Grid BF47 , is this a bug or does traffic in fact pass through this area?

[Paul Riley]

28th Nov 1939

I have just been given orders for my 2nd patrol of career 2 to patrol BF47.Now looking at my map and the slideout map in GWX3 there doesnt seem to be any lanes in this area,the nearest being along the northern section of BF,and the NE section of BE.
My instincts are telling me BDU are trying to find shipping coming out of Gibraltar?,but even that is quite a way away from my current patrol.I could always head west until I reach the HG lane (is it operational at this point of the war?).If all this fails I will probably lurk around some of the western french ports and see what I can find there.
I dont really want any spoilers here,just a confirmation that traffic is known to pass through this area.I will also probably spend about a week patrolling the northern part of BF.

Thanks for any info you may provide here :)

[RConch]

Paul,
I did not have much luck there, however I only waited a couple of days, not a week.
Head up to BF 17, the fishing is much better.:salute:

[Paul Riley]

Rconch,
I suspected as much.It should only be a few hours travel from BF47.Will probably spend a week in that area,and if the fishing is not bringing in the goods then I will head out west and return to my old hunting ground,south of Ireland.I swear on my last patrol I was sinking practically one ship a day :yeah: ,although many of them didnt exceed 2000 tonnes,save for one Granville we nailed.
By the way,is RN presence heavy in and around BF17?

[Hitman]

Since you are in 1939 France is not yet occupied and there is no close direct threat for the shipping coming from South America and Gibraltar en route to the Western Approaches, the channel, and ports of the french coast. So it should have been a transited area in real life. Opening the campaign and looking at that area in 1939, certainly there is a lot of shipping lanes passing there, so good hunting :up:

[RConch]

Rconch,
I suspected as much.It should only be a few hours travel from BF47.Will probably spend a week in that area,and if the fishing is not bringing in the goods then I will head out west and return to my old hunting ground,south of Ireland.I swear on my last patrol I was sinking practically one ship a day :yeah: ,although many of them didnt exceed 2000 tonnes,save for one Granville we nailed.
By the way,is RN presence heavy in and around BF17?

Paul,
I work the southwest portion of BF 17 and there is no permanent RN patrol.
There can be a pair of C+Ds moving through at 15 knots on a straight course. I got one and the other took off.
The northern and north east side where it gets shallow will have those darn elcos buzzing around.
Your time is perfect for traffic, set up just where it breaks to the very deep water.
Later as Hitman says, it will dry up with the fall of France.

[Pisces]

First of all. The gridlocations you get ordered to patrol have no relation to whether or not there really is traffic at all. It's just some grids the game selects one from based on Flottila and date iirc. Think of it as Dönitz' tactical desiscion. And he was forced to guestimate alot anyway in the absence of straight intel.

Don't forget traffic comming from the western shores of Africa going towards the Brittish Isles. The amount of routes going that way (including the ones originating from the Med.) is several gridspaces wide, almost as wide as a complete BF grid, or a grid the size of the Spain/Portugal Peninsula. So just considering BF47 being on traffic routes or not is a far to narrow scope.

The convoy map doesn't do justice if you compare it with the massive bundle or routes in the campaign editor. I know you didn't want spoilers. But looking in the random generated script layer zoomed out (and without year filter selection) you'll never get a clear idea as to where each ship/convoy will be. Too much data overload. It doesn't show the gridsquares either. That's also not even considering random waypoint choices most units will make along the way.

In short: Don't second guess Unkel D. You'll get bored anyway waiting for something to pass. ;)

[Snestorm]

Hi Paul!
Recommendation:
Give it one day in BF47.
Sometimes the Northwest corner of Spain can yield loners.
The area around BF13/BF15 is generaly very productive.
(If my IX(A) could hack it there, so can your VIIB.)

[Doolar]

Paul If it helps, Ive had luck in BF12,15,16 and BF17. In 1939 and early to mid the 1940. I actually have a record of all my kills in all my careers by the year and grid . Yes, I have too much free time LOL ... Jerry

[Doolar]

i'm going to try BF47

[Exakt]

The area around BF17 is always a good spot, but the entry to the Gibraltar straight, can be very nice too...

[Snestorm]

Only if Jimbuna didn't clean it out yet.

[Paul Riley]

Looking forward to whatever develops over the next few days.
Just a quick summary of our recent events of the patrol so far.Last night we broke out of the channel (our second passage through the channel,but may bypass it on the way home) and are on the final leg towards our patrol grid.Regarding the channel it was crawling with what looked like torpedo boats,lone destroyers and bloody Romanian merchants,and we had to make many high speed surface evasive runs against the patrol boats,and were not spotted once throughout the entire channel transit,save for a lone plane that flew overhead and never attacked us.
I also came THAT close from opening fire on a Romanian ship believing it was French! god that yellow in their flag can be so deceptive at night :o
Thanks for the intel to all that contributed :yep:

[eagleboy]

Just happened to be assigned to BF47 in Decmber 1939. First 24 hours there was nothing. Second 24 hours yielded a British Medium Cargo in BF476 heading due North.

[Canovaro]

On 03 June 1940 Kptlt. Kramer (U-49) encountered a British Heavy Merchant heading NNE 017 in sector BF4778

That's all I can say :salute:

Source: Operation Spinnennetz.

[Paul Riley]

Just happened to be assigned to BF47 in Decmber 1939. First 24 hours there was nothing. Second 24 hours yielded a British Medium Cargo in BF476 heading due North.

Last night I nailed a medium cargo for just over 5000 GRT in BF42 heading 70 degrees at 7kts,heading for what looks like directly towards the mouth of the channel (if I extend his course line it matches perfectly with the channel,or not far off).Looks like I may already be on a major shipping lane already! I then logged its co ordinates into my co ordinates book for future use.
Also seems like I may have experienced a fault with the torpedoes too,I decided to try 2 magnetics (spread 2 deg) against the cargo set for 10m,1 hit square under the funnel the other aimed at the foremast passed right under it (the infamous depth keeping problem).Finished the bugger with 30 rds or so from the deck gun.I really need to get some gunners trained up for next patrol!,30 rds is a bit expensive.
Let the happy times commence! :woot:

[Paul Riley]

On 03 June 1940 Kptlt. Kramer (U-49) encountered a British Heavy Merchant heading NNE 017 in sector BF4778

That's all I can say :salute:

Source: Operation Spinnennetz.

Good job :salute: