Mein Gott! I can't even sink a ship against TS-37

[BROJD]

Too many of my careers have come to untimely ends when I've faced escorts, especially against convoys, so I decided to give a few of the individual missions a shot so that I could become proficient at difficult attacks.

I'm running GWX (realism 54%) and have tried to take on Convoy TS-37, a big fat convoy with three little escorts.

The mission starts just a few thousand yards in front of the convoy, at periscope depth, all stop, with the periscope down.

Yet, somehow, every time I start, the lead escort (which is probably 1500 meters off, at least) always turns about 70 degrees to starboard and makes a beeline straight toward me. DCs are falling within 5 minutes of the mission starting without me doing a single thing.

Has anyone played this mission? Did GWX just get it out of balance and start me too close to the escorts? And how the heck do they hear me when I'm completely silent?

[BROJD]

One addendum: During the last mission, with me doing nothing and just watching from an external cam, the escort ran over my position, dropped a few DCs, and then promptly sank. Not sure how that happened...

[GoldenRivet]

he dropped his DCs too shallow and probably too slow and blew his stern racks off and probably soaked up enough damage to sink himself

[Fenris_Wolf]

I find it fun to learn things on my own albeit that takes more time. Getting rid of the cheeky shepherds first makes a big meany wolf all warm and happy inside, savoring the howling madness to come.

First you need to carefully shadow and study the closest escort for a few moments. It is important that you don't end up in that very personal territory of his and in front of him or he'll be mad as hell. Observe the pattern in their paths as they suddenly break and fan out to the flanks of the convoy, time and again, before returning back to course, trying to harrass any stalking predators (you). Notice the time and/or length of the usually straight paths in their routine each time they do that. For me, this is the most reliable window of oppurtunity in such an attack. The next time the escort nearest to you breaks away from the convoy and takes the same predictable, straight path, take him out. Remember, practise makes perfect.

By now you are either already in the process of dissimulating your attack to wait 30 minutes then rinse and repeat with the next escort or (cheap but somewhat risky trick) you can surface and run the hell away from the other escort coming after you. Then take him out with the aft torpedo tube once he's right behind you, not zig-zagging, the gyro-angle being optimal and the range ideally not less than 2000 meters.

BOOM!

Well, that's how I've learnt do it so far.

P.S.: There should be plenty of food now so remember to share with nearby friends that they might remember your kindness when the winter comes.

[Brag]

You can also try this: Sink the first escort, preferably away from convoy, Then scoot toward the convoy at PD and diagonal course for about a thousand meters.

Your first victim's buddy will proceed to the spot where you sank the first escort and pass in front of you. That's when you zap him. If you're lucky, the third escort will do the same.