Quote:
Originally Posted by J0313
As a general rule the U-boats were on the outside of the convoy. Hmmmm.
Especially after 1943 when it was almost impossible for U-boats to get close to the convoy.
|
Okay, let's say the U-boats were outside the convoy. Whatever the percentage, then your choice is, do the hunter killer DDs go after the U-boat with hedgehogs and depth charges, a high percentage kill, or do they blindly unleash whatever torpedoes the DDs have in hopes for a lucky hit?
Unless the U-Boat were on the surface and attack parameters able to be worked out the torpedoes weren't possible. If they were on the surface, gunnery from all escorts and merchants would take them out much better than a lucky torpedo shot. It's all a matter of strategy.
The allies had enough DDs by the end of the war to independently roam ahead of the thousand ship convoy, find and at least drive the U-boats down to their vaunted incredible depth from which they were rendered entirely harmless. Then as they were kept down or killed the convoy steamed out of attack range so the U-Boats, alive or dead, could never reacquire the targets again.