Tell us what you are upto in your current campaign

[andwii]

Originally Posted by roadrage

BdU regrets to inform you that Oberleutnant z. S. Helmut Bornmann and U-66 were lost on 04DEC42 due to a night time air attack.

I, Josef Schrein and my crew of U-65 give our sincere condolences to you, your crew, and your crews familes. Its shame that such a good commander had to go so soon.

Originally Posted by VONHARRIS

Shelling the Statue of Liberty doesn't seem a good idea.
How do you intend to put your boat inside that harbor?

I always sneak up to where the nets are, and wait till midnight. (Local time.) Then I slowly creep forward, using the scope to hopefully see the net in time. (I have to be extremely close to the net to see it this way.) Then, I give the word to go to 10m or so, hit flank speed, and when I feel we're over the net, I order the boat to periscope depth, while slowing the boat again. The shore guns usually don't spot me, if I do it this way, and it's dark enough.

If I use TI torpedoes set to slow or medium speed, I can get enough range to hit the big ships that are often (but not always) parked near the statue, get out, and race towards deep water before the sun is up.

At various times, I've had battleships, two (24-25k ton) large troopships, and all sorts of juicy targets sit in front of that statue. The large 15k tons passenger ship that often exits the harbor, tend to be farther in, on the other side of the "city" area, all by itself. Early in the war vs the United States, it can often be easy to move around their harbor undetected, with only toothless tugboats as patrol ships.

As for actually shelling the statue? It's probably a possibility at night, but you'd have to be quick. I'd be afraid to surface, given the number of deck cannons on the merchants there... Of course, it's easy to "cheat" and shell the statue just before the U.S. joins the war.

[roadrage]

Well, that was a long career.

Leutnant z. S. Paul Hauke and U-504, type IXC, were lost on 03Jan43 due to a night time air attack.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

2.1.43. 1152 Patrol 1
U-504, 2nd Flotilla
Left at: January 2, 1943, 11:52
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid CA82
3.1.43. 0558 Patrol results
Crew losses: 49 dead
Ships sunk: 0
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonage: 0 tons

I'm not giving up. New career, Jan 43, upgrade boat and should start the first patrol Feb 43.

New Career
Leutnant z. S. Robert Buck commanding U-154, type IXC.

Short patrol. I wish we could get a radar warning set that would warn us before the aircraft are right on top of us! One lucky hit and we nearly drowned! Boys at the pen are fixing her up right now, and the officers and warrant officers are off gaining some qualifications. We gotta get the performance of this pig up or she's gonna get blown clean out of the water!

CAPTAIN'S LOG

28.1.43. 1551 Patrol 1
U-154, 2nd Flotilla
Left at: January 28, 1943, 15:51
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid GR55
29.1.43. 0236 Aircraft Spotted!
Crash dive
0237 Depth Charge attack-missed
0751 Aircraft spotted!
Crash Dive
1908 Surfaced
2101 Radar Signals!
Crash Dive
Depth Charge Attack
Hull Damaged-Stern Torpedo room
Rudders and Torpedo tubes damaged
2114 Rudders and Torpedo Tubes repaired
2115 Hull severely damaged
Decision: Return to base
2317 Surfaced
Ahead Full
30.1.43. 0701 Aircraft Spotted!
Crash Dive
0705 Ahead one-third
0709 Depth Charges in the water-missed
1833 Surfaced
1944 Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 0
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonage: 0 tons
U-boat damaged. HI 41.45%

[VONHARRIS]

Patrol No9

03 December 1940
00:37 hours U-103 left Lorient

07 December 1940
Grid BE32 - Convoy battle
03:36 hours Initial attack - 4 bow tubes fired
03:38 hours HMS Tarbart Ness F 84 (Convoy repair ship), 5215 tons. Crew: 190. Crew lost: 60
03:53 hours All tubes fired - diving to 100 to escape
03:54 hours Q Ship HMS Antoine (Medium merchant), 4043 tons. Crew: 61. Crew lost: 51
04:04 hours Depth 40m - no pinging
13:30 hours Surfaced - 9m/s winds no rain

17 December 1940
Grid AD83 - Convoy battle
12:03 hours Initial attack - 4 bow tubes fired
12:05 hours SS Akbar (Medium Merchant 40), 5926 tons. Cargo: General Cargo. Crew: 33. Crew lost: 18
12:11 hours All tubes fired - no pinging - escorts looking in the wrong place
12:42 hours Tubes reloaded - periscope depth
13:10 hours Tanker 08 spotted DIW
13:39 hours Stern shot at aft mast
13:41 hours Stern shot at forward mast
13:42 hours SS Empire Heritage (Tanker 08), 12152 tons. Cargo: Crude Oil. Crew: 54. Crew lost: 48
Three more ships were sunk by bad weather or an other attack. Icons showed up on the nav map after I disengaged.

20 December 1940
Grid AD83 - Convoy battle
18:37 hours MV Norsol (Motor Tanker), 9757 tons. Cargo: Crude Oil. Crew: 61. Crew lost: 36
18:53 hours MV Kiamichi (Small Tanker), 4509 tons. Cargo: Gasoline. Crew: 21. Crew lost: 10
19:10 hours Depth 100m escaping - distant pinging
21:00 hours Surfaced - start return trip

28 December 1940
Grid BF17
Spotted two ore carriers , opened fire with the deck gun , no return fire
20:19 hours SS Port Adelaide (Ore Carrier), 8144 tons. Cargo: Phosphates. Crew: 70. Crew lost: 66. Sunk by gunfire
And out of nowhere a shell landed almost next to the turm. The other one was armed but opened fire only after her sister was sunk.
Flank speed and down to periscope depth. An other shell fell very close to the aft torpedo room, Some minor flooding caused.
20;47 hours SS Tyndareus (Ore Carrier), 8145 tons. Cargo: Military Stores. Crew: 97. Crew lost: 49. Sunk by 3 torpedoes

30 December 1940
13:29 hours U-103 docked at Lorient
28 days at sea
8 ships sunk
57891 tons
No casualties
U-boat damaged (H.I. 89.46%)

[roadrage]

Leutnant z. S. Robert Buck commanding U-154

Almost didn't make it. I wonder if that is how Bornmann felt before he bought it, just hoping to make it home. Lost 4 men trying to slap off the bees long enough to get under, and they still landed 3 solid hits to the U-154, then another later that nearly blew the conn off. 2 of 3 flak guns destroyed. I'm definitely having a snorkel fitted before we go out again. It seems BdU sees fit to send us to the Caribbean. If the fuel holds out we might have to visit Galveston.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

31.3.43. 1813 Patrol 2
U-154, 2nd Flotilla
Left at: March 31, 1943, 18:13
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid EK17
Convoy Battle
30.4.43. 0300 Grid EJ 38 Ship sunk! SS Chr. J. Kampmann (Coastal Merchant), 2044 tons. Cargo: Timber. Crew: 24. Crew lost: 11
0301 Grid EJ 38 Ship sunk! MV British Engineer (T2 Tanker), 10871 tons. Cargo: Crude Oil. Crew: 80. Crew lost: 67
0305 Grid EJ 38 Ship sunk! SS Frances Dawson (Small Merchant), 2338 tons. Cargo: Sugar. Crew: 39. Crew lost: 36
2.5.43. 0153 Grid DT 67 Aircraft destroyed! Short Sunderland Search Plane
5.5.43. 1033 Grid DH 48 Aircraft destroyed! PBY Catalina Search Plane
9.5.43. 1038 Grid CF 24 Aircraft destroyed! Avenger Torpedo Bomber
10.5.43. 0853 Grid CF 21 Aircraft destroyed! P38 Lightning Fighter Bomber
11.5.43. 1310 Grid BE 84 Aircraft destroyed! P38 Lightning Fighter Bomber
16.5.43. 0803 Patrol results
Crew losses: 4 dead
Ships sunk: 3
Aircraft destroyed: 5
Patrol tonage: 15253 tons
U-boat damaged. (HI 18.8%)

[VONHARRIS]

Patrol No 10

29 January 1941
04:16 hours U-103 left for grid BB91 and orders to take a look at St John Harbour.

16 February 1941
Grid BB63
21:14 hours HMS Kingston Crystal (ASW Trawler), 1100 tons. Crew: 41. Crew lost: 10
21:22 hours MV Aalvesund (Tugboat), 1125 tons. Crew: 20. Crew lost: 9. Sunk by gunfire.

22:35 hours. Moved into the harbour (like U-518 did in R/L) but the attack didn't go as planned. A turbine tanker was damaged by 3 torpedoes but no ore carriers were found

17 February 1941
Grid BB63
09:46 hours HMS Brimnes (ASW Trawler), 1100 tons. Crew: 35. Crew lost: 30
When surfaced U-103 was suprised by a pair of Hurricanes. My flak gunners set one of them on fire before diving to periscope depth. Hit by DCs which caused minor flooding and damages that were quickly under control.

26 February 1941
Grid BB99
11:42 hours Dived to avoid ASW patrol

27 February 1941
Grid BB99 - convoy battle
06:51 hours Fired 3 torps - attacked by destroyer - diving to 100m
06:53 hours 2 explosions heard - depth 30m - damaged by DCs - flooding aft
06:56 hours Depth 70m - sinking by the stern - flooding
06:59 hours Depth 120m - keep sinking - flooding
07:02 hours Depth 136m - leveled the boat - flooding stopped
12:46 hours Surfaced - Ammunition ship damaged

28 February 1941
Grid BB96 - convoy battle
08:29 hours MV Empire Emerald (Tanker 01), 8590 tons. Cargo: Gasoline. Crew: 37. Crew lost: 3
08:39 hours SS Port Hardy (Heavy Merchant 01), 9092 tons. Cargo: General Cargo. Crew: 91. Crew lost: 80

01 March 1941
Grid BB99 - convoy battle
11:04 hours HMT Aquitania (Cunard liner 3), 41152 tons. Cargo: Troops. Crew: 1999. Crew lost: 1939

No torpedoes left
07 March 1941
12:25 hours Docked at SS Belchen
38 days at sea
6 ships sunk
62159 tons
U-boat damaged (H.I. 88.75%)
No casualties

[Sgt_Raa]

Sitting... looking at icon on desktop unable to play (no vid card and onboard will not suppourt )

[VONHARRIS]

Patrol 11

09 February 1941
09:00 hours After rearming and refueling U-103 left the SS Belchen and she started her patrol.

15 February 1941
Grid BB99 - convoy battle
It was discovered that both scopes were out of order. Noone checked on them before leaving SS Belchen.
Disengaged and set course for SS Belchen to repair them.

23 February 1941
10:24 hours Docked at SS Belchen once more
15 days at sea
0 ships sunk
0 tons sunk

[VONHARRIS]

Originally Posted by Sgt_Raa

Sitting... looking at icon on desktop unable to play (no vid card and onboard will not suppourt )

I wish you will get a suitable vid card soon and join the pack!

[Sgt_Raa]

Originally Posted by VONHARRIS

I wish you will get a suitable vid card soon and join the pack!

just awaiting the postman

[roadrage]

Leutnant z. S. Robert Buck commanding U-154.

What an awful month. Found a convoy near the Azores, and managed to get inside and sink 2 tankers, but that was the ONLY good thing that happened. 2 weeks averaging maybe 4 knots we finally got SE of the Azores. The tommies seem to be able to spot our snorkels easily. 13Aug depth charge hit out of nowhere, she sank to 194 before we got her back under control. That was the bad hit out of no less than 6. Flak guns, attack periscope, radar antenna, radio antenna, and the flak platform are destroyed. We are beat from just trying to hold her together to get back home. We made it about a quarter of the way to our patrol grid before damages forced us to turn around. I'm beginning to wonder if we're not safer on the surface during the day when we can actually see what's coming at us. Oh well, 2.5 months to repair the U-154 the last time. Should be close this time. The crew deserve the time off after the job they just did.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

9.8.43. 0335 Patrol 3
U-154, 2nd Flotilla
Left at: August 9, 1943, 03:35
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid EB69
12.8.43. 0647 Grid BF 73 Aircraft destroyed! B24 Liberator Bomber
16.8.43. 2344 Grid CG 17 Aircraft destroyed! Short Sunderland Search Plane
2344 Grid CG 17 Aircraft destroyed! Short Sunderland Search Plane
19.8.43. 1617 Grid CF 64 Ship sunk! MV San Alberto (T3 Tanker), 11653 tons. Cargo: Crude Oil. Crew: 44. Crew lost: 19
1631 Grid CF 64 Ship sunk! MV Athellaird (T3 Tanker), 11654 tons. Cargo: Aviation Fuel. Crew: 67. Crew lost: 17
5.9.43. 0632 Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 2
Aircraft destroyed: 3
Patrol tonage: 23307 tons
U-boat damaged (HI 33.97%)

[VONHARRIS]

Patrol No 12

24 February 1941 (A ctd during patrol 10 has messed up time)
09:10 hours U-103 left SS Belchen to attack enemy convoys

09 March 1941
Grid BB92
15:58 hours SS Reginolite (Tanker 06), 8595 tons. Cargo: Crude Oil. Crew: 63. Crew lost: 52. She fell behind her convoy.

16 March 1941
Grid BB99 - convoy battle
01:09 hours MV Eola (Small Tanker), 4769 tons. Cargo: Gasoline. Crew: 24. Crew lost: 3
01:16 hours SS Algérie (Medium Merchant 09), 3186 tons. Cargo: Paper Products. Crew: 45. Crew lost: 3
01:24 hours SS Wyvern (Medium Merchant 17), 4022 tons. Cargo: Grain. Crew: 37. Crew lost: 21

07:50 hours Surfaced but was attacked by a Consolidated PBY Catalina. On the second pass the aircraft landed a direct hit that destroyed the boat.The fuel tank exploded. All hands lost
21 days at sea
4 ships sunk
20752 tons

CAREER STATISTICS
Start date : 01 August 1939
End date : 16 March 1941
Days at sea : 362
Ships sunk : 70 (62 merchants + 8 warships)
Tonnage : 633432 (588732 merchant + 44700 warships)
Biggest merchant sunk: R.M.S. Cunard Queen Elizabeth, 87492 tons
Biggest warship sunk: HMS Warspite (Queen Elizabeth class), 36450 tons.

[roadrage]

BdU regrets to inform you that Leutnant z. S. Robert Buck and U-154 were lost on 29Feb44 when a PBY Catalina crashed into the boat after being shot down.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

13.2.44. 0731 Patrol 4
U-154, 2nd Flotilla
Left at: February 13, 1944, 07:31
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid GR83
29.2.44. 1012 Grid CG 78 Aircraft destroyed! PBY Catalina Search Plane
1012 Patrol results
Crew losses: 56 dead
Ships sunk: 0
Aircraft destroyed: 1
Patrol tonage: 0 tons
U-boat lost.

[eschemschnuz]

Dear Onkel Karl,

For starters, my apologies for the tone of my previous letter. I had no idea your end was being invaded.

Are the rumours true? Was Rommel behind the assassination attempt?
If so, why the heck was I in the Mediterranean in the first place?

Many thanks for mailing over the latest Akademie textbook "Schnorkeling 101".
Got a lot of practice in this patrol, as there was precious little to do, what with the weather and the enemy aircraft and all.

Realism @ 60%, original game specs.
Pressed the "Exit Patrol" button after 11 days.

Respectfully yours,
Eschem

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by roadrage

BdU regrets to inform you that Leutnant z. S. Robert Buck and U-154 were lost on 29Feb44 when a PBY Catalina crashed into the boat after being shot down.

A moment of silence for Robert Buck and his gallant crew. The Fatherland salutes you for your courageous service!