Thanks for all the great tips, all!
I try very hard to follow these guidelines when it comes to medals and promotions...I try to be a stickler for historical accuracy!
My question comes on qualifications. My mindset is to ensure that all my petty officers have qualifications. My reasoning, though, is based on the U.S. Navy way of doing things, where by that point, they've trained in a certain field and have a rating. What I don't know is...did German petty officers of that era have specific ratings like their U.S. Navy counterparts?
It's the one missing piece of the puzzle for me that I can't quite figure out. So, I've been ensuring after my first patrol that all petty officers have qualifications based on the compartments I've used them in -- extra guys get watch-rated, damage-control rated, or gunner rated. I'm trying hard not to create a crew filled with jacks of all trades.