To Attack & Get Away With it For Noobs

[Brag]

The GWX Convoy Attack

I believe that the continuous success in attacking convoys depends greatly on mental attitude and planning. For the first time attacker, finding oneself in the middle of a convoy, with all those targets and escorts is mind-boggling. Dealing with all the problems under great danger to oneself doesn't help matters. Only by being mentally organized, you will consistently succeed in attacking a convoy and getting away with it.

To make it easier to understand the operation, it is best to break it down into stages: Interception
Peparation
Analysis
Penetration
Positioning
Attack
Evasion.

Interception. You want to position yourself ahead of the convoy. Draw a line depicting the projected course of the convoy and pick a spot where you want to be when the convoy arrives. Keep in mind that convoys do change course (this will be discussed later). The important factors in choosing the ambush point is depth of water and time of the day.

Preparation. Ideally, you want a depth of over 200 meters and the cover of darkness. I like to arrive at my ambush point about 2-3 hours before the convoy's ETA. At this point, I want: Batteries charged to 100%, compressed air 100%, oxygen 100%. All torpedo tubes loaded, crew rested. I double check the depth under the keel at this time and submerge, advancing into the direction of the convoy at 3 knots.

Analysis. When the hydrophone operator (HO) announces the first contact, I check that the convoy is still on the reported (or estimated) course. I adjust my own heading to position to one side of the convoy. The various groupings of contacts will show the columns of ships. At this time is when I tell myself: This is a reconnaissance. I don't need to sink a single ship for my operation to succeed. All I want to know is the composition of the convoy, the number of escorts. I will attack only if conditions are favorable.

I deploy a strong crew to damage control and have idle crew in each compartment, ready to repair damage. Don't bother with torpedo reloads until you are clear of the convoy and out of hearing of the escorts.

Positioning. Most likely, your first visual contact will be an escort zig-zaging in front of the convoy. If in daylight: Down scope, silent running, reduce speed to two knots, mark the escort's position on the chart and keep tracking it by hydrophone and periodically marking the chart. Take a heading that will keep you away from this escort. Once you are past this escort, you are inside the convoy. I try to turn 90 degrees to the convoy's course.

Attack. If at night, I can raise the periscope and begin searching for hi-value targets: Large merchants, tankers, troop ships. In the daytime, I keep the scope down until ready to attack. Once I've raised the scope, it's a quick sweep and I shoot at whatever is available.

At night I can wait for the targets to come to me. I select a good target some distance away and shoot two torpedoes, then pick one closer and send two fish down it's way. Hopefully the explosions will be close to simultaneous (this seems to confuse escorts).

Now we come to the nastiest part of the convoy attack. The escorts know where you are and will come for you.

Evasion. As I fire my last torpedo, I order flank speed, 5 degrees of port or starboard rudder, and a depth of 150 meters and lower my scope. As I pass twenty meters, I order 2 knots. I can still descend quite rapidly as the speed bleeds down. I have anything between two or three minutes before the escorts are overhead.

The escorts in GWX are GOOD, 9 times out of 10, they will come overhead and drop depth charges exactly on top of you. As the escort is almost overhead, I go to ahead flank. Once the speed reaches six knots I order 2 knots. The burst of speed, hopefully will get me out of the lethal range of the DC's. The escort has a problem now he has to find me again, I'm deeper and in a different position and being quiet, not helping him at all.

Try to give the escort as narrow a profile as possible, but don't make sharp turns. Go as deep as you dare. NOTE: people been reporting crushes at less than 200 meters (probably due to previous damage).

If two or more escorts are after you, it will be more difficult to get away.

Once I see, the DC drops become less accurate, I stop going to flank speed. If the escorts lose you for 30 minutes game time, they will go away.

Now you know the composition of the convoy. Your next attack will probably be more profitable. My goal is 15,000 tons per attack. Once it is safe to do, surface, calculate a new intercept point, reload torpedoes and race for another go at the convoy

Convoy course. When calculating intercept, check and see where is the convoy course aiming at, is it a logical destination? If not. You know it will change course. Position yourself to where you think it will turn. Or shadow it from a distance, submerging to get it's location by hydrophone.

I hope this will help you do the nasty on the Allies and a long GWXy life.

Happy hunting, Kaleun.

[Morts]

nice read

[Camaero]

you say you ideally want a depth of 200 meters during the prep. You never did say when you come to p depth however. When the convoy is on top? Before it gets to you?

Thanks for the post. I will await your answer and try your tactics out the next time I play.

[Corsair]

Well written...

I would just differ on 2 points :

Attack : if it's daylight and nice weather, I would just shadow the convoy from safe distance and plan a night intercept. Had bad experiences with daylight attacks...

Evasion : I found that I get away more often undetected by diving at slow speed (1/3 then slow) from start as I found out that even short bursts at flank speed when diving away would get me spotted.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Camaero

you say you ideally want a depth of 200 meters during the prep. You never did say when you come to p depth however. When the convoy is on top? Before it gets to you?

Thanks for the post. I will await your answer and try your tactics out the next time I play.

I think he means that you want a depth of at least 200 meters below you, so you have plenty of room to make your escape.

[Brag]

Originally Posted by Camaero

you say you ideally want a depth of 200 meters during the prep. You never did say when you come to p depth however. When the convoy is on top? Before it gets to you?

Thanks for the post. I will await your answer and try your tactics out the next time I play.

I want 200 meters (not always possible) of water under me to escape.
I make the approach at pero depth (harder to detect when near the surface). In daytime, the moment I see the lead escort and have him identified on the hydro plot, the scope comes down and stay down until attack. At night, I will make periodic scope observations, searching for escorts and targets.

I'm at the end of 1940 in my GWX career. When radar starts spotting scopes will have to be more careful at night.

Thanks for your kinds words--keep me posted on your experiences.

[Brag]

Thanks, Morts!

[Brag]

Originally Posted by Corsair

Well written...

I would just differ on 2 points :

Attack : if it's daylight and nice weather, I would just shadow the convoy from safe distance and plan a night intercept. Had bad experiences with daylight attacks...

Evasion : I found that I get away more often undetected by diving at slow speed (1/3 then slow) from start as I found out that even short bursts at flank speed when diving away would get me spotted.

Corsair, your tactic should work. I only use flank when I know the enemy has my position, to get depth quickly. Or when in his baffles when he can't hear me. Thanks for the comments as they add depth (no pun intended) to this discussion.

[Morts]

Originally Posted by Brag

Thanks, Morts!

Np

even though i dont attack convoys much, it was nice reading so that im ready for when i meet a convoy

[Brag]

Originally Posted by Morts

Np

even though i dont attack convoys much, it was nice reading so that im ready for when i meet a convoy

Good luck and lots of tons on you next one.

[Corsair]

Not saying I hold the truth... It's just that I am very careful with using flank speed when submerged because it seems to me from various experiences (usually bad ones) that it kind of sends a signal around "hey, I'm here !"
If it's a lone escort and you are sure to be in his baffles, it should work, but if there are several escorts... You can hear a ship prop 15 / 20 kms away in good conditions, there is no reason why the hydrophone operators on the other side should be deaf...
In some conditions (night and light fog for instance), if you had to shoot from long distance for positioning reasons, I think it is even safer to get away surfaced at slow speed (because of the wake) than to submerge at all...
PS : and if the escort are only Flowers, even if they start turning your way, you can also outrun them as you are faster surfaced at flank speed.

[Morts]

next one?, im mid patrol

im just exploring right now, and ofcourse looking for enemy/neutral ships
but im not much of a convoy attacker

[AVGWarhawk]

AHHHH preparation.... yeah right... I sail in on the surface no matter the time of day!!!! FULL SPEED!!! Send the fish off with full bird salute Spin around 180 for the sterns tubes, give them the full moon with my watch crew. Dive for the bottom! Silent running..what does that mean, you have your socks on? J/K Brag!!!! Thanks for the read and please join me on my second patrol:rotfl::rotfl:

[Morts]

AVGwarhawk, im sorry but i have to declare you INSANE:rotfl: :rotfl:

[Brag]

Originally Posted by Corsair

Not saying I hold the truth... It's just that I am very careful with using flank speed when submerged because it seems to me from various experiences (usually bad ones) that it kind of sends a signal around "hey, I'm here !"
If it's a lone escort and you are sure to be in his baffles, it should work, but if there are several escorts... You can hear a ship prop 15 / 20 kms away in good conditions, there is no reason why the hydrophone operators on the other side should be deaf...
In some conditions (night and light fog for instance), if you had to shoot from long distance for positioning reasons, I think it is even safer to get away surfaced at slow speed (because of the wake) than to submerge at all...
PS : and if the escort are only Flowers, even if they start turning your way, you can also outrun them as you are faster surfaced at flank speed.

Can't argue with your logic, especially since no tactical situation is ever exactly the same. And being quiet is a quality a Kaleun should pursue.