How to attack convoy's

[looney]

Hey all...

I'm playing this game roughly 2.5 months now, and GWX prolly 1.5 month. I'm in my 1st serious career. It's now mid 1940, I haven't come acros that many convoy's yet the ones I did come across where from contact reports and I was able to approach them from the front. Mostly guarded by 2 V & W plus 1 smaller ship. I could down 1 or 2 merchants and useally the excorts never found me.

As I'm still learning I'm not playing DiD. I'm SW of Spain CG79 and I found me a nice convoy. It's on my Port side and only ship I can see is a Black Swan. I took some basic info I now have a rough course, W turning to SW. Therefore I need to make the outer turn. But somehow I can't manage to get past the BS..It killed me 3 times now. A real bugger.

So my question: How would you approach this convoy? And get at least 1 merchant.

[gord96]

surface and start shooting your deck gun at the lead destroyer. make sure you are going flank speed directly at him. as he gets closer start to go port or sb of him until he sinks. then start sinking ships with your gun and torps on the surface. keep an eye out for the two side destroyers. head to the port or sb of the convoy and use the same deckgun tactic on that destroyer. as you await the destroyers continue to sink merchants with your deckgun. keep lots of spare crewmen ready to take your dead gunnery crew's spots. if you are being double teamed by two destroyers are usually go to periscope depth and fire off a mag torp at one then go down to 160m. wait it out then come back up and follow then wounded convoy.

[Penelope_Grey]

I would surface as said before, but be careful about bursts of speed, keep them controlled. too much speed will get you killed.

Without being too garrulous the key thing is to lead the convoy, convoys could only go as fast as the slowest ship, which means a surfaced U-boat is fast as hell. What you need to do is lead the convoy and then sneak in at 90 degree angle, pick your targets and fire (try to get it so all Torpedoes impact at about the same time). Another good trick is to select 6m on your shallow depth this puts the U-boat low in the water which makes you harder to spot. I say 6m as it means you are low and harder to see but can still move reasonably swiftly.

Above all slow and steady is the key. Keep track of the escorts see which way they are headed, what they are doing and so on. Don't run at flank for too long, and as you get nearer to the convoy, don't turn side onto it, keep your bow or stern pointed at it. Sometimes you may need to come to a complete stop and wait for it to come to you, I have had to do it, if you need to do it, then stop and park her there.

Lot of people may not realise this, or simply could not be bothered to do it but if all else fails, and you can't approach the convoy from its starboard go round the back and try to approach from the port side. The port side may only have an armed trawler for protection, or even nothing at all! Don't feel that the side you are on now is the only way in, truth is in 1940 there are lots of ways in to the sneaky Kaleun.

I will say I disagree about what gord96 has said, if you start firing your deck gun, and there should happen to be a heavy cruiser or a battleship amongst that convoy and you have not see it yet, their range finders will zero in and you will be shot to bits. firing the deck gun against lone merchants or convoys of 2 or 3 ships is fine, but against a full size convoy, I say be sneaky and don't let them know you are there.

[gord96]

penelope is correct as well. I forgot to mention that only use my tactic if you have super torpedoes, the advanced diesels that can get an IXB up to 37 kts and the high explosive rounds for the deck gun. if not go sneaky.

[Tontoman]

Some things I've done, all depends on weather, day/night etc and year

- Get ahead and dive. Try and approach lead destoryer close enough not to get picked up by the side patrol, but not too close so he picks you up, going to convoy at 45 deg angle between the lead and side destroyer. Remember his side spotting is mainly passive (so run silent), just don't get in front (why I wait if I can until he stops doing a search pattern). Soon as you get past, it's all yours. Lots of hydrophone use.

Pros - lots of easy and safe kills once you're in. (my usual method)
Cons - if you blow it, you're shallow and have to evade quick.

- Take out the defending destoryer on the side. Evade, surface, get ahead and attack convoy again but now they are a ship short.

Pros - safe
Cons - two attacks, uses 1-2 torps for destroyer (this is where battery torps come in use).

- Go deep and let convoy pass overtop (has to be slowish convoy). As the merchants get close go high speed (so they don't pass overtop) and go periscope. Destroyers detect you but can't get to you without ramming their own ships
Once you are at periscope depth, blow things up and use ships to get away from destroyers (just don't get rammed). This is where real life is easier than the game. Read a number of accounts where subs where on the surfance between merchant ships. Destoyers didn't fire or chase, in the game they'll still do both using the uber ship brakes built into the game.

Pros - Easy to try, fun and hectic as hell
Cons - Risky, ships are going to be moving all over the place so hard to get clean shots.

Cheers.
T.

[Penelope_Grey]

I don't think personally that there is a set way to attack a convoy, there will always be differences you can apply general principles to attack, but in the end, you just have to go with what you got in front of you, in many cases to successfully attack a convoy you have to think on the fly as they say...

Use a bit of sense and keep an eye on any escorts near you, also be prepared to dive at a moments notice.

[Mush Martin]

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

(try to get it so all Torpedoes impact at about the same time).

Now yer learnin and teachin

[Penelope_Grey]

Thanks MM! I can do that you know, get my torpedoes to imapct more or less at the same time.

[Mush Martin]

Strike First Strike Fast Strike hard .............
Nobody gets a chance to evade that way and
it is the acme of skill in subsimming.

[Heibges]

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

Lot of people may not realise this, or simply could not be bothered to do it but if all else fails, and you can't approach the convoy from its starboard go round the back and try to approach from the port side. The port side may only have an armed trawler for protection, or even nothing at all! Don't feel that the side you are on now is the only way in, truth is in 1940 there are lots of ways in to the sneaky Kaleun.

Great idea. With only one escort, that is what I would do.

[TigerShark808]

Originally Posted by gord96

"surface and start shooting your deck gun at the lead destroyer. make sure you are going flank speed directly at him."

" keep lots of spare crewmen ready to take your dead gunnery crew's spots"

WOW! Man do you play rough. I thought the name of the game was to keep your crew alive and to get them back to port healthy ?

[Mush Martin]

Originally Posted by TigerShark808

WOW! Man do you play rough. I thought the name of the game was to keep your crew alive and to get them back to port healthy ?

What your missing is hes driving Uberboot. and that being the case
Cryin wont help you, prayin wont do you no good.
see the video here.

[TigerShark808]

Originally Posted by Mush Martin

What your missing is hes driving Uberboot. and that being the case
Cryin wont help you, prayin wont do you no good.
see the video here.

Very nice vid

[Chisum]

Superb !
Great job.

Realistic damages ?

[Happy Times]

Originally Posted by looney

Hey all...

I'm playing this game roughly 2.5 months now, and GWX prolly 1.5 month. I'm in my 1st serious career. It's now mid 1940, I haven't come acros that many convoy's yet the ones I did come across where from contact reports and I was able to approach them from the front. Mostly guarded by 2 V & W plus 1 smaller ship. I could down 1 or 2 merchants and useally the excorts never found me.

As I'm still learning I'm not playing DiD. I'm SW of Spain CG79 and I found me a nice convoy. It's on my Port side and only ship I can see is a Black Swan. I took some basic info I now have a rough course, W turning to SW. Therefore I need to make the outer turn. But somehow I can't manage to get past the BS..It killed me 3 times now. A real bugger.

So my question: How would you approach this convoy? And get at least 1 merchant.

http://www.hnsa.org/doc/uboat/index.htm