Press The Attack !! ( ?? )

[flag4]

HI HUNTERS

sept 1939, first patrol....

been out in an56 6-10 days seen one small merchant, been buzzed by a few planes and seagulls, weather flat calm clear skies.
think im doing all the right things like low speed, plenty of hydrophones, following a search pattern; but i keep getting the message PRESS THE ATTACK !

ok-ok, i will, but where are the boats - the convoys ?

spending along time under listening, but nothing and then these messages. do the bdu know something i dont...

any suggestions... its a desert out here !!

flag4

[seafarer]

After 24hrs you've got your renown for patrolling your assigned grid, and are now free to go anywhere. Head for an enemy port and sit off the approaches. Or check the convoy routes on the map and cruise one of those.

[papa_smurf]

First thing -DON'T PANIC!! I genarally don't send messages to BDu, only when I spot a convoy and report it's position.

As for not finding contacts, use the map you got with you game - it shows convoy/single merchant routes, very usefull. Also as it's 1939, head up the coast of Britain at a distance of 200km off the coast (to avoid the minefield) to AN14, and you should find some ships going to/from Norway.

Failling that don't worry, I've had plenty of empty patrols/patrols with few sinkings, and then gone onto other patrols and got a high number of sinkings.

[Brag]

NE, NW, N of Scapa Flow (The Fair Isle Passage) plenty of lone merchie traffic there.

[Kpt, Otto]

Sept 3 1939, my first patrol of the war was in my current boat U-23, a type IIb, and the postion was AN56. After 24 hours I had completed my orders but found nothing in that square other than neutrals and so then headed for the approaches to Hartlepool where again I found nothing but Naval patrols.

After that first war patrol due to the limited fuel I had to return to re-supply. As i am using SH3 Commander I put into Brunsbuttel refueled overnight and headed back out to east coast of England again. This saved my having to go through the Kiel canal but now counted as my second patrol but this time I did found some coastal traffic near Hartlepool and returned with two ships sunk.

Both patrols lasted about 7 to 10 days each.

Early in the war this I think is the norm. As my war career progressed finding British merchantmen off the coast of England got better. I am now in Jan 1940 and finding many targets and still in U-23.

[flag4]

hi hunters

thats great advice you've all given up.
i like the one from seafarer about finishing the 24 hr patrol and then going off on my own - sounds obviuos now, but before, well... i don't know if i'm big enough for scapa just yet, but it has been logged.
it's all very illuminating - free's things up enormously.
i've got about half a tank left, so i shall wend my merry way for a while and see what comes.
oh, and dont the new crew get tired easily !

cheers all

flag4

[U-96]

In 1939, the Brits did not fully understand the U-Boat threat at this point and most of their shipping was rather open and care free, Alot of them used the english Channel. just keep pacing back and forth at the mouth of the english channel (Don't enter it cause there's usually destroyers about there) But right at the mouth there's always lone merchants, even an occasional C2 transport (6000 tons of merchant, that a single fish under it's keel can sink)

Save your renown for a type VIIB while still in 1939 and go there again to really wreck havoc this time with your deck gun. And more fish stored. You just have to be patient.