And the debate continues...
Campbell may indeed state this, but the proportion of primary source documents that indicate the use of non-HE ammunition by u-boat deck guns makes me question the value of his statement. HE was probably by far the most commonly used type of ammunition for u-boat deck guns, but it most certainly was not the only type of ammunition actually used by u-boat deck guns. I think that the historical record shows the use of multiple deck gun ammuntion types to have occurred so frequently that it is wrong to provide only one type of ammunition in the simulation.
For me it is an open question whether there was a SAP ammunition that was distinct from the AP ammunition. I have certainly seen reference to both, but I am not certain that I have seen reference to both in the same document. It is possible that both terms were applied to the same ammunition. However, I do have the impression that the AP was solid shot, while the SAP had a small base-fused explosive charge. I had understood that the distinction between the terms "AP" and "SAP" was design-based, not performance based. I can see little reason for the game to model these two types of ammunitions separately.
There is greater certainty that the incendiary was distinct from the HE. There are individual records indicating the use of both types of ammunition by a single gun in a single engagement. The damage model employed by the game would seem to give no reason for the game to model both types separately.
The lack of a high maximum gun elevation did limit the usefulness of AA deck gun ammunition, but remember that most aircraft tended to attack submarines from a low altitude. U-boats are known to have engaged aircraft with their deck gun using AA ammunition.
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