Optimal AOB for angled shots & moments where the ideal shot is not practical

[Paul Riley]

Its pretty obvious that most of us prefer to attack ships on our own terms,pickng our time and place,and that usually means attacking perpendicular allowing for a straight torpedo run or attacking parallel to the target,firing at either 270 or 90 respectively.However,there are also those times when this is not practical,usually againsy really fast ships and you have to fire virtually on the move in whatever position you find yourself in.So,for these 'angled' shots what would you say the optimal AOB would be?,for impact tips of course.I think no greater than 30-40 degrees would be the absolute limt for a good torpedo contact.
I should say that angled shots are not usually what I carry out,but there may be opportunities later on where this may be the only option available.

NOTE - Angled shots obviously have their strengths when attacking broad convoys,as your overall view of the convoy may be limited from the flanks so getting ahead of it and at an angle you may be able to observe across the lanes and deep into the pack.

Cheers.

[Walruss]

I might be bucking the trend here but I've actually found convoys in particular dead easy to sneak into from behind... I'd take some very shallow-angle magnetic shots fore, then pull right and drop my tail end torp at an impact-90 at very short range. Mind you this would be a surface run in early-mid war... and with the deck gun popping too.

Yeah. I save subtlety for when the tubes are empty. Served me well so far.

[Paul Riley]

I might be bucking the trend here but I've actually found convoys in particular dead easy to sneak into from behind... I'd take some very shallow-angle magnetic shots fore, then pull right and drop my tail end torp at an impact-90 at very short range. Mind you this would be a surface run in early-mid war... and with the deck gun popping too.

Yeah. I save subtlety for when the tubes are empty. Served me well so far.

Might be risky with the gun firing due to the muzzle flash,esp at night.You really need to maintain max surprise with a night surface attack against a convoy.
Would be exciting though :arrgh!:

[Walruss]

I hold off on the gun until the first torp hits it's target, then I let loose until someone starts shooting back :) I aim for engine rooms and props with the gun where I can; if I get 2 minutes worth of shooting before a Destroyer gets close, I can generally wound at least 1, maybe 2 merchants on top of what the torpedoes do. They're stragglers for the morning lunch :)

The Kriegsmarine gives me shells to go patrolling with. I don't intend to bring any munitions back to port.

I've even been known to turn the AA gun on schooners and the like for sport :P

[postalbyke]

I almost never use the "impact" setting.
90 AOB for me is just a convenient way to make attacks super-easy...
If I miscalculate or something, then I will know at CPA, fix what I missed (usually speed), and fire an angled shot.
I'm less traditional in that I don't attack from the surface (type II, buddy!)
so the one time I found myself attacking a convoy, I did so from the center of it, firing forward through it at high-value contacts :D
When you can see the next freighter in line barely miss your boat thru the peri underwater, you know you're close! :D

[Obltn Strand]

45/135 AOB has detonated. Generally I'm reluctant to shoot targets with AOB greater than 60/120.

[Paul Riley]

45/135 AOB has detonated. Generally I'm reluctant to shoot targets with AOB greater than 60/120.

Thanks for the info.

[Paul Riley]

I almost never use the "impact" setting.
90 AOB for me is just a convenient way to make attacks super-easy...
If I miscalculate or something, then I will know at CPA, fix what I missed (usually speed), and fire an angled shot.
I'm less traditional in that I don't attack from the surface (type II, buddy!)
so the one time I found myself attacking a convoy, I did so from the center of it, firing forward through it at high-value contacts :D
When you can see the next freighter in line barely miss your boat thru the peri underwater, you know you're close! :D

Magnetics are so unreliable,at least early on.What you get with an impact is more reliability and less chance of it prematurely detonating,esp in rough sea.Mags are good against really heavy ships and when the target is only showing you a narrow profile,and you are shadowing behind for instance.
I nearly always use impacts :yep:

[Iron Budokan]

Frankly, I have found this works quite well for me, from The Submarine Commader's Handbook:

"When attacking ships with low and medium speeds, at close range, it (is) ballistically advantageous to fire at an angle of the target of 90, as errors estimating the position will in this case have the least effect, besides which the speed of the enemy can be most accurately gauged in this position. If the range is longer (over 1,000 m), and the target is traveling at a high rate of speed, an attempt should be made to launch the torpedo at a smaller angle, say, 60. "

I try to keep it in that range, tbh. But a commander has to choose which situation and all the different aspects of the attack fits him best, and how to maneuver his boat for maximum effect. Anyway, hope this helps. :salute:

[Paul Riley]

Frankly, I have found this works quite well for me, from The Submarine Commader's Handbook:

"When attacking ships with low and medium speeds, at close range, it (is) ballistically advantageous to fire at an angle of the target of 90, as errors estimating the position will in this case have the least effect, besides which the speed of the enemy can be most accurately gauged in this position. If the range is longer (over 1,000 m), and the target is traveling at a high rate of speed, an attempt should be made to launch the torpedo at a smaller angle, say, 60. "

I try to keep it in that range, tbh. But a commander has to choose which situation and all the different aspects of the attack fits him best, and how to maneuver his boat for maximum effect. Anyway, hope this helps. :salute:

I have the above book,some useful stuff in it :know: