U-boat Tactics and the Radio Log Mod - Page 2

rudewarrior · 08-02-11, 10:04 PM

Hi Everyone,
I usually try to play this game as “realistically” as possible, within reason, e.g. when my u-boat goes down I don’t go drown myself in the bathtub.

One thing that I have attempted to do is play the tactics as issued by BdU as was actually occurring in the war. A good example is the requirement that only impact pistols were used in the beginning of the war. The problem I have been having is that I find it difficult to remember exactly what the conditions are when I am in-game. So I have been using the Radio Log Mod to try and determine what these conditions are. I have been able to break it down by categories to what I have at the end of the post, but I do have some questions about what is actually being communicated. I am also interested in any other conditions that might be appropriate for u-boat tactics as applies in-game. However, I have to operate somewhat in reason, as some conditions aren’t really appropriate to how the game operates. For example, the requirement that radio silence be maintained except when attacking, may be sacrificed, as the radio is minimally used anyway, and space will be limited for the personal mod that I will be making to add this so that I can refer to it in the game. So here is what I have so far broken down by category. I didn’t actually include the messages from the radio log in the interest of space. If you are interested in checking my info, or you want to just look at the message, I suggest you check the Radio Log to verify it.

Ultimately, I would appreciate any help with determining what actual conditions were, and I have added some notes to my explanations. Some of them are pretty easy to discern, some I have questions about, and I would really appreciate some help there. It is also to be understood that I am using the full Merchant Fleet Mod that allows for enemy shipping that has "neutral" markings.

France
9/3/1939 Defensive action against French Shipping.
9/24/1939 French shipping is now an eligible target.
Passenger Ships
9/4/1939 Passenger ships are not eligible targets. (This included the Passenger/Cargo ship)
9/24/1939 Small passenger ships are eligible targets. (Now Passenger/Cargo is eligible, but not liners)
10/27/1939 Liners sailing in convoy are eligible targets.
11/12/1939 Armed liners are eligible targets.
11/17/1939 " (I can’t tell if this message is any different)
2/23/1940 Non-neutral liners in "darkened" regions. (This seems to refer to the “Blockade” messages below, which I also have questions about)
8/17/1940 Hostile liners in the area around GB.
8/17/1940 Hostile liners up to 20 deg. West? (Again referring to “Blockade?”)
Torpedo Settings
9/8/1939 Impact pistols on ships < 3kT.
10/18/1939 Impact pistols only.
10/20/1939 Ships with drawing < 4m are not eligible targets.
11/10/1939 Magnetic pistols are standard.
4/12/1940 N of 62 lat. (Norway mission) 2 torps 8 sec. diff, one impact one mag.
5/23/1940 Impact pistols only. (When did this policy end?)
6/4/1940 "
6/1/1942 F.A.T. fired only at night. (Did this policy ever end?)
Capital/Combat Ships
9/7/1939 Naval ships are not eligible targets.
8/13/1941 Escort ships are priority. (Did this policy ever end?)
8/13/1941 "
Area of Operations
10/19/1939 Darkened ships extended to 20 deg. W. Sunk by torpedoes only.
10/29/1939 No surface approach of shipping in the North Sea to include W of Orkneys
1/6/1940 Submerged attacks in eastern coastal area A.
1/10/1940 Submerged attacks in English Waters.
1/12/1940 Submerged attacks in eastern coastal area A & B.
1/24/1940 Submerged attacks in eastern coastal areas A, B, & C.
1/24/1940 A extended 2 deg E, B S and SW to 10 deg W including Irish Sea.
5/24/1940 Submerged W of Scotland and off French Atl. Coast, zones E & F.
5/24/1940 "
7/31/1940 Patrol Areas designated in AN are no longer relevant.
7/31/1940 "
There is some general confusion about what these regions actually are. So extending the “darkened ships” region to 20 deg. W doesn’t really mean anything to me. Also what are these coastal area designations? As far as I can tell it is not related to the Kriegsmarine map system. The whole “sunk by torpedoes only” thing is a little confusing, too. So I can’t use the deck gun anywhere around Britain during these times? Why was this policy in place (out of curiosity)?
English Channel
11/1/1939 English channel is now off limits.
6/25/1940 English channel is now open. (When did this policy end?)
Norway Ops
3/2/1940 Atlantic ops suspended indefinitely.
3/5/1940 (Further U-boat sailings are to be stopped. U-boats which have already sailed are not to operate off the Norwegian coast) Does this really affect gameplay?
4/7/1940 Operation Hartmut begins.
4/26/1940 Cease Norway Ops.
Do tactics change for this (other than torpedo settings)? More specifically, does any of this actually effect in game tactics?
Radio
12/5/1940 Radio Silenced Except When Attacking
6/9/1941 Minimized Radio Usage
6/9/1941 "
Are these relevant to in game tactics? It seems the radio is used pretty minimally anyway, and as far as I know HF/DF is not included in the game.
US
4/1/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances.
5/1/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances.
5/1/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances.
6/20/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances.
6/21/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances.
6/21/1941 "
7/1/1941 No US merchant ships.
7/1/1941 No US merchant ships.
7/9/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances.
7/9/1941 "
7/12/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances.
12/9/1941 US Ships are eligible for attack.
Blockade
5/16/1941 Operations: The order given to the Western boats on procedure in the blockade area has been altered as follows on the instructions of the Naval War Staff:|Immediate action is permitted outside the blockade area:|In accordance with Standing war Order No. 101 paragraph II 4 b - d and 5. Against enemy merchant ships in neutral convoy. Warships sailing outside the blockade area, independent or as convoy escort, are only to be attacked if they are identified as enemy for certain or if darkened or if they take action first.||BdU

8/1/1941 |1941/08/01|Attacks are now permitted on all destroyers and smaller warships provided they are within the old German blockade area, declared on 17th August, 1940, whose boundary coincded with the U.S.A. Zone along the 20th meridian. Outside of this area, that is the new blockade area of 1st April, 1941, only clearly identifiable enemy warships may be attacked. As this can not be clearly established during the hours of darkness, warships with convoys, single destroyers, and A/S vessels may not be attacked at night outside the old blockade area, even if attacked.||BdU
I’m not sure if these actually have any implications. Some help here would be nice.
Bay of Biscay
6/24/1942 Submerged in BOB.
5/1/1943 Submerged in BOB, but recharge in daylight, and fight aircraft on surface.
5/1/1943 "
8/2/1943 In BOB, proceed along Spanish coast, Metox off.
8/2/1943 "
8/27/1944 N/A (^Deutsche Kräfte auf See^ The area off the Biscay ports is no longer to be a field of operation owing to lack of counter-measures to the extensive mine and air danger and search groups.||BdU) (It seems that this really doesn’t effect in game behavior.)
Is there more information to supplement these policies? I know that crossing the BOB became problematic during the war and tactics were changed, such as using U-Flaks (that also aren’t in the game), so is there a good way to deal with this?
Other
9/7/1941 Italian based U-boats must go to French bases for repair. (Can this even be simulated?)
2/7/1943 Outrun corvettes on surface to. Engage aircraft on surface during daytime
2/7/1943 only dive when ocean depth is 80+ m. (This is a complex order, also when did this policy change?)
12/4/1943 No single vessel attacks in area encompassed by EF63-EH63-DE36-DD24 (When did this policy end?)
12/28/1943 Attempt to fire at a depth ~20 m preferably with F.A.T's or Zaunkonigs.
12/28/1943 "
12/28/1943 "
12/28/1943 " (I couldn’t tell from this message if this was or was not actually implemented. It seems from the message that is what they wanted to move to, but I can’t really see it being successful, nor a method that would be used for long)
1/26/1944 After firing Zaunkonig torps, dive to 30+m.
12/14/1944 In coastal waters operate at perisope depth during the day, but with
12/14/1944 minimal radio contact. (Can this be feasibly done in game? )

Ultimately this idea is still somewhat in its beginning stages, so any enlightenment would be helpful.

08-02-11, 10:04 PM	#1
rudewarrior Sonar Guy Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Middlebury, VT, USA Posts: 378 Downloads: 165 Uploads: 2	U-boat Tactics and the Radio Log Mod Hi Everyone, I usually try to play this game as “realistically” as possible, within reason, e.g. when my u-boat goes down I don’t go drown myself in the bathtub. One thing that I have attempted to do is play the tactics as issued by BdU as was actually occurring in the war. A good example is the requirement that only impact pistols were used in the beginning of the war. The problem I have been having is that I find it difficult to remember exactly what the conditions are when I am in-game. So I have been using the Radio Log Mod to try and determine what these conditions are. I have been able to break it down by categories to what I have at the end of the post, but I do have some questions about what is actually being communicated. I am also interested in any other conditions that might be appropriate for u-boat tactics as applies in-game. However, I have to operate somewhat in reason, as some conditions aren’t really appropriate to how the game operates. For example, the requirement that radio silence be maintained except when attacking, may be sacrificed, as the radio is minimally used anyway, and space will be limited for the personal mod that I will be making to add this so that I can refer to it in the game. So here is what I have so far broken down by category. I didn’t actually include the messages from the radio log in the interest of space. If you are interested in checking my info, or you want to just look at the message, I suggest you check the Radio Log to verify it. Ultimately, I would appreciate any help with determining what actual conditions were, and I have added some notes to my explanations. Some of them are pretty easy to discern, some I have questions about, and I would really appreciate some help there. It is also to be understood that I am using the full Merchant Fleet Mod that allows for enemy shipping that has "neutral" markings. France 9/3/1939 Defensive action against French Shipping. 9/24/1939 French shipping is now an eligible target. Passenger Ships 9/4/1939 Passenger ships are not eligible targets. (This included the Passenger/Cargo ship) 9/24/1939 Small passenger ships are eligible targets. (Now Passenger/Cargo is eligible, but not liners) 10/27/1939 Liners sailing in convoy are eligible targets. 11/12/1939 Armed liners are eligible targets. 11/17/1939 " (I can’t tell if this message is any different) 2/23/1940 Non-neutral liners in "darkened" regions. (This seems to refer to the “Blockade” messages below, which I also have questions about) 8/17/1940 Hostile liners in the area around GB. 8/17/1940 Hostile liners up to 20 deg. West? (Again referring to “Blockade?”) Torpedo Settings 9/8/1939 Impact pistols on ships < 3kT. 10/18/1939 Impact pistols only. 10/20/1939 Ships with drawing < 4m are not eligible targets. 11/10/1939 Magnetic pistols are standard. 4/12/1940 N of 62 lat. (Norway mission) 2 torps 8 sec. diff, one impact one mag. 5/23/1940 Impact pistols only. (When did this policy end?) 6/4/1940 " 6/1/1942 F.A.T. fired only at night. (Did this policy ever end?) Capital/Combat Ships 9/7/1939 Naval ships are not eligible targets. 8/13/1941 Escort ships are priority. (Did this policy ever end?) 8/13/1941 " Area of Operations 10/19/1939 Darkened ships extended to 20 deg. W. Sunk by torpedoes only. 10/29/1939 No surface approach of shipping in the North Sea to include W of Orkneys 1/6/1940 Submerged attacks in eastern coastal area A. 1/10/1940 Submerged attacks in English Waters. 1/12/1940 Submerged attacks in eastern coastal area A & B. 1/24/1940 Submerged attacks in eastern coastal areas A, B, & C. 1/24/1940 A extended 2 deg E, B S and SW to 10 deg W including Irish Sea. 5/24/1940 Submerged W of Scotland and off French Atl. Coast, zones E & F. 5/24/1940 " 7/31/1940 Patrol Areas designated in AN are no longer relevant. 7/31/1940 " There is some general confusion about what these regions actually are. So extending the “darkened ships” region to 20 deg. W doesn’t really mean anything to me. Also what are these coastal area designations? As far as I can tell it is not related to the Kriegsmarine map system. The whole “sunk by torpedoes only” thing is a little confusing, too. So I can’t use the deck gun anywhere around Britain during these times? Why was this policy in place (out of curiosity)? English Channel 11/1/1939 English channel is now off limits. 6/25/1940 English channel is now open. (When did this policy end?) Norway Ops 3/2/1940 Atlantic ops suspended indefinitely. 3/5/1940 (Further U-boat sailings are to be stopped. U-boats which have already sailed are not to operate off the Norwegian coast) Does this really affect gameplay? 4/7/1940 Operation Hartmut begins. 4/26/1940 Cease Norway Ops. Do tactics change for this (other than torpedo settings)? More specifically, does any of this actually effect in game tactics? Radio 12/5/1940 Radio Silenced Except When Attacking 6/9/1941 Minimized Radio Usage 6/9/1941 " Are these relevant to in game tactics? It seems the radio is used pretty minimally anyway, and as far as I know HF/DF is not included in the game. US 4/1/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances. 5/1/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances. 5/1/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances. 6/20/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances. 6/21/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances. 6/21/1941 " 7/1/1941 No US merchant ships. 7/1/1941 No US merchant ships. 7/9/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances. 7/9/1941 " 7/12/1941 No US Ships under any circumstances. 12/9/1941 US Ships are eligible for attack. Blockade 5/16/1941 Operations: The order given to the Western boats on procedure in the blockade area has been altered as follows on the instructions of the Naval War Staff:\|Immediate action is permitted outside the blockade area:\|In accordance with Standing war Order No. 101 paragraph II 4 b - d and 5. Against enemy merchant ships in neutral convoy. Warships sailing outside the blockade area, independent or as convoy escort, are only to be attacked if they are identified as enemy for certain or if darkened or if they take action first.\|\|BdU 8/1/1941 \|1941/08/01\|Attacks are now permitted on all destroyers and smaller warships provided they are within the old German blockade area, declared on 17th August, 1940, whose boundary coincded with the U.S.A. Zone along the 20th meridian. Outside of this area, that is the new blockade area of 1st April, 1941, only clearly identifiable enemy warships may be attacked. As this can not be clearly established during the hours of darkness, warships with convoys, single destroyers, and A/S vessels may not be attacked at night outside the old blockade area, even if attacked.\|\|BdU I’m not sure if these actually have any implications. Some help here would be nice. Bay of Biscay 6/24/1942 Submerged in BOB. 5/1/1943 Submerged in BOB, but recharge in daylight, and fight aircraft on surface. 5/1/1943 " 8/2/1943 In BOB, proceed along Spanish coast, Metox off. 8/2/1943 " 8/27/1944 N/A (^Deutsche Kräfte auf See^ The area off the Biscay ports is no longer to be a field of operation owing to lack of counter-measures to the extensive mine and air danger and search groups.\|\|BdU) (It seems that this really doesn’t effect in game behavior.) Is there more information to supplement these policies? I know that crossing the BOB became problematic during the war and tactics were changed, such as using U-Flaks (that also aren’t in the game), so is there a good way to deal with this? Other 9/7/1941 Italian based U-boats must go to French bases for repair. (Can this even be simulated?) 2/7/1943 Outrun corvettes on surface to. Engage aircraft on surface during daytime 2/7/1943 only dive when ocean depth is 80+ m. (This is a complex order, also when did this policy change?) 12/4/1943 No single vessel attacks in area encompassed by EF63-EH63-DE36-DD24 (When did this policy end?) 12/28/1943 Attempt to fire at a depth ~20 m preferably with F.A.T's or Zaunkonigs. 12/28/1943 " 12/28/1943 " 12/28/1943 " (I couldn’t tell from this message if this was or was not actually implemented. It seems from the message that is what they wanted to move to, but I can’t really see it being successful, nor a method that would be used for long) 1/26/1944 After firing Zaunkonig torps, dive to 30+m. 12/14/1944 In coastal waters operate at perisope depth during the day, but with 12/14/1944 minimal radio contact. (Can this be feasibly done in game? ) Ultimately this idea is still somewhat in its beginning stages, so any enlightenment would be helpful.