Convoys - to get inside, or not to?

[von Buelow]

I read some posts where it elludes to attacking a convoy from within the convoy - thoughts and advice please!

Q: Is there enough room for the eels to arm (if there is a min distance) if you are inside?

[Syxx_Killer]

I always try to get ahead of the convoy and let it come to me. I hover a periscope while silent running. When the juicy targets sail by I let loose my little friends. :arrgh!: Of course, I may have to adjust my boat a little, but when all is said and done, I barely moved. It's like a buffet that comes to you. When all my fish are expended I sneak away and reload. I usually only make one pass on a convoy. I don't like to stalk.

[Gammel]

Here´s another suggestion for bad weather:
i was pretty succesful attaking a convoy on surface.
Sneak in from behind, drive same course as the convoy and shoot

your torpedos to the left and to the right. Shoot them when your´re just about to overtake the target ship.
Use manual aim, set Your TDC to 500 meter range and correct speed of the convoy. Make quick AOB calculations.
Set torpedo deep to 2 meters, magnetic detonator

If you do right you can bring doom to them.

Good conditions for such an attack:
http://img317.imageshack.us/img317/7969/sturm3tu.jpg

edit: plan the attack carefully. Stay behind the convoy and do hydrophone checks often. When you got his course and you thing it´s direct in front of you start the surface attack. the worser the weather, the better for you.

[von Buelow]

Syxx, so you actually go THRU/BETWEEN them?

Gammel, you don't go in, just hit from the outside... correct?

[iambecomelife]

I like getting in among the main body of ships, especially since I use the improved convoys mod. This increases the spacing between vessels to a more historical distance, so you don't have to worry about premature detonations because you're halfway between a column (250m).

[Gammel]

I go in, direct from behind and on same course as the convoy.
if you spot a ship, just lock it with the UZO, stay on parrallel cours and in the moment your´re about to overtake release the eal. stay on course, increase speed the next ship will pop up soon (to your left or right) try to be yust in the middle of two convoy lanes.
Hardest part is to pass the escort ring, but in early war it´s peace of cake. Convoys end is the worst defended part.

edit: look at this artwork :-j
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/6062/map9on.jpg

[urseus]

Im scared to be on the surface that close to convoy even in a storm. They have really good aim.

Plus magnetics normally misfire. I try to get 90 deg and fire impact only.

[Gammel]

Have to say i use the improved convoys mod too.
Maybe the spacing is to small for that tactic with the stock game.
And im in 1940. Merchants are not armed yet. :)

[FAdmiral]

I use the "wait submerged till they come to me" approach.
I pick my 4 main targets and send 1 fish to each one, the
farthest away getting the 1st fish etc so most targeted ships
don't have time to turn & evade. I usually get 2 or 3 kills with
the remaining ships going dead in the water. I then hide under
them at about 135 meters (VIIB) till the escorts get tired of
DCing the water around me and leave to join the rest of the
convoy. I then surface and deck gun the ones left and then
get the H*ll out of dodge. Once when the convoy had only
1 escort, I end-runed when it came back to look for me and got 2 more ships before he rejoined the convoy. I have yet to be
damaged by DCs, only minor stuff by aircraft when I use
time compression too close to an enemy port....


JIM

[von Buelow]

ok, so you're going thru as well

[the_rydster]

I like to get an accurate convoy vector and then overtake and then stop and submerge untill the escorts are past. Then I go for the biggest ships or which ever ones make tactical sense given my positioning.

I think you need a really accurate vector to do this properly, the problem is that once out in front of a convoy you cannot afford to start tearing around to try and correct your posiiton. I will only do 2 knots at most because the DD's are about listening for you. If my position is bad I will use my time to aquire more data and try again.

Never tried it 'from behind' :P he he but if it works iy works. The reason this does not appeal to me is that being on the surface around armed convoys is a poor tactic, not only may you be spotted and blew the element of suprise but those merchants in later times will start firing back.

[Wolfram]

I have to vote with the insider crew on this one.

Dangerous in bad weather if submerged (my prefered method of attack). Typically I get to spot them in bad weather about 300m which is a bit tight on the arming but makes for exciting play.

Given a choice I like being amongst the ships they make alot of noise.

:arrgh!:

[von Buelow]

thanks all... now I just gotta find me another convoy :doh:

[Duke of Earl]

I too get ahead, submerge and let them drive over me at PD.. risky, but I plot column lines for each column of ships in the convoy so's I don't get runover while eyeballing through periscope...

Then I shoot the 4 closest high values, 1 eel each, 2 or 3 meters impact, furtherest target gets it first, try to time all shots to explode simultaneously...

If the DD's stay on the outside making search circles, then I stay inside at PD, reload and shoot as many zig-zaggers as possible at close range... very hairy...

If the DD's come inside, then I go deep and head for the other side of the convoy to evade underneath... then, I clear datum, surface and stalk the convoy for another attack...

Also, bad weather and night time help out a lot with this method...

Cordialement, Duke of Earl

[iambecomelife]

I have to vote with the insider crew on this one.

Dangerous in bad weather if submerged (my prefered method of attack). Typically I get to spot them in bad weather about 300m which is a bit tight on the arming but makes for exciting play.

Given a choice I like being amongst the ships they make alot of noise.

:arrgh!:

That's another thing. You're comparatively safe because (1) the ships' props create a lot of interference with listening gear on the escorts and (2) the escorts have to swerve often to avoid collisions. It might even be impossible for them to execute a DC run. This was modelled in "Aces of the Deep", and I'm glad the devs paid attention to detail here.

[Duke of Earl]

With the Improved Convoys mod, the DD's have plenty of room between convoy columns to make wabo runs.. in the vanilla convoys, probably not...

Cordialement, Duke of Earl

[Detritus]

Oh, they do. And if they don't, they make some by DC'ing anyway- that'll make the merchants scoot :P

Early in the war I sometimes also went inside and fire those point blank shots but nowadays there're often escorts also inside the convoy. If they spot you , you're as good as dead. So, until now (spring '43) I've switched to attack about 1-1.8 km from a beam, hitting the big ones first, then diving inside amidst the confusinon for safety. But nowdays, the escorts are getting quite good, so I'll probably have to start hitting from further away to buy some more time to go deep. Then again, that leaves the escorts a better chance to hear you. Tough, isn't it ;)
I rather not attack anything at storms, though it's admittedly a viable solution, 'cause I like to see the target well/early enough and always use mags for maximum effect.

[Lumpy]

The surface night attack in reality was a much used tactic, its fun to do in the game early in the war, if you play your cards right; enter in a gap preferably from back of convoy or at the least keep low visibility aspect, keep speed to a minimum and keep your eyes open.

Then attack, attack, attack... run, run, run, if caught, dive, dive, dive. :up:

Obviously reality has more variables than our ingame ai escorts which simplify the whole: dark, kinda murky weather, yer a small low visibility craft entering a dangerous but relatively large area for lookouts to spot(pre radar) convoy.

The game does not allow for smaller squall type weather much(read; at all) which from what i've read and been told by Kretschmer's ghost :o was one of those things that made that attack much more advantageous and survivable.

Being able to keep up your surface speed and dissapear into the mist/dark/north atlantic swell was preferable to being caught going into the "cellar".

If nothing else it makes for some dramatic convoy hunting.

[FAdmiral]

In my last convoy attack, I did go inside the convoy cause I
was after a nice big T3 Tanker in the middle. The escorts tried
to follow me but had to keep stopping & backpeddeling to
avoid the other merchants avoiding me. I was at PD. Thus, it
gave me enough time to nail that juicy tanker. Then when
the convoy cleared my position, I went deep and hid under
another C2 that was dead in the water. Had 2 C2's dead in
the water in this 2nd large convoy in 36 hours. Nailed 7 big
merchants & tankers between thses 2 convoys without getting
a scratch....


JIM