VIEW: Type IXCs are a death trap in late 42, early 43.

[RoaldLarsen]

I run with 100% realism setting and play DiD. With Type IXs, it seems D is VERY DEAD.

I've started 4 careers in IXC and IXC/40 boats. (Call them 'L', 'M', 'N' and 'W'. Three have been sunk (L, M and W). All three were sunk by aircraft. Two of these (M and W) were on their first patrol. These two were sunk on their second and first air attack, respectively. The other victim (L) was on its fifth patrol and had undergone 22 air attacks on its final patrol, as well as five other aircraft sightings that did not result in an attack. The surviving boat (N) was severely damaged by aircraft on its most recent patrol and just barely managed to limp back to port. M was sunk in late '42, L and W in March '43, and N was damaged in late February '43.

I'm not careless with my IX boats. I had two careers in IXBs with a total of 20 war patrols. Both Kaleuns retired unscathed. (One was my top ace with nearly 400kT sunk). My IXCs are spending 80%-90% of the time submerged. They come up only at night to recharge batteries and load externally stored torpedoes. In calm to moderate seas they run with decks awash to reduce dive time. The watch crews are rotated regularly to ensure that they are alert. They all have radar warning detectors and the most up-to-date batteries. When submerged I generally run at an average of 3 knots to conserve battery life and reduce recharging time.

Once the allies expand their air coverage, the slower dive times and longer battery recharge times seem to make type IXs more vulnerable to air attack than type VIIs. Their longer patrol routes expose them to more days subject to air patrols. (The 27 encounters that L had with aircraft on its last patrol all occurred before the boat even reached its designated patrol area off the Bahamas.)

Do any experienced Type IX Kaleuns have any suggestions about how to survive in a Type IX during the first half of '43? (I'm not interested in exploits like: "run at TC 1024 to reduce detection by aircraft.") When schnorkels become available, do they help?