How to attack convoy's

[looney]

Hey all...

I'm playing this game roughly 2.5 months now, and GWX prolly 1.5 month. I'm in my 1st serious career. It's now mid 1940, I haven't come acros that many convoy's yet the ones I did come across where from contact reports and I was able to approach them from the front. Mostly guarded by 2 V & W plus 1 smaller ship. I could down 1 or 2 merchants and useally the excorts never found me.

As I'm still learning I'm not playing DiD. I'm SW of Spain CG79 and I found me a nice convoy. It's on my Port side and only ship I can see is a Black Swan. I took some basic info I now have a rough course, W turning to SW. Therefore I need to make the outer turn. But somehow I can't manage to get past the BS..It killed me 3 times now. A real bugger.

So my question: How would you approach this convoy? And get at least 1 merchant.

[gord96]

surface and start shooting your deck gun at the lead destroyer. make sure you are going flank speed directly at him. as he gets closer start to go port or sb of him until he sinks. then start sinking ships with your gun and torps on the surface. keep an eye out for the two side destroyers. head to the port or sb of the convoy and use the same deckgun tactic on that destroyer. as you await the destroyers continue to sink merchants with your deckgun. keep lots of spare crewmen ready to take your dead gunnery crew's spots. if you are being double teamed by two destroyers are usually go to periscope depth and fire off a mag torp at one then go down to 160m. wait it out then come back up and follow then wounded convoy.

[Penelope_Grey]

I would surface as said before, but be careful about bursts of speed, keep them controlled. too much speed will get you killed.

Without being too garrulous the key thing is to lead the convoy, convoys could only go as fast as the slowest ship, which means a surfaced U-boat is fast as hell. What you need to do is lead the convoy and then sneak in at 90 degree angle, pick your targets and fire (try to get it so all Torpedoes impact at about the same time). Another good trick is to select 6m on your shallow depth this puts the U-boat low in the water which makes you harder to spot. I say 6m as it means you are low and harder to see but can still move reasonably swiftly.

Above all slow and steady is the key. Keep track of the escorts see which way they are headed, what they are doing and so on. Don't run at flank for too long, and as you get nearer to the convoy, don't turn side onto it, keep your bow or stern pointed at it. Sometimes you may need to come to a complete stop and wait for it to come to you, I have had to do it, if you need to do it, then stop and park her there.

Lot of people may not realise this, or simply could not be bothered to do it but if all else fails, and you can't approach the convoy from its starboard go round the back and try to approach from the port side. The port side may only have an armed trawler for protection, or even nothing at all! Don't feel that the side you are on now is the only way in, truth is in 1940 there are lots of ways in to the sneaky Kaleun.

I will say I disagree about what gord96 has said, if you start firing your deck gun, and there should happen to be a heavy cruiser or a battleship amongst that convoy and you have not see it yet, their range finders will zero in and you will be shot to bits. firing the deck gun against lone merchants or convoys of 2 or 3 ships is fine, but against a full size convoy, I say be sneaky and don't let them know you are there.

[gord96]

penelope is correct as well. I forgot to mention that only use my tactic if you have super torpedoes, the advanced diesels that can get an IXB up to 37 kts and the high explosive rounds for the deck gun. if not go sneaky.

[Tontoman]

Some things I've done, all depends on weather, day/night etc and year

- Get ahead and dive. Try and approach lead destoryer close enough not to get picked up by the side patrol, but not too close so he picks you up, going to convoy at 45 deg angle between the lead and side destroyer. Remember his side spotting is mainly passive (so run silent), just don't get in front (why I wait if I can until he stops doing a search pattern). Soon as you get past, it's all yours. Lots of hydrophone use.

Pros - lots of easy and safe kills once you're in. (my usual method)
Cons - if you blow it, you're shallow and have to evade quick.

- Take out the defending destoryer on the side. Evade, surface, get ahead and attack convoy again but now they are a ship short.

Pros - safe
Cons - two attacks, uses 1-2 torps for destroyer (this is where battery torps come in use).

- Go deep and let convoy pass overtop (has to be slowish convoy). As the merchants get close go high speed (so they don't pass overtop) and go periscope. Destroyers detect you but can't get to you without ramming their own ships
Once you are at periscope depth, blow things up and use ships to get away from destroyers (just don't get rammed). This is where real life is easier than the game. Read a number of accounts where subs where on the surfance between merchant ships. Destoyers didn't fire or chase, in the game they'll still do both using the uber ship brakes built into the game.

Pros - Easy to try, fun and hectic as hell
Cons - Risky, ships are going to be moving all over the place so hard to get clean shots.

Cheers.
T.

[Penelope_Grey]

I don't think personally that there is a set way to attack a convoy, there will always be differences you can apply general principles to attack, but in the end, you just have to go with what you got in front of you, in many cases to successfully attack a convoy you have to think on the fly as they say...

Use a bit of sense and keep an eye on any escorts near you, also be prepared to dive at a moments notice.

[Mush Martin]

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

(try to get it so all Torpedoes impact at about the same time).

Now yer learnin and teachin

[Penelope_Grey]

Thanks MM! I can do that you know, get my torpedoes to imapct more or less at the same time.

[Mush Martin]

Strike First Strike Fast Strike hard .............
Nobody gets a chance to evade that way and
it is the acme of skill in subsimming.

[Brag]

Above: you got some good and some, ahem, suicide club advice.

Once you have the convoy's spped & direction, plot a parallel course at least 10 kms away from convoy. Get ahead of the convoy, dive and wait for it come for you. Lots more details in Convoy Attack article on my webbie.

Good hunting!

[Heibges]

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

Lot of people may not realise this, or simply could not be bothered to do it but if all else fails, and you can't approach the convoy from its starboard go round the back and try to approach from the port side. The port side may only have an armed trawler for protection, or even nothing at all! Don't feel that the side you are on now is the only way in, truth is in 1940 there are lots of ways in to the sneaky Kaleun.

Great idea. With only one escort, that is what I would do.

[Heibges]

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

I don't think personally that there is a set way to attack a convoy, there will always be differences you can apply general principles to attack, but in the end, you just have to go with what you got in front of you, in many cases to successfully attack a convoy you have to think on the fly as they say...

Use a bit of sense and keep an eye on any escorts near you, also be prepared to dive at a moments notice.

One good way to analyze an attack is using the METTT methodology.

Mission= Your mission is always to sink enemy shipping, and bring your boat back in one piece.

Enemy= What kind of merchants and warships do you see? How many? What are their capabilities? What is their position? What is their search pattern. What is the chance of enemy air activity?

Time= How much time do you have to do the mission. If there is 3 days before the convoy gets under aircover, then you have 3 days to accomplish your mission.

Terrain= At sea terrain is weather. Keep in mind fog as it applies to visability. Keep in mind cloud cover as it applies to the danger or air attack. Keep wind/sea state in mind as it effects visibility and torpedo depth. If you are attacking at night be sure to consider the moon.

Troops Available= What is the condition of your boat and crew. How many and what types of torpedoes do you have left?

[Penelope_Grey]

Originally Posted by Brag

Above: you got some good and some, ahem, suicide club advice.

Once you have the convoy's spped & direction, plot a parallel course at least 10 kms away from convoy. Get ahead of the convoy, dive and wait for it come for you. Lots more details in Convoy Attack article on my webbie.

Good hunting!

Welllll.... you could dive... but in the early stages of the war I am all for making full use of the surface attack strategy.

[looney]

tnx all..

I will read the tips on attacking convoy's my main problem is I 'm on the outer turn so i don't know where they will be goin to. Luckily it's 1940 so not much enemy air activity. Just the Black Swan.

[Mush Martin]

PG ,Heibges and Brag all are right and the methods sound by and large
I often use the approach used by brag in my serious none uber careers
as its the stealthiest approach. I evaluate my shooting solutions using
a target assesment method like Heibges METTT methodology and I usally
execute the attack with a simultaneous full opener as described by PG.

Ms. Penelope said it best though when she said each situation will always
be a little different, and remaining flexible in approach is bang on.

its not a setpiece all though convoy attacks can be its a flowing execution
using an offensive and defensive repretoire. with a bag full of tricks learned
in education and experience.

I find though that the one guiding factor Used in all my attacks that isnt
really mentioned here is the same method I use at walmart on saturday
afternoons.

Exit Strategy. my first strike is almost always large but occasionally
timed over steady shooting through Long med short range as the
convoy comes on. but either way In accordance with the potential
detection values of the escorts I always am prepared to leave before
they can get a good look at the datum point. other wise I may scrub
for unfavourable conditions. I do improvise but even those must be
favourable to get chosen. but always first plan your exit then your
shots.
M

it helps your defensive strategy to spend an afternoon sitting up top
and watching how an escort group will hunt you. so as to understand
their methodology and patterns. this alone will
improve your survivabity ingame.