How to be a better SH player!

[Drakken]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

Fwiw, using your torpedo to tonnage ratio examples. IRL according to the Blair books, a 8-10k ship would usually get 3-4 torpedoes fired at it (a plum prize that size, torpedo reliability, etc.) and it wasn't uncommon for even smaller ships to get the same treatment.
The "two torpedoes on the big one and a single on the two mid-size/smaller ones" that can easily be done game wise, would have been more like "all four at one of them" in reality.
So thats how I handle such but of course everyone is free to play the game as they see fit.

Very interesting. I really need to read the Blair books.

I believed rationing torpedoes was a thing because the aim was to remain operational for when the boat reached their assigned patrol grid to attack convoys. Hence the "ratio". Then again, in the game we encounter far more traffic than real-life Kaleuns really did.

So, aside to serve as moving weather stations or convoy shadower, I take that u-boats often went to submarine tenders to resupply in torpedoes?

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Drakken

Very interesting. I really need to read the Blair books.

I believed rationing torpedoes was a thing because the aim was to remain operational for when the boat reached their assigned patrol grid to attack convoys. Hence the "ratio". Then again, in the game we encounter far more traffic than real-life Kaleuns really did.

So, aside to serve as moving weather stations or convoy shadower, I take that u-boats often went to submarine tenders to resupply in torpedoes?

Blair's books can help a lot in playing "realistically".

Yes, they went to resupply u-boats/tankers (milk cows) for torpedoes, but those didn't start until 1942 and was never a full resupply. Occasionally, regular boats gave torpedoes that they couldn't/wouldn't use for various reasons to boats that could too.
Although the game allows it, irl the various interned German supply ships never provided torpedoes; only the milk cows did.

Regarding the ratio, we also have much more reliable (and possibly more powerful) torpedoes in the game vs. reality (even with the various patches available) and there was a very strong "bird in the hand" line of thought emphasized to commanders.
I.e., better to sink one ship than only damage a few, etc.