IX Tips
 

Fuel:
- You have alot more fuel then a Type VII. But you really don't have as much fuel as you think you do. Use it wisely, every drop of it is precious.

- Plan ahead. While at "ahead slow", Plot your patrol route, round trip. Ask your navigator, fuel range at current speed, and range to course end on your round trip. Subtract this from your total range, this is the fuel you have to operate in your area of operations. Keep in mind rough weather and any flank speed chases will reduces this further. Allow for a margin.

- Stretch it. If you think you might be short on fuel (GR patrol grids for example), submerge at daybreak, and surface at 0 hour to recharge bats. Do this for as long as neccessary until you travel a distance where your not short of fuel anymore. It makes a long patrol longer, but you do what you must. Fuel is life.


Torpedos management:

- If the situation allows, (single merchant), use your stern tubes instead of your bow tubes.

- Try and expend all external stores first. As you shoot your fish, reload external stores as soon as you have room (and time) to bring them into the boat. Try and use your external stern first, once you have used those, then try and expend the bow external stores.

-Torpedo expenditure priority (if situation allows):
Aft external ->bow external-> aft internal-> Bow internal.
The reason is, you never know what may happen, and when something serious happens, more of then then not, you'll want your bow tubes. Having leftover stern torpedo's and empty bow torpedo's is not a desirable situation.


Aircraft:
- In high air patroled areas, recharging with your decks awash acutally does help. An IXD2 has a crash dive time of around 42 seconds. With decks awash i can cut that down to 15-20 seconds.

- If aircraft is detected at such a range where you do not feel you can crash dive and get below 30 meters in time, stay on the surface. Being caught with your boat looking like an ostrich with its ass broached on the surface isnt a good thing. Instead Go to flank speed, turn the rudder hard left or right, and man the flak guns. Engage closing targets only. Once the aircraft have made their pass. IMMEDIATLY straigten your rudder, and crash dive. It takes planes awhile to setup for another run, use this time to get under.


It just occured to me im writing a book, and im out of time to post :roll: Ill add to this later.

And that's exactly what you must do if you want to survive the Biscaya in 1942-44 with the IX. Until you get the snorkel in mid '43 the Biscaya is a "run through hell". Load your batteries at daytime to spot planes earlier.
Surfaced at night the last thing you will see is often enough the cone of a searchlight and then the "lost boat screen".

Best thing to do in Biscaya: Pray for bad weather.

Thanks Ducimus!!

Thanks for the tips and...
What's your book about?

Personnaly I like to keep my aft tubes loaded with torps in case I spot a convoy. Then if I can sneek inside of it, I can do damage in front as well as aft of my boat! I can always use the remaining torps in the aft tubes for single merchants on my way back from the patrol zone.

Iceberg.

Could you refresh my memory on how running decks awash is done?
The last I remember is changing a sub config setting, but it was not adjustable during play.

Go to Data/Submarine. In the Cfg file for each sub increase the 'Surface Depth' by a few meters. I'm not sure of the exact values, but doing this will let you run a little deeper and still technically be surfaced. The deck will be underwater but the crew will still be on the bridge.

:up: Thanks Steve. I'm educated now:know:

Add like 2 meters to your surface depth.

I'd have finished writing what i had on my mind when i started this post, but due to domestic issues i lost my train of thought. I'll finish it up later i suppose, although in hindsight i think im preaching to the chior so to speak.

Since i find myself back at the helm of a uboat again, i thoughti 'd raise this sunken post back from the grimey deep. Im sure there's alot more pointers others can add here.

You think you could add tips for the other sub models (VIIB-C\42,XXI, IIA-D, etc...)?

great post! tips are very helpful.
"...and surface at 0 hour to recharge bats." Do they recharge at 0?? I never knew that. THX!!:up:

You can recharge your batts any time you want (as long as you are on the surface). 0 hour is just the best because its pitch black and you are least likely to be spotted by enemy ASW at that time.

hehe, I was always affraid to spend all my fuel so didn't roam a lot:lol:

I roam almost every patrol looking for something to sink! (Damn BdU making me patrol empty sections of the sea!)

Remember, running Decks Awash at 7 meters you run on diesel engines. At 8 meters you are running on electric engines.