@John Pancoast, Sweet! Well done, you.

On June 15th 1944 my U-1009 sank an unescorted coastal steamer for 1868 tons and a week later intercepted a heavily defended convoy in Square AE88. After spending better than five real-time hours setting up an ambush using hydrophone data I put up the scope to find that the weather had socked in with essentially zero visibility. Rather than sneaking away to attack another day I tried too hard to get into a firing position and was detected.

U-1009 was depth charged to destruction on 21 June 1944 by at least four escorts. DiD can be a real b----.

-C

Ouch. I like the mobility that the surface provides if possible. Then again, 1944, odds are heavily against anyway.

That late in the war, being on the surface is tantamount to a death sentence. Late war approaches are a game of patience and more patience coupled with situational awareness achieved using the hydrophones and only very limited and brief periscope sweeps.

First error was that when the weather tanked and I lost visual contact with the convoy I attempted to continue an approach that should have been abandoned. Error two was going to full speed in an attempt to close the nearest merchant sound contact and determine a visual firing solution. Error three was failure to set up on the initial attacker with a T-V acoustic after the first depth charge salvo missed and instead, going deep immediately.

With 20/20 hindsight, probably should have fired the two FaT-II into the convoy using the predicted data as the patterns and depths were already programmed and then attempt to ambush any counter attack with the acoustics in Tubes I and V.

Late war careers are really merciless if you make a mistake and three of them are likely to spell doom.

-C

Leaving port in late war is tantamount to a death sentence for that matter.
I don't ever do the hydrophones myself anyway; not the captain's job, etc.
But everyone has their way of playing the game; options are a good thing.

Late war is tough regardless of one's tactics, even without making a mistake.
But after the (to easy, imo) early part of the war shooting gallery, it's fun to just try to survive a late war patrol.

Few months later, Sept. 1941. Another NYGM convoy hit multiple times. Twice at night, once in the morning daylight.


These escorts weren't any more challenge than the previous ones.





https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...924/OW84bY.png

Was late to the NYGM game but am largely disappointed with a number of aspects of the mod version 6F. In my current 1944 career I have sailed from Bergen through the Faeroe's - Orkney gap to Rockall without a single crash dive due to aircraft. In GWX3 I would be crash-diving five or six per day on quiet days.

-C

Yeah, I've done a number of campaigns in both mods. Started at the same dates, flotillas, etc. for a good comparison.

To me, there's not much overall difference between the two gameplay wise once they're both "modded" the same*, but I feel the AI in GWX is marginally tougher.
But one thing I've learned; comparing AI responses to a given scenario is a losing proposition. To many variables in the game to do so objectively.
One can say, "Aha ! Mod X was better in this scenario than Mod Y !" Only to do the test again, and have the opposite results.

In your example, weather maybe affecting things ?

* = I.e, adding things to GWX that come stock in NYGM. Cam ship, fire damage, wolf packs, etc.
Making the two as similar as possible for comparison testing in other words.
I chose adding to GWX vs subtracting from NYGM because adding to is easy than taking out, for me anyway.
Plus, I like the NYGM features I added to GWX anyway. Although one big plus for NYGM, at least for me, is that it never crashes trying to load a save.
GWX almost always takes numerous tries before it'll finally load. Can be a pain wasting a half hour just to get the game to load at times.

Odd, this. I do not recall ever having a loading problem with any of the super mods once the mod soup is finalized although WAC and LSH3 seem to take forever to load. GWX3 loads in about two-three minutes with NYGM a bit less. Same thing with corrupted saves, they happen but they do not appear to be more common in one mod versus another.

Presumably everybody's set ups are unique enough that individual installations are more or less prone to issues. Anyway, good hunting!

-C

I think you're right. Probably a ram amount type of thing.

Kapitän Küster's and U-512 journeys early 1943...

So far only mentionable events are:

Surprised by flying boat while crossing bay of Biscay.

Surprised by old four stack destroyer off coast of Venezuela. Depth charged. Moderate damage which were repaired at sea.

Sunk one 150 ton coastal transport by artillery fire.

Miserable...

Successful convoy strike with wolfpack help
 

Have a couple campaigns going. This one is from an 8k env. modded vanilla that includes random mods as well as parts of GWX and NYGM.


After shadowing all afternoon in September, 1940, BdU finally gives the go ahead shortly after sunset.
Clear skies, half moon, heavy seas. Not ideal conditions.



https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...924/mNYZL9.png


Had a member of the wolfpack just east of me who hit this ship while I was closing in for an attack myself.
The ship sunk about ten minutes later.



https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...922/12uglU.png


I saw no escorts the entire attack, but the pack member above had company engaging him.


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...921/YGTdq8.png


Results of the attack. The far right and left sinkings are mine. Others are the pack.


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/vSvilv.png

February 1944, things are really interesting.



I was reloading an external torpedo during day because I was chasing a convoy by radio and need to stay fully loaded. Unfortunately a group of naval bombers got me. 10 min of pure stress trying to cancel the torpedo load, all my hopes on the antiair-crew. Fortunately I had 4 man with the antiair trait, one of them RIP in this attack, but he saved us.


Aborted the convoy attack due to severe damage to the uboat.



https://i.imgur.com/0idpwra.png

GWX + Campaign
 

February, 1943, off to the west of the Iberian Peninsula.


Small convoy, five escorts. After probing their radar defenses throughout the night, ran ahead of them for a submerged early morning attack from their port beam. Tried a surface approach, but radar, calm seas, clear skies allowed the escorts to drive me off.
Haven't been able to radio a contact report due to their radar keeping me off the convoy.




The results. Two torpedoes each. Minor search and depth charging by one escort. Have reloaded, surfaced and back in pursuit. They should be approx. 30 kms, true bearing 185.



https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/o2UWjZ.png




https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/cRLakf.png

No luck on the pursuit. Tried getting in front of the convoy again, in the dark, but an escort located me via radar and called two others over.
Convoy also now had air cover.

Tried escaping on the surface but forced to dive. Took heavy damage and flooding to all systems via depth charges but the crew saved the boat at 180 meters, made repairs, and 15 game hours later was able to surface the boat.

Hull amazingly suffered no damage, so back on patrol. To bad there wasn't a pack again; they would have had a field day with 3 of 5 escorts busy with me.

Few game days later, been shadowing this convoy all day. Night comes and I get this.
So, to tough for them but I'm expected to give it a go !?! Thanks for nuthin' BdU. Wimps. Was really hoping for some help, as there are at least six escorts.
This attack could be interesting......


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/dpCTAc.png

Let's see, a single boat verses convoy battle in February 1943. "Interesting" is probably not the adjective that I would use to describe the coming attack...

Just wondering, is this a new 1943 career or a survivor from an earlier start?

Good Hunting anyway.

-C

Mine (Feb 44) is a survivor from Sep 39. I almost die twice. I'm taking extreme precautions, except in some weird cases like the one I posted, returning to base without reaching my quadrant if needed.


Until 43 everything is quite boring for me. Fortunately I could bypass these years quicky adjusting SH Commander to 60 days of resting between patrols. 44 is pure action and pushing your uboat to the limit, but I think I will not survive until 45... or XXI!

Kind of/sort of a continuation. I started the career in 9/40. After seven patrols, the captain of that career was assigned a desk job on 4/42 via SH3 Commander "Realistic Career Length" option.

But I always "continue" my careers by then taking the crew from the previous career and using it in the next with the new career Captain, with a start date of the next month after the previous career ended.
Again, via SH3 Commander.

I.e, this one started 5/42, on it's third patrol now. I'm not going to press this attack to much obviously, though the escorts don't appear to have radar.
Another clear skies, calm seas to boot. No moon though. Yet.

I don't find early-war careers boring so much as void of any challenge. Two kills per patrol from 39-41 are ridiculously easy in the game although the reality was that most boats seldom saw such success. Sinking any two ships from June 1944 on and getting back to base alive is an accomplishment particularly in a Type VII patrolling the Western Approaches or a Type IX operating off North America.

So well done to you!

-C

Success
 

Was trying to figure out what to do when the watch spotted an aircraft. Crash dive. Was ahead of the convoy so I didn't want to lose it if possible.
But I would lose this position while I was submerging waiting out the aircraft, so upon submerging I immediately turned the boat into a submerged attack position as long as the convoy stayed on course, and I didn't have to stay down to long.

There was just enough daylight left when I dived so after 30 minutes I went to periscope depth and found myself in position to strike the rear of it.
The weather had picked up, so the little bit of chop would help hide the scope and deafen the escorts a bit.


Fired four, two hit including one at a target I didn't aim at (coastal freighter). Dove to 100 meters, turned the boat opposite course of the convoy.


Had one escort faintly ping at a distance, no attack.


Sneaked away, reloaded, and surfaced a couple game hours or so later. Tried to recontact the convoy but no luck. After a few more days was low on fuel, so headed back to port.


Slight damage from another air attack on the way, couple hours to fix, along with lots of other crash dives due to aircraft.


So ends the third patrol of this career.



Not a bad 1943 patrol result I don't think.



https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...921/7Bi9W2.png