Tell us what you are upto in your current campaign

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by RegioSommergibile

One question though: I am using SH COmmander and GWX3, I ordered it to show real ship names already since the start of my last ruined career, but on that occasion nothing showed up on Captain's Log when at home again after a patrol with sinking. Just the usual reports. Any ideas?

(yes, I have installed that "patch" to make GWX and Commander work together as reminded to me by Jimbuna when I wsa downloading)

What I have to do is exit the game, re-open Commander and click on 'other available actions' or whatever it is called, and then 'Update Profile' (these aren't the actual words but I'm in work at the minute and don't have Cdr to hand), this then opens up your web browser and lists your patrols, click on a patrol number and then you can see what vessels you sank!

Hope this helps (and is correct?)

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

Hmmm.
Am I the only one who has MAJOR aircraft problems in the far north?
Sometimes even along Norway's coast, they show up!
But usualy from North of Scottland, well north of Færøerne, and halfway to Island.
And ja, even in 1939.

The worst possible area for air attacks (later on) has to be the bay of Biscay,that area is lethal.Expect to make emergency dives almost every 30mins - 1hr as you attempt to break out/return to base...a true nightmare
And always try and get into the habit of travelling submerged on cloudy days as much as possible,sudden air attacks are terrifying! you should still be quite safe at night,until of course the development of the Leigh Light,which I myself have yet to encounter in the game.

Speaking of Leigh Lights are they as effective in the game as they were for real? (with GWX3 that is) I really cant imagine how demoralising it must have been to have been attacked at night without warning by aircraft then have your entire UBoat bathed in what can only be described as light from a bloody football floodlight! no more crash dive then,man the guns,pound the engines and zig zag like a madman,while reading verses from the bible.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

Hmmm.
Am I the only one who has MAJOR aircraft problems in the far north?
Sometimes even along Norway's coast, they show up!
But usualy from North of Scottland, well north of Færøerne, and halfway to Island.
And ja, even in 1939.

Only slow swordfish,so take them down, is more like a picknick

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by Vendor

Only slow swordfish,so take them down, is more like a picknick

Wait until you get attacked by a Hurricane screaming out of the sun,you barely have chance to react forcing you to shoot it out with him then attempt a dive immediately as he passes over for his return strafe
Genuinely a frightening moment.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

Wait until you get attacked by a Hurricane screaming out of the sun,you barely have chance to react forcing you to shoot it out with him then attempt a dive immediately as he passes over for his return strafe
Genuinely a frightening moment.

crew members ,and I force them to practice every day with flakgun, and they are good,but I now for sure,Hudson or Marlet could be hard to take down

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by Vendor

crew members ,and I force them to practice every day with flakgun, and they are good,but I now for sure,Hudson or Marlet could be hard to take down

Give every flak gunner a pocket bible,and a clean pair of underpants,just to be on the safe side
And against a formation of incoming bombers give them a rubber ring to put around their necks,they may shortly need it.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

Give every flak gunner a pocket bible,and a clean pair of underpants,just to be on the safe side
And against a formation of incoming bombers give them a rubber ring to put around their necks,they may shortly need it.

[ReFaN]

Reinstalled Sh3 and thought id do a IXC campaign, DiD ofc.

Leutnant Z s. Paul Wolbitsch

2 June 1942, Enroute to United states of America, taking long at 128 time compression and some moments in Realtime.

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by ReFaN

Reinstalled Sh3 and thought id do a IXC campaign, DiD ofc.

Leutnant Z s. Paul Wolbitsch

2 June 1942, Enroute to United states of America, taking long at 128 time compression and some moments in Realtime.

x128 ,best way to travel mate,then drop to x32 when expecting air attacks (especially through the bay of Biscay)

[RegioSommergibile]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

RAF presence is virtually non existant during 39 and probably most of 1940,so you should be safe,if in doubt though and you want to play it safe you could always travel submerged by day and surface to recharge your batteries at night.Please note though even though you will be safe from RAF attacks you still may encounter the odd patrol plane now and then.
When returning home be sure to pass between the Shetland Islands and the NE tip of Scotland submerged,you should pick up MANY contacts,that area is a very busy thoroughfare

Ah, thanks for the tip!!

Now I am nearby Dunkerque, I sank with a torpedo a trawler that spotted me, I hit the thing with a torpedo in the propeller and it almost jumped out of the water. It left a big oil leak on the surface and then it sank quickly.
However from Dunkerque they sent after me a Bourrasque destroyer (stubborn French sailors......) and now I'll have either to go away (and give up entering in the port, where I would have liked to sink something with a blue white red flag) or send to Davy Jones' Locker that blasted thing...

[frau kaleun]

(U-51, patrol 6, continued...)

Wasserbombe! As I dropped from the ladder into the zentrale and stole a look through the fore hatch I could see Helmut tear the headphones away from his ears in anticipation of the impending blast. The last man tumbling through the gangway beyond disappeared as he rolled headfirst into the bugraum. I glanced at the depth gauge and knew in a heartbeat that only bad aim on the part of the Tommies would save us from a pounding this time.

But their aim was anything but bad. The sounds of glass shattering and bodies knocking into each other and their surroundings filled the sudden darkness as the first detonations rocked us side to side and doused our lights. As lamps were found and lit and damage reports came up from the bow our junior engineer - a trainee on this patrol, his first time on U-51 - sprang forward through the hatch in response. The LI had enough to do in the zentrale; we were still in a steep dive, soon dropping past the 80 meters I'd ordered with no signs of leveling off despite the chief's best efforts to bring our descent under control. A report of flooding in the bow, relayed back from his protégé now at work on the worst of it, gave a pretty good indication of why.

110 meters...

115...

120...

All back emergency!

125 meters...

127...

128...

Our descent was slowing, it seemed, but we continued down nonetheless, still pointed nose-first into the deep.

Anblasen!

The hiss of air forcing its way into the tanks joined the medley of sounds all around me: the ragged breathing and whispered prayers of the men in the zentrale, the muffled grunts and curses and clangs of damage control in the bow, the hesitant but hopeful shuffling of feet as crew and commander alike rearranged their bodies in response to every perceptible change in our angle of descent.

At last the needle on the depth gauge slowed to a stop and began to twitch happily in the opposite direction. We leveled off at 121 meters and, mercifully, stayed there. More depth charges exploded above and around us, but none near enough to add to the damage we'd already taken. As the screws of the attacking destroyer faded out of range of our naked ears I looked to Helmut for a better fix on the enemy's movements.

He had none to offer. The hydrophones, he reported, had been rendered useless by the first round of wabos. More damage reports came in as the moments passed. Our radio was probably knocked out as well as the 'phones; flooding was no longer a problem, but the forward battery was kaput; both 'scopes were inoperable without further inspection and repair that, in our present situation, would be impossible.

We headed east, away from the convoy, and prayed that her escorts would again decide that playing attentive shepherd to the flock was a far greater imperative than pursuing the injured wolf they'd left in her wake. And, much to my surprise and relief, this seemed to be the case. There were no more depth charges and never a hint of the hated ASDIC. Perhaps they weren't fitted out with it - hard to believe - or perhaps they'd marked us off as destroyed after that first successful and almost devastating attack run.

As time passed with no further indication of activity above us, we began a gradual ascent from the depths. Finally our best estimates told us we were well out of visual range of the enemy's last confirmed position. With a nod the LI leveled us off at 20 meters and another order from me brought U-51 to a dead stop in the water and all human activity to a standstill. In the silence that followed, every man aboard strained his ears for the sound of any nearby vessel that might pose a threat as we reached blindly for the surface.

Not that it made any difference. We had to surface. I gave the order and climbed the ladder to the tower hatch.

(to be continued...)

[frau kaleun]

(U-51, patrol 6, continued...)

We broke through the surface and the diesels roared to life. As I scanned the horizon and found it empty I marveled at how grateful I was to see nothing but sea and sky in every direction. How many days and nights had we plowed our appointed way through wave and wind, more numb from tedium than from the elements, and then grumbled to ourselves and each other as yet another hour passed with no contacts, no enemies, no anything in sight that might alleviate the boredom?

Today, for a change, no one would curse our fate at being the only evidence of human existence as far as the eye could see.

After a full inspection of our damage both within and without, and a consultation with my officers, we decided to set course for Vigo and the supply ship anchored there. The LI assured me we had enough fuel to return directly to Wilhelmshaven, but our forward battery was still out of action and the remaining battery aft refused to recharge despite his most fervent ministrations. Both the radio and the hydrophones were dead and our 'scopes could not be fully repaired with what we had on hand. Neither could the deck gun, although the flak gun had been dutifully repaired and - along with one stern torpedo - would be our only means of attack and defense should either prove necessary.

The compass, thank heavens, still worked, but as much as we would've liked to see it pointing us homeward with all possible speed, the journey there without the option of submerging for any reasonable length of time - and the certainty of being effectively deaf and blind should we do so - was not one I wanted to contemplate. How much could be repaired once we reached Vigo remained to be seen, but everyone agreed that we couldn't possibly leave there worse off than we already were. At the very least they could send our compliments to BdU and thus allay the fears of those at home who might otherwise assume us lost at sea.

So, to Vigo - and then, with any luck, home.

@frau kaleun

Thanks for the great read.

[frau kaleun]

U-51
Type VIIB
2-Flotilla, Wilhelmshaven
Kptlt Kurt Dennert, Commander

Our five day trip to Vigo and the resupply ship Bessel proved uneventful; no sightings of any craft approaching either by sea or air as we ran ESE towards the Spanish coast. Our diesels, thankfully, had taken no damage from our most recent encounter with the enemy, and I asked as much from them as I dared. That this was always slightly more than the LI could bear without casting a bearded grimace in my direction on occasion went without saying.

We had no radio to relay news of our impending arrival, but whatever surprise the Bessel's master and crew felt at our sudden appearance in their neutral haven that fine May morning soon gave way to an orderly determination to see us as well fitted out as possible for the return leg of our patrol. And the long spring day we spent by her side also proved a tonic for U-51's crew; it might not have been shore leave in Wilhelmshaven, but it was a very welcome respite nonetheless. The weather there remained fair and calm, allowing everyone on board to take his turn at a leisurely moment or two in the sun as those on duty worked to ready the boat for what we hoped would be a direct passage home.

It wasn't long after she'd reported our position and status that a reply began working its way through the usual channels and in due time was handed off to me by the Bessel's master. We would, indeed, return immediately to Wilhelmshaven for the completion of whatever repairs could not be sufficiently handled at Vigo; targets of opportunity encountered en route could be dealt with at my discretion, depending on the condition of our boat and whatever rearmament the Bessel could provide us for the journey.

The weather remained clear and calm long after we'd lost sight of our temporary shelter and pointed our bow first northwest and then due north toward the still distant waters between Rockall Banks and the British Isles. Our only contact before reaching them turned out to be another u-boat, a Type VIIC running due east across our path, making for the busy sea-lanes south of Ireland. Her bridge watch and their commander waved and yelled and signalled their greetings and good wishes; we offered them the same in return. From there it was another long stretch of empty sea and sky until we sighted a lone Granville-type freighter plowing due west between Rockall and the Faroes.

It only took a moment to make my decision. Night was falling, and the weather had grown increasingly rough as we traveled northward; we were out of range of RAF Coastal Command; and it wasn't as though our tubes were completely empty. The wolf might be scarred, she might be tired, and she might be looking forward to a well-deserved nap in a dry, warm den - but she still had some teeth left. And if by chance the freighter turned out to be armed and dangerous... well, we could always outrun her and disappear once more into the darkness whence we came.

As it turned out, there was no need for that. One hit below her funnel was all it took in the heavy seas of the night's approaching storm; we were still shadowing her and lining ourselves up for a possible second attack when an explosion tore through her midsection, sending her funnel up and then crashing down over the side into the deep. More explosions shook the air and illuminated her fate as the sea took her. We scanned the surface from a distance for men or lifeboats amid the debris, and saw none. Her end had come too fast and too hard.

After that we made our way through ten more days and nights of high seas and pounding rain before sighting, at long last, the familiar lights of Wilhelmshaven. The sky was still pouring buckets down our backs as we pulled slowly into our pen and came to a welcome and long-awaited stop.

Home at last, and even in those dark wet hours just after midnight, it never looked so good.

[frau kaleun]

U-51
Type VIIB
2-Flotilla, Wilhelmshaven
Kptlt Kurt Dennert, Commander

Final report, patrols 6/7

March 28, 1940, 16:35
Departed: Wilhelmshaven
Mission Orders: Patrol grid BE21

April 1, 1940, 14:05
Grid AN 43
Ship sunk: SS Prince (Large Cargo), 7531 tons
Cargo: Aircraft
Crew/lost: 54/19

April 12, 1940, 06:41
Grid AF 61
Ship sunk: HMS Warspite, 36450 tons
Crew/lost: 1069/652

April 28, 1940, 08:37
Grid AM 11
Ship sunk: Talthybius (Ore Carrier), 6938 tons.
Cargo: Iron Ore
Crew/lost: 74/24

May 15, 1940, 05:54
Grid BE 74
Ship sunk: SS Wray Castle (Granville-type Freighter), 4707 tons
Cargo: Paper Products
Crew/lost: 100/12

May 15, 1940, 08:27
Grid BE 74
Ship sunk: SS Sovereign of the Seas (Medium Cargo), 4479 tons
Cargo: Textiles
Crew/lost: 60/35

May 21, 1940, 07:07
Arrived: Vigo
Rendezvous with the Bessel for repair, refueling, and rearmament

May 22, 1940, 11:52
Departed: Vigo
Mission Orders: Return to Wilhelmshaven

May 27, 1940, 02:35
Grid AM 23
Ship sunk: SS Woodbury (Granville-type Freighter), 4707 tons
Cargo: Military Stores
Crew/lost: 51/22

June 6, 1940, 00:15
Arrived: Wilhelmshaven
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 6
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonnage: 64812 tons

Awards: Kapitänleutnant Kurt Dennert, Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross; Oberleutnant z. See (Ing.) Hans Woiwode and Stabsoberbootsmann Gerhard Petersohn, Iron Cross 1st Class; Oberfähnrich z. See (Ing.) Ulrich Kaeding, Iron Cross 2nd Class and U-Boat War Badge; Matrosengefreiter Paul Hansen, U-Boat War Badge

Promotions: Oberfähnrich z. See Johannes Hutterer, to Leutnant z. See

Career Totals

Days at sea: 239
Crew losses: 0
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Merchants sunk: 39, 164864 GRT
Warships sunk: 2, 37700 GRT
Total ships sunk: 41, 202564 GRT