HOI Commerce raider question.

[Agathon]

Does anyone know how many British convoy transports you have to sink before it has any real effect?

I'm in Oct 1940 and I have been engaging in U-boat warfare for quite some time. I have a squadron of eight pretty beat up U-boats under Dönitz which take down about 20-30 transports per outing (I have about 15 more U-boats coming in about a month ).

I also have been engaging in commerce raiding with surface ships. I have a fleet consisting of the Bismarck, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, another battleship and five cruisers. It manages to bag a little less than the U-boats do. They will have to lay off for two months as I got into a terrible fight with the Poms (they got the Lützow; I sank eight capital ships ) and they are in the dockyard for repairs.

So if I have two squads raiding the mid Atlantic and each is sinking 20-30 transports a time (sometimes more), is that going to bring Britain down?

[Cookie Monster]

That question has been asked many a time on the paradox forums and the opinions are varied.

I think that eventually you will begin to affect the UK's convoys but it will take time. In one of my past games I was beginning to notice (via the military comparison screens) that the UK was not able to increase their army or air force size. I assumed that I was finally winning the convoy war. It was around early 1942. Then the USSR declared war on me (Germany) and as usual I didn't have enough strength in the east to stop them.

One thing you can try is load your last save game as the UK and then inspect their convoy's. See how many transports they have in reserve. Then don't save and reload but this time as Germany and continue playing.

Hope this helps....

[Agathon]

OK thanks.