Norwegian Escorts, U-4 Start

[The B0Rg]

Trying to do the convoy escort to Norway invasion.
However, I'm using the U-4 start with 3+2 torpedoes.
The German destroyer is virtually useless (ignores enemy ships)
Even if I score great hits, the enemy sends more ships than I have torpedoes.
I tried to use the small crew-serve gun to cheese it, but it's nearly impossible to fight.

Is this mission supposed to be done with a different model of submarine? Even after save-scumming 5/5 torpedo hits, I can't seem to win.

[Alex Paen (ljekio)]

Try not to take too many escort missions for this boat. In addition to escorts, Norway also has patrols.

[Flex0r75]

I also started the very short Norwegian campaign with an escort mission in the U4. I had to wait 19 days for it to start so I squeezed in a 14 day vacation. I didn't know what I was up against but I knew I had to constantly perform hydrophone checks to intercept before they reached the convoy. When the first 2 corvettes showed up I wasted 4 torps on sinking them.

Further up the route was a big group of corvettes and at least 1 destroyer on its way to attack the convoy. I used my last torp to sink the destroyer, which scattered the group somewhat and some units went away but 4 corvettes eventually went back to intercept the convoy so I saved the game and followed them at periscope depth but could barely keep up and they ended up bamboozling one of the escorting destroyers and sink the troop ship.

I reloaded and surfaced to catch up with the trailing corvette and sink it with my AA gun which prompted the other 3 to come for me as well. They go down easily and aren't very accurate but I save-scummed them one by one and thought to myself "wow, I need to conserve my torps more if I ever attempt this again".

Then, almost at the end, another destroyer popped up, which took even more save-scumming to take down with just an AA gun. Seeing as this campaign has a short tme-limit and escort missions have weeks of downtime just waiting for the convoy to depart, and clearly needs a bigger boat, I just stuck with back to back patrol missions, like the previous poster said, to get this campaign done. Just invest the rep into having more mission choices so you don't need to re-roll much, if at all. Focussing on scouring lifeboats and taking only the officers will have you swimming in rep in no-time.

With 1 escort mission with 19 days of downtime (which included a 2-week vacation) followed by 5 back to back patrol missions, and one more 2 week vacation, I managed to finish the campaign with just 10 days left before it ended. I don't even think it is possible to finish this campaign in time if you choose more than 1 escort mission out of the 6 missions the campaign lasts for...

[Alex Paen (ljekio)]

Originally posted by Flex0r75:

I also started the very short Norwegian campaign with an escort mission in the U4. I had to wait 19 days for it to start so I squeezed in a 14 day vacation. I didn't know what I was up against but I knew I had to constantly perform hydrophone checks to intercept before they reached the convoy. When the first 2 corvettes showed up I wasted 4 torps on sinking them.

Further up the route was a big group of corvettes and at least 1 destroyer on its way to attack the convoy. I used my last torp to sink the destroyer, which scattered the group somewhat and some units went away but 4 corvettes eventually went back to intercept the convoy so I saved the game and followed them at periscope depth but could barely keep up and they ended up bamboozling one of the escorting destroyers and sink the troop ship.

I reloaded and surfaced to catch up with the trailing corvette and sink it with my AA gun which prompted the other 3 to come for me as well. They go down easily and aren't very accurate but I save-scummed them one by one and thought to myself "wow, I need to conserve my torps more if I ever attempt this again".

Then, almost at the end, another destroyer popped up, which took even more save-scumming to take down with just an AA gun. Seeing as this campaign has a short tme-limit and escort missions have weeks of downtime just waiting for the convoy to depart, and clearly needs a bigger boat, I just stuck with back to back patrol missions, like the previous poster said, to get this campaign done. Just invest the rep into having more mission choices so you don't need to re-roll much, if at all. Focussing on scouring lifeboats and taking only the officers will have you swimming in rep in no-time.

With 1 escort mission with 19 days of downtime (which included a 2-week vacation) followed by 5 back to back patrol missions, and one more 2 week vacation, I managed to finish the campaign with just 10 days left before it ended. I don't even think it is possible to finish this campaign in time if you choose more than 1 escort mission out of the 6 missions the campaign lasts for...

Its sounded like true horror. In my case i just meet 2 flowers and sunk it. After first escort success i choose 5 patrols and did it.

[vikpr]

Looks like I was lucky when I did mine, I was on IID as well but the enemy patrol spawned almost near the end of the route, I detected them and rushed to intercept, managed to sink one or two without being detected, they started searching for me and then the mission success message popped up, so I just played possum and waited until they went away.
In general, the escort missions need rework in my opinion. First, I the destoryer that's supposed to protect the convoy seems to be useless indeed, I once went a bit too far, got the radio from the convoy that they're under attack, rushed back and watched that destroyer being sunk by the enemy corvette.
Second, if you stay too close to the convoy the command spams you with the "go away" messages. While "go away" does make sense because you're deafened by your own convoy a single warning should be enough.

[Data-7]

This
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3311019202

[The B0Rg]

Originally posted by vikpr:

Looks like I was lucky when I did mine, I was on IID as well but the enemy patrol spawned almost near the end of the route, I detected them and rushed to intercept, managed to sink one or two without being detected, they started searching for me and then the mission success message popped up, so I just played possum and waited until they went away.
In general, the escort missions need rework in my opinion. First, I the destoryer that's supposed to protect the convoy seems to be useless indeed, I once went a bit too far, got the radio from the convoy that they're under attack, rushed back and watched that destroyer being sunk by the enemy corvette.
Second, if you stay too close to the convoy the command spams you with the "go away" messages. While "go away" does make sense because you're deafened by your own convoy a single warning should be enough.

You're really lucky. We didn't even get around Denmark before 1 DD and a Corvette attacked. Followed by 4 Corvettes a few days later.

The German DD is beyond useless though. I mean, I literally had one corvette chase me till it was out of depth charges, it just followed me for hours in game and I led it to the German DD.... which shot it twice and left.

[Rasseru]

I done this with mission with Type IID.
The key thing about Norwegian Escorts is to hunt for the enemy ships before they even see your escorts. This requires not to be near your escorts. As you need to sonar search them far away from the coast. Find where the enemy ships are hanging out then approach. You could try to sink them or keep them busy for the escorts to enter for the Norwegian port. If you least take down the DDs and the corvettes less likely reach the escorts or they stay at sea.

[The B0Rg]

Originally posted by Rasseru:

I done this with mission with Type IID. :ojseagull:
The key thing about Norwegian Escorts is to hunt for the enemy ships before they even see your escorts. This requires not to be near your escorts. As you need to sonar search them far away from the coast. Find where the enemy ships are hanging out then approach. You could try to sink them or keep them busy for the escorts to enter for the Norwegian port. If you least take down the DDs and the corvettes less likely reach the escorts or they stay at sea.

Originally posted by Rasseru:

I done this with mission with Type IID. :ojseagull:
The key thing about Norwegian Escorts is to hunt for the enemy ships before they even see your escorts. This requires not to be near your escorts. As you need to sonar search them far away from the coast. Find where the enemy ships are hanging out then approach. You could try to sink them or keep them busy for the escorts to enter for the Norwegian port. If you least take down the DDs and the corvettes less likely reach the escorts or they stay at sea.

The problem was I ran out of torpedoes. Even with 5/5 hits, they sent too many ships.
I know to engage first and ambush the interceptors... I picked them up some 25 nm away.

[Klavo Hunter]

I lucked out the time I beat the Norway Escort mission with a Type II Uboot, because the enemy glitched out and never came anywhere near us at any point, ever, during that mission...

[Alex Paen (ljekio)]

And I was lucky, I only had two corvettes on the way.

[Flex0r75]

I actually wanted to go back and try more escort missions, even in a woefully underequipped Type II-D, if it weren't for the time limit. The description of escort missions even specifically state something along the lines of 'make sure you are ready because if you accept you must be ready to depart immediately' only to have 19 days of wait time for the convoy to depart (in my case) with another +/- 8 days of being on the actual mission/returning to port.

The Norwegian Campaign started about 3 months before its expiry date. How can one ever do 6 of those escort missions in 3 months if they potentially can take +/- 27 days each to complete?

[Harrison Jones]

Originally posted by FloridaCHOLO305:

Trying to do the convoy escort to Norway invasion.
However, I'm using the U-4 start with 3+2 torpedoes.
The German destroyer is virtually useless (ignores enemy ships)
Even if I score great hits, the enemy sends more ships than I have torpedoes.
I tried to use the small crew-serve gun to cheese it, but it's nearly impossible to fight.

Is this mission supposed to be done with a different model of submarine? Even after save-scumming 5/5 torpedo hits, I can't seem to win.

Historically speaking, Type II uboats were primarily coastal boats, they wouldn't be normally assigned to this kind of mission. Type IIA was basically used exclusively as a training boat in mid 1940. Back to the game, completing Norwegian escort missions with this uboatling is possible but most definitely sounds like masochism.

[Harrison Jones]

Originally posted by Flex0r75:

The Norwegian Campaign started about 3 months before its expiry date. How can one ever do 6 of those escort missions in 3 months if they potentially can take +/- 27 days each to complete?

You are expected to complete 6 missions of "Norwegian Campaign" set, those can be normal patrols (go there - navigate X miles through here - sink Y tons of merchant ships), not exclusively escorts. My escorts from Wilhelmshaven to Bergen usually lasted 5 to 6 days for Type VIIB boat, assuming the manual return on flank speed ahead, I found out this way I can save about a full day per patrol, compared to auto-return to base. I have no idea why you mentioned 27 days long escort mission, that's frankly bizarre. And escort missions are probably the fastest way to complete the whole campaign - I can't imagine 5 "normal" patrols completed in less than 30 days.

[Mouse Rat]

Originally posted by Harrison Jones:

I have no idea why you mentioned 27 days long escort mission, that's frankly bizarre.

The first mission .. till the convoy leaves.. it also took me like 16days of wait.. same mechanic like you are on vacation.

Atm struggling to do it on 100% hardcore with a IID and let me tell you.. it sucks.
So far the best strategy for me been moving 30-40km in front of the convoy and do 50km hydro checks.

Basically run on full or even flank in front to get range..
Dive to 15-20m do a 10mins sweep, or till the convoy is back within 35-40km behind.
Get back out .. full speed ahead 50km.(so you still reload the battery just in case)
Repeat.

[vikpr]

Originally posted by Flex0r75:

I actually wanted to go back and try more escort missions, even in a woefully underequipped Type II-D, if it weren't for the time limit. The description of escort missions even specifically state something along the lines of 'make sure you are ready because if you accept you must be ready to depart immediately' only to have 19 days of wait time for the convoy to depart (in my case) with another +/- 8 days of being on the actual mission/returning to port.

The Norwegian Campaign started about 3 months before its expiry date. How can one ever do 6 of those escort missions in 3 months if they potentially can take +/- 27 days each to complete?

For me the only escort mission was the first one, then I was somewhat lucky to get the patrol missions as a choice. I knew by then that the campaign is short so I just rushed to the patrol area, did the required range, rushed back and ignored all the contacts. Still, it wasn't enough and I ended up at 5/6 of the missions.