[WIP]Operation Monsun

[lurker_hlb3]

obe

[Ducimus]

>>Also will it be compatible with TM / RFB? Yes

Thats good news. If your all up on the campaign, i can work on other things. Truth be told i loath getting into MIS layers again. Its not that i dont know what im doing with them, i just hate doing them. Tedious and time consuming. I tip my hat to your enourmous amount of patience which i lack.

[Fish40]

Thank you Lurker! This is great news.

[lurker_hlb3]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

>>Also will it be compatible with TM / RFB? Yes

Thats good news. If your all up on the campaign, i can work on other things. Truth be told i loath getting into MIS layers again. Its not that i dont know what im doing with them, i just hate doing them. Tedious and time consuming. I tip my hat to your enourmous amount of patience which i lack.

No problem. I like doing this kind of thing

[Ducimus]

Id rather be in a dat, sim, zon, or sensor file somewhere.

[LukeFF]

Excellent!

[Paajtor]

[rascal101]

Hi to you and god speed with your project, SH4 and the new mod deserves to be taken seriously.

I wonder if you have heared of a brilliant book that describes the exploits of U862 under Kapitanleutnant Heinrich Timm, the book is called U-Boat Far From Home by David Stevens ISBN 1864482672 published by Allen & Unwin

The book is very interesting as its based on the U862 which is the only boat to make it as far as the east coast of New Zealand and therefore the only Monsun boat to achieve anything significant.

Apart from a really interesting accounts of just how unlikely a Monsun boat was to actually make it to the far east, the book aslo contains invaluable tables and charts and notes covering the departure, arrival, attacks and sinking or survival of around 69 Ubots who made, or tried to make the journey

I hope this information might be of interest

Originally Posted by lurker_hlb3

Operation Monsun

This mode will be a “MAJOR” overhaul to the German Campaign in the same style of RSRDC. The sources are as follows:

C-in-C German Navy 2. Sk1./B.d.U. Op. Nr. Ckdos. 3495 A1

10.June 1943.

Operational Order "Monsoon"

http://www.uboatarchive.net/BDUKTB30326.htm

================================================== =============

Monsun boats

U-boats in the Indian Ocean and the Far East

by Marcin Jedrzejewski

http://www.uboat.net/ops/monsun.htm

================================================== =============

http://ubootwaffe.net/index.html

================================================== =============

Convoy Map

http://www.uboatarchive.net/BDUKTB30326ChartK.htm

================================================== =============

Currently about 75% complete and will release it when it is ready. Also will it be compatible with TM / RFB? Yes

[Fish40]

And here's something which was provided by one of the guys from the UBI forums to watch in the mean time:

[JScones]

Nice.

Have you seen the Monsun addition in GWX? I researched that extensively over a three month period, if not longer. It adds pretty much all British Eastern Fleet movements, USN/RAN TF.74, Operations Jaywick and Rimau, Japanese Reconnaissance of Australia (the little known Japanese "invasion" of WA), The Destruction of the Brake and the Charlotte Schliemann, Operation Diplomat, Operation Cockpit, Operation Crimson, Australian minesweeping and ASW operations, Operation Interlude, Operation King II, Operations Lightning and Matador, Operations Meridian I and Meridian II and, of course, the hunt for U862. All additions are based on actual RAN/RAAF data with the only variance in SH3 implementation being related to model availability (or lack thereof). BBW did a *brilliant* job translating all this data into the mis files.

Anyway, when I researched the theatre I relied on numerous non-online sources.

For the German POV, I relied a lot on "Hitler's Grey Wolves: U-boats in the Indian Ocean". It paints a good picture on the theatre including photos, mainly of Penang but also covers Singapore, Kobe and the DEI bases.

For the Allied POV, I relied extensively on both the offical RAN and official RAAF histories - no other references come close in detailing Allied involvement in the Indian Ocean. Plus I had access to a number of RAN historians who answered some of the more curly questions for me.

I might still have all my research notes, which include actual allied convoy routes and copies of official documents that dictate very specific convoy rules - ie size, speed, escort composition, dates etc etc.

Whilst a lot of my research is captured in GWX, a lot isn't. What GWX doesn't capture are the correct convoy routes and convoy rules (ie those mentioned above). I found those around the time I left the GWX team, and whilst I sent them on to the team, I don't think they've ever been incorporated.

So...I have no problem providing you all my research notes if a) you want them and b) I can find them. You can then do with them what you want.

Might just save you some time reinventing the wheel.

[JScones]

To explain what I mean by documents detailing rules, here's a snippet of some of the stuff I have - this covers the Australian coastal convoy system.

On 4th June [1942] the Naval Board suspended merchant ship sailings from all ports between Adelaide and Brisbane, excepting Adelaide-Melbourne and Melbourne-Tasmania traffic. Coastal convoys were instituted on 8th June with the sailing of convoy "CO.1" (Newcastle-Melbourne) of nine ships escorted by H.M.A. Ships Arunta and Kalgoorlie, and convoy "GP.1" (Sydney-Brisbane) of five ships escorted by U .S .S . Selfridge' and H.M.A.S. Rockhampton. In brief, the convoy system then instituted was as follows. On the main coastal routes ships of over 1,200 tons and less than 12 knots were sailed in convoys "CO" (Newcastle-Melbourne) and "OC" (Melbourne-Newcastle); "PG" (Brisbane-Sydney) and "GP" (Sydney-Brisbane). With the exception of "OC" convoys, all had a minimum of two anti-submarine escorts, and anti-submarine air cover was provided*. Ships of less than 1,200 tons sailed independently on inshore routes, and ships faster than 12 knots also sailed independently. All ships sailing independently were instructed to zigzag when within 200 miles of the coast except when navigating inside the Barrier Reef. Ships of less than 12 knots east-bound trans-Tasman from Sydney were escorted in convoy for 200 miles from the New South Wales coast; those over 12 knots sailed independently. Ships under 12 knots east-bound trans-Tasman from Melbourne proceeded in "OC" convoys until north of latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes south, thence on independent routes; those of over 12 knots sailed independently west and south of Tasmania.

*Initial escort vessels allocated were: Melbourne—HMAS Moresby; Sydney—HMA Ships Bingera, Doomba, Rockhampton, Yandra, Whyalla, Kybra, Arunta, Kalgoorlie, and HMIS Bombay; Brisbane—two destroyers nominated by C.T .F. 44. There were other convoy designations, i.e.: "LQ" Brisbane-Gladstone; "S QL" Gladstone - Brisbane; "TD" Thursday Island-Darwin; "DT " Darwin-Thursday Island; BV" Brisbane - Townsville; "VB" Townsville-Brisbane; "TN" Townsville-New Guinea; "NT" New Guinea - Townsville. The foregoing list does not include various short-term coastal series. During 1942 a total of 1,672 ships were included in 252 convoys, these being as follows with numbers of convoys and ships respectively following convoy designations: "OC " convoys, 57-533; "CO" convoys, 58-605; "GP" convoys, 29-152; "PG" convoys, 29-99; Queensland coastal, 38-116; mainland-New Guinea, 41-167.

And further:

Admiral Royle, at the Advisory War Council meeting of 9th February [1943], said that if the submarine position on the Australian coast became acute, the number of surface escorts per convoy would have to be increased by decreasing the number of convoys. This was now done, and on 13th May he told the Council that, following representations by the Shipping Control Board and the Department of Commerce, it had been decided to revert to double convoys, each of which would be provided with four escort vessels, "the maximum protection that could be provided with present resources".

I should stress that prior to this date convoys were quite lightly protected for a number of obvious reasons.

Escorted convoys in the Persian region were instituted in Sep 1942 and in the sub-continental region in Sep 1943, after the Allies learnt of the U-boat incursion. Although...

Admiral Somerville thereupon discontinued convoys from 12th December [1943], with the exception of Bombay-Colombo and Colombo-Calcutta sailings.

It's interesting to read the Allied side of the Monsun operation - the data gathering/intelligence and response, of which the above is merely a short snippet.

This is all prolly way too much detail for what you had in mind, but it's an indication of how far you can go...and this doesn't even scratch the surface.

[lurker_hlb3]

Originally Posted by JScones

Nice.

Have you seen the Monsun addition in GWX? I researched that extensively over a three month period, if not longer. It adds pretty much all British Eastern Fleet movements, USN/RAN TF.74, Operations Jaywick and Rimau, Japanese Reconnaissance of Australia (the little known Japanese "invasion" of WA), The Destruction of the Brake and the Charlotte Schliemann, Operation Diplomat, Operation Cockpit, Operation Crimson, Australian minesweeping and ASW operations, Operation Interlude, Operation King II, Operations Lightning and Matador, Operations Meridian I and Meridian II and, of course, the hunt for U862. All additions are based on actual RAN/RAAF data with the only variance in SH3 implementation being related to model availability (or lack thereof). BBW did a *brilliant* job translating all this data into the mis files.

I'm well aware of GWX, but have no plans to use their files.

[LukeFF]

Originally Posted by lurker_hlb3

I'm well aware of GWX, but have no plans to use their files.

He's not talking about using the GWX files but rather using JScones's notes, which to me sound like they are a very valuable source.