What's the point of medals and promotions?

[ApatheticExcuse]

I'm about to start my fourth patrol. I've been averaging around 40,000 tons a patrol, so I've been getting piles of medals and about 2 promotions per outting. So now I'm on a boat where one of my senior officers actually outrank me, and all my petty officers and senior staff have at least one medal.

What's the point of that? Giving out promotions seems to increase resiliance, but besides that I don't see much effect.

Also, how do *I* get a promotion? My PC is soon to be the lowest ranked officer on the boat.

[FourGreenFields]

I think some medals also increase stuff.
And I'm pretty sure that promotions make them work better (= faster torpedo reload times with less men, etc.).

[Stevonian]

When you get to the medal "with gold" that person never gets exhausted.

[Oparator Stalker]

If your not useing a mod or any program that lets you promote or award crew memebers, Your promotions and medals increase as you go on your patrols sink ships and get paid. You crew memebers also get promotion and medals when you sink or destroy enemy ships or planes. Their exp points increase faster by going to the patrol location, then returning back to base. Because you and them are credited for going their, and also get credited for coming back. If you just out right exit after the patrol you only get credited for going there in the exp point. The more the exp points, the better they will get. If you have members that end up out ranking you, then dissmiss them and get another. Aboard a real U-boat dureing the war, they would be moved out to another boat of their own anyway. Game dose give you that option. When selecting promotions be seclitive. You really do not have to just work on one sailor at a time. I usally promote pending on the sailor, his duty station and what was involved.

For example, If I get into some torpedo action, medals are handed out first to the weapons officer, and extras get handed to the men in the torpedo rooms. If I get into some gun action, the watch officer is first, then who ever I choosed for a lead deck gunner. Same also for the lead flak gunner if he gets into the fight over air craft. They will be also be promoted until they are petty officers, then I will award them their special badges for their stations. These guys will always be part of the watch crew. Every one else pending a hydrophones, steerage, and engine rooms will also receive something based on how much I have, and what actions were done during the fight.

Any one promoted higher than me, I will dissmiss them as role play as if they been transfered to another boat or boat of their own. So really, its in all how you play it really..

I never bought a salior on renown, I always chossen the free ones, so I can promote them the way I wanted.