Flotilla Training officer: Shorter Patrols bigger tonnage

[Brag]

"Guten Morgen meine Herren."


"Today's training session is meant to increase your tonnage while shortening your patrol times. We have Kaleun Balz today to tell us how."

Brag: (groan)

Balz: "Thank you for the introduction, you have chosen well in selecting me to talk on this subject. Good morning, meine Herren, I'm the legendary Johan Sebastian Balz, the unique and Magnificent one. Yes, that's me. Here's how I run my patrols:

"First consult the: http://www.operationspinnennetz.isaf.us/ to adjust my route to the patrol area going through areas of maximum traffic, That was I bag a couple of ships on my way out."

"Whenever I see a map update, I mark it and plot the extended route of the ship. This could indicate a sea lane. Of course , I write it down and keep it for future use.

"When crossing heavily used sea lanes I do it on a diagonal course to maximize possibility of detecting traffic and submerge for ten minutes every hour.

"In the patrol grid I stay submerged most of the time, Once finished, I go to aknown or suspected traffic area. If in the Northern North Atlantic, a fvorite hang out is 100 kilometres SE of Rockall Bank. Lots of convoys go through there.

"If going north from Lorient, I alsways stop for a few days on Tanker Alley.

"If heading south, I draw a north-south line 400 kilometers west of Porto. Seldom fail to find good, unescorted ships.

"If I see a pax/cargo, I tell my choir to sing arrividerchi Hoochie Woochie unless I can use the deck gun on it.

"Cape Sao Vicente is a good place to Balz lone merchies. I place myself 30 kilometres to the south and do a bit of kabooming ships there. The southern routes to Freetown are well marked on the Spinnennetz site.

"Now I'm going to tell you why you are so lucky to have me--"
"Danke, Herr Balz, nehmen sie platz." The training officer barks.

"Gentlemen, care to share your techniques?

[Morts]

my tactic

fire torpedoes or fire the deckgun at the target
and unlimited fuel:rotfl: :rotfl: very simple

[Brag]

Ummm, I think you got the wrong room. The unlimited anonimous meet every third Wednesday in room 43B. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[andylegate]

My tatics?

Why I stay submerged and follow along in Kaleun Balz's sonar shadow! :rotfl:

[baggygreen]

Spend more than 24 hours on patrol station.

If only those orders could be fixed... oh well.

I stay out as long as my fuel will let me, If im going a long time (a week) without seeing anything i'll move to somewhere i'll hopefully have more luck.

Regular submerging, manning the hydrophones myself sometimes, reporting in to BdU every few days. (does anyone know if that actually makes a difference?)

[Kaleu. Jochen Mohr]

i just go raid harbours and hunt lone merchie's
if i come across a convoy i am usualy already out of ammo and let it go

[NiclDoe]

Originally Posted by Kaleu. Jochen Mohr

i just go raid harbours and hunt lone merchie's
if i come across a convoy i am usualy already out of ammo and let it go

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: u are nuts! well i just sit out of gib and see if i can get anything.

[EZeemering]

First thing what I do is checking my patrol grid on the Kriegsmarine map.Then Ill check the navel route and Spinnennetz maps for merchant / convoy routes and plan my route near those sea lanes and outside the air cover range.

I leave all shipping alone in the North Sea, those ships are for the II's and VII's. Unless I'm participating in some operation like Weserubung.

I leave lone merchants alone as long as possible. Untill the enemy gets too strong making the loners an easier choice at that point.

Favourite spots to hunt for convoys are the Dodger's Bank and SSE of Rykjavik. I'm a North Atlantic raider

I tend to shadow convoys more and more before going in for an attack. Get to know where the big fries are before launching an attack. Also very usefull for Spinnennetz

I quietly go in submerged and try to get as quiet out of it. Ill surface the boat and do a parralell run alongside the convoy to set up for other attacks. (Note that in the summer theres hardly darkness in the North Atlantic)

One tactic I always wanted to do but never have done. On a light escorted convoy torp the flank escort first with one shot. This will make nice room for a (submerged) raid on the convoy later on.

On a failed convoy attack but when a ship looses speed Ill wait a bit and finish it off with the 88 if the weather is good.

And when all get hectic and a DD is chasing me. Up periscope and let the DD chase me on a 180 bearing. A fast magnetic torp is fatal for them at 300/500mtrs.

[papa_smurf]

From Heinz Buder, U-46.

- Favourite hunting ground(s) - AN14, BF36, all of AM grid - Convoys galore!

- When on a torpedo run, attack from around 2000 - 2500km.

- If all else fails, man the deck gun and blow the mother away!