Jake,

I assume you are running 100% realism settings? I found that even the slightest glimpse of the outside world using F12 massively increased my situational awareness and made my life too easy. Also map contacts and importantly the contact lines from the hydrophone give you a huge, unrealistic, advantage.

After that I would highly recommend H.sie's mod.

For me the 2 biggest remaining advantages are the ability to maintain depth at 0 kts, and limited aircraft attacks with TC. the first makes attacks way too easy and the second means that by far the single biggest threat to U-boats is negated unless you want to endure hours / days of real life crossing the Atlantic.

LJ