CP attacks on Convoys
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 10:07 am
I'm a little worried about the effect of CP attacks on EC convoys, with regard to the effect on American entry into the war.
From my reading on the subject there was a substantial outcry (I'm English, we do understatement rather well...) from victim nations when any power interdicted merchant shipping, but the biggest protests were against unrestricted submarine warfare. Germany announced its intentions to wage it, was quite successful, outcry, Germany retracted the policy, Germany then reinstated it, eventually the USA declared war citing it. The Royal Navy's Northern Patrol did upset its victims but nothing like on the scale that Germany achieved through its U-boat attacks and the SMS Emden - in its attacks on merchant shipping at least - took pains to ensure that the merchant crews were treated humanely, both whilst on their original vessels and in the manner of their capture.
My experience of this in CTGW is that the manner of shipping point losses seems immaterial as far as morale/public sentiment is concerned, and I think this should be corrected if possible. Most of my games as the CP (vs AI) involve extended Atlantic cruises with the surface fleet. I use U-boats as spotters and surface fleet units as the killers as they're quicker at doing it. Result: my U-boats get the rap for the surface fleet endeavours.
In game terms it's ok, because if I have such a preponderance of naval superiority it means that the British and French will be in serious trouble economically speaking, from the loss of their convoys, so I could probably force the issue and get surrenders before US troops appear.
I don't really know how to address the situation except perhaps to make the EC navies a bit more aggressive with regards to convoy protection. Perhaps distinguishing between surface and submarine-inflicted convoy losses would help (and I do appreciate that the CP surface navy in the North Atlantic would not be able to operate as the Emden did in the Far East).
From my reading on the subject there was a substantial outcry (I'm English, we do understatement rather well...) from victim nations when any power interdicted merchant shipping, but the biggest protests were against unrestricted submarine warfare. Germany announced its intentions to wage it, was quite successful, outcry, Germany retracted the policy, Germany then reinstated it, eventually the USA declared war citing it. The Royal Navy's Northern Patrol did upset its victims but nothing like on the scale that Germany achieved through its U-boat attacks and the SMS Emden - in its attacks on merchant shipping at least - took pains to ensure that the merchant crews were treated humanely, both whilst on their original vessels and in the manner of their capture.
My experience of this in CTGW is that the manner of shipping point losses seems immaterial as far as morale/public sentiment is concerned, and I think this should be corrected if possible. Most of my games as the CP (vs AI) involve extended Atlantic cruises with the surface fleet. I use U-boats as spotters and surface fleet units as the killers as they're quicker at doing it. Result: my U-boats get the rap for the surface fleet endeavours.
In game terms it's ok, because if I have such a preponderance of naval superiority it means that the British and French will be in serious trouble economically speaking, from the loss of their convoys, so I could probably force the issue and get surrenders before US troops appear.
I don't really know how to address the situation except perhaps to make the EC navies a bit more aggressive with regards to convoy protection. Perhaps distinguishing between surface and submarine-inflicted convoy losses would help (and I do appreciate that the CP surface navy in the North Atlantic would not be able to operate as the Emden did in the Far East).
