"Use HE shells on merchants' radio to prevent them from transmitting your position.."

[CCIP]

That's what it said on one of the loading screens for the game.
:hmmm:

If that works, that could be a bloody cool feature. And a good indicator for AI developments for this game in general, something we could all sure hope for :yep:

[conus00]

U-571. :haha::nope:
Oops. Did i say (wrote) it out loud. :oops:

[Schunken]

I read in the sub-books of Clay Blair that indeed some Subs try to shot the bridge for cut of radio communication....

This would really a cool feature...

Andreas

[Noren]

Seriously?

If a radioman cant transmit a statusupdate and location by the time
they get shelled from a lurking sub, then there's something wrong.

Whats next? "shoot the enemy captain and they surrender"?

[Sone7]

Seriously?

If a radioman cant transmit a statusupdate and location by the time
they get shelled from a lurking sub, then there's something wrong.

Whats next? "shoot the enemy captain and they surrender"?
Too much negative vibes :sunny:
It's just difficulty for casuals, can be modded for sure.

By the way, we should check first, if we actually can hit with ease :salute:

[Schunken]

he can not when your first shell hit.... :smug:

...no, I know what you mean....to radio "position" and "attack by sub" you need 10 seconds....

I must read the exact story again but a german sub fired on the bridge to stop the radioman from transmitting (most of the crew was in the rudder boats at this time)

Andreas

[TH0R]

I don't see why this shouldn't be possible or 'moded out'. It should be hard to achieve / hit, but certainly not impossible.

A radio should be made possible to destroy by a well placed torpedo hit.

[Safe-Keeper]

Extra points for hitting the antenna just as they get to "our position is...", for dramatic effect:O:.

But yes, incredible feature. Should be fun for modders to play with.

[Onkel Neal]

U-571. :haha::nope:
Oops. Did i say (wrote) it out loud. :oops:

:haha::haha::haha:

[Dowly]

Extra points for hitting the antenna just as they get to "our position is...", for dramatic effect:O:.

ROFLMAO!! :har::har:

[kptn_kaiserhof]

good for a lone ship

[Hartmann]

It depends but could be very difficult.

In daytime you have to surface at visual range of the ship, and prepare the gun to fire, it could take several seconds , enough time for the ship to use the radio .

In the case that your crew is very fast and can fire in seconds you still have to hit the radio at the first shot and know the exact place.

[Frederf]

This is a very interesting question and I hesitate to express a direct "No way" or "Of course" opinion either way. Certainly there is a long list of criteria to be able to radio the position of an attack which could be source of "no radio" outcomes. And still the radio ability is likely rather robust so it might be very difficult to prevent the "radio success" outcome.

Radio Equipment and Crew Ability are two distinct requirements for a radio message to be sent. A radioman without a radio won't succeed just the same as a radio without a radioman won't.

Causes for equipment failure:


General electrical power failure (battery / backup power?)
Radio destroyed (more than one radio?)
Antenna destroyed (more than one antenna?)
Range exceeded (message impossible to send?)

Causes for crew failure:


Death (Torpedo more likely than shell?)
Shock / Panic (Morale-based?)
Imminent sinking (Task prioritization?)

I imagine hitting an ammo or kerosene ship might causes destruction such that any radio operations would be impossible immediately even if it took the hulk of the ship many minutes or hours to sink.

[Ducimus]

See that structure topside with the big antenna sticking out of it ?

Yes, sir. That's the radio shack.

You and Wentz get on the deck. On my command, put a shell right through the god damn porthole.

:rotfl2:

[Webster]

i see this being very usefull in low visability where in fog or heavy rain you can be surfaced and on deck before they see you or at least before they can identify you as the enemy.


but ya, in good visability there should be no way to stop being reported in time

[malkuth74]

I once shot the eraser off a Number 2 pencil once. And it was half used too boot.

[bigboywooly]

Be a usefull addition if playing as a surface raider as was standard practice for them
Not so much for uboats :doh:

[jazman]

I'm reading Blair's Hitler's U-Boat War, and this sure sounds familiar. I believe there was a case early early in the war, where they were still fighting with some rules, stopping the ship and getting the crew to board boats before sinking. In this case I think the radioman stayed on board radioing the position, and they went after him.

[pythos]

My understanding of prize rules was. The target vessel was to heave to upon seeing the sub. If any radio transmission were detected by the DF, the sub had all clearance to shell the bridge and other areas of the superstructure.

If the target vessel was hauling "contra ban" (I always thought that was an eighties term coined by our government then :)) then the crew of the vessel were to get on the life boats, and the ship scuttle OR torpedoed, or captured by a prize crew.

Prize rules were just a fine example of people trying to make something as horrible as war a regulated thing....It just doesn't work.

[VirtualVikingX]

My understanding of prize rules was. The target vessel was to heave to upon seeing the sub. If any radio transmission were detected by the DF, the sub had all clearance to shell the bridge and other areas of the superstructure.

If the target vessel was hauling "contra ban" (I always thought that was an eighties term coined by our government then :)) then the crew of the vessel were to get on the life boats, and the ship scuttle OR torpedoed, or captured by a prize crew.

Prize rules were just a fine example of people trying to make something as horrible as war a regulated thing....It just doesn't work.

Linky: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contraband

[kaa13]

Just having read "QXP" , written by a former U-Boot radio operator, it was of course absolutely common to listen to the SOS messages sent by the attacked ship, feeling great relief when messages stopped being emitted because it could have been the begining of big troubles for the sub.Those who think that it is only of minor importance don't know how efficient were the allied ASW strategy and tactics.

[Safe-Keeper]

Just having read "QXP" , written by a former U-Boot radio operator, it was of course absolutely common to listen to the SOS messages sent by the attacked ship, feeling great relief when messages stopped being emitted because it could have been the begining of big troubles for the sub.Those who think that it is only of minor importance don't know how efficient were the allied ASW strategy and tactics.
Yeah, so despite the arcade-ness of aiming for a radio to stop broadcasts, it's a great feature. When you're spotted by an enemy, you may or may not have time to take him down before he gets an SSS out, and if you take him down quick enough, or get lucky and destroy his radio or kill the radio operator or something, no signal is broadcasted at all.

Prize rules were just a fine example of people trying to make something as horrible as war a regulated thing....It just doesn't work.It works when it's reasonable - the sharp decline in land mine usage in recent years being a case in point.

Telling subs to not execute sneak attacks, on the other hand, is like telling fighter jets to not fly. "Now lemme get this straight - this thing flies over mountains that we have to trudge across, at a speed of several hundred knots, and then effortlessly fires guided explosives at our tanks and artillery? How shamelessly overpowered! I hereby declare that all vehicles with the capability of flight must be confined to roads from here on!"

[Sailor Steve]

It depends but could be very difficult.

In daytime you have to surface at visual range of the ship, and prepare the gun to fire, it could take several seconds , enough time for the ship to use the radio .

In the case that your crew is very fast and can fire in seconds you still have to hit the radio at the first shot and know the exact place.
The conning tower breaks the surface first. It takes several more seconds before the deck is above water. Twenty seconds to get the hatch open and get the crew out on deck. If the first man out unplugs the tampon, and the second man out opens the ready-use locker and grabs the first shell, and the third man out opens the breach, and the fourth man starts training the gun onto the target, it will probably still be more than a minute before the gun is ready to fire. Then you still have to deal with the fact that in anything but a dead-calm sea the submarine is a relatively unstable gun platform.

Then you have to find the radio shack.

See that structure topside with the big antenna sticking out of it ?

Yes, sir. That's the radio shack.

You and Wentz get on the deck. On my command, put a shell right through the god damn porthole.

:rotfl2:
:rotfl2::rock:

Of course the radio antenna is mounted to the mast, and the radio shack is somewhere inside...

[Galanti]

If the first man out unplugs the tampon, ..


Which would require 1000 morale points, btw.

[Schunken]

:har:

Lets call it "plug" okay guys....


Andreas

[Sailor Steve]

I'm an old sailor. I call it what it is.:O:

Some young'un wants to make jokes, fine with me. I did it too.

By the way, Galanti, that was a good one...and tasteful, to boot.:salute:

[Frederf]

It would be unfortunate for such a feature to be abused in a "gamey" kind of way but it's just as bad that the radioman happily reports you despite standing on the bulkhead as the flaming exploding ship is 70% sunk bow first.

I hated how the enemy guns, searchlights, etc were 100% operational well into a firey, sinky death and all turned off at once like a light switch.

[Safe-Keeper]

"Hide the radio!"
http://www.bittenandbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/johnny-depp-jack-sparrow.jpg

[MercurySeven]

I saw a documentary not too long ago about the battle of the atlantic. In the part about operation drumbeat they did an interview with Reinhard Hardegen who commanded one of the boats that started drumbeat (U-123). On his way to the US coast he ran across the SS Athena and torpedoed the ship. He then ordered his men to shoot the radio room in order to stop it from transmitting.

They did not manage to stop the ship from sending out their distress calls but coming from a real uboat captain of that time I take it that shooting at the radio room is not all fairydust but instead a valid (even if somewhat desperate) tactic for an uboat. And if it does not just blow to smithereens the second one starts shelling the ships I'd say its not arcade-style at all but a valid addition to a simulation. :salute:

I do however stress the if in that sentence. If it does not blow to smithereens the second one starts shelling the ships. ;)

[pythos]

I thought the term for that thing was Tampion, or something, but not...that word. LOL.