Im not liking my odds

[GoldenRivet]

I have been playing a career since the start of the war with SH3 commander (realistic career length off) and GWX with 100% realism.

I have survived a few close calls and have made it to mid 1943 aboard a very successful boat.

Im starting to feel the heat here in 43 as usual, BUT because i have been keeping a written log book of my Kaleun's exploits in the atlantic it lends a certain quality to each of the men on the boat... it gives them character, and you can see them grow from a green crew to a team of experienced sailors and officers. though it does sound silly it lends a new level of immersion to the game to keep a log.

Initially finding targets and evading escorts was easy, BUT:

After a long drawn out depth charging encounter with a skilled destroyer during which i had to dive to 240 meters... and encounter that nearly cost me everyting.

after an encounter with the British fighter patrol that jumped us out of nowhere and fired rockets at us which splashed into the sea narrowly missing during our crash dive.

After having a black swawn come rishing out of the fog and rain with guns blazing and escaping certain death by the skin of a gnats arse.

After having a group of British bombers dive onto us early in the morning hours only to have the drop bombs into the sea causing the lights to go dark for a moment.

Im surely feeling the U-boat war heat up in the Summer of 1943! Every time i leave port anymore i have the feeling that it will all soon be over for us all. It will either be that black swan angry over us sinking his ducklings blasting us to pieces with his deep reaching sensors. or it will be that rocket attack from the fighters that i dont crash dive in time to evade.

the odds of reaching the end of the war grow slim with each passing day.

so question: what would you do?

A. Turn on realistic career lenght in SH3 commander and retire?

B. Accept whatever hand fate deals you and rest forever in the dark silence of the deep with the rest of the U-boatsmen?

C. Surrender the boat if in a hopeless combat situation?

D. Try to survive to the end of the war and make things as inconvinenient as possible for the enemy.

My commander has become ultra-conservative when it comes to attacking targets. Lone merchants, or convoys in deep water only. Rarely if ever on the surface by day... travelling on the surface only between the local hours of 10:00pm and 4:00am and running slow and silent at 50 meters by day.

what would you do? i would really hate to lose this career, but i also want to try and play through to '45.

[Brag]

Be conservative, don't take unnecessary risks and do your duty.

Good luck

[P_Funk]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

Im surely feeling the U-boat war heat up in the Summer of 1943! Every time i leave port anymore i have the feeling that it will all soon be over for us all. It will either be that black swan angry over us sinking his ducklings blasting us to pieces with his deep reaching sensors. or it will be that rocket attack from the fighters that i dont crash dive in time to evade.

I think that that is probably the best endorsement for GWX I've ever read. :p

[blue3golf]

Stick with it, your experience will help see you through.

[Puster Bill]

Meh. I'd take an assignment with a training flotilla, stay on the beach for a year, then get one of those nifty Electroboots* they keep telling us about.

*Mohair suit not included.

[bigboywooly]

B. Accept whatever hand fate deals you and rest forever in the dark silence of the deep with the rest of the U-boatsmen?

In RL they never had an option to bail out
Though if you started a career in 39 you may well have been moved to a training flotilla by now
Only to be dragged back as the tide turns

[GoldenRivet]

I have decided to take option B. just bend over and take it i guess :rotfl:

survived another patrol earlier today, but just barely... was lining up a shot on a fast moving single american small tanker, then noticed her begin to zig zag. suddenly dozens of splashes all around the boat through the periscope view followed by the faint sound of an airplane. Serious flooding was patched up and i made good speed for port with the number 4 tube destroyed. managed a fair 35K tons on that patrol.

evaded numerous air patrols and made it back to Brest... which puts me into September 1943 for the next round.

does the first flotilla ever get electro boats? i cant recall.

I really hope to make it to the end of the war... so my strategy for the time being is as follows:

1. maximize the time i spend submerged. crusing at night on the surface only between about 2200 and 0400 hours and only when absolutely required to replinish air and batteries. Im now hunting almost exclusively by hydrophone.

2. Im firing spreads of two fish at every convoy target, usually only going for the two largest targets in the convoy. "better to sink little than to damage much."

3. im no longer taking easy shots at single escorts that happen to just pass by... to much is at stake if i miss or he detects me and the tonnage is never very much.

4. if there is not more than 180 meters below the keel, i make like a hole in the water and live to fight another day - no matter how juicy the convoy.

5. Never EVER duke it out with aircraft.

6. periscope never more than a few inches above the water at any time, and never raised for longer than absolutely required for gathering target data or to confirm sinkings when able (ie. dont stick around and watch the fireworks)

7. Im not sending any contact reports on convoys unless im certain they will receive an air attack (ie. close to german soil)

8. Last but not least, im not sending status reports unless im inbound and within one grid square of port. as it is my understanding that sending these reports increases your odds of being detected or intercepted etc.

hope these strategies work out, the hunters may have become the hunted by 1943... but the allies are hunting the fiercest of wolves

[headcase]

Don't take this the wrong way. It don't effing matter if you like the odds or not. Just beat the devil dice.

[Canovaro]

:hmm:
GWX full realism (no manual nav)

I managed to get as far as september 1942, but I have no trouble at all with aircraft and all the other problems you mentioned, so far. The last couple of convoy attacks I never got pinged. It has been quite easy to be honest. Not seen any aircraft in ages. When did it really start to get difficult for you?

[SmokinTep]

Sounds like you have had a great career so far..........

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Canovaro

:hmm:
GWX full realism (no manual nav)

I managed to get as far as september 1942, but I have no trouble at all with aircraft and all the other problems you mentioned, so far. The last couple of convoy attacks I never got pinged. It has been quite easy to be honest. Not seen any aircraft in ages. When did it really start to get difficult for you?

my first real frightening encounter that i thought i might not make it out of (and was not the result of my own stupidity) was an encounter with a single destroyer who spotted our periscope while i was going to mount an attack against him. He was still getting accurate sound location at us at 240 meters depth! that was also the last time i have attacked a single destroyer out patrolling by himself - 8 February 1943.

in february 1943 - I crash dived to evade aircraft only once or twice

By may 1943 i was crash diving or receiving radar detection warnings almost any time i spent surfaced during day light hours - especially when passing the bay of biscay. i have found that after about March of 1943 the only "safe" time to travel on the surface is between 2200 and 0400 hours LOCAL time and even then only long enough to recharge air and batteries. the days of covering long distances on the surface at good speed are far away gone.

in July of 43 i had the periscope bombed while calculating a shot against a small tanker travelling all alone which crippled the boat severely and caused me to have to return to port. if any part of your sub is sticking out of the water your going to be detected by that radar! so i have made the habbit of travelling submerged at least 40 meters down - not PD... forget to lower a scope or other mast and your toast.

you might have a few run ins with aircraft in 42 - but things will really heat up by srping of 43 so be careful! my next patrol goes out some time in september... if i make it through that one using the strategy of ultra conservatism and only attacking targets of opportunity i stand a good chance of at least making it to 1945.

[Iron Budokan]

"You're walking dead meat and the clock is ticking....."