

but also-aswell, there were times when my diesels would not respond too, i sat like a duck on the surface bubbling along at 1 knot - nothing more was possible.

there was talk on this site of a bug in the game and using sabotague/malfunctions settings.

i think it was Dowly who helped me out last time too !!

finish your patrol - somehow, then go out on another and check your guns, your crew, your sub, in terms of it's functioning correctly out in deep water. make sure everything you will need to work does work before you get going: its worth drilling your boat before the fun starts.

( oh yeah, remember: don't save your game underwater. this can cock things up too ! )