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Originally Posted by MarkShot
...why hunt convoys 1943 and beyond and be suicidal?
Well, maybe there is an element of realism to it. One BBC documentary I like on the U-Boat war, points out that Doenitz and his captains knew that they could no longer win it. However, they decided to push one (even if suicidal).
Why?
(1) National pride and honor.
(2) Keep the pressure on the enemy. The psychological war.
(3) Force the enemy to commit ships and planes to defending the convoys and hunting the U-boats that otherwise might have been dropping bombs on German cities or German troops or supply lines.
So, perhaps it might even be realistic to but heads with convoys until the bitter end, since many died rather than be prudent. But me, I am just playing a game (intellectual exercise).
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I think a part of it was also something most gamers and all gamblers experience: the "this time it's gotta work?" syndrome. If we just keep trying, we have to win. We just can't lose. It can't really be happening.