Sending contact reports
 

I've heard you can send contact reports to get help. But every single time I click on that, it doesn't do anything. In fact, using the radio seems overall rather pointless, except for receiving contact reports...

Its been working for me sometimes, using GW 1.1a. When i spot a task force, i usually dive to get sound contacts and to sort out the number of ships. Then i surface, and send a contact report. Sometimes luftwaffe attacks the enemy afterwards, sometimes not. In my experience, the mediterranean is the best place for this. But i dont know if the luftwaffes attack are already scripted in GW 1.1a, or if they are responding to my call...

That part of the game is a bit rough around the edges
Send a patrol report and you get: "Keep up the good work" or 'be more aggressive'
Send a Contact report and Maybe if your are VERY lucky some Luftwaffe bombers will come and try to help you out (emphises on 'try' as they will more likely just miss the targets and get them selves shot to hell) .

But dont expect homeboy Hipper and the kreigsmarine 'Posse' to come charging in to save your dirty rotten stern tube. :lol:

Hypotetical question, maybe.,..: Was it only the Luftwaffe, and not the Kriegsmarine who assisted u-boats when they spotted some nice and juicy targets? If i send a contact report, and a german task force is nearby, wouldnt they come to my aid?

The only time it's really worked for me was in the Med. Of course I instinctively crash dived once my lookouts spotted planes (and I uh...cheated by using the external camera to get a look at their markings, which I didn't recognize :oops: ). Then when I saw them attacking the cargo ship, I realized they were Italian! That was fun.

Not far off the mark. In fact these type of reports were a major tactic of the wolf packs. Indeed sometimes the boat to make first contact would never even conduct an attack but rather "shadow" the convoy till other subs could get into position to launch their attack.

It was quite effective.

Unfortunatly thats not modeled in the game.

That would bee cool, though! Just a little "spark" on the wireless, and suddenly the grey wolves appear around you, like an army of silent ghosts...:rock:

as in AOD...

I've wondered too, as even though my lookouts call out 4, 5, or 6 ships from the convoy, the wireless operator won't send a single message, so I've all but stopped trying.

I always do it as a nod and a wink to immersion. I sometimes see results sometimes not. Unfortunately only ever see Luftwaffe attacks as a result and mainly in the Med. Has anyone ever seen a Condor out in the open Atlantic ocean making an attack? So far in nearly 2 years of playing I've never seen em other than in fly pasts over home ports.

I had 2 Ju88 make a kill on a PT boat I was gunning it out with. This was the only incident. Funny part my watch said aircraft approaching so I instinctivly submerged only to find it was my boys heeding my call:rock:. Suprising and very cool:yep:

I always used to have that problem
Not any more
Ran into a DD TF off Norway the other night - I radiod a contact report as I went to PD
To cut a long story short the DD picked me up and set about DC me
Whilst on external view the Luftwaffe attacked the DD about 6\7 times helping me to escape
Mind you every bomb missed and more than a couple of aircraft were shot down but still saved me

It all depends on how close the nearest airbase is to your position and the max radius of the aircraft in it

If you send a contact report, you increase the chance of an airstrike. From the airstrike.cfg file:

Default Air Strike Probability=10 ;[>0] Default probability to send an airstrike from a airbase (carrier)

Enemy Air Strike Probability Increase on Radio Messages Sent=30 ;[>0] Increase over the default probability on a radio message sent

Friendly Air Strike Probability Increase on Contact Report Sent=50 ;[>0] Increase over the default probability on a contact message sent


Hmmmm, wonder what would happen if you set it to 100% ?

I will sure try that tomorrow at my own computer!!!! Just to see what happens!

And it only seems to 'work' if you spot a contact that is not already identified. In other words, sending a report for a convoy that you've already received a contact report for, even if it is days later and in a different location, doesn't seem to do anything. (At least it doesn't show up on the radio message log). I guess that kinda makes sense - your alerting BDU to something they already know. Personally, I've never seen the Luftwaffe respond , so far.