Convoy tactics in 44

I must say that now I'm loosing the itch... Lost my VIIC in late 43 in the Med (one DD made me to go too deep) so I've started a new campaign with VIIC/41 from Cobald. This time it's ok with planes, they don't bother me too much, if they are single my twin M42 does it's job. Schnorchel is useless while without radar warning my crew spots planes to late and its too late for anything than reloading my save so I'm doing the old way - surface/dive.

I've tried 2 times to approach a convoy but before anything escorts go straight at me (they have a perfect lock on me from 9km). Can't do anything as crawling underwater doesn't make sense. It's a very dark night, with my brightness high visibility is still low. If an escort goes straight at me he gets an eel but now they zig-zag while approaching. Also I would like to keep my cargo for fat merchants, enough of killing DDs...

Now for 4 hrs? I'm trying to loose a pesky american DD. Everything fails. Bold, depth and course changes, sneaking behind his back etc but everytime he circles he finds me again and again. He must have dropped 300 DCs... Maybe Bold 1 is the problem? Couldn't upgrade to v3 but hey. DDs were easy! Never needed to use decoys.

I'm pissed and tired just like my crew. Event can't shoot him as my tubes are damaged and need a whole day to fix em.......

Any ideas? Or should I start again with VIIB in 1939...

[ReM]

Frustrating though it may be, it sounds pretty realistic to me....1939 does have its charms....1944 is hell on earth.

[joegrundman]

i just got to early 44 in my viic/41. Still haven't been offered a schnorkel, but my first convoy approach turned out to be easy as anything. It was a flat calm and perfect visibilty. I was spotted from 12km out and three DD's, nearly half the escort raced out to the datum, but of course with the time it took to get there i was not in their search circle anymore. I just drifted in to the middle of the convoy and got 22000 BRT and slipped away.

One DD found me but I let out some bold 2 and dived straight down to 250m and they never found me again.

My first impression of cobald's viic/41 is wow, seems like i got the edge back after the hell of 43.

That extra depth capacity sure makes you feel less stressed when diving deep

[TarJak]

Welcome to the big league. '44 is a real challenge and anyone who can survive it derserves much respect even if their tonnage scores are low. 1944 is one of the most difficult and probably frustrating periods of the war. You are forced to think through and plan almost every move you make from leaving harbour through to attacks when you get the opportunity.

Tactically you best bet is to avoid heavily escorted convoys (this is pretty much all of them by this stage of the war) and concentrate on hitting single ships where you can find them. Most of your time will however be spent submerged and attempting to avoid aircraft. The true challenge in '44 is to survive rather than to rack up major tonnage scores and as long as you shift your goals and thinking in this regard it can still be quite rewarding.

It is however not the same as being able to rock up to the nearest gathering of ships sink what you want and cruise home. If that's what you want play then in 1939.

[Mooncatt]

i think Tarjax has hit the nail on the head there, so big applause for him/her.
ive never been further the 11/43 which was getting very hard by then and i was leaving heavily guarded escorts to their own devices. single shipping is the way to go.
yes its very realistic in those years, thats when the war in the Atlantic turned dramically for the german u-boats. and UK and US DDs started to get some seriously good anti-uboat shnizzle.

[joegrundman]

in terms of tactics (non-convoy) late war, i haven't been through the bay of biscay for over a year now, even if i'm sent to the AL zone.

I'll always hug the coast all the way to the northwestern tip of spain and then head straight out into the atlantic on a constant latitude. I keep going straight out until i reach the appropriate longitude and head north. I may even go further west and head into the patrol grid from the west, anything to keep at the extreme limit of air cover. Do it all at 8kts and fuel isn't a problem.

Also i always dive whenever I get neue Empfange Funkmesssignal. I find if planes ever make contact with me the chances of finding another one when i surface greatly increase. Incidentally do radar warning sets ever give directional information in this game?