BB or Merchants. Which to (try and) take?

Kptlt. Neuerburg · 12-31-07, 11:20 PM

April 1940.

SinkingFeeling · 12-31-07, 11:41 PM

Thanks for the thoughts...

It's only November '39, so I've got plenty of time to get up to Norway, and I've been lucky enough in previous careers to have encountered BB's, so I'm leaning towards going for the merchants. I'm in a near ideal position, but the proximity of a number of escorts is starting to get me worried, so I might just try and put a torpedo in each of the 4 soft targets to slow them down (and hopefully sink one or two), use the reload time to evade (again, hopefully!) and come around for a second pass to finish them off. If I've got the time I'll get a shot off at the BB, and cross all my appendages that I get a magazine hit

Wish me luck, I'm going in!!

gimpy117 · 12-31-07, 11:45 PM

any dd's around? if no kill the cattleblip and gun down the tankers...

i say the BB, it's worth A LOT of iron, those ships were hard to build, and that's one less BB for the brits

i still cant tell why i haven't seen a BB yet....the best ive got is a large destroyer...

or you could shoot 2 at the bb, two at the choice tankers and save one in the aft for if you need it for A. another tanker or B. A mercy shot

FIREWALL · 01-01-08, 12:04 AM

No Contest . A real Kaleun would follow Bdu doctrine and orders.

UnterseeBoogeyMan · 01-01-08, 12:49 AM

In reality, a sub captain would go for the merchants. I am assuming the battleships would travel at the center of the convoy and generally the most valuable ships were placed there. I read Convoy about HX-122 in 43, where the lower valued tramp-steamers and the like would be put on the outside. Therefore, it makes the probabilitylow that a torpedo would strike home on a target in the center of the convoy.

In GWX, 1939, ASW has not been fully developed in the Royal Navy yet, so you can get away with getting inside the convoy to loose off some shots at the battleship.
However, other posters are right, there are several opportunities to sink battleships, cruisers and troopships in Operation Weserabung, the German invasion of Norway.
Check out the GWX manual for Campaigns. The movements of task forces and groups will clue you in on where to intercept. This is very important as warships unencumbered by slow merchants are very fast - your window for a good intercept and a good shot are narrow. Good hunting

Torplexed · 01-01-08, 02:03 AM

The battleships are put there to protect the merchants from German surface raiders. So if you sink the battleship you are making life easier for the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, Bismarck, et al. :p We are all one big happy fleet.

BulSoldier · 01-01-08, 05:55 AM

It is really hard choice to make.On one hand you have tankers that are very valeuble (oh my that vodka distrupt my typing capability) with the fuel they carry.BUt on the other hand you have BB that take several years( or less it depends on the ship)to be build.

In moments like this i would like to see 2-3 more submarines and send the whole convoy to the bottom

I would go for the tankers.No fuel, no BBs would patrol around Fatherland :hmm:

12-31-07, 11:20 PM	#1
Kptlt. Neuerburg Admiral Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 2,279 Downloads: 54 Uploads: 0	April 1940. __________________ "When you're born into this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show. If you're born in America you get a front row seat." - George Carlin

01-01-08, 12:04 AM	#4
FIREWALL Eternal Patrol Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CATALINA IS. SO . CAL USA Posts: 10,108 Downloads: 511 Uploads: 0	No Contest . A real Kaleun would follow Bdu doctrine and orders. __________________ RIP FIREWALL I Play GWX. Silent Hunter Who ???

01-01-08, 02:03 AM	#6
Torplexed Let's Sink Sumptin' ! Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,823 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	The battleships are put there to protect the merchants from German surface raiders. So if you sink the battleship you are making life easier for the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, Bismarck, et al. :p We are all one big happy fleet. __________________ --Mobilis in Mobili--

01-01-08, 05:55 AM	#7
BulSoldier Samurai Navy Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Burgas/Bulgaria Posts: 550 Downloads: 40 Uploads: 0	It is really hard choice to make.On one hand you have tankers that are very valeuble (oh my that vodka distrupt my typing capability) with the fuel they carry.BUt on the other hand you have BB that take several years( or less it depends on the ship)to be build. In moments like this i would like to see 2-3 more submarines and send the whole convoy to the bottom I would go for the tankers.No fuel, no BBs would patrol around Fatherland :hmm: __________________ By the hour !

12-31-07, 11:41 PM	#2
SinkingFeeling Watch Join Date: May 2007 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 15 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the thoughts... It's only November '39, so I've got plenty of time to get up to Norway, and I've been lucky enough in previous careers to have encountered BB's, so I'm leaning towards going for the merchants. I'm in a near ideal position, but the proximity of a number of escorts is starting to get me worried, so I might just try and put a torpedo in each of the 4 soft targets to slow them down (and hopefully sink one or two), use the reload time to evade (again, hopefully!) and come around for a second pass to finish them off. If I've got the time I'll get a shot off at the BB, and cross all my appendages that I get a magazine hit Wish me luck, I'm going in!!

12-31-07, 11:45 PM	#3
gimpy117 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Kalamazoo, MI Posts: 3,243 Downloads: 108 Uploads: 0	any dd's around? if no kill the cattleblip and gun down the tankers... i say the BB, it's worth A LOT of iron, those ships were hard to build, and that's one less BB for the brits i still cant tell why i haven't seen a BB yet....the best ive got is a large destroyer... or you could shoot 2 at the bb, two at the choice tankers and save one in the aft for if you need it for A. another tanker or B. A mercy shot

01-01-08, 12:49 AM	#5
UnterseeBoogeyMan Ensign Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: The Land of Cholla Cactus and Red Chile Posts: 224 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	In reality, a sub captain would go for the merchants. I am assuming the battleships would travel at the center of the convoy and generally the most valuable ships were placed there. I read Convoy about HX-122 in 43, where the lower valued tramp-steamers and the like would be put on the outside. Therefore, it makes the probabilitylow that a torpedo would strike home on a target in the center of the convoy. In GWX, 1939, ASW has not been fully developed in the Royal Navy yet, so you can get away with getting inside the convoy to loose off some shots at the battleship. However, other posters are right, there are several opportunities to sink battleships, cruisers and troopships in Operation Weserabung, the German invasion of Norway. Check out the GWX manual for Campaigns. The movements of task forces and groups will clue you in on where to intercept. This is very important as warships unencumbered by slow merchants are very fast - your window for a good intercept and a good shot are narrow. Good hunting