For me it's simple....the U Boat cat and mouse war in the Atlantic offers much more drama and entertainment as a player than Fleet Boats in the Pacific. :)

Exactly.

No fascination for me.
Some U-Boote bases got to be part of my native soil, and since I've always been interested in the History of my country... :)

And secondarily :

Though important, US subs played a limited role in the Pacific Theater. Without the submarines participating, the results of this campaign would have still ended the same.

In the Atlantic, U-boats were the main protagonists on the German side and for a little while (1941-1942), threatened to nullify British naval supremacy.

In SH-3, the frustration of a U-boat commander is duplicated as after expending one's torpedoes one watches the convoy continue toward their destination.

Never mind the hammering from destroyers.

The U-boat crews fought a heroic contest and got close to changing history.

I don't know about that, the U.S. Submarine Force only made up 2% of the total combatants in the Pacific and sunk over 60% of Japans shipping which shortened the war by years. I would think it would be more true for the Atlanic war the Germans could not sink as many ships as were being produced and was fighting a loosing battle.

Losing side/battle

Not loosing side/battle

Loosing means to detach.

Losing means failing to win.

for me it was the bravery these men had in them to go to combat in there
iron coffins.

i have been on 2 museum pieces here in my area where i live.

american ww2 boat uss ling ,and later dated cold war boat uss growler

am 6 foot 5, i was having a hard time venturing through the boats.

i said no way i could do this, fight and live on it.:down:

also the upmost fear of being depth charged imagine the noise fear sweat
cold sea water pouring in.

no escape if the boat did not surface.:wah:

...........

Well, for me personaly it is a matter of family history.
My grandfather served during the war on a u-boat. However, even though I knew all these years that he served on one, my interest was really awakened after he died. At his funeral service I heard for the first time that his boat almost got sunk by a Liberator bomber, and that ulitmately triggered my interest.

For me: I find always found it fascinating that in 4 short years the hunter became the hunted and lost by such a high amount it was practically suicide to leave port. But yet they went.

Also the German navy was the least nazified fighting force of the German army, and many skippers fought with honour. But in the end this sums it up:

Winston Churchill (1943): "The only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril".

And we see the first real submarines come to live: Type XXI and XXIII.

Plus it's a game and I love a challenge :)

P.s. Read "Iron Coffins" by Herbert A. Werner

Nothing much I can add really, but on a commercial note 'more popular with the majority of subsimmers' = more profits through larger sales figures.

I can and do play both ATO and PTO but have a slight preference for ATO.

Platapus just about summed it up for me with his post...

:Deasy tonnge to start with, but damn near impossible after 43.
this makes it exciting, just trying to survive.

Exactly why I prefer U-Boats in a game/sim.. the longer you survive the harder it gets. Perfect for an entertainment medium. With the Fleet Boats things got easier.. in a real war, this is what you want. In entertainment it is not what I want.

Same as flying Luftwaffe planes, 109, 110, 19. Ju88 or other...

Hey dont get me wrond i like fleet boats in think they lool awsome.
But hey put a VIIC and a Gato class next to eachother and i need to say no more!