Merchant Raiders
 

Longtime lurker, first time.....

Anyway I've decided I need to contribute to this forum.

Several weeks ago while playing RuB, my watch officer sighted a merchant. It is spring 1940 and I'm in the North Sea about half-way between England and Norway. Being an old salt with driving a sub(earned a name in the Pacific Theatre a few years back), I know position is everything. I set myself up for a 90 AOB attack, impact at 3 meters. About a second after I flooded the tube and sent the eel on its way I take a second look at the flag. I just targeted one of ours :o .
Luckily I had a weapons officer in the Pacific and I don't here. I miss badly. Intrigued I surface to check out my first German vessel in the game besides the harbor escorts. It is a merchant raider headed up over Scapa Flow. I stayed with it about a day until I was getting low on fuel. I really wish I would've been on my way out, I would have followed it as far as I could.

Anyone else see or follow a merchant raider?
If yes, did you ever fight together?

I've seen german merchants before, and I too have made the mistake of firing on them. So now, I don't fire on anything unless I'm dam sure its an enemy.

My question is, how would I know if a german merchant was actually a merchant raider?
Will it still say 'merchant' even if its actually a merchant raider?

Good idea though, I'll follow one also if find.

Once at wilhemshaven I starter a patrol and a merchant Raider was leaving port as well, I followed him as far as I could, but nothing happened… I detached from him and went on my own… never saw him again…

Welcome aboard Krumenacker! :up:

If you get close enough, the raiders have several 15cm (5.9") deck guns, plus usually an Arado float plane.

I've run into several German merchants in odd places. I usually write them up as Norwegian, because I just don't see how a lone German could survive between Scotland and Norway.

I was "fairly certain" it was Norwegian initially. The flags do have some similariaty. When I surfaced I was within 100m and checked it out in my recognition manual-kriegsmarine-merchant raider. It was cruising so fast I had to stay at Grosse Fahrt to keep up.

Check, Check, and Check. I believe I saw the float plane before I identified the flag(as Norge). Therefore I took a long shot, I was afraid I'd met a uboot hunter.

You are so lucky you missed! :D