POLL: What kind of Kaleun are you? when attacking a convoy...do you? | Forums

[Goose_Green]

I was going to vote and post my comment until I read down a bit and saw that I had already done so - never realised this was an old thread <div class="ev_tpc_signature">


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[g8rk0k]

My tactics are to find a nice narrow strait where the water is still somewhat deep enough to evade destroyers, like the narrowest point between Ireland and Britain, dive down and sit and wait, letting the small fry go (anything smaller than coastal/small merchant - which I deck gun if the weather permits) Big ships I intercept early and torpedo. I move as slow and as little as possible (only enough to make it to the best interception point determined by hydrophone readings over time) and come up only as long as needed for air/battery charging/external torp. loading. Where I am now in my campaign (May '42) it is virutally impossible to move around on the surface in these areas because the aircraft are so thick and I still do not have a radar detector so I have changed from submerged by day surfaced by night to the opposite otherwise when it's dark Sunderlands find me with radar and my deck crew never see the bastards before it's too late.

Because of the aircraft I have decided to head out to open sea, usually into the Eastern BE area to hunt convoys. I have found it easiest to just get more or less in front of the convoy running silent at periscope depth and creep in as the leading escort passes in front of me at no less than 1km. I open my tube doors and allow my prey to move in front of me and shoot at the closest range possible as they pass. Then I silently creep down to a depth of 150 meters and head toward the rear and off to the side of the convoy. I plot a line in which direction the convoy is moving, creep away and then come up to the surface and at flank speed follow a parallel course about 10 km out from the line I plotted that they are following. By the time I get around to the front to repeat my attack on the next collumn they have usually stopped their evasive weaving and I start again.

I hate doing this to be honest, I really don't have the time to back up if the second or third ship (i.e. c3-c2-c2) starts to weave toward me unless I go back emergency and that would quit likely mean getting detected and depth charged. By the time he passes in front of me he is often too close to shoot and being any further back usually means being in the path of the outside collumn that more often than not is full of small merchants which I avoid wasting torpedoes on. There have been times when It was pitch dark and I have made surfaced attacks on convoys 3-4 km out from me but have had little success sinking anything other than c3's and troop transports with this methods. Tankers and c2's won't even slow down after taking a hit unless it's precisely in their weak areas.

[icyfire84]

i cross the T of the convoy, and target the lead or most dangerous escort with an electric fish so they dont see the wake. especially destroyers. then i surface and let my elite gun crew take care of any vettes.

then i let loose till im completely out of ordnance, targeting tankers and transports or any other high value targets, then large cargo ships. i fire a single fish at large cargoes and finis em with the deck gun

my best total was about 15 ships and 99000 tonz

[takfo]

In my last mission, I came across a mixt convoy. After sinking the 2 {V&W and Clemson }escorts, I proceeded in sinking all the british ships (the neutrals were all T2 and T3 tankers, + a few C2). I even sunk some small merchants with the heavy flack (twin 37 mm). My best patrol to date, with 77 000 tones.<div class="ev_tpc_signature">

We should never forget those who fought during WW2!

[Baldricks_Mate]

I pick a line of attack from my current position across the convoy's path. It is usually between 45 to 90 degrees to avoid bad AOB's.

Each target is allocated torpedos. Some torps are set on magnetic, some on impact depending on the intended target and its position. The initial torps are set for as many simaltaneous impacts that I can handle. I do not care if its a liner or an escort, if its the chosen target, it gets a torp.

One front reload and the rear tube are for anti escort work. I make my pass through the convoy, neither deviating to the left or right for targets of opportunity.

If I can't have a firm plan before the attack due to escort positioning, time of war or any other tactical disadvantage, I don't go for it. Yet.

This way I control the attack and tactical situation, not the escorts.

Rinse and repeat until out of torps.

I learnt this from watching how predatory fish often stalk their schooled prey. In one end, out the other, through and through. Like a bullet.<div class="ev_tpc_signature">


When veterans get together it doesn't matter who won or lost - it is enough that they survived...Admiral K A Markorov

[melonfish1979]

i voted that i head for the big fat targets. and i do. i usually creep into a convoy and fire both my bow and stern tubes. aiming for the nice BIG ones. then if there is say only one escort i'll go after that then pick off the rest at my leisure on the surface.
if there's lots of escorts its get the hell out of dodge firing my stern tubes as i go.

pete

[geosub1978]

Well, every one of us probably tries to find the T3 or CVW or Passenger liner or Fiji to send them to their creators but the point is that it strongly depends on the year. Untill 41 it is extremelly easy to surface in the night and choose targets but in 1942 you hit whatever you are only able to approach in 2000 yards. Of course if you are on a very favourable initial position of detection you can still penetrate the screen and shoot against whatever you like!!

[geosub1978]

To follow up I get between the collumns of the convoy and I set the Gyro angle to 0. Then I turn the boat until the bearing of the target is between 2-5 degrees and then I shoot. The AOBs are not that favourable but I give some hits and then I finish my targets with future shots after I have shot against the targets I like. It is very good to take refugee under other vessels of the convoy untill you reload the tubes. I love Chatham transports!! I don't give them a chance to go away!!

[HeibgesU999]

I go for the tankers first also.

I always fire 2 or 3 torpedoes at a tanker depending on its size.<div class="ev_tpc_signature">

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