Grid AL 46?

[K-61]

In my current LSH2015 career, March 1942, I have been given grid AL 46 as my patrol zone. Problem is, I don't see a grid AL 46 on my map.:doh:

I used SH3 Commander, the LSH version, to assign myself a patrol zone, using the option to allow assignment of patrol zones historical to my flotilla. The fact that I cannot find the grid will not really be of consequence, as I have disabled the awarding of renown for reaching the assigned grid and for patrolling it for 24 hours. Instead, I sailed off to an area where I think I will find traffic.

And I have, a convoy which I tailed all through the night, under orders from BdU to shadow and report. Just as the moon set and the sky was lightening with the imminence of dawn, I noticed that a couple of the ships were now on fire, from wolf pack attacks, I assume. What, they are attacking without me? As I was in ideal position, just in front and to the left, off about 10 kms, I was in a good position to attack. The convoy altered course by about 20 degrees to starboard, which meant I had to put on speed and maneuver for a good attack position. Just before dawn I got off the port beam of the leading column and torpedoed a large freighter and a T2[e] tanker, for just under 16K tons.

I then submerged and passed out astern of the convoy, dove deep and quiet until I was far enough away. I then came off of silent running and reloaded, surfacing far enough away to not be seen by the escorts but close enough to see the smoke from the damaged freighters. My intention is to spend the daylight hours catching up to and eventually overhauling the convoy again, while reporting to BdU. Perhaps they will assemble a pack again.

[John Pancoast]

In my current LSH2015 career, March 1942, I have been given grid AL 46 as my patrol zone. Problem is, I don't see a grid AL 46 on my map.:doh:

I used SH3 Commander, the LSH version, to assign myself a patrol zone, using the option to allow assignment of patrol zones historical to my flotilla. The fact that I cannot find the grid will not really be of consequence, as I have disabled the awarding of renown for reaching the assigned grid and for patrolling it for 24 hours. Instead, I sailed off to an area where I think I will find traffic.

And I have, a convoy which I tailed all through the night, under orders from BdU to shadow and report. Just as the moon set and the sky was lightening with the imminence of dawn, I noticed that a couple of the ships were now on fire, from wolf pack attacks, I assume. What, they are attacking without me? As I was in ideal position, just in front and to the left, off about 10 kms, I was in a good position to attack. The convoy altered course by about 20 degrees to starboard, which meant I had to put on speed and maneuver for a good attack position. Just before dawn I got off the port beam of the leading column and torpedoed a large freighter and a T2[e] tanker, for just under 16K tons.

I then submerged and passed out astern of the convoy, dove deep and quiet until I was far enough away. I then came off of silent running and reloaded, surfacing far enough away to not be seen by the escorts but close enough to see the smoke from the damaged freighters. My intention is to spend the daylight hours catching up to and eventually overhauling the convoy again, while reporting to BdU. Perhaps they will assemble a pack again.

Don't know if LSH has a pack assigned to some convoys like NYGM. If not, you would have received notification from BdU that the pack has assembled/boats in position, etc.

I assume you're using the Hsie patch wolf pack option ?

[K-61]

Hello John,

Yes, I have the hsie patch installed. In a previous patrol I had also tracked a convoy and gave BdU regular updates. I've also twice seen air attacks on the convoys I reported and once I am sure the pack had attacked, since by the time I got my attack in, several ships of the convoy were damaged and some were missing. It is a neat feature of the hsie patch, as you no longer feel you are quite so alone as regular SH3. So far, I have once received the order that all was ready and to attack. In my current patrol I had tracked the convoy all night and just before dawn was still getting orders to attack. As the convoy seemed to only have a front and rear escort the beams were open. I moved in and attacked, in spite of orders, sinking a large freighter and tanker as described, above. I am getting ready now to load the saved game where I am astern of the convoy, far enough away not to create [I hope!] any saved game reload crashes due to saving too close to enemy ships. I did have that experience once a few years ago where I reloaded a saved game where I was very close to the enemy. I am still close enough to regain contact and report it again. A few times I have also been told to go it alone as there were no U-boats nearby to make a pack.

I do have a question for those with experience of A.I. wolfpacks; do you at any point see the attacking boats themselves, or their effects as they attack a convoy?

I have a few times seen enemy submarines sailing on the surface. Once off the coast of Scotland I saw a submarine flying an American flag, so I left it alone. I thought it rather strange to see an American flagged sub so far east in 1940. I also saw a Soviet sub near the Swedish coast when I was on my "Erprobungs" patrol in a new career. I fired two electric torpedoes at it but missed.

[John Pancoast]

Hello John,

Yes, I have the hsie patch installed. In a previous patrol I had also tracked a convoy and gave BdU regular updates. I've also twice seen air attacks on the convoys I reported and once I am sure the pack had attacked, since by the time I got my attack in, several ships of the convoy were damaged and some were missing. It is a neat feature of the hsie patch, as you no longer feel you are quite so alone as regular SH3. So far, I have once received the order that all was ready and to attack. In my current patrol I had tracked the convoy all night and just before dawn was still getting orders to attack. As the convoy seemed to only have a front and rear escort the beams were open. I moved in and attacked, in spite of orders, sinking a large freighter and tanker as described, above. I am getting ready now to load the saved game where I am astern of the convoy, far enough away not to create [I hope!] any saved game reload crashes due to saving too close to enemy ships. I did have that experience once a few years ago where I reloaded a saved game where I was very close to the enemy. I am still close enough to regain contact and report it again. A few times I have also been told to go it alone as there were no U-boats nearby to make a pack.

I do have a question for those with experience of A.I. wolfpacks; do you at any point see the attacking boats themselves, or their effects as they attack a convoy?

I have a few times seen enemy submarines sailing on the surface. Once off the coast of Scotland I saw a submarine flying an American flag, so I left it alone. I thought it rather strange to see an American flagged sub so far east in 1940. I also saw a Soviet sub near the Swedish coast when I was on my "Erprobungs" patrol in a new career. I fired two electric torpedoes at it but missed.

In answer to your AI wolfpack sub questions:

1. I've seen their scopes at times. Have not seen them on the surface, I don't believe they ever are if I remember correctly. In AOD one would see them both surfaced and then dive to submerge.

2. I've seen ships they've targeted hit at the moment of their being struck. I.e., their "torpedo" strike.
Also have seen escorts engaging them and ships sinking after they've been hit by pack subs. Few times, after I was out of torpedoes I've withdrawn to a safe distance and watched the show.

As far as I know, you will not get a pack in sh3 unless:

1. They're already attached to the convoy in the campaign files in which case of course, Hsie's patch has nothing to do with that pack attacking.
Once one gets close enough to such a convoy, the ai subs are automatically activated. NYGM has these. I think but not sure GWX does too. Don't know of the other megamods.

2. You call in contact reports via Hsie's patch and eventually get authorization to attack, pack is assembled, etc.
If you don't get such an authorization message (they're all listed in the patch if one wants to see what they say), there is no pack.
Obviously, if one gets a "attack alone" message there will be no pack either.......which can be aggravating after spending many game hours calling in contacts only to have the pack unavailable come dusk.