Contact reports and intercepts

[Sparky66]

Presently I am in grid square cg87 shadowing a medium sized convoy. I have sent a contact report. Will other u-boats in the area come to my assistance much like they did in WWII? It is June 1941 and I am on my 12th mission. Realism 67%.

[Dantenoc]

If you're playing stock SHIII (without any major mods) then you should be aware that you are the only u-boat in the whole universe. If you are very lucky and are near a german airbase you might get some air support though.

If you're playing a major mod, then you might get some other kind of assitance, but no mod has been able to implement true wolfpack tactis due to the hard coded limitations of the game

[Mooncatt]

hi and welcome to the forums.

if u are running stock sh3 then yes no help in the way of other uboats, however if your running gwx then yes others will eventually come if they are near your position, i got help from 2 VIIC once i was escaping the dds when the other 2 uboats arrived so i didnt see the fight.

[Keelbuster]

Originally Posted by Mooncatt

i got help from 2 VIIC once i was escaping the dds when the other 2 uboats arrived so i didnt see the fight.

I've seen other boats in the convoy, but AFAIK the only way they 'helped' was by drawing fire; burning along at flank speed, periscope depth. I don't think they launch torps...do they? Actually, they bugged out the convoy because everyone starts shooting at the periscope, and ships get wounded, escorts get flamed, etc. It kinda sucked.

[Platapus]

I did not know that with GWX it was possible to get help from other submarines.

Has anyone either accidently been sunk by or accidently sunk another German Submarine in such a circumstance?

That would stynk

[Steel_Tomb]

I've seen other subs, mostly german, but I sunk a S-type sub near Brest. However they only seem to travel on the surface and use their deck gun & flak gun. never seen one go to periscope depth and fire torps.

[Laffertytig]

i know someone made a mod that that had AI subs cruise at periscope depth dunno if it was added to gwx or not

[3Jane]

Originally Posted by Laffertytig

i know someone made a mod that that had AI subs cruise at periscope depth dunno if it was added to gwx or not

I have seen an S-class submarine running submerged as part of a convoy. Not that I could see the point, as they can't fire torpedos it was just window dressing.

[Jimbuna]

Welcome aboard kaleun Sparky66

Woves on the hunt in GWX

[Jimbuna]

Welcome aboard kaleun Sparky66

Wolves on the hunt in GWX

Edit: Apologies for the double post

[minute]

It's twice now that I met convoys in GWX that appeared to have aready been attacked by other U-boats. One of them had only one escort left and a third of the ships in the convoy were in flames. You can say that not many of them got to their final destination Each time after I broke off the fight with the convoy I got several U-boats (mostly Type VIIs) showing up in the map shadowing the convoy. That's about as close to a wolfpack as it gets in SH3...

[Jimbuna]

Thats correct....friendly U-boats travel on the surface and fire their deck guns

[Sparky66]

Thanks for the tips and welcomes. Too bad about other u-boats not assisting in the attack in my version of SHIII. Did they add this feature to SHIV? I guess I will finish off this patrol (5 ships sunk, two torpedoes left (one each fore and aft), very heavy seas so no hope of getting at the external reserves, and sweethearts waiting in St Nazaire) then download the mod. Maybe I can get a crack at that Flower class corvette playing tail end charlie. Has anyone read "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monserrat by the by? Excellent novel about life aboard a Flower class at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic. Coincidentally "Das Boot" was on the telly last night. Excellent flick, especially auf Deutsch with english subtitles. Saw it when it first came out and enjoy it whenever I can.. My in-laws have the original publication that the film was based on complete with photos. I've read it several times. Did the author just die or something?

[Jay]

Originally Posted by Dantenoc

If you're playing stock SHIII (without any major mods) then you should be aware that you are the only u-boat in the whole universe. If you are very lucky and are near a german airbase you might get some air support though.

I had my first encounter with "friendly" air support, and I'm not sure that "very lucky" is the phrase I'd use.

I was near the end of my 4th patrol in the Mediterranean, in May, '42. I had 4 torpedoes left in the bow tubes, and one left in the aft tube.

The only ships I had encountered on that patrol (or any of the previous ones, for that matter) were coastal merchants and small merchants. Now, I come across a solitary C3 in broad daylight. Here's the perfect opportunity substantially to increase my tonnage.

I submerge and when the C3 is about 800 meters away, I fire two torpedoes (magnetic triggers, depth set @ 9 meters). Torpedo #1 detonates prematurely, while torpedo #2 hits the C3, causing it to slow to 5 kts. Suddenly, the external view pane opens to reveal diving aircraft. My first thought is that, somehow, I've been spotted and the planes are after me. Then I realize that they are Stukas and they are going after the C3. The Stukas get several near misses.

I reposition my sub and fire tubes 3 and 4. Torpedo #3 is a dud! Torpedo #4 explodes under the hull. Now the C3 is motionless, and is starting slowly to go down at the stern. I pass under the C3 so I can use the aft tube. Just as I am about to administer the coup de grace, several more Stukas show up and score direct hits. I fire the last torpedo. However, the C3 sinks before the torpedo reaches it.

Thanks to the "lucky" intervention of the Stukas, I get no credit for the C3.

[Dantenoc]

Sounds like a bug. If you at least damaged the ship, you should get credit no matter what or who actually sinks it.