Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhodes
TMO Update BH V2.0+patches
USS Paddle - 28 April, 1944, 5 May, 1944
Destination: Area 14 - patrolling and anti-shipping actions.
The trip to the patrol location was fine, notting to report. Area 14 East of the Marianas Islands proved empty.
After 15 days and some enemy patrols/task forces detected, the
USS Paddle was ordered to patrol the Carolinas Islands.
Detected a merchant with a small escort, score one torpedo of a shot of 2. After evading the escort and the ship left, ended the Maru with a aft shot.
Convoy detected after 2 days, attack from the starboard side, no escorts each side. 2 rows of ships, 10 torpedos shot (bow+aft) only 2 hit the target.
Calculated speed was off. Had to abandon the attack do to escorts finding and chasing me.
They had to had radar...
After a few hours of depth charges and going to 500 ft with some damages here and there, manage to escape.
2nd convoy detected near West of Truk, direction NW ,10 knts. After some shadowing for a night surface attack, 3 merchants and 1 tanker sunk.
Light escort, 2 rows of ships, shot all tube from 3500 yards.
After evading the escorts on surface, ended the last ship that was still floating with the deck gun.
Return voyage with incidents.
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Nice haul and job on the night surface attack
Do you feel the night surface attacks are: Too easy or just right balance?
Yes, possible at least one of the escorts had radar. Depends on the class of vessel.
Area 14 is busy that time of the war until June but over time convoy routes do change up some though, some move closer to the islands , others moved further our in the open ocean where easier to avoid detection. I believe you may have just missed the lanes. Overall N/S traffic running east of Marianas does die down after feb 1944 though, when Truk was essentially neutralized by the Operation Hailstone air strikes Feb 1944.