Beery I am a fan of your job I understand you well but please read this.
I think that we discussed too little about that topic – I mean reality of course. Only few points here from my sources:
- American sub training programs were one of the best in this war and it was getting better and better.
- Special retirement conditions makes the duty very lucrative for sailors enough to have them more than needed – best of them were going to the war patrols.
- American officers were very VERY careful during making attacks, hardly observe results of the attack by periscope, usually come deep counting seconds and hear on explosion, after hours observation from distance on radar, and making conclusions from observing shape on radar panel, first, if it is moving or not and second observation every half hour is it getting smaller – means the ship superstructure is going underwater. On the very beginning of the war they were even told by authorities to make attacks only using sonar, not using periscopes, to avoid detection from the air for example – STUPID BUT TRUE.
- Attacks were usually made from distances in spread way using almost all of torpedoes loaded in tubes with out having to shoot twice. Or if they had to do this they load up tubes underwater and trying to set up ambush spot again couple hours later.
- Avoiding small sampans not to be detected – some of them were just or as well watchers equipped with radio.
- After all these and more safety procedures subs spend quite considerable amount of time in the deep being bombarded – more or usually less effective.
Our – players – manners of the attack are totally different that above. I was never so cautious as that.
What I am trying to say, the game should punish players for being not so cautious and I am afraid that these is not reflected good enough in the game.