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benitorios
03-19-12, 12:38 AM
Date is December 30, 1940.
My IXB is on its homebound journey after a rather successful patrol - 3 ships sunk from 2 separate convoy attacks (actually 3 attacks, but the first one was quickly aborted due to being detected), 3 lone merchants sunk by torpedoes and another 3 loners by deck gun - total 26,000 tons or so. I have no bow torpedoes left, only 3 stern torpedoes (2 in the tubes, 1 in reserve).

That's when i get not one, but two contact reports of convoys - one just "convoy", one large convoy - each of them within 200km of my current position. That's when I had to make a call: go for one of the convoys, knowing I can fire at most 2 eels (I don't reload during or right after an attack), quite possibly hit nothing and risk being caught in the process, or go home.

I'm quite ashamed to say I chose the latter, thinking I had had enough on this patrol, that greed kills, that I had been lucky to escape a couple of times already, etc. all the good excuses :O: I'm quick to add that I'm still far from mastering convoy attacks. I play with full realism except stabilized view and I tend to freak out a bit when so many things happen at the same time and mess up my targeting as a consequence. So that weighed a lot in my decision to call it a day.

Did I make the right call?

Sailor Steve
03-19-12, 12:53 AM
Yes, you made the right decision. No one can question your courage after successfully attacking two convoys. No on can question your judgement when you have 26,000 tons under your belt this patrol. Your crew is tired, but happy with success. You have three torpedoes and you may end up cursing yourself for wasting them on a convoy for nothing when you come across another lone merchant.

I'll bet that more than one real-life kaleun fretted and agonized over that same question. And you may decide that you made the wrong decision, but it's too late to beat yourself up now, so enjoy your success and your hero's homecoming, and get yourself ready for the next stab at the enemy.

As for not reloading right after an attack? That is realistic. They never reloaded when eluding the enemy for the simple reason that a steep dive angle while avoiding a counterattack might cause a ton of steel and high explosives to break loose from the railing, with less-than-desirable consequences. Real life submarines always waited until they could be sure of a chance to reload without being disturbed.

BossMark
03-19-12, 01:52 AM
Yes you made the right choice Karl Donitz would be very proud of you :salute:

benitorios
03-19-12, 02:38 AM
Thank you both for your encouragements, it does make me feel better :DL

I find the convoy attacks particularly thrilling, and I'll look for more opportunities (and a better complement of eels at my disposal) in the next patrol. The last of the three attacks I did in my last patrol was on the surface at night - a first for me - and although I only had one hit out of 4 eels (2 premature magnetic :nope:) it felt like a huge success since I could slip out unnoticed. I couldn't believe the clock when I noticed I had spent over 3 hours RL locked to my PC for just that attack alone. So immersive :yep:

Osmium Steele
03-19-12, 07:57 AM
As for not reloading right after an attack? That is realistic.

With one notable exception. It has been reported that Gunther Prien in U-47 expended his entire store of eels during a night surface attack and actually reloaded his two external eels while surfaced in the middle of a convoy!

But that was Gunther Prien, and it was VERY early in the war.

Osmium Steele
03-19-12, 07:59 AM
I couldn't believe the clock when I noticed I had spent over 3 hours RL locked to my PC for just that attack alone. So immersive :yep:

+1 :up:

Laufen zum Ziel
03-21-12, 01:06 PM
You made a good choice for you live to fight another day.

andwii
03-21-12, 02:55 PM
gah prein was a nut wasnt he lol.

Jimbuna
03-21-12, 04:14 PM
BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

benitorios
03-21-12, 11:46 PM
BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

LOL I knew this would come :03:

I guess I was a little too eager to bring those 26k tons back home, but next time - and conditions allowing- I'll go for those convoys. I love the thrill of those attacks, and it's so gratifying when successful.