I was under the impression that the initial post raised questions re manual targeting from the UBoat perspective. However, if he does not understand the concept from the American perspective, I would start in the Mods sticky for Popular Mods. Download Hitman's tutorial on Manual Targeting at 100 Percent Realism. Get out a pen, paper, and calculator, because you will have to do elemenatary math calculations. Work through the tutorial. Rockin Robbins has made a mission where you can practice the O'Kane method. Download it and use it to practice Hitman's manual targeting tutorial, which allows you to practice in the sunny waters of southern California (not Brazil, where the women on the beach would distract you.
) When you are done, you should understand the concept of manual targeting from the American perspective. Then download and use the Easy Aob mod to input the target's course, turn on the PK when its course, speed and range have been input, and you will begin to perfect the method.
It will help if you have mastered the O'Kane method first. Even though the PK is not activated in an attack using O'Kane, the manual targeting computer on your boat (the TDC) still sets the lead angle when you fire as the target crosses the wire, so it is "related" to manual targeting. In short, the PK, when activated, means that the Torpedoe Data Computer (TDC) will track the target's course, range, and speed, assuming that data has been input accurately using the Attack Dials on the upper right side of the periscope screen. When the target's course has been input correctly, you can verify target speed and course (but not range) on the ships' dials screen of the upper left. The ships' dials give you a lot of information, and you will have to spend some time figuring out or reading posts to understand them.
As for the German perspective, there is no PK. OMG! What do I do now? Relax. Because you understand manual targeting from the American perspective, the first thing to acknowledge is you will be engaged in an attack viewed from German perspective. You have to think like a German submariner. The trick for me was to understand that the target dials are written and "set up" in German, and the theory underlying the set up on those dials is
not the same as on an American submarine. The links in my earlier post in this thread connect you to the thread and a post in the ATO thread that I wrote some time ago. They were were written when I was attempting to figure out the how the dials on the UBoat worked re manual targeting. Here is what I learned.
Targeting approaching from the U-Boat's starboard. When you set up the dials on a UBoat for an attack, remember that when the target is approaching the bow of a UBoat from the UBoat's starboard (e.g., right) side,
the manual targeting arrow must point to the UBoat's left side (i.e. bow "luft" in German.) Why? Think about it. If you are on the bow of the approaching target looking for the UBoat, you will see the UBoat's periscope (assuming the UBoat is readying for an attack and is submerged) to the target's left (to the port side from the perspective of the target.) This is "Bugs luft" from the target's perspective. The dial on the UBoat must be set "Bugs luft," indicating the the UBoat is to the left side, viewed from the perspective of the target. "Bugs luft" translated means "bow left."
Targeting approaching from the U-Boat's port. Let's turn it around. You sink the first target. The crew gets drunk. Then, even though they are passed out, you spot a second target. It is approaching from the opposite direction -- the UBoat's port (e.g., left) side. Now you have to set up for manual targeting for a target approaching from that direction. When you set up the dials on a UBoat for an attack, remember that when the target is approaching the bow of a UBoat from the UBoat's port (or left) side, the manual targeting arrow must point to the UBoat's right side (i.e. bow "recht" in German.) Why? Again, think about it. If you are on the bow of the approaching target looking for the UBoat, you will see it's periscope (assuming it is readying for an attack and is submerged) to the target's right (to the starboard from the perspective of the target.) This is "Bugs recht" from the target's perspective.
The manual targeting arrow on the UBoat must be pointing towards "Bugs recht," indicating the the UBoat is to the right side, viewed from the perspective of the target. "Bugs recht" translated means "bow right."
You cannot test the above using the O'Kane practice mission, because you will not be in a UBoat. So you will have to play the UBoat practice missions. But if you set up for a broadside in a UBoat and match the arrows to the target's bearing viewed through the periscope, set range and target speed, set the torpedoes speed, and fire a salvo with a spread when the target approaches a broadside position. You will hit it. From there, you can perfect the technique. Ultimately, you can attack at various angles, although the broadside shot gives you the largest target aspect ratio (and thus a better chance of the torpedoes hitting it.) Remember, don't go hunting the Bismark in the Denmark Strait off the coast of Iceland in late 1941, when it broke out in the open ocean. My UBoat was sunk. I forgot that the Bismark was on my side, and as soon as I got in position to intercept it in ATO (lurker, of RSRDC fame, created the mod and inserted the Bismark's famous excursion in the game) and surfaced to check out the situation, a British cruiser blew my beloved UBoat out of the water. Admiral Donitz retired me, one of his few blunders.
Whew. That was exhausting.