Tell us what you are upto in your current campaign

[KL-alfman]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

You must be kidding!
Just out of interest,I wonder if a laughing genie would make a good conning tower emblem? hmm.Not for me that is,but for yourself jim?,you like genies hehe.
Would it be pronounced "die laufen geist?"

to laugh = lachen
to run = laufen
emblem would be: "der lachende Geist"

or better: "der Flaschengeist"
(as in: genie in a bottle)

[gazpode_l]

All
I've tattled around a lot within SH3 a few years ago when I first purchased the game, but was very limited on what I could do at the time because my dad's machine would barely run it.

Now a few years later, I've got myself a laptop sufficiently powerful to run all the internal views and zoomed periscope views at a comfy rate (ok my external frames still suffer but that's a graphic card prob I think) so I’m finally managing to get a lot of immersion with the game (esp. with the arrival of GWX - greywolves expansion)

During this week I've played through my second patrol and having been lucky enough to be given an IXB straight out of the box. (Based from Lorient) After leaving base I decided to head up the Irish sea on a northerly course and before long I'd reached just off Holyhead and had just sunk my forth vessel of this patrol, a "medium cargo".

Previously I had despatched an "ASW Trawler", "FAST Torpedo Boat" and a "small tanker"

I was barely N/W of Holyhead when I got word by radio of a medium/large convoy in my area (I say med/lg because it was reported by the game as large, yet when it arrive I only detected around nine/ten enemy ships).

I looked at its reported position and they were just beyond my copies' 8km rendering range. I plotted an intercept course on my map and realised that given their position I was in an excellent place to intercept. so I moved off west at full speed to meet the SE course line that I had drawn on my map, and upon reaching this I settled down to periscope depth to sit and wait for the convoy's arrival.

I was actually quite excited as this would be my first convoy encounter in the time I been playing this year (only did 1.5 patrol's back in 07 when I had to cope with it playing slowly on my dad's atiquainted machine!!)

The convoy duly arrived, but ahead of it was a black swan destroyer who patrolled the seas around my position. I was mid-way through changing course when he detected me (I was running A/Std) and this forced me to give up my position and take evasive manoeuvres. Before I did so I managed to get two snap shot's off towards the convoy and as I was fleeing two detonations were heard.

I later checked and it emerged I’d hit & sunk a tramp steamer and a small, light cargo. By now the convoy as a whole was upon me and my headphones were awash with sound...I was still evading that destroyer and each time I could quickly snap up a solution I decided to fire, which is where I had made a mess of this, my first convoy, as I only achieved two more hits from 11 launches!!!!

A quick glance to my rear through the periscope yielded the sight of the HMS Nelson, a huge gun battery battleship and she was about to pass 500m to my stern. I had an instant solution which I quickly worked upon, opening both rear doors and letting go two eel's. they hit onto their targets but either both were dud's or had failed to arm as they hit the ship but failed to detonate!

I began to flee and dropped to 60metres, running at ahead flank at times to evade my persistent pursuers who were still continuing to track me on & off. My next trip up to periscope depth yielded the destroyer in my rear sights and I let another eel go which this time ran right underneath virtually the whole ship before detonating at his stern!!!

No more screws on the prop-shaft and a large hole ensured that within five minutes, his wrecked hull was sliding below. I thought I’d won myself the opportunity at a second go at the convoy but quickly realised the impossibility of this as I had now expended 13 of my remaining 16 torpedo's for only three additional kills, five hits and the other eight eels all missing their targets.

I then noticed I had a flower corvette steaming towards me and I let my last eel go out of my stern (I did have two more but they were external reserves) this too was looking a dead cert kill until the corvette managed to turn and avoid the torpedo at the last minute, Amazed at this guy's skilful helming, I cursed, ordered a crash dive and we slunk below to 95metres with depth charges going off above us.

I was barely 15 metres above the sea floor when I took a quick look at external view to see more D/C falling around us, once bounced off my bow and exploded directly above!!! I had the simplified damage model enabled in the game options, but even still this dealt a fatal blow to my ship and within five minutes U-103 was lost to the corvette with all hands due to the overwhelming flooding in the bow.

So that is the end of my first career within SH3 and I must say it was a joy to play. Other members have remarked in a different thread that most play the part of when you are dead, you're dead!

I will backup my save and will use it occasionally to practice convoy attacks as this one ran relatively freely, a lot better than I’d expected with a convoy and didn't slow my m/c too much. I'm wondering if they new convoy attack single player missions are like this too!

Loving the grey wolves experience.

[KL-alfman]

exciting story!

just one remark:
I try to stay away from the lead-escort at least 1,000-1,500m. the chances of being detected are quite low at this range. creeping at 2kn at a perpendicular course to the convoy's bearing will get you in a fine position. you either can surface amidst the convoy (early at war and in poor visability) or shoot all your 6eels submerged.
when the explosions are then all around you, the escorts seem to be puzzled where to look for you and you can safely escape at 160m .....

just my 2€-cents

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by KL-alfman

to laugh = lachen
to run = laufen
emblem would be: "der lachende Geist"

or better: "der Flaschengeist"
(as in: genie in a bottle)

Thanks for the translation Mr Alfman
Just one thing,the 'die' 'der' always confused me.I understand die is informal,and der is formal?,like names or places,rivers etc...DER Rhine (interesting).

Assigned grid DC71. (150 miles east of Florida, USA)

Patrol dates: 15.jul.42 til 30.okt.42.

Decided to take this patrol a-little further, like the Gulf Of Mexico via Florida Straits.

24.jul.42 01.36 BE66
Little Merchant sunk in a night surface attack. 2.343 GRT.

3.aug.42 10.19 BD46
C2 Cargo sunk in daylight submerged attack. 6.446 GRT.

8.aug.42 02.28 CD16
Little Merchant sunk in night surface attack. 2.335 GRT.

26.aug.42 03.30 DC71
On station.

29.aug.42 13.50 DB98
Entering Florida Straights.

21.42
Coastal Merchant sunk after being disabled in daylight submerged attack. 2.017 GRT.

30.aug.42 20.32 DM26
Fishing Boat sunk in deck gun attack. 82 GRT.

1.sep.42 01.40 DM29
Alarm! Aircraft.

2.sep.42 23.34 DM27
Entering Gulf Of Mexico. 12 miles south of Key West Naval Base.

4.sep.42 03.46 DM19
Status report sent. Big mistake!

List of crash dives for aircraft:
5.sep.42 02.31 DM42
5.sep.42 22.13 DM42
7.sep.42 22.17 DL66 (Begin withdrawal south of Cuba.)
11.sep.42 12.41 DM73 (While overtaking merchant.)
13.sep.42 20.50 DM86 (Fighter. No depth charges. No injuries.)
14.sep.42 21.42 DM94

16.sep.42 13.00 DM95
Passing 5 miles south of Eastern Cuba.

30.okt.42 02.10 BF61
Docked at Lorient. Boat and crew intact.

Patrol results: 5 ships sunk for 13.223 GRT.

U502's history to date:
4 patrols between 29.sep.41 and 30.okt.42.
15 ships sunk for 56.504 GRT.

Note on the real U502:
4 patrols before being sunk in the Bay Of Biscay.
14 ships sunk for 78.843 GRT.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

Just one thing,the 'die' 'der' always confused me.I understand die is informal,and der is formal?,like names or places,rivers etc...DER Rhine (interesting).

Der/die/das when used as the definite article (English the) before a singular noun indicates the gender of the word that follows (but not necessarily the gender of the person/place/thing the word refers to).

Der is masculine, die is feminine, das is neuter (singular). Die is also the plural form for all nouns regardless of gender.

The formal/familiar differentiation comes into play with use of the German words(s) for you when addressing other people. Du (sing) and ihr (pl) are the familiar forms, Sie (sing, pl) is the formal form.

I don't know how strictly the du/Sie divide is maintained in modern German as spoken by the younger generation but the old rule I remember is, "only God, children, pets, close friends, and family are du -everybody else is Sie!"

[KL-alfman]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Der/die/das when used as the definite article (English the) before a singular noun indicates the gender of the word that follows (but not necessarily the gender of the person/place/thing the word refers to).

Der is masculine, die is feminine, das is neuter (singular). Die is also the plural form for all nouns regardless of gender.

The formal/familiar differentiation comes into play with use of the German words(s) for you when addressing other people. Du (sing) and ihr (pl) are the familiar forms, Sie (sing, pl) is the formal form.

I don't know how strictly the du/Sie divide is maintained in modern German as spoken by the younger generation but the old rule I remember is, "only God, children, pets, close friends, and family are du -everybody else is Sie!"

Frau Kaleun, you are a genius in linguistics!
I'm deeply impressed by your knowledge.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by KL-alfman

Frau Kaleun, you are a genius in linguistics!
I'm deeply impressed by your knowledge.

Thanks, but if I really were a genius I could actually speak another language instead of just knowing something about how bits of them work.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Thanks, but if I really were a genius I could actually speak another language instead of just knowing something about how bits of them work.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

According to Google Translate, what I should've said was:

Danke, aber wenn ich wirklich ein Genie ich eigentlich eine andere Sprache sprechen könnte, anstatt nur zu wissen, etwas darüber, wie Bits von ihnen arbeiten.

Close enough for gubmint work?

[KL-alfman]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

According to Google Translate, what I should've said was:

Danke, aber wenn ich wirklich ein Genie ich eigentlich eine andere Sprache sprechen könnte, anstatt nur zu wissen, etwas darüber, wie Bits von ihnen arbeiten.

Close enough for gubmint work?

not exactly:
Danke, aber wenn ich wirklich ein Genie wäre, könnte ich eigentlich eine andere Sprache sprechen, anstatt nur zu wissen, wie Bruchstücke von ihnen arbeiten.

but it was quite close.
if you remember "babble-fish" five years ago .....

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by KL-alfman

not exactly:
Danke, aber wenn ich wirklich ein Genie wäre, könnte ich eigentlich eine andere Sprache sprechen, anstatt nur zu wissen, wie Bruchstücke von ihnen arbeiten.

but it was quite close.
if you remember "babble-fish" five years ago .....

Well I figured "sprechen" as an infinitive should've been at the end of that clause but the rest I wouldn't even have guessed at. And I thought surely "arbeiten" wasn't the best translation of "work" in that context.

You see? I'm NOT a genius.

[KL-alfman]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Well I figured "sprechen" as an infinitive should've been at the end of that clause but the rest I wouldn't even have guessed at. And I thought surely "arbeiten" wasn't the best translation of "work" in that context.

You see? I'm NOT a genius.

you are again right.
the clause (german translation by Google) could have been more elaborated and some expressions like "arbeiten" are not quite elegant.
"funktionieren" might be a better one.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by KL-alfman

you are again right.
the clause (german translation by Google) could have been more elaborated and some expressions like "arbeiten" are not quite elegant.
"funktionieren" might be a better one.

It's twoo! It's twoo! I is smart!

[MoN]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

I don't know how strictly the du/Sie divide is maintained in modern German as spoken by the younger generation but the old rule I remember is, "only God, children, pets, close friends, and family are du -everybody else is Sie!"

It´s not quite as strict, i.e. coeds and coworkers are usually "per du", but still lots of possibilities to **** up and embarace yourself.

I guess it´s something you get used to rather fast, tho. Like people you just met the other day greeting you with hugs and kisses in francophone countries.