GWX2 1944 careers 3 & 4 Mercy!!!

[Wulfmann]

GWX2 in 1944 has me believing Leonidas had a better chance after he was betrayed than a Kaleun!!!

On my third career out of Trondheim again I sat in the convoy lane and when a report came in I was right in the path. I went to periscope depth shut down the motor went silent and waited.
Even still I saw star shells and search lights at what I would guess (night) was 2k meters and they lined up and headed straight for me. My bow torpedo tubes were quickly destroyed (hedgehog I think) and my dash to the convoy (for cover not aggression) found me near enough to fire my only homi at an escort carrier which hit but I never lived long enough to turn around and try and duck under him if , in fact, he was disabled enough.
With that short a time spent I started another career.
I decided to stay away from convoys and search out wimpy targets at the whaling station (none) and then done to the Faroes islands where I proudly sank a tug boat but the coastal batteries kept me from surfacing and attacking the fishing boats.
I then got jumped by a trawler and blasted him with my homi only to find that in spite of a hole 20% his length and no keel he was not affected and proceeded to pound the Scheise out of me.
Robed of what should have been a major naval triumph (in 44) I snuck away and went home at snorkel depth being bombed and pounded by aircraft all the way home so I started to dive during the day at 2 knots to avoid not celebrating Germany's great tug boat sinking and my crew surviving the Great Faroes raid.

Low have the mighty fallen.

This will certainly not please some that enjoy the early years but for us few that relish experiencing what we have read in this period it is a good representation of the difficulty of fielding a 1935 era weapon in 1944.

I will report on patrol 2 later but do not wager I will see Norway again.

Wulfmann

[Blacklight]

Next time, see if you can get one of those pesky rowboats the Allies have ! Think of the 1944 tonnage that you could get from going after those !!!

Wulfmann, good for you starting careers in 1944!
For what it's worth on 24 September '44 I have U-1021 in the North Channel about 100km from Belfast in AM64. 22-days at sea and one freighter for 7300 GRT (at 100% realism). Six torps left, weather is awful, dodged five seperate depth-charge attacks so far and have not surfaced since September 5th. Crew is in rough shape but I'm having fun.

Not chasing contacts, decided early in the patrol to act like a mobile minefield and let them come to me. Then I line up, shoot and miss repeating the process as necessary.
1944 patrols are: What's the term? Interesting...
Good Hunting

[High Voltage]

1944? What's that? My world keeps ending in '43 IF I'm lucky...

[Wulfmann]

I recommend if you start a 44 GWX2 career and you begin in a sub pen do not leave when the mission starts. Stay in the pen for about 30 minutes and see if an air attack develops.

These are interesting to taste the difficulties real 44 guys faced but in truth there is a reason the happy days were called that and most of us want to enjoy ourselves.

If sticking yourself with sharp objects or lighting your hair on fire is your kind of fun then skip 39 and go right for 44 where you will feel right at home!.

Wulfmann

[Blacklight]

Six torps left, weather is awful, dodged five seperate depth-charge attacks so far and have not surfaced since September 5th. Crew is in rough shape but I'm having fun.

*Meanwhile....the crew is all in the back quarters, drenched in sweat and filth, exhausted, suffering from post traumatic stress dissorder, and planning a lynching of the overtly cheerful Kaleun.*

[papa_smurf]

I now avoid starting careers in 43-44, especially when it comes to starting in the Bay of Biscay. That palce is suicidal at any time of the day, what with the heavy air cover.
From now on im sticking to 39 to 42 only, much safer.

Blacklight wrote:

*Meanwhile....the crew is all in the back quarters, drenched in sweat and filth, exhausted, suffering from post traumatic stress dissorder, and planning a lynching of the overtly cheerful Kaleun.*

Heh, heh, heh. Watched The Caine Mutiny the other night, took notes too. Fortunately there is probably not enough height in the flats to have a proper lynching. Maybe fun was a bit strong...

Managing crew fatigue with the GWX model is proving a challange since bad weather means that I have to keep both the diesel and motor rooms fully manned when snorting and I try to do that twice a day. My three machinist PO's are worked to exhaustion and the Chief isn't even qualified. One of several captaincy errors made before sailing.
Good Hunting