Using the 105 mm...

[XXi]

Hello !
Some time ago, I started a carrer with a D2 U Boot.
Now, that`s quite a change after all convoy battles in the north Atlantic and near England...

.... and to bring all the small, lone merchants down, I`ve found a good tactics.
It`s after 1942 so all these small vessels are armed. Sure, a single cannon cannot do much damage, considering how poorly training the guys are. Still, if your patrol lasts 6 months, every damage to the hull can be VERY troublesome when at last some DDs is chasing you.


So, I`ve found a way to bring these small vessels down with my deck gun, as I don`t consider them beeing worthy a torpedo ( with NYGM, you don`t know for sure if a single hit`s enough, mind you).


If I find a vessel, I dive. SImple enough.
Then, when I know the position et c. - I move the boat so that my bow is pointed precisely at the vessels AFT, and my U Boot is in the very FRONT of the vessel, let`s say 10-20 degrees on on of the boards.
I wait until the vessel is within 200-300 meters.
Blow ballast tanks, so that your huge D 2 gets surfaced within seconds.
THEN, You man your gun and...
If you`re good enough, you have just time to man the gun, aim for the vessel`s gun and destroy it with a single shot before it even turns to shoot at you!
Once the gun is destroyed, the vessel is all yours :)

Used such tactics for 6 times by now, always effective. Therefore, I decided I could share this idea.

[squigian]

Useful tip. I always like an excuse to use my deck gun.

[Type941]

I did this quite often myself. ;) It's good when the ship has one gun, but even it it has a couple, shooting the guns out is always effective way provided you have some free time to maneouvre and not expecting airplanes..

[tycho102]

Yup, when merchants start running armed, it's best to stay submerged and identify where the emplacements are.

[andy_311]

add to that Merchants armed and shooting at you then you here "Aircraft spotted" what do you do a shoot out with the merchant and the A/C or dive? choice is yours.

[Enigma]

i use this tactic too. I used to let my gunners handle the deck gun until I realized i was much better at it than them :up:

After afew trials, popping off that enemy gun becomes easy....

[XXi]

In case of the aircraft, after shooting the gun out I send people to the Flak as well, just in case. But I keep finishing enemy vessels with deck gun in rather distant areas, where quick enemy ASW reaction is very unlikely.


At the very beginning I tried to surface in the usual manner but it soon proved to be risky. Blowing ballast tanks is the best way, especially with large subs. Plus, you don`t change position of Your sub so aiming is easier.


For multiple guns, well.... I do never ever attack a Liberty or Victory ship due to their armament and I keep watching the enemy vessels to check the armament before.

[tbarak]

This reminds me of a similar situation I encountered. Was all out of eels and found a C2 and a small merchant saling alone in a line. It's late in the war so both had - luckily - just bow guns with the little guy in front. Submerged the boat directly in their path and let them steam overhead while matching their course and speed (the later as best I could). Timed it so the boat came up about 200 metres behind the C2 and opened up with all I had. I managed to keep the C2 between me and little merchant so his fire was well away. Sunk the C2 and submerged again successfully while the C2 never got a shot off.

Despite all the hardships us Kaleuns and our crews face, there are some of those glory moments!