Hello again everyone!
Sorry about what happened with the Battletech LP. I have to confess that I ran out of motivation and time to run it... It may have worked better with 2 less units or with all players pitted in the same team. Might try that out later...
This time I'm playing with a proper PC, game is Silent Hunter 3 with Gray Wolves modification, Merchant Fleet mod and some others. Difficulty settings: all ticked minus external views, for the screenshots!
But we are back to WW2 Europe!
After her first patrol, U-46 was given for another crew and a captain, and our heroes were put in reserve and training to be later given a new type of a submarine, the more advanced Type IX.
By summer of 1940 however, it was becoming evident that the Kriegsmarine's naval building program would not be able to build the new boats at the wanted rate. The crew was reassigned to the
2. Unterseebootsflotille at Wilhelmshaven and given a new Type VIIB boat, the
U-35.
August 2, 194011:51 - the U-35 departs for its long journey to a patrol grid AM51 North of Ireland.
U-35's torpedo loadout is this:
Bow tubes: 2 x G7e/T2 electric torpedoes, 2 x G7a steam torpedoes
Bow reserves: 6 x G7a
Bow external reserve: 1 x G7a
Stern tube: G7a
Stern reserves: 1 + 1 G7a
August 3 - August 9These days are uneventful. While the RAF and the Luftwaffe clash above the Channel for the first times, the U-35's crew sees nothing.
Kaleun decides again go around the Shetland Islands to minimize the chances of running to RN's destroyers or air patrols.
For the first days, the weather is fairly good but then declines rapidly. North of Hebrides, the U-35 is engulfed within a a storm. The boat submerges for full 24 hours to avoid the worst of it...
August 10U-35 reaches her patrol grid. Its the same one she had on her first patrol. The weather remains horrible, and the boat mostly submerged, listening for enemy ships and convoys...
To be continued.