Transfered to Panang
 

In May 1944 I and my Type IXC U-boat have been transfered to Panang (this is GWX3) and had successful hunting along South Africa's coast on my way.

In June 1944 I patrolled the Gulf of Aden, was forced under by aircraft about 4 to 6 times a day, narrowly avoided a large convoy with a bunch of destroyers (no torpedo shots) and for half my fuel gone only got 3 small and 1 medium transports for all that time. Headed for the coast near Bombay India, harrassed by aircraft constantly and never a sighting or sound detection.

I am now headed toward Ceylon, and ultimately with luck, home to Panang. This is shaping up to be the second worst patrol of this career (worst one was getting all the way to USA in 1942, only to get rammed in the fog by a destroyer and having to limp all the way back to Lorient without a torpedo fired). So my question is: Where in the East can I continue my career as a commerce raider? Which areas are "Heavy Traffic" zones?

Help me get away from "Airplanes, airplanes everywhere, and not a ship to sink".

DavidI

I am very much afraid that by '44 the life of a Kaleun is mainly "Duck the Plane" - with Allied escort carrier hunter-killer groups roaming the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, PBY's and Catalinas flying damn near everywhere, and damn near all ships in heavily escorted convoys (American industrial shipbuilding pumping out DD's and DE's, CVE's et all like never before or since), there are no more "safe" areas. It will get worse .....

COOL! I've never played past early 1940, so I don't do much long-range stuff.

Theoretically there should be plenty of traffic hugging the african east coast from the red sea down through the Mossambic channel en route to Cape Town and from there, northwards to Freetown and finally the UK. The Indian coast should also be plenty of ships going along the coast and to and from the red sea. Finally, the northern australian coast might have some mild traffic, going to the more crowded east coast. You should choose those spots where ships must go through, and will find lots of targets. Those spots include the Mossambic channel, the Torres Strait, the Ormuz strait (Exit/entry to red sea) and similar.

Oh, and BTW did you transfer voluntarily or has the game automatically transferred you there? I'd like to start a campaign when I have time, but departing from France and not already at Penang. :DL

Finally, a hint: While you stay in the Indian Ocean, enable the reduced GWX Indian Ocean files only campaign, which is in your mods folder. Will make loading times much faster, and allow better time compression and general running of the game. :up:

Hitman,

Since I posted, I redocked in Panang and am now setting out in August toward my patrol area of "O Afrika" ie Ost Afrika. I have noticed that there isn't a trigger spot to either change the "reach destination" nor the "patrol 24 hours" to completed in the Orders area key F8. I will use that as a basis to patrol East Africa from Madagascar (avoiding the buku aircraft near the Straits of Aden) down to South Africa.

The game (BdU) transfered me to Panang. I was in Lorient at the time and when I got my new mission it showed my "Return to Base" destination to Panang. Which was OK by me, as getting in and out of Lorient by April '44 was getting hairy. I hastily packed up my troprical's and set off.

Steve,

Playing the Game with the type IX is very different from the VII. You are much more in the role of commerce raider and much less that of convoy fighter. You can get orders to the Gulf of Mexico, Cape Town or Panang for that matter. By 1943 the Allies get possitively murderous. By '44 you are lucky to make it back at all.

DavidI

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16 August 1944

The U-129 leaves Panang for the East Coast of Africa. She is a IXC boat commissioned in 1942 but has the latest in radar, hydrophones, radar detection and Bold devices. I have loaded a full complement of Type III torpedos, with 2 Type IV homing torpedos (in tubes 4 & 5). I have just recently obtained the twin 37mm Flak gun, which has superior range and stopping power to keep the jabos away (I hope).

I have the honor to command a crew of experianced, decorated men who all have 7 missions beneath their belts.

Let's see how we fare.

DavidI

Try the entrance to the Red Sea - loads of tankers and small convoys protected by inexperienced crews.

Wreford-Brown

When I patrolled up that way in June/July '44 the airplanes were thick as fleas. When I get done with this patrol I may revisit. For now it's Southern Clime's for the nonce.

David

U-129 Arrives off the coast of Mozambique
 

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We arrived off the Southern coast of Mozambique on Sept 13, 1944 after 29 days at sea and covering 9,300 KM. No planes, but alas no ships either. The news is all terrible. Romainia has defected, Finland has surrendered, Paris has fallen as well as all of our French sub pens. U-Boats are sinking daily it seems and many have scuttled in port to prevent capture. We even got news that the U-129 was scuttled! Well I assure you we are alive and ready for the fight.

The weather has been bad these last 4 days, so we will patrol northwards up the Mozambique Channel before we head South to the Cape of Good Hope.

Morale is high despite everything.

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September 17, 1944 - Crappy Weather and First Contact

It has been raining with heavy seas since the ninth. On the 15th I got a radio message that a large convoy is nearby, but I change course to avoid it. A lone type IX Uboat in near zero visibility has no business tackling a well defended convoy.

On the 17th I pick up a radio intercept to the South East, I reversed course (I was patrolling up the Mozambique Channel) and shortly I picked up a long range radar contact.

Normally I do not like to engage in near zero visability as things can go very badly very quickly at 300m or less, but the crew's blood was up. Although it was difficult to maintain the radar contact, the heavy seas will cause the radar mast to turn off/short out, I had a true course fix on the bogy. I move my boat to a 90 degree possition at what I hoped was about 300m off his course, dropped speed to 0 and opened tube 1, torpedo depth set for 4.5m.

As the contact got closer, and my fix got better, it grew in size. I opened tube 2. A little more time goes by and the contact become huge on the radar screen. I opened tube 3, I want this thing to go down immediately so that the boat gets full credit for the sinking.

I switched to the UZO and cannot see anything. The radarman was screaming "it's right there" when suddenly I see it. It's so huge at 290 meters that it fills the lenses. Fire 1. Fire 2. Fire 3! Back Emergency! The third torpedo barely cleared it's tube when the first one struck. Then the second and third hit in rapid succession. "She's going down!" A 10,000 ton + large Merchantman begins to break apart in the heavy seas.

I got the torpedo crew working on reloading and set course to continue the patrol.

Crew morale is high.

The Weather Breaks 18-9-44 to 27-9-44
 

U-129 off the Coast of South Africa

After the sinking of the large merchantman the weather continues to be crappy - high wave, rain, zip visibility and then...

The morning of 24-9-44 dawns cloudy but not raining and we get a convoy report. Long distance and frankly I'm just not interested.

25-9-44 Radio intercept, but we fail to make contact.

27-9-44 Radio intercept and visual contact between Durban and Port Elizabeth. Turns out to be a Tramp Steamer, armed like everything so a submerged attack. One torpedo - one kill:

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We continue our patrol to the South West, hoping for bigger game.

Crew moral is high.

Nice patrol diary, keep them coming :up: I always love to read patrol reports, specially when well written :ping:

Rain, Rain, Go Away. U-129 27-9-44 to 4-10-44
 

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Starting the night of 27-9-44 it began to rain, and rain and rain. No radio intercepts, no radar blips, no nothing. Discussed.

On the morning of 4-10-44 the skys cleared up, although the seas were still rough, and there's a radio intercept! Not far away. As we got close to the anticipated ship's course a Radar fix gives me the ship's true course. Set up a good firing possition about 800m from course line and sure enough here she came. Another Tramp Steamer! Crap. Well better than nothing. I had tube 1 flooded, set the torpedo for 4.5m, fired and down she went. I should have set up a stern shot, had plenty of time. I'll remember next time.


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The sinking occured about midway between Capetown and Port Elizabeth.
So far we've fired five torpedos for 5 hits and 14,000 tons. Not bad. Not great, but not bad. Onward to the South-West.

Morale of the crew is high.

Do you need to have the Merged Campaign mod enabled to get transferred to Panang?

K.L.

I was playing GWX3 without any mods turned on when I got the orders to transfer in May of '44. "Starting Port: Lorient Destination Port: Panang" Just like that.

DavidI