Greetings to All from the sunny Port of Penang,
During one of my recent U-boat missions sailing from Penang on June 6th, 1943, I discovered that I could not manually control (traverse or elevate) the
3.7 cm FK M 42 Heavy Flak Gun with either the mouse or arrow keys during an intense shootout with a PBY Catalina flying boat while cruising low on batteries and patrolling in shallow waters, north of Cape York in the Torres Strait. I could zoom in and out with the gun site but not much else unless I preferred to ‘sandblast’ the hull rather than direct my fire on enemy aircraft.
After suffering several casualties and limping back to port, I uninstalled and reinstalled both versions of FOTRS to try and remedy the glitch but to no avail. The upgrade for this weapon also does not work in any of the 1944 U-boat missions. However, there was no problem in using the
3.7 cm FK M 42 Heavy Flak Gun in the base game, SH4 1.5, without either mega mod installed.
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In a follow-up investigation by the chief of base security, it was revealed that the gun muzzle was fused to the aft railing.
Was it an act of sabotage by the local resistance working with SAS operatives or simply a SNAFU due to the lack of vigilance by the maintenance officer who oversaw the work order for my last boat upgrade?
Nevertheless, an investigation by the Kreigsmarine is underway and for now, due to the lapse in supervision and security, the Second Watch Officer and Chief of the Boat of U-196 are restricted to shore duty pending the outcome of a formal Court of Inquiry.
Until then, be sure to always check and test fire your boat’s weaponry after an upgrade before you leave port on patrol. If ever in a pinch, a fully ‘functional’ heavy flak gun like this 'bad boy' can always come in handy!
Navelintel
