Mehrfachschuss

[derstosstrupp]

Posting here as well as it may interest SH3 players:

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2817311&postcount=326

[FUBAR295]

Thank you. :salute:

Have to keep this in mind next time I have a opportunity to use multiple torpedoes on a target. :yep:

If you have a visual tutorial, it might be easy for others to see how to do it.

[Bubblehead1980]

Posting here as well as it may interest SH3 players:

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2817311&postcount=326


Interesting. Thanks for sharing:Kaleun_Salute:

[derstosstrupp]

Thank you. :salute:

Have to keep this in mind next time I have a opportunity to use multiple torpedoes on a target. :yep:

If you have a visual tutorial, it might be easy for others to see how to do it.

Agreed, seeing it would help. Once I have more time I’ll do a video on it.

The TLDR:
For 2 torpedoes -
1. Take target speed * 2
2. Aim that many meters forward of target center, and fire.
3. Without moving optics, wait 8 seconds.
4. Fire second eel.

For a Mehrfachschuss of 3 you’d do the same, only you’d aim (target speed * 4) meters ahead of center for the first shot. Again, wait 8 seconds and fire second eel, wait 8 seconds, fire third eel.

[Bubblehead1980]

So just how "rogue" was it of Kaleuns such as Otto Kretschmer who went inside, usually on surface at night, and attacked at what was basically point blank range, with just one torpedo in most cases? I imagine it stirred some of the more conservative command types...

[derstosstrupp]

So just how "rogue" was it of Kaleuns such as Otto Kretschmer who went inside, usually on surface at night, and attacked at what was basically point blank range, with just one torpedo in most cases? I imagine it stirred some of the more conservative command types...

That practice was indeed certainly more of the exception than the rule. But Dönitz was a good enough leader to recognize and acknowledge effective tactics. The famous story with Kretschmer (and how he got his nickname Silent Otto), was his refusal to respond to status report requests. He had a pretty good idea that the British could triangulate them, so he refused. Got back to port, Dönitz said, “Kretschmer, since when do you not want to follow orders?” Kretschmer flat out told him, “sir, I feel like I am putting my boat at risk by radioing so much.” Dönitz accepted that.

Just to demonstrate how Dönitz allowed a certain amount of leeway to those commanders like Kretschmer who produced. Goes back to the old German “Stosstrupp” tradition of giving the “man on the ground” the power to take initiative and innovate.

Was somewhat different than the American doctrine, which prescribed by way of a chart a number of torpedoes that should be fired by type of target, merchants being something to the tune of three torpedoes. And that was considered gospel.