GW: Scharnhorst breaking out of France
 

OK, so in Grey Wolves in 1942, a task force consisting of a Scharnhorst Battlecruiser, two Hippers, and a ton of destroyers leave Brest and head for Wilhelmshaven - through the English Channel.

I decided to make a single-player mission which had me start right with them as they left. I didn't remember that task forces tend to move fast, however, so I got left behind. Tried a few more times, cutting ahead of them with shortcuts and whatnot, but still got left behind.

So I went into SH3 Inspector and increased the speed of a sub I don't use much to 100 knots. 'Nother attempt commenced shortly thereafter: We entered the channel without incident, got about 1/3 of the way through, squashed a little Elco pulling a Pol III, and... Well, I don't know the rest of it, as there's sadly no simple "Follow target ship"-order in Silent Hunter III, which meant that I had to follow the task force manually, which resulted in my crashing into one of the ships and dying.

But anyways, it's big fun and I recommend trying it to anyone! I'm about to try again, with FRAPS on, and hopefully witness some nice naval battles.

And I might finally have found a nice and convenient way to traverse the Channel in Grey Wolves: Bring three capital ships:up:!

______________________________________
PS: Is it a coincidence that the task force runs right into several of those very tiny little mine-fields in the Channel?

:rotfl: I bet it was. You wouldn't set that up would you? :yep:

A 100kt sub? :hmm: Just don't let the "Little 'Ol Lady from Pasadena" get in the command seat. :lol:

But it does sound like fun. :up:

Well in the real Operation Cerberus - the channel dash - the Prinz Eugen was the only one of the 3 big ships not to hit a mine

Scharnhorst (twice) and Gneisenau (once) were mined off the Friesian Islands, on mines laid during the previous nights by Hampdens of 5 Group


Another side part to the operation I like

Quote:

HMS Walpole was ordered back to Harwich at 1318 when a main bearing burned. During her return voyage she was attacked by 2 RAF Wellington bombers, which made several runs and scored near misses. The bombers were driven off by a flight of Me 109’s, which gave the ship close air cover until they ran short of fuel and had to return to base

.

:rotfl:

I'm sure they sent a big bunch of flowers to the enemy after getting home. I don't know what they would give the RAF, but it wouldn't be pleasent!!:o

OK, through the operation.

Every ship made it but the biggest one, which hit a mine and stopped, laying low in the water. I stayed with her for days, but she didn't sink.

Pretty uneventful until the narrowest bit. I anticipated that one ship or plane would find the task force and then call in everything the Brits had in the area, but nope - scattered ships and nothing else. No mass scrambling of vessels.

The Luftwaffe launched some heavy Ju-88 air strikes against the scattered Elcos and Armed Trawlers straying too close to the crippled ship, though:o.

On the Royal Navy ship hit by allied bombers: :roll:. Was truly is absurd to the extreme.

I know I would:rotfl:.