Late 43 convoys and beyond (GWX)

[Jaman]

Am i the only one who avoids every and all convoys on that timespan?.
I tried to attack three times and all the three ended the same way, my u-boat damaged after no less than three hours of deep charging by no less than 4 DD´s and not a single merchant sunk (a couple damaged by patern torpedoes).
Now everytime i recieve a convoy report i go ahead flank the other direction. Im really afraid of their new ASDIC, not to mention the Colony class DD .

[nikbear]

Don't worry,everybody is exactly the same,to attack convoys at this point of the war is suicide,look for the last stray merchants,or better still head down to the Carib,they are less protected there

[papa_smurf]

Failing that, transfer to the South Pacific and sun it out for the rest of the war

[Jimbuna]

This is exactly what happened at this time....the hunters became the hunted.

[TarJak]

From late '43 onward the game changes from one of hunting to one of survival whilst also hunting.

Your tactics need to be adapted, you must be far more conservative and your tonnage scores are going to be predictably smaller.

If you are patient and stealthy enough though you can still get away scot free with even heavily defened convoys and task forces. There are opportunities for those that can get into the right position, but you must also know when to avoid contact and not press the attack.

the fun part is leaning to know the difference.

[tomfon]

Originally Posted by TarJak

If you are patient and stealthy enough though you can still get away scot free with even heavily defened convoys and task forces. There are opportunities for those that can get into the right position, but you must also know when to avoid contact and not press the attack.

Yeah. Therefore, its completely suicidal to attack a convoy guarded by 12,13 or 14 destroyers. In fact, its not only suicidal, its useless too cause there are very small chances to hit ANY-thing. On the other hand, there are some convoys guarded only by 6 or 7 destroyers. These are an opportunity.

Originally Posted by TarJak

the fun part is leaning to know the difference.

P.S. I once got this message while on patrol (1944): Constant aircraft. CENTRAL ATLANTIC WORSE THAN BAY OF BISCAY.

[Jaman]

6, 7 DD´s an oportunity?. If only one gets a hint of your position you are done for!. I could barely escape from a 5 DD´s attack after 3 realtime hours, i had half a mind of surface and put and end to it.

[UnterseeBoogeyMan]

Originally Posted by TarJak

From late '43 onward the game changes from one of hunting to one of survival whilst also hunting.

Your tactics need to be adapted, you must be far more conservative and your tonnage scores are going to be predictably smaller.

If you are patient and stealthy enough though you can still get away scot free with even heavily defened convoys and task forces. There are opportunities for those that can get into the right position, but you must also know when to avoid contact and not press the attack.

the fun part is leaning to know the difference.

I take it that high wind days would be ideal, anything that can kick up the waves and hamper the ASDIC would be good. I'm guessing right position would depend on how gfar out from the merchants the DDs are. I havent made it this far,but if they are 3-5 kms out, you set up for point blank shots. If they still continue to escort close in like they are doing so far in 39-40, you take a 2-3 km shot,per the GWX manual (one shot for far side of the convoy and run away before impact). I really dont know, but I would like to hear more about opportunities and how tactics have to be changed.

[Jaman]

Even with the XXI (since im the best Kaleun i forced the BdU to give me one on February 1944 ) its very difficult. Lately i have managed to cause some damage from long range (no less than 4000m), i fire a 6 mixed eels salvo (2 T3, 2 T3 Patern, 2 T1 patern) in a wide spread and then turn away as fast and as deep as possible. Seems to be working, 2 Large Merchant, a couple of Liberty´s, a small freighter and small merchant sunk so far, and none of the escorts got a hint of me.

I guess ill keep attacking using that tactic, at least while my luck last .

BTW: I really hate the RAF, i hate them so much that im sure Churchill felt a disturbance in the force.
They nearly got me the last patrol 300km away from French coast, direct hit just behind the turret, they forced me into Brest for repairs with half my batteries dead, no more snorkel, both periscopes broken and my WO in pieces. Not only that, those damn bastards tried to finish me off 4 times on my way back to port!.

Sure this is not a gentelmen war anymore .

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by UnterseeBoogeyMan

I take it that high wind days would be ideal, anything that can kick up the waves and hamper the ASDIC would be good. I'm guessing right position would depend on how gfar out from the merchants the DDs are. I havent made it this far,but if they are 3-5 kms out, you set up for point blank shots. If they still continue to escort close in like they are doing so far in 39-40, you take a 2-3 km shot,per the GWX manual (one shot for far side of the convoy and run away before impact). I really dont know, but I would like to hear more about opportunities and how tactics have to be changed.

All good options. bad weather unfortunately doesn't effect sonar capabilities in game but funnily assist in making surface attacks in early war.

If you are ahead of the convoy, it is relatively lightly guarded and you can slip by them (rare), you can still get in close.

Best option is a long shot 3-5km fan of all forward eels then book it out of town as quietly as possible. I usually start a 45-90deg turn and dive as soon as the last eel is clear so that you are away from the firing datum that the escorts will converge on.

Even if they do pick you up you can still make it out alive if you are quite and cunning.

As an example I'm currently in a IIA (Small and manouveable), off the D-Day beaches, late (about 2345), on June 5th, in about 20m depth trying to sneak an attack on the tank landing ships etc but have 3 DD's hunting me. I slipped under one of them and am escaping in his baffles. The other two are pounding where I was when they first "saw" me and as long as I keep my profile low I should be able to get away.

Whether I will be able to get into a firing position at 2kts is unlikely, but that's how 1944 goes. Sometimes it is better to come out alive than having killed off lots of the enemy.

[Paul_IronCoffin]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

This is exactly what happened at this time....the hunters became the hunted.

Exactly. It's not "completely suicidal" to do so, you just need to become more cunning and far far more patient in making attacks and evading attacks (and riding out those attacks when they inevitably come).

...all part of the fun, and all part of accepting that the 'game' becomes far far harder as the hunters become the hunted.

I would only wish I could sit aground for half a day, then ride out the tidal currents with motors off in silence a la Herbert Werner. Don't suppose the game engine could ever be modded to accommodate these such things (?)

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Paul_IronCoffin

Exactly. It's not "completely suicidal" to do so, you just need to become more cunning and far far more patient in making attacks and evading attacks (and riding out those attacks when they inevitably come).

...all part of the fun, and all part of accepting that the 'game' becomes far far harder as the hunters become the hunted.

I would only wish I could sit aground for half a day, then ride out the tidal currents with motors off in silence a la Herbert Werner. Don't suppose the game engine could ever be modded to accommodate these such things (?)

Not as far as I am aware, but you would be subject to drift over a longish time period.