How to shake off escorts in 1944

[Flyingrodent]

I must confess that this is my first campaign so I'm guilty of reloading because I want to develop my tactics and witness all the events of the war. I'm then going to start from scratch with no reloads.

When I got back to port I realised an updated sonar covering was available so I'm going to see if that helps. It was a surprise to find La Rochelle was in the midst of an air raid when I set sail.

Despite trying all the helpful tips you've all given I've still not been able to shake off a pursuing escort. I can dodge the D/C and other nasties but once the escort has run out of these it continuously circles my tin can until I have to surface.

The best distance I managed was getting the escort to the outer circle on the attack map using decoys and quick bursts of speed. Firing a homing eel before diving can also help because if you sink the nearest escort you just might be able to escape before another arrives.

However, I've concluded that from 1944 onwards it is far better to sacrifice targetting accuracy and keeping your distance from convoys. Normally firing at a distance of 4-5km will allow you to escape before the escort arrives and score a few hits. It also pays to have a go at the escorts before the merchants so that the defence isn't quite as tough. Lastly, there are still the odd merchant sailing alone in 1944 so it's much safer to go after those.

Mike

[SubConscious]

Originally Posted by Flyingrodent

Despite trying all the helpful tips you've all given I've still not been able to shake off a pursuing escort. I can dodge the D/C and other nasties but once the escort has run out of these it continuously circles my tin can until I have to surface.

Hi Mike,

This is historically accurate and is why U-boats had approximately 80% losses in WWII. During the last year of the war, anti-submarine warfare was really perfected, and the escorts were absolutely tenacious. If they didn't destroy it outright with depth charges / hedgehogs, they prosecuted the U-boat until it was forced to surface due to lack of oxygen. Escorts would work in packs, with some drifting and listening, functionally invisible to the U-boat below, while others ran depth charge patterns.

In short, it was close to suicide to be aboard a U-boat in 1944. If you go to sites like http://www.uboat.net/fates/, you can get a good idea of what it must have been like for the U-boatmen.

I hope this helps.

David

PS - U-boats are never referred to as "Tin Cans", as that was the term for Destroyers.

[Flyingrodent]

I'm glad the game is accurate as well because it's all part of the fun. I'd like to be part of the 20% survivors though so the day I escape a 1944 escort I'll be jumping around like a loony! I might even dress up in a grass skirt, wear makeup and dance to 'music' played on pipes and tin cans!

Originally Posted by SubConscious

PS - U-boats are never referred to as "Tin Cans", as that was the term for Destroyers.

[codmander]

Sink...

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Originally Posted by codmander

Sink...

OY! Codmander... I nearly fell out of my chair laughing! Got coffee everywhere!

[codmander]

Originally Posted by Kpt. Lehmann

OY! Codmander... I nearly fell out of my chair laughing! Got coffee everywhere!

Glad I could help nothin like a good belly laugh with some nostrial coffee

[Hangman]

I too have never made it to 1944, but I have hopes of someday getting there.
If GWX was modeled to get some historical value, then it would be a good idea to radio in your contact BEFORE you attack. Perhaps other u-boats will get the message and come to your rescue in a wolf-pack (that's my hope anyway, I don't know if it'll work or not).
My practice in running from escorts is to go in the direction the convoy came from. By doing this, you open the distance between the escorts and the convoy, thus making your time in hell a bit less. They don't like leaving the convoy unprotected. You lose your chances at a second run on the convoy, but you increase your chances of survival to attack a different convoy, perhaps a better convoy, on perhaps a better day.

[SubConscious]

Originally Posted by Flyingrodent

I'm glad the game is accurate as well because it's all part of the fun. I'd like to be part of the 20% survivors though so the day I escape a 1944 escort I'll be jumping around like a loony! I might even dress up in a grass skirt, wear makeup and dance to 'music' played on pipes and tin cans!

That's exactly the way I feel about it. Just surviving is a significant accomplishment!

[Rhodes]

Be More Aggressive!

[u crank]

Three rules for 1944:

1. Don't get detected.

2. Don't get detected.

3. If you are detected, bend over, put head between legs and kiss your backside good bye.

[Flyingrodent]

Just got back from my first patrol with the new sonar covering and I managed to escape escorts a couple of times. The weather was really bad as well so that would have made life more difficult for the escorts as well. So first impressions is that the updated sonar covering helps evading escorts but it will be really put to the test when I'm pursued on a calm day.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by u crank

Three rules for 1944:

1. Don't get detected.

2. Don't get detected.

3. If you are detected, bend over, put head between legs and kiss your backside good bye.

This is the truth. After late 1943, it is no longer about getting tonnage, it is about surviving the patrol. If your boat doesn't have a snorkel...well...