This has been a longstanding debate on qualifications. Medals are easier - the better medals should go to your officers first - then warrants - then enlisted. Realize that you cant give a gold cross to a sailor that doesnt already have the "lower" ranking medals.... the biggest thing on medals is they decrease fatigue levels - once you give someone a gold cross - they can stay on duty the entire patrol without losing a pixel of fatigue. I currently am in a IX-B and have 2 Warrants with gold crosses - I never have to worry about engines cutting out now! All my officers are fully decorated (except for wound badges!). Try to get the best patrols you can - especially early in the war when its easier to do - and you can get enough crew medaled to help on the long term fatigue.
As for quals - this depends on your style of play. Like using the flak and deck guns - go with a watch officer with these - as well as a warrant or 2 with flak and at least one (you get him free to start) with deck gun. My deck gunner is a Sr CW with a gold cross - if I have my watch officer (Watch/Gun/Flak qual) on the tower - I get max effectiveness from the deck gun with just my warrant. I have found that "max effective" isnt exactly accurate - i get MUCH better results with flak qualified AA gunners than with non-qualified - even at max "effectiveness" my non AA qual'd sailors cant seem to hit a thing - but put my AA Aces on - and watch the RAF loose lots of hardware!
If your a pure "submariner" - then your first quals should probably go to promoted warrants - sonarmen - followed by torp qual's to officers, then to warrants. A good engineer would have the repair function - and if you put him on DC and fill his team - he can be very effective!
Personally - I dont find much use for the medic - and have yet to see anyone explain what a "helmsman" qual does.... If anyone knows - please post - bc I have been wondering for some time...
Good Hunting!
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