Historically accurate convoy attacks

[GoldenRivet]

For those of you who play at 100% realism, manual targeting the works etc.

How many ships do you personally have to sink in a single convoy attack in order to consider it to be a successful and historically accurate attack?

Myself, i hit the biggest two i can reasonably expect to hit and call a third ship a bonus.

[kenijaru]

convoy? what's that? does it come in olive green?
now... really, i've never been able to start an attack on a convoy, specially since I installed GWX... they seem to come from abeam towards me, so i dive and go silent in hopes of getting to the side and then WHAM "enemy is pinging us hër kaleun!"

[Sailor Steve]

In the past I never played at 100%. In the present I haven't finished setting up everything the way I want it, so I don't play at all except for the occassional single mission, and I have to use external views for testing.

That said, even when I was playing before I would try to leave the scope up a reasonable amount of time, and run and hide and act like my life really was on the line, so I considered two or three ships out of a convoy to be a good haul. Some players talk about 100,000 tons in a patrol. I thought I was doing well if I scored 10,000.

[GoldenRivet]

agreed... if i take home 10K - 20K i feel like i have done something reasonable.

Sure i could turn the realism all the way down and probably have a 200K+ patrol...

... i could also go to the local play ground and kick the ass of every toddler in sight.

but where is the fun in either of those things?

:rotfl:

EDIT: kicking toddler ass might acutally be fun now that i think of it

[joegrundman]

Originally Posted by kenijaru

convoy? what's that? does it come in olive green?
now... really, i've never been able to start an attack on a convoy, specially since I installed GWX... they seem to come from abeam towards me, so i dive and go silent in hopes of getting to the side and then WHAM "enemy is pinging us hër kaleun!"

Avoid letting the escorts lie on your beam. For example, head into the convoy and then turn to fire after the lead escorts are passed

[Ivan Putski]

I do the same GoldenRivet, I pick two large ships, and usually get away with that. I don`t push my luck, or get greedy. Like you mentioned 10-20k is fine with me, and I`ll live another day to hopefully sink a couple more. I just pick away at them, and the tonnage builds up. Puts

[1480]

I've been reading Iron Coffins on and off the past two weeks. Werner's description of two seperate convoy attacks with different CO's and what I'm getting from Blair in The Hunters, seemingly they let fly with 3-5 eels and if they see anything remotely looking like a hit, they considered it sunk. In reality, a single boot would call in the contact and wait for permission from BDU to attack. We get to skip that part. So, if it's an escorted convoy, 2 makes me happy, any more gives me a chubby! Pardon my early 90's venacular....

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Ivan Putski

I do the same GoldenRivet, I pick two large ships, and usually get away with that. I don`t push my luck, or get greedy. Like you mentioned 10-20k is fine with me, and I`ll live another day to hopefully sink a couple more. I just pick away at them, and the tonnage builds up. Puts

"he who fights and runs away... lives to fight another day"

[Jimbuna]

I consider 2 a reasonably historically accurate figure.

You may get a bonus by sinking a third, especially if your in a IX.

[KeptinCranky]

yes 2 would accurate, but it all depends on the convoy composition, which ships can be hit, which can't. and when in the war it is, and what sort of attack...

from an attack from outside the convoy at medium range ( 2 to 4 km) I would consider 1 sunk one damaged a good result, but from close in, or even inside the convoy it would be 2 or 3 hit, and at least 1 definitely sunk.

with a surface attack at night, where you have time to maneuver to get it right 2 would be a minimum, and if i use the stern tubes as well, 3

I never shoot more than 2 eels per target, except for the real big ones like liners, carriers and battleships

oh and passenger/cargos because 1 hit is not enough, the 2nd eel always either misses or duds and the 3rd is the charm

[UnderseaLcpl]

2-4 merchants depending on their size.
My main realism problem is the escorts I sink, I doubt it could have been that easy. Even though they are a little too maneuverable and can maintain ASDIC contact regardless of speed or close ranges I am sure they must be much easier to attack than their real-world counterparts.

I try to sink as many as possible but half my **** misses so I usually sink 2.

[predavolk]

It depends ENTIRELY on the time period. 1940, four or more kills would not be completely unrealistic. 1944, ANY kill would be unrealistic. During 41-early 43, 1-3 would be realistic. The biggest difference between the game and real life accurate some of us vs. real life, and how reliable our torpedoes are. MANY Kaleuns missed a lot (some all!) of their shots. And I guess there were more damaged ships too.

[mcf1]

For me it's usually the to best targets, but if I get lucky I hit a third target.

In my last patrol I engaged a small convoy of two merchants, one tanker and one DD, I got lucky and sank all three targets and left that DD cruise alone.

[nikbear]

Not really a convoy menace myself,but when I do give it a go I feel really lucky to get 2,as has been said early in the war a third is not beyond the bounds of realism.but hey,if I sink anything and still make it home I feel good