The PFC SH3 Rolling Quiz (PFC = Post Forum Crash) | Forums

[Ant__.]

The excellent book "Convoy" by Martin Middlebrook (ISBN 0-304--36578-5)states on page 61:

"The average cost of a Type VIIC was 3 million Reichmarks - £300,000 or $1.2 million"

So I'll accept Minoos and VG's answer of 2.5 million, seeing as the book states the cost as an average.

Over to you two, whoever posts first!

[VikingGrandad]

Minoos handed me the honour of asking the next question, so here goes:

After the introduction of airborne radar, Coastal Command still had a problem with its ASW aircraft being spotted by U-boats during the day, thus giving the U-boats time to dive before they could be attacked. How did Coastal Command solve this problem?

[Ant__.]

I'm stumped but I just know as soon as you tell us I'll know it!

VG it's time to reveal your answer.......

[Goose_Green]

Attacking from the direction of the sun?

[VikingGrandad]

Goose is thinking along the right lines (i.e. something practical rather than technology-based).

The answer is that Coastal Command painted the aircraft the same grey colour as the Atlantic sea/sky. It's hard to see why they didn't do this in the first place... They had the capability to develop airborne radar that could detect the small profile of a surfaced U-boat (which the BdU ruled out as impossible), but their aircraft weren't adequately camouflaged!

My source is Andrew Williams' "Battle of the Atlantic" documentary.

I'll post my new question when I get home this evening

[geoffwessex]

I'd love to know more about how those Sunderlands operated - surely they didn't dive quite so steeply as they do in SH3. That's a big aircraft to pull out of such a steep dive more than once or twice! I can understand them patrolling high in the sky (relatively) to allow their radar to get better coverage, but I'd have thought they'd get low and then make an attack run. Anybody know?

[Kaleun1961]

They'd come in low, in order to drop their depth charges or bombs with accuracy and also to bring their guns to bear. Being a large, lumbering aircraft they could not employ dive bomber tactics. Try imagining a B-17 acting as a dive bomber; same thing with the Sunderland.

[geoffwessex]

Thanks, Kaleun - confirms my thoughts. Quite imaginative about aircraft tactics, those original SH3 devs!

Right VG - excellent question, let's have another, please!

[VikingGrandad]

I hope someone gets this one:

What security measure did BdU take to help ensure that a U-boat commander's patrol orders were protected from enemy capture? (I'm referring to the orders which the commander left shore with, not those transmitted to the U-boat whilst at sea)

[Ant__.]

I think the orders were printed on water soluble paper? Easily disolved and destroyed in the event of being captured or abandoning ship.