Detailed Uboat War

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Detailed Uboat War - 1/3/2020 7:09:31 AM

HermanGraf

Posts: 64
Joined: 6/17/2009
Status: offline

I actually like the way the uboat war is abstractly modeled in WITW. Axis scoring victory points for the allies lacking to properly bomb and stop uboat production is a great little addition. But wouldn�t it be great to build on that model?

During 1942-1943 the uboat war was at its height. Huge convoy battles with heavy losses on both sides raged in the Atlantic. This was the only way the axis could hit the allies on the supply front. I believe it could be modeled fairly well in this game. It would come with a sacrifice of supplies or production or admin points to the axis. We want more uboats to the front, spend 20 APs or up production on a screen similar to the air directive screen and launch uboat attacks in certain areas of the Atlantic. I�m not sure how the allied response would be, but the developers are genius so I would leave that up to them (RAF coastal command can really be of use here). I am a uboat nut so I would just love to see this modeled in this very detailed game. It would add another level of strategy for both players.

Just wishful thinking, but you never know. We had the ground war, the air war, why not an abstracted uboat war?!

Post #: 1

RE: Detailed Uboat War - 1/3/2020 12:15:04 PM

loki100

Posts: 10920
Joined: 10/20/2012
From: Utlima Thule
Status: offline

it might happen, but it would be in a long queue I suspect.

basically the July 43 start date was chosen as the main naval war was over, while the axis navies were a threat in being and a source of attrition its not unreasonable to have set them to one side and use the rather generic TFs to model the allied navies - as all we have is the capacity around amphibious landings.

my personal take on the U-Boat and VW VPs are that the historic damage is sort of factored in, what the allied bombing does is to stop it getting any worse. So you can divert bombers to keep those threats under control (ie they consume resources) or ignore them (and that has political implications in the unmodelled part of the game - ie consume resources).

If WiTW was pushed back to say June 41 (so it lines up with WiTE), then there is a need for a better treatment of the naval war as clearly the Italian navy was an active threat in the Med and the Germans still had serious capacity in the N Sea/Atlantic, and the U-Boat war was at its height? So you then need a proper navy module to reflect all this.

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(in reply to HermanGraf)

Post #: 2

RE: Detailed Uboat War - 1/3/2020 5:22:45 PM

HermanGraf

Posts: 64
Joined: 6/17/2009
Status: offline

I'll have to disagree with you on the naval war being over by 1943 (at least in the Atlantic). In 1942-1943 Donitz had enough uboats to start really launching coordinated Wolfpack attacks on convoys, resulting in massive tonnage lost and days long convoy battles. Lots of German resources were dedicated to uboats in 1942-1943.

Granted May 1943 was the worst for the uboat arm, which about 25% of their strength was lost, they were still redeployed to other areas. In game a German player could do something ahistorical and keep pushing the Atlantic War, or withdraw and rebuild...

The Mediterranean theatre was also active during this time period, thought not as much as the Atlantic. Operation Pedestal (1942, during the Rommel campaign), and other convoy operations.

I'd just love if there was a way to strike at Allied supply and slow them down a tad (i guess historically the Germans wished that too), and the Uboat war is the only thing i could think of that could be modeled fairly well in this series.

But i do agree with your take on the Uboat VPs and the historic damage. It is modeled very well, and if that model stayed in game without any additions i wouldn't fuss.

(in reply to loki100)

Post #: 3