Anybody encountered those Irish convoys running around taunting me? On almost every patrol I encounter a fat, unescorted convoy of three or four huge tankers and freighters, only to get that sinking feeling as I see the lights and the Irish flag. Verdammt!
Oh, and if you're into Paukenschlag be advised that several American ships continue to sail with lights on for quite a while after war is declared, so do not disregard lighted ships off the coast of America, they could very well be amis and fair game. (After 15 Dec '41 or whatever the declaration date was)
As for the OP: In nighttime I usually cant see the flags until 700/800m, altough it depends a bit on the colour. I usually fire from 500 or so meters so I have a few seconds to identify flags before I fire tough. I also sometimes use the view contact "cheat" if I'm to lazy to set up for attack without ensuring that it is in fact a valid target.
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"Sieben Tankern schlug die letze Stund,
die U-Falle sank träger.
Zwei Frachter liegen mit auf Grund,
Versenkt vom Paukenschläger."
- Reinhard Hardegen, U-123 |