An easy kill?

[Valgua]

Hi! I've just started my SH3 career and most of the merchants have no escort yet. I'm the commander of a type IIa U-Boot and my only weapon are my torpedoes. Now, which is the best approach when I find an isolated target? I have to use the eels, but how? It seems stupid to try from the long range, but at the same time the torpedoes don't work from less than 300 meters. Usually I attack in surface but the manouvering of the target often makes me fail (manual targeting). Probably all this sounds stupid to veterans. But I really would appreciate a suggestion.

Thanx.

[jasondef]

Surface firing I've found to be difficult, because anything under 3000 meters you run a great risk of being detected (and that's probably a conservative estimate) Especially with manual targetting, it helps to be a lot closer than that, like 500-1500m, so I am always submerged firing when in that distance. So try staying submerged and getting closer. Surface firing, if you're detected, its very difficult to hit a target as they start to zigzag their course.

Its unfortunate, because a lot of what I've heard and read say that U-Boats in WWII did more surface firing, and I would like to do the same to keep it more realistic. But for me, its too difficult with being detected.

[JiMi]

100% right

...try to be Silent Hunter ;).....

[scandium]

You can safely fire at range and/or surfaced, if the conditions are ripe. The key is interception:

Plot the target's course on the map and outflank to intercept ahead of time at 90 degrees. To do this a 2 leg intercept is ideal: the first leg closes the distance, outflanks, and maneouvers to within about 6 km of the contact (it may take multiple nav points or just 1) and the last leg turns the boat perpendicular to his course so that the contact will cross your bow about 6 km out at a right angle to your boat exposing the most surface area of his ship to your sights. Then you start to close the distance as the target closes, speed and surfaced/submerged being based on target's speed, visibility, manoueverability, etc.

Day or night, weather, wave height (wind), aspect (how close to perpendicular you are to the contact as you're less visible if he can see only the nose of your boat than its entire lenghth) and speed (the faster you go the more of a wake you throw up, even at periscope depth) are all factors.

In medium fog you can attack surfaced if you're stationary (or moving at only 1 or 2 knots) provided you keep the range over 1800 meters and a minimal aspect to your target (bearing less than 35 degrees). This is torpedo range for torps set to run slow.

You can also attack at night safely but you either need to approach slowly (and can safely do so to about 1200-1500 meters) provided you keep the above in mind; or alternatively, especially against ships that turn slowly (C3s, tankers) you can close on a perpendicular coarse at "ahead full" & then ahead flank when he spots you - but by then its too late for him react (set torps to "fast and fire at 600-800 meters).

There are a lot of shades of grey here like twilight, heavy seas, heavy rain, sun behind you, moon behind you, etc which all can also aid in stealth but that's the general framework I use.

Lastly I'm just beginning to use manual targetting but I find this approach ideal for Wazoo's "Fast 90 Basic" manual firing, which I'm using now, where you setup the perpendicular coarse on the nav map, plug speed, 90 deg AOB, 0 deg bearing and torp settings into the tdc while beginning your attack run and only add ship ID and range through the notepad (as the final step, just before firing). The nice thing about this is that its very friendly to the high speed surfaced attack where you don't have much time to shag with the notepad.

[scandium]

I should add that the nicest thing about surface attacks are the adrenaline rush you get attacking a big target at flank speed, firing at 600 meters & then turning hard port/starboard to avoid a collision :) Its even better against convoys where you get some fireworks from the escorts to accompany the explosions of your torps detonating. A real mad hatter's symphony of destruction.

[AntEater]

Well, if the merchie is unarmed, close to 500 meters or so and aim the torpedo at the bow or slightly before it.
With some practice, you don't need to bother with TDC at all...
Of course this is somewhat suicidal with armed merchants.

[scandium]

Well, if the merchie is unarmed, close to 500 meters or so and aim the torpedo at the bow or slightly before it.
With some practice, you don't need to bother with TDC at all...
Of course this is somewhat suicidal with armed merchants.

Not necessarily, at least not if you're attacking at night and go to flank speed when they notice you because: the poor visibility will ruin their aim; add in your high rate of speed and small aspect (on a perpendicular approach and their chances are further reduced; and, lastly, even if they get lucky and hit you once (really, really lucky) your sub will easily whether a single shot with only some minor damage.

After firing torps against an armed merchant at close range best to go hard port/starboard and crashdive (only after you've started turning). But its very doable, if you do it right.

[Valgua]

Its unfortunate, because a lot of what I've heard and read say that U-Boats in WWII did more surface firing, and I would like to do the same to keep it more realistic. But for me, its too difficult with being detected.

Well, I'm sure that the surface attacks were accomplished with deck guns or at night (at least that is reported in a VHS about U-boots that
I've seen hundreds of times in the last ten years :smug:).

I think the behaviour of merchants in SH3 is pretty realistic. My problem is that the type IIa doesn't have deck guns and I have serious difficulties with night aiming.

Valgua

[scandium]

Historically they were conducted in wolf packs, attacking on the surface, between dusk & dawn: the sub making initial contact would send a contact report to BdU which would vector other subs operating in the area to intercept while the "contact sub" stayed beyond visual range of the convoy and would send updates if the convoy changed course, which BdU would then pass on as well.

As sunset approached (or during the day if weather - fog, wave height, etc - permitted it) the first arriving subs would fall on the convoy and others would join in as they arrived. They'd eventually be driven off by the escorts but by after sunrise would again locate the convoy and begin shadowing it to fall upon it again at dusk. This they would do until they exhausted their weapons or the convoy came within range of air support or other reinforcements. Sometimes weather worked against them as well, and there's even one incidence of one u-boat being accidentally rammed (and sunk) by another u-boat due to poor visibility combined with the chaos of the battle.

Against lone, unescorted merchants (or even warships), reinforcements weren't needed but the same tactics were applied.