Quote:
Originally Posted by Storm501
Continuing discussion about external torpedos, I remember reading that Otto Krechmer didn't even take externals for his patrols. He concluded that loading them at sea made the Uboat too vulnerable.
Although it is difficult to resist loading all torps you can before patrol, I find myself leaning to the same conclusion over time. Each time I initiate transfer at 0000Z, in complete radio silence, it is still nerve-wrecking to be stuck on the surface for hours with the hatches open. What if there is a sudden DD patrol or leigh-light ASW aircraft...
So perhaps next time I need to consider the priorities at base. Which one is #1, crew survival or sunk tonnage?
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Well, they weren't transferred at night anyway for obvious crew safety reasons; tricky enough dealing with a heavy torpedo on a moving platform during daylight, i.e., let alone in the dark.
If you want to follow the historical timeline there should be no externals after 5/43. If not, load 'em up !