View Full Version : Allied Air Cover Issues
gabriel_cd
08-09-2005, 01:33 AM
It is the middle of 1943 and I am operating West of Britain, some 1000km off the British coast. I am in a type IX and I always sail with the radar off. I have a series of issues.
1. Planes seem to find me after a few hours on the surface. Nightime makes no difference. This seems a little unrealistic.
2. Once I am detected, more planes show up very quickly and in great numbers. This also seems unrealistic, especially given the distance from the coast.
3. I hardly ever get radar emissions detected warnings from the crew. I was under the impression that despite its shortcomings the German radar detection equipment saved many a crew from air attacks.
4. I crash dive the moment I get an aircraft spotted message, yet I never have enough time to get under before the aircraft is overhead. This happens during the day. I thought U-boats had plenty of time to crash dive once an aircraft was spotted when visibility was good.
Can anyone offer any help, suggestions or comments about these issues?
gabriel_cd
08-09-2005, 01:33 AM
It is the middle of 1943 and I am operating West of Britain, some 1000km off the British coast. I am in a type IX and I always sail with the radar off. I have a series of issues.
1. Planes seem to find me after a few hours on the surface. Nightime makes no difference. This seems a little unrealistic.
2. Once I am detected, more planes show up very quickly and in great numbers. This also seems unrealistic, especially given the distance from the coast.
3. I hardly ever get radar emissions detected warnings from the crew. I was under the impression that despite its shortcomings the German radar detection equipment saved many a crew from air attacks.
4. I crash dive the moment I get an aircraft spotted message, yet I never have enough time to get under before the aircraft is overhead. This happens during the day. I thought U-boats had plenty of time to crash dive once an aircraft was spotted when visibility was good.
Can anyone offer any help, suggestions or comments about these issues?
twistedpretzel
08-09-2005, 01:41 AM
1. Radar, read Iron Coffins, well depicted there, once radar was implemented in airplanes the Kriegsmarine started losing many u boats each week. In 1942 there was something like 30 some boats sunk, in the year of 1943 it jumped to over 200.
2. They dont take off from land, they are out patroling when they get the radio call that meats on the table.
3. Metox, its bad for you, the airplanes dont need radar if you use a Metox radar detector, they can find you by following emissions it sent off.
4. Not quite, once more, you need to read Iron Coffins, they would struggle to get down in time, and just about everytime bombs would be dropped right on top of them.
gabriel_cd
08-09-2005, 01:48 AM
Can I remind you that Iron Coffins was written by a submarine captain that survived the war?
I expect it to be tough, however this just seems a little bit too tough...
twistedpretzel
08-09-2005, 01:55 AM
Can I remind you that Iron Coffins was written by a submarine captain that survived the war?
Not many did, he was very lucky, it is very tough. That man is living proof. Read his book, you will understand.
May i remind you that actually reading ones real experiance trumps all advice and questions.
The_Gill_738
08-09-2005, 05:42 AM
I am reading Iron Coffins right now. All I can say is WOW. I have learned alot from that book.
lecek
08-09-2005, 06:59 AM
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Metox also emitted a weak signal, a property common to many radio receivers, especially superheterodyne receivers. In an indirect way, this had serious consequences. In the spring of 1943, the U-boats suffered badly because of the introduction by the British of a 10cm ASV radar. But a captured British officer told the Germans that their misfortunes were caused by the transmission of Metox, which were detected by Coastal Command aircraft. After verifying that this was technically possible, the Germans believed the story. This delayed the introduction of Naxos by some months, during which the U-boats suffered heavy losses. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
From: http://uboat.net/technical/detectors.htm
gabriel_cd
08-09-2005, 08:11 PM
Assuming that most of my woes come from the Metox, how do I drop the bugger into the ocean?
kaylar4
08-10-2005, 04:49 AM
Yeah I've nearly finished it, great read. Is the bug available as a replacement for the Metox?