Is the 'report contact' button of any use at all?

[Paul Riley]

After just hitting a medium cargo clean under the keel and right beneath the stack with a magnetic tip it still wasnt enough to sink it,in fact it doesnt even appear to have slowed at all!. I was seriously gutted,as that was my last torpedo of the patrol having sank two and could have really done with a third,hence my reason for risking a magnetic tip on this ship over the preferred impact tip.
After about an hour I decided to put some distance between us and shadow the target for a good 6 hours,or until nightfall,radioing base every hour on the target's position.I have now broke off as the target clearly has not been affected in any way.
My question is,is the report contact button of any use at all?.I am guessing (and hoping) this would give the Luftwaffe coordinates in order to bomb and finish any damaged ships off.Admittedly I attacked the ship in AN16 which is a LONG way from Germany,and I cant imagine they would get there in time before the ship found its way to its home port.

NOTE - Ever since I bought the game back in 2005 I have not seen the Luftwaffe once,except for one or two patrol planes flying overhead when leaving base.They are probably all getting pissed onboard Goerring's private yacht while we endlessly struggle out there on our own!

Thanks.

[f4wildweasel]

I've seen the Luftwaffe in this game, and not just the cinematic-style squadrons that fly about harbors and invasion forces. Once, a much younger and more foolish me thought it was SOP to get to the Bay of Biscay from Germany through the channel (granted this was stock, so it was doable) a destroyer sees me and I dive, though only to periscope depth (can't go much deeper). I pop up the periscope to try and line up a bow shot, when I see the destroyer randomly explode, I zoom out and see a Stuka (probably was on his way to the Battle of Britain) pulling out of its dive. I had a similar experience, except with the Italian Air Force in the Med dispatching the destroyer escorts in a task force after I sank a pair of cruisers (this time I was in GWX). These are the only two instances I've seen Axis aircraft in action during the campaign that I can remember, so I would say it's quite a rare happening, but every now and then the stars will line up and you'll see aa-guns opening up and ships as they start blowing up... I've yet to see a FW-200, though...

I've heard contact reports will call in air support if you're close enough to a base (I've never stayed long enough to find out, though) but I don't seem to be able to do this on single freighters, only convoys and task forces... I'm guessing this is a mod?

[Gerald]

I might have been lucky, but they have come to the rescue three times, from 1939 and mid 1940, mainly near the English Channel, which is not too surprising from a strategic angle.

[OuNiS]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

My question is,is the report contact button of any use at all?.I am guessing (and hoping) this would give the Luftwaffe coordinates in order to bomb and finish any damaged ships off.Admittedly I attacked the ship in AN16 which is a LONG way from Germany,and I cant imagine they would get there in time before the ship found its way to its home port.

NOTE - Ever since I bought the game back in 2005 I have not seen the Luftwaffe once,except for one or two patrol planes flying overhead when leaving base.They are probably all getting pissed onboard Goerring's private yacht while we endlessly struggle out there on our own!

Thanks.

Once, when I leaving Biscay heading to the long way to South Africa I saw Condor flying west (GWX). Another time when I was patroling Mediterranean I reported small convoy south of Sicilia and not over half an hour Italian aircraft devastate them. I think that it was an incident.

[sharkbit]

As part of a "personal" realism setting, I use it if I sight a convoy first and then I shadow for a random length of time before I am released to attack. That is all I ever use it for.

I've never seen the Luftwaffles show up though in the Atlantic/North Sea early on in my playing career when I tried the "Report Contacts" button. In fact, I've never seen a German airplane outside of port except in the Med. There, they've stolen a kill and ruined a couple of approaches.

I don't want to talk about when our "allied" Italian airplanes attacked me outside of port in September 1943 while sailing out of Toulon. I had forgotten the memo that said the Italians had defected, so I failed to dive when the watch spotted aircraft approaching.

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by sharkbit

I had forgotten the memo that said the Italians had defected

Bloody typical
I hear the Brits are giving them a hard time in N.Africa too,I suspect they will quickly surrender.

[mookiemookie]

I've seen them in the eastern part of the North Sea while the Invasion of Norway was going on.

[Paul Riley]

So as a rule of thumb,it is generally used to call in air support,and preferably close to an axis base?

Thanks

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

So as a rule of thumb,it is generally used to call in air support...

Yah, provided you're in range.

You have to have 3 contacts in visible range to send a Contact Report.

Why?:
Because those of us that use Manual Targeting could just read the Course & Speed from the Contact Report, for ebery single target encountered.
It takes a bit of work to get 3 merchants in visible range, without being detected by the escorts.

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

You have to have 3 contacts in visible range to send a Contact Report.

Why?:
Because those of us that use Manual Targeting could just read the Course & Speed from the Contact Report, for ebery single target encountered.
It takes a bit of work to get 3 merchants in visible range, without being detected by the escorts.

Ahem,I use manual targeting,and when tracking a ship constantly work to keep my UBoat on the practical limit of visibility without being detected yet all the time keeping them just visible in my binoculars.Hope you werent implying that I 'cut corners'? in the game
So your conclusion is,that the target has to be a decent size (number of ships) in order for the bombers to get a fix on them?,makes sense actually.A convoy (even 3 ships) would be easier to detect from altitude than a lone vessel.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

Ahem,I use manual targeting,and when tracking a ship constantly work to keep my UBoat on the practical limit of visibility without being detected.Hope you werent implying that I 'cut corners'? in the game

Not at all.
The thought was, that being able to read OUR (not just your) contact reports sent for every target, would provide US (not just you) with even better information than using the Weapons Officer.
Had that ability been included, it would have provided US an all too easy cheat.

So you see, Paul, the explanation wasn't pointed at you alone, but all of us, myself included.

(Big letters to add stress to a word, as in normal letter writing).

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

Not at all.
The thought was, that being able to read OUR (not just your) contact reports sent for every target, would provide US (not just you) with even better information than using the Weapons Officer.
Had that ability been included, it would have provided US an all too easy cheat.

So you see, Paul, the explanation wasn't pointed at you alone, but all of us, myself included.

(Big letters to add stress to a word, as in normal letter writing).

I'm sorry mate,I got a bit confused.I understand what you meant now
I agree,it would have made things even easier!,taking away from us the 'simulation' aspect of the game

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

You have to have 3 contacts in visible range to send a Contact Report.

Correct....but in addition their must be air assetts within range.

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Correct....but in addition their must be air assetts within range.

Right you are.
I forgot that as one of the objectives, as I prefer Gøring & Company to stay away from "my" targets.