AtlanticFleetManual v102
AtlanticFleetManual v102
AtlanticFleetManual v102
On September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland. Allies or go on the offensive with deadly submarine
Two days later Britain and France declare war and wolf packs and surface raiders of the German
the Battle of the Atlantic begins. Over the next five Kriegsmarine.
years and eight months a deadly struggle would
be fought on the high seas, from the frigid waters "The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating
of the Arctic to the South Atlantic. factor all through the war. Never for one moment
could we forget that everything happening
At the heart of the conflict was the tonnage war. elsewhere, on land, at sea or in the air depended
Britain required a continuous supply of imported ultimately on its outcome." - Winston Churchill
war materials to keep on fighting and the
Kriegsmarine (German Navy) was tasked with Getting Started
preventing the arrival of these goods from across If this is your first time playing Atlantic Fleet, it is
the Atlantic. recommended to begin by completing the Training
Missions. To do so, simply select Training Missions
Atlantic Fleet from the main menu.
Atlantic Fleet is a turn-based tactical and strategic
simulation of the Battle of the Atlantic. Take Continue with some Single Battles to get a feel for
command of surface ships, submarines as well as combat and gunnery. The Battle of the River Plate
carrier and land based aircraft in a deadly struggle and Convoy HX-106 battles (playing Germany for
for control of shipping lanes during World War II. both) make for excellent initial practice.
Protect allied convoys as the Royal Navy and her
Controls
Camera General
RIGHT CLICK + DRAG Pan Camera M Map
W, A, S, D, ARROW Pan Camera X Binoculars
=, -, Mouse Wheel Zoom In/Out Z Zoom Binoculars
F1 Focus on Player Q Set Aim to View
F2 Focus on Target G Set Target
C Camera Follow Mode F Fleet Mode
Actions V Mark Torpedo
SPACE Do Current Action H Splash History
TAB Next Action N Fine Tune
1 Primary Guns M or X Return to external view
2 Secondary Guns Escape Commands Menu
3 Torpedoes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Set Ship Speed
4 Aircraft O Select Wing Load Out
5 Anti-Submarine P Select Carrier Wing
6 No Action 9 Hide Interface
Sliders Tactical Map
J, K, [4], [6] Horizontal Slider/Rudder LEFT CLICK + DRAG Pan Map
U, I, [2], [8] Vertical Slider/Speed W, A, S, D, ARROW Pan Map
HOLD Crtl or MIDDLE Coarse Adjust Slider Z, -, = Zoom In/Out
O, P [7], [9] Elevation 0.1 Degrees X Centre Map
C Go to Selected Ship
H Shot History
5. APPENDICIES ............................................... 36
5. APPENDICIES ............................................... 37
Torpedo Data.................................................... 37
Aircraft & Payloads ............................................ 37
FAQ ................................................................. 38
Glossary & Abbreviations.................................... 40
Credits
Programming and Design: Paul Sincock Ph.D.
Artwork and Design: Nils Dücker
2D/3D Art and Visual Effects: Przemek Starkiewicz
Additional Art: Olof Kjolstad
Music Composed by: Aleksi Aubry-Carlson
Sound Effects: Tapio Liükkonen
Technical Assistance: Mark Hessburg
Special Thanks to: Michael 'Rayydar' Allers & Chris Amundson
Contact Us
http://killerfishgames.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Killerfish-Games/297301143813883
https://www.youtube.com/user/PacificFleetDev
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1. Combat
Camera & Views
LEFT CLICK any ship in the 3D world does one of the following:
1) If ship is not the current target, sets that ship as target and displays Target Solution.
2) If ship is the target and camera is elsewhere, moves camera to that ship.
3) If ship is the target and camera is focused on that ship, opens ship's statistics/damage report.
Default 3D view
(1) Camera Follow On/Off [C KEY] (3) Active Player Ship Information [F1 KEY]
On: Camera will follow all ship movement and LEFT CLICK ship name to focus camera back to
weapons/attacks to their target. player ship.
Off: Camera remains stationary at current position
or in the case of player aircraft, remains with the (4) Target Solution [F2 KEY]
aircraft. Note that camera will always LEFT CLICK ship name to focus camera on target
automatically switch to player aircraft and "Off" ship.
mode keeps camera on plane rather than following Points camera at target in Director / Periscope
dropped payload. View.
4
While in Director/Periscope View:
RIGHT CLICK and drag pans camera left/right only.
LEFT CLICK on target information (upper left or right) points camera at that ship (rather than moving
camera to that ship as it does in 3D world).
Note that weapons still fire along red bearing line when in Director / Periscope View.
(1) Zoom Toggle [Z KEY, Mouse Wheel] (3) Return to 3D world view [X Key]
Toggles zoom level 2x, 4x, 8x in from Director / Periscope view or Tactical
Director/Periscope view only. Map.
(2) Target Solution [F2 KEY] (4) Snap Bearing to Camera Angle [Q KEY]
LEFT CLICK ship name to look at target. LEFT CLICK to set attack angle (bearing) to
current camera direction.
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Movement
Atlantic Fleet is a turn-based game. Each turn, To move your ship:
both sides move and take an action with each of Set telegraph (speed).
their ships before the other side then takes their Set rudder angle.
turn. Movement always comes before the action Select a Special Action.
and only a single action is available per ship per Select Single Ship or Fleet mode.
turn. Some Special Actions during movement or LEFT CLICK Move.
using Fleet mode prevent an action that turn.
(1) Telegraph [1-6, U, I KEY] Fleet Mode moves all remaining ships using the
LEFT CLICK upper half to increment speed current Telegraph and Rudder settings (dive or
LEFT CLICK lower half to decrease speed. surface special action only applied to current ship).
Fleet Mode can quickly close distances or move
merchant convoys.
Ships have inertia. A dramatic change in
Fleet Mode skips the Attack Phase of all ships
speed may take several turns. To 'brake'
moved as a group.
swiftly, set telegraph to BACK.
(2) Rudder [J, K KEY] Fleet Mode can be used to quickly get into
Set rudder angle. Grayed out when rudder position at the start of an engagment.
damaged.
Attack individually with your larger ships,
(3) Special Actions [TAB KEY]
then use fleet mode to quickly move any
Red box shows current rudder angle.
smaller ones as a group.
LEFT CLICK green Action button or [TAB KEY] to
cycle through special actions Fleet Mode can be used to quickly move a
1. None convoy.
2. Smoke (warship only, lays smoke screen, no
attack).
3. Surface (submarine only, decreases depth by (5) Move [SPACE KEY]
one). Executes movement with rudder, telegraph
4. Dive (submarine only, increases depth by one). (speed) settings and any Special Action.
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Laying Smoke
Smoke prevents another action for that turn by the ship laying smoke.
Smoke for 3 consecutive turns may allow the ship to Disengage.
Smoke prevents targeting if blocks line of sight.
Submarine Depths
Submarines can travel at the following depths:
1. On the Surface (can fire deck gun and torpedoes)
2. Periscope Depth (can fire torpedoes)
3. Shallow
4. Deep
5. Very Deep
Using the Surface action increments the depth of the submarine by one, so a submarine at deep depth (4)
would move to shallow depth (3). A submarine at Periscope Depth (2) would surface and travel on the ocean
surface itself (1).
Using the Dive action decreases the depth of the submarine by one, so a submarine at deep depth (4) would
move to very deep depth (5). A submarine traveling on the ocean surface (1) would dive to periscope depth
(2).
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Gunnery
Gunnery in Atlantic Fleet is fully controlled by the To fire guns:
player using information provided by the crew of Select type of shells/guns to fire using the Action
the active ship. It is relatively easy to get started Button or [1 KEY], [2KEY] or [TAB KEY].
with and start landing some hits, but can be Select target for firing solution.
difficult to master and landing consecutive hits on Set bearing (attack direction).
a ship laying smoke at long range can be quite the Set gun elevation.
challenge! Fire guns.
Gunnery View
(1) Action Button / Gun Settings [TAB KEY] (2) Bearing Line (Attack Direction)
(1a) Red number shows current gun bearing Line extending from ship shows direction weapons
(attack angle). aimed. Not all guns can fire in all directions and
(1b) Green number shows current gun elevation sometimes damage to a gun may make it unable
(distance). to fire that turn. The bearing line will change
colour based on whether the currently selected
LEFT CLICK green Action button or [TAB KEY] to guns can fire in that direction:
cycle attack options: Red weapon can fire in current direction
1. AP Shells (primary guns) Gray weapon cannot fire
2. HE Shells (primary guns)
3. AP Shells (secondary guns if applicable) (3) Adjust Bearing (Attack Angle)
4. HE Shells (secondary guns if applicable) [J, K KEY] + [Middle Mouse or Control]
5. Star Shell (illumination round available in low Adjust bearing (attack angle) until bearing line
light conditions) points at an enemy ship.
LEFT CLICK and drag the slider to adjust.
Star shells can only be fired by 8" guns or smaller. LEFT CLICK bearing display button (3a) to snap
Star shells increase visibility range and increase bearing to camera direction.
Target Solution accuracy against lit targets. See (10) below to adjust slider sensitivity.
A star shell lasts for 2 turns.
LEFT CLICK on the bearing display (3a in
Always use HE (High Explosive) shells previous image) will snap the bearing line
against unarmoured targets such as to the camera's durrent direction. Use this
Merchants, Destroyers, Corvettes and to quickly bring your guns onto a target, then fine
Submarines. tune the angle as per (3) above.
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(4) Set Target [G KEY] (6) Adjust Elevation (firing distance)
LEFT CLICK to set closest ship intersected by [U, I KEY] + [Middle Mouse or Control]
aiming line as current target (equivalent to LEFT [O, P KEY] 0.1 Degree Adjustment
CLICK on a ship that is not already the target). Examine Target Solution (5) and Splash History
- Target set and information displayed in upper (9) for estimated elevation to target
right, see (5) below. and compensate for wind (if wind effects shells
- No Target: no ship was found along current option is enabled).
attack direction. LEFT CLICK and drag the slider to adjust.
- Smoke: a smoke screen blocks line of sight. Turns red when elevation reaches the limits of
gun.
Gun elevation limits vary by gun and are
Use the Tactical Map to target a ship
historically based. Gun barrels will stop moving at
behind a closer ship or LEFT CLICK on that
their limit once the slider turns red.
ship directly.
See (10) below to adjust slider sensitivity.
Remember that the Target Solution is only ever an estimate. Weather, time of day, visibility, smoke
screens, damage to your ship's directors/RADARs and switching between targets all impact the
accuracy of the solution data.
If a director/RADAR is damaged, try turning your ship to bring another director/RADAR onto the
target.
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Using Splash History
Splash History is the best method for quickly determining
correct gun ranges. In general a 1.0 change in elevation
moves a shot into the next category.
The splash history always indicates if and by how much you may need to adjust your elevation for
the current turn.
An elevation which hit last turn may be indicated as "short" this turn if both ships have moved farther
apart.
An elevation which hit last turn may be indicated as "long" this turn if both ships have moved closer
together.
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Torpedoes
Torpedoes are devastating weapons which strike a To make a torpedo attack:
ship below the waterline and can cause extensive Select torpedoes using the Action Button or [3
damage and flooding. They are slower than other KEY] or [TAB KEY].
weapons and may take multiple turns to reach Select target for firing solution.
their target. Torpedoes will "de-spawn" if they Set bearing (attack direction).
overshoot their target and no other targets could Mark one or more torpedo bearings.
possibly be hit. Torpedo speed and range vary by Fire torpedoes.
type (submarine, surface ship or aerial) and navy
and are historically based. See Appendix 5.2.1.
(1) Action Button / Torpedo Data [TAB KEY] (5) Target Solution
(1a) Shows current bearing (attack angle). Same as for gunnery with the exception
(1b) Shows estimated range to target based on of an additional line:
the Target Solution. Turns red if shorter than ++ Turns tracking (max 5)
arming distance (~1000 yards) or farther than MS Ship Type
torpedo range. C3 Freighter Ship Name
LEFT CLICK green Action button or [TAB KEY] to 9.8kn Speed in knots
cycle additional attack options. 4,815 Range in yards
Torp. 9.0° Estimated bearing to fire torpedo
(2) Bearing Line (Attack Direction)
Line extending from ship shows direction weapons (6) Mark Torpedo Bearing [V KEY]
aimed. Not all torpedoes can fire in all directions Shows the number of torpedoes able to fire along
and damage to a torpedo room or launcher may current bearing. LEFT CLICK to set bearing for a
make it unable to fire that turn. torpedo to be fired. May be used multiple times
Red weapon can fire in current direction (adjusting bearing in between) to set a spread of
Gray weapon cannot fire torpedoes. Once a torpedo bearing has been
Green marked direction for a torpedo salvo marked, it cannot be unmarked. The only way not
to fire along a marked bearing is to not take a
(3) Adjust Bearing (Attack Angle) torpedo attack action this turn.
[J, K KEY] + [Middle Mouse or Control]
As described in gunnery section. (7) Fire [SPACE KEY]
Fires torpedoes along each of the marked
(4) Set Target [G KEY] bearings.
As described in gunnery section.
(8) Slider sensitivity toggle [N KEY]
Increases/decreases slider (3) to assist with
setting its value using the mouse.
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Air Strikes and Aircraft
Land-based air strikes may be performed by any Select Air Strike using the Action Button or
ship. Carrier air strikes may only be performed by [4 KEY] or [TAB KEY].
carrier launching the aircraft and require multiple LEFT CLICK target ship.
turns to set up. Set attack point along length of ship.
Set attack direction.
To make an air strike attack: Launch Aircraft.
Dive/Drop Payload.
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Carrier Air Operations
Unlike land-based aircraft, carrier aircraft are not Only one wing may be on the flight deck
already in the air at the start of combat and are at any time.
launched, attack and are recovered as part of air Air Ops will be suspended due to fires or
operations. Air operations are suspended under excessive damage, but aircraft already in
the following conditions: the air may continue to attack.
Only the carrier launching aircraft can
1) carrier is on fire perform attacks with those aircraft.
2) flight deck is damaged or destroyed
All aircraft carriers carry a Fighter and
Aircraft carriers can perform air operations in 4 Bomber wing.
steps. Each step requires a full turn by LEFT CLICK Wing Size:
on the "Launch" Button or [SPACE KEY]. 4 Escort Carrier
8 Aircraft Carrier
3) Air Strikes
Attack target as described in Air Strikes
section above. One air strike per turn.
4) Recover wing
Moves wing in air back to hangar.
0/4 = air strikes available / wing size.
A wing may be recovered prior to all
aircraft being used.
Requires the flight deck to be clear.
[O KEY] Cycles wing load out.
[P KEY] Cycles through air wings.
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Anti-Submarine Warfare
Enemy submarines can be sunk by aircraft, be deeper. However torpedoes cannot run deeper
gunfire, torpedoes as well as a variety of than periscope depth.
specialised anti-submarine weapons: depth
charges, hedgehog and squid. Anti-submarine Depth Charges
weapons are only available on Destroyers (DD) Depth charges are explosives dropped or fired
and Corvettes (DC). These ship types are called from a surface vessel which explode at a set
escorts. depth. They have a relatively small "kill radius"
meaning one has to explode quite close to a
Attacking submarines with gunfire, torpedoes or submarine in order to damage or sink it. This "kill
aircraft is performed as outlined previously. With radius" decreases with depth due to the increase
the following exceptions: in water pressure. The depth to explode is
automatically set based on the nearest enemy
1) A submerged submarine can be targeted by a submarine.
LEFT CLICK directly on it. However, this may be
difficult due to range or the submarine's depth so To make an anti-submarine attack using Depth
instead, open the tactical map and target the Charges:
sonar contact. However working sonar must be Move over enemy submarine, placing it behind
equipped on at least one ship in your fleet or the attacking vessel.
aircraft must be in the air (including land-based) Select Depth Charge using the Action Button or
to detect and target submerged contacts. [5 KEY] or [TAB KEY].
LEFT CLICK FIRE to release a grid of depth
2) Torpedoes fired at a submerged submarine charges.
automatically have their running depth adjusted to
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Hedgehog - Allies Only Corvettes (DC). The depth to explode is
Hedgehog is a forward firing ring of mortars which automatically set based on the nearest enemy
explode only on contact. This weapon was submarine.
developed later in the war by the Allies and is
available on Destroyers (DD) and Corvettes (DC). To make an anti-submarine attack using Hedgehog
or Squid:
Squid - Allies Only Move towards the enemy submarine.
Squid fires as a staggered ring of mortars which Line up the red circle (shows where weapon will
explode above and below the desired depth to fall) onto the green sonar contact marker.
generate a massive shockwave with a large "kill Select Hedgehog or Squid using the Action
radius". Like depth charges, this "kill radius" also Button.
decreases with depth due to the increase in water LEFT CLICK FIRE to fire the mortars.
pressure. This weapon was developed later in the
war by the Allies and is available on some
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Tactical Map
The Tactical Map [M KEY] provides an overview of Selecting a ship will set it as the target of the
the battle and can be used to set targets, navigate currently active ship, similar to LEFT CLICK in the
between various ships and view a detailed history external view. When in attack phase (after
of up to the last 6 shots fired. movement) white bearing line shows attack
direction to target.
LEFT CLICK any ship to select it.
The Tactical Map is tinted red for battles at night (6) Shot History
or under low light conditions. Off / Primary Guns / Secondary Guns.
Displays up to the last 6 shots fired by
Icon Colours: the active ship.
White Active player ship Shows firing position and salvo hit
Blue Allied ship location.
Red Axis ship Shots are numbered and their
Gold RADAR contact corresponding elevations shown.
Green Submerged Shots marked with an "X" scored at least
Gray Disengaged ship one hit by the salvo.
Black Sunk ship
Shot history is the most accurate data for
Detecting submerged contacts requires a ship in
previous shots. Comparing the length of
range with functional sonar. Aircraft can also
the shots to their corresponding elevation
reveal periscope or shallow depth contacts.
and examining the relative positions of your ship
and a target can give a very good idea on how to
(1) Help, Options and Special Commands
land the next shot.
Menu [ESCAPE KEY]
Used for leaving combat, scuttling ships or
accessing game options and help. Shot history is not impacted by smoke and
can be used to successfully land hits
(2, 3) Zoom Map Out/In through smoke screens and fleeing ships.
Zooms map between 1x and 128x.
(5) Go To Ship
Return to 3D world with camera focused
on currently selected ship.
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(8) Bearing Line (Attack direction) (10) Target Solution
The bearing line from the 3D world is Target solution information for the player ship's
superimposed on the map. current target.
Not available during movement mode.
(11) Wind Meter
(9) Selected Ship Displays direction of wind.
LEFT CLICK on any ship or contact icon on the
map will select that ship. (12) Exit Tactical Map [M KEY]
Selecting a ship sets it as the target for the player LEFT CLICK to return to 3D view.
ship.
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The effects of subsystem damage are as follows: Sonar
Cannot detect submerged submarines.
Propulsion Submarines can no longer detect ships if below
Decreased speed of ship. Hits to the rear periscope depth.
(propellers and shafts), middle (engine room and
boilers) and funnel of a ship can impact Aircraft
propulsion. Cannot be destroyed. Suspends carrier air operations.
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Ending Combat
Combat automatically ends when:
- all player ships sunk, scuttled or disengaged
- all enemy ships sunk, scuttled or disengaged
- player withdraws all ships from combat
Disengaging
Disengaging allows a vessel to leave combat. However disengaging is not automatic and certain conditions
must be met for a vessel to leave combat as outlined below.
By default, enemy ships cannot disengage. There is an option "Enemy Ships Can Disengage" to enable this.
Turning this option on greatly increases the tactical complexity of the game.
A button allowing a ship or submarine to disengage will appear during the movement phase when the
following criteria are met:
Warships:
- must lay smoke for at least 3 consecutive turns
- be moving at least 10 knots
- be > 25,000 yards from the closest active* hostile vessel
- at > 40,000 yards enemy warships will automatically leave combat
Submarines:
- may disengage whenever > 5,000 yards from the closest active* hostile vessel
- depth charges and squid disrupt sonar increasing the chance for submarines to disengage after an
attack
Merchants:
- cannot disengage
- may leave combat by Withdrawing
- moving > 40,000 yards from an enemy will forcing the enemy to disengage
* Note that an "active" hostile vessel is one that is currently engaged in combat. Namely it is not
sinking or capsizing and not laying smoke/attempting to disengage itself. Merchant ships are not
considered to be "active" as they possess no weapon systems in the game, aside from anti-aircraft
guns.
Deliberately damage a target's propulsion by hitting the engine room/boilers, propellers and shafts in
order to delay or prevent it from being able to disengage.
Enemy ships defend themselves and may sometimes stop laying smoke/disengaging in order to
attack back.
Forcing all enemy ships to disengage allows you to leave combat immediately by Withdrawing.
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Withdrawing and Scuttling Ships
Press [ESCAPE KEY] or from the tactical map LEFT CLICK on the "?" button in the bottom left to enter the
Options/Help and Special Commands menu.
Options/Help
Opens the options page and in-game documentation.
"Sink merchants and withdraw" appears in Battle of the Atlantic game mode only and allows you to
withdraw from combat, counting any remaining unescorted merchant ships as sunk.
WARNING: Scuttling ships in Campaign and Battle of the Atlantic modes removes those ships from
your fleet. Lost ships may be re-purchased in Campaign mode, but are lost permanently in Battle of
the Atlantic mode.
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2. Playing Atlantic Fleet
Three game modes are available:
1. Single Battles (including Historical Battles, Custom Battles and Training Missions).
2. Campaign
3. Battle of the Atlantic
Single Battle
Single Battles are stand alone historical scenarios, LEFT CLICK mission of interest to select it.
custom scenarios or training missions where LEFT CLICK Next.
player ships do not acquire experience or ranks LEFT CLICK Navy flag to select faction to play.
and Renown is not earned. Aside from Custom LEFT CLICK Attack to begin mission.
Battles, all mission parameters are preset with the
exception of choosing which navy to play.
(2) Mission Briefing For Historical Missions, only the Navy being played
and setting Player 2 on/off can be adjusted.
(3) Mission Location
(5) Back to Main Menu
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Custom Battles
The first Single Mission is a scenario editor for setting up to 10 vs 10 ships in battle.
Here you may:
Adjust weather, time, ships on each side and number of land-based aircraft.
Select initiative (which navy acts first) and a navy to control.
Disable AI to allow multiplayer on the same device/hardware.
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Campaign
In Campaign mode, you'll take on the role of the Renown is earned for warships, submarines and
Admiral of a Task Force. Your goal will be to sink merchants sunk.
enemy shipping and use the Renown earned to Earn in zone 50 to win the campaign.
buy ships and build up your fleet. However your Scores:
resources are limited. There are over 2 million at least 33% of tonnage sunk for that zone.
Renown points to be earned per campaign which at least 66% of tonnage sunk for that zone.
makes building up your fleet fairly easy, but any 100% of tonnage sunk for that zone.
ships lost will have to be re-purchased and battles
become very difficult in the late stages. Thus it is Repeating a zone will generate Renown only if the
possible to run out of Renown and fail a campaign. outcome is greater than the current highest
previous attempt.
Campaigns are a series of 50 missions increasing
in difficulty and are saved separately for each Due to limited Renown it is possible to lose a
navy. Games are saved automatically at the end of campaign.
each battle and whenever purchasing a new ship
or releasing a ship from command. Initiative, weather, zone locations and time of
battle are randomly assigned to each zone at the
Goal creation of a new campaign. Land-based air strikes
Sink enemy shipping to earn Renown points in are available in zones with air cover.
order to purchase more and better ships as well as
replace those lost in action. The Campaign Mission list is similar to Single
Battles and displays the current best score ranging
Rules from to .
Maximum player fleet size is 10 ships. LEFT CLICK a mission to begin it.
Maximum player ships in battle is 3. At least must be earned on a mission to unlock
Player ships sunk are removed from fleet (may be the next mission and remember;
re-purchased). Renown is only earned if a mission score is greater
Cannot own duplicates of the same ship. than any previous best score.
Don't spend all your Renown on powerful expensive ships too early! If they are sunk the lost Renown
can leave you in a very bad situation. Always keep enough Renown in reserve to field at least 3
destroyers or submarines at a time.
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Campaign Mission
While it might be easy to earn a lot of Renown in the early to middle stages of the campaign, beware!
The later missions can become extremely hard and you may find yourself replacing a lot of sunk
ships.
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Battle of the Atlantic Dynamic Campaign
Turn-based tactical and strategic simulation of the Goal
tonnage war that was the Battle of the Atlantic Sink enemy warships and submarines to earn
during World War II. Your goal is to protect (or Renown points in order to purchase more and
destroy) merchant shipping as it brings valuable better ships.
war materials to Britain across the Atlantic. Unlike Allies - Protect merchants carrying war materials
the regular Campaigns, the Battle of the Atlantic is across Atlantic.
fully dynamic and evolves over time into a very Axis - Sink allied merchants preventing delivery of
unique experience. Be prepared to think, be war materials.
adaptable and make sacrifices to keep the war in
your favour. Rules
Maximum player fleet size is 30 ships (option
Campaigns for each navy are saved separately. available to decrease this to 20).
Games are saved automatically at the end of each Maximum player ships in battle is 10.
battle and whenever purchasing a new ship or Any ship sunk is permanently removed from
releasing a ship from command. campaign.
Cannot own duplicates of the same ship.
Renown earned for warships and submarines sunk
Spread your forces thin to cover as many
(not merchants).
shipping routes as possible, but be
Merchant ships sunk do not provide Renown
prepared to react to and defend against
points, but instead go to the tonnage tally (see
heavier surface ships if and when they appear.
War Summary).
Land-based air strikes sometimes available in
zones with air cover.
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Atlantic Map
LEFT CLICK in the centre of a zone to manage it, see Zones below.
LEFT CLICK at edges of zones (or on land areas) and drag to pan around map.
Atlantic Map
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War Summary
Shows overall status of the tonnage war, all warship and merchant
tonnage sunk to date and a roster of all player ships and their locations.
Since merchant vessels sunk in combat (or events) do not earn Renown, their tonnage is applied to the War
Summary instead.
Britain may come to terms from mid-late 1940 onwards where war materials become crucial for her to win
the "Battle of Britain". Going forward, if at least 300,000 tons of allied merchants per month is consistently
sunk, Britain may withdraw from the war and Germany wins the Battle of the Atlantic. 700,000 tons required
once the United States enters war.
Britain may win the Battle of the Atlantic if over 150,000 tons of Axis Naval shipping is sunk and Axis forces
fail to sink at least one third their current goal (100,000 tons before the US enters the war and ~230,000
tons after).
In the case of a draw, the Allies will eventually launch the Normandy invasion and ultimately win that game
since enough war materials have arrived to re-take Europe.
Once the Battle of the Atlantic is ended, a victory (or defeat) screen is shown and the campaign can not
progress past that turn as it is over.
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Zones
LEFT CLICK the centre of a zone on the Atlantic Map manage it.
LEFT CLICK again to open the Port if that zone contains them (see Ports below).
Zones adjacent to the current zones are also highlighted.
Moving Ships
To move ships between zones:
1. LEFT CLICK ships on list to toggle highlight (blue for Allies, red for Axis).
2. LEFT CLICK an adjacent zone (blue circles) to move highlighted ships into it.
3. Adjacent zone now becomes the managed zone and ships are moved into it.
Zone Management
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Ports
Ports allow buying and releasing of ships as well Re-supply Vessels (Axis only)
as repair and rearming. To open a port: When playing Axis (Germany), several zones
LEFT CLICK the Display Zone Names contain re-supply vessels. These zones are marked
and Ports Icon to determine which with a red tanker icon. Moving any ship into such a
zones contain a port for your faction. zone will automatically replenish all shell and
torpedo ammunition.
1) LEFT CLICK a zone on the Atlantic Map.
2) If the zone has a port, LEFT CLICK on the zone
again (gray circle in centre) to enter the port.
OR
3) LEFT CLICK the port icon which
automatically appears whenever
managing a zone that has a port for your faction.
Port View
(2) Ships currently being repaired and (5) Repair / Rearm Ships
rearmed Sends highlighted ships (yellow) from the list of
LEFT CLICK ships to highlight (orange). ships in zone to the repair list.
Status indicates the number of turns until work on LEFT CLICK ships in zone list (left) to toggle
the ship is complete. highlight.
Once complete the ship becomes active and is Numbers indicate turns required for ships in repair
released back into the zone. list.
Bombing raids by enemy air forces can cause Ships are automatically released to the zone once
delays to ships undergoing repairs/rearming. repaired/rearmed.
Number of turns required to repair/rearm based
on ship size and damage amount. (7) Release ships from command.
Removes any highlighted ships (yellow/orange)
(3, 6) Examine ship statistics & damage from command.
On the ship information panel: Renown is not refunded and released ships can be
>>> Examine next ship on list. re-purchased at a later time.
<<< Examine previous ship on list.
LEFT CLICK on DONE in the bottom right to exit (8) Shipyard
ship information panel. Opens the shipyard to examine and purchase
additional ships.
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Shipyard
Displays a view of the selected ship class, information about it and a list of available ships for that class.
Shipyard View
(2) Individual ships available for that class (4) Availability Date
LEFT CLICK highlight any ship (green). In Battle of the Atlantic mode, some ships are not
LEFT CLICK and drag a ship to scroll list up and available until a certain date.
down.
For lists greater than 50 ships, LEFT CLICK on (5) Leave Shipyard
NEXT >>> (bottom right) to display more ships.
Depending on the game mode being played, the Battle of the Atlantic:
following rules apply when using the Shipyard: Barracuda, Hedgehog and Squid Upgrades
November 1942: Hedgehog available to Allied
Single Battle – CUSTOM Battle Destroyers and Flower/Temptress/Action Class
Adding a ship costs no Renown. Corvettes.
Any ship, including merchants may be added.
Duplicates of the same ship may be added. January 1943: Barracuda replace Swordfish
bombers for Illustrious Class.
Campaign
Purchasing a ship costs Renown. September 1943: Squid available to Allied Castle
Merchants cannot be purchased. Class Corvettes.
Already owned ships are not no longer available.
These upgrades are added automatically to newly
Battle of the Atlantic purchased ships.
Purchasing a ship costs Renown. Repair/Rearm to refit existing ships with these
Merchants cannot be purchased. upgrades.
Already owned or sunk ships are not available. These upgrades are automatically installed in
Some ships are unavailable until a specific date. Campaign and Custom Battles.
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Ship Repair Times
Table shows number of turns required to repair/rearm ships of various sizes with various damage amounts.
Rank 1 2 3 4 5
Tons of shipping sunk 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000
Damage Reduction 2% 4% 6% 8% 10%
Extinguish Fires 2% 4% 6% 8% 10%
Magazine Explosion Chance -2% -4% -6% -8% -10%
Subsystem Repair 1% 2% 3% 4% 5%
Aircraft Durability 2% 4% 6% 8% 10%
Anti-Aircraft 2% 4% 6% 8% 10%
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3. Historical Missions
30 historical missions are currently available under Single Battle:
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13. Battle of the Denmark Strait 19. Sinking of Barham
24 May 1941 25 November 1941
Bismarck and Prinz Eugen are attempting to break HMS Barham, Queen Elizabeth and Valiant, along
through into the Atlantic to wreak havoc on allied with their destroyer escort, are underway near
shipping. Only HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales Alexandria when intercepted by U-331.
are in a position to intercept them. Historical Outcome:
Historical Outcome: Barham - Sunk
Hood - Sunk
Prince of Wales - Medium damage 20. Sinking Python
Bismarck - Light damage 1 December 1941
The re-supply ship Python is in the middle of
14. Swordfish Attack Bismarck refueling and re-supplying U-126 when HMS
26 May 1941 Dorsetshire appears.
HMS Sheffield shadows the Bismarck and with Historical Outcome:
daylight fading and in almost impossibly bad Python - Scuttled
weather, Swordfish bombers from the HMS Ark
Royal launch their torpedo attack. 21. Convoy PQ-13
Historical Outcome: 29 March 1942
Bismarck - Medium damage Arctic convoy PQ13 is en-route from Iceland to
Sheffield - Light damage Murmansk, Russia when three German destroyers
sail out to intercept.
15. Bismarck Night Action Historical Outcome:
26/27 May 1941 Z26 - Sunk
During the night British destroyers manage to Trinidad - Heavy damage
detect and intercept the damaged Bismarck as she Eclipse - Heavy Damage
attempts to reach France for repairs. Z25 - Light damage
Historical Outcome:
Cossack - Light damage 22. Escorting Edinburgh
Zulu - Light damage 2 May 1942
While escorting convoy QP11, HMS Edinburgh
16. Sinking the Bismarck (carrying 4.5 tons of Soviet gold) is hit by two
27 May 1941 torpedoes from U-456. Crippled and under tow,
Crippled and outnumbered, the Bismarck prepares Edinburgh comes under attack from destroyers
for her final battle against impossible odds. two days later.
Historical Outcome: Historical Outcome:
Bismarck - Sunk Edinburgh - Sunk
Rodney - Light damage Z7 Hermann Schoemann - Sunk
Foresight - Heavy damage
17. Sinking Atlantis Forester - Heavy damage
22 November 1941 Z25 - Medium Damage
Atlantis has sunk 145,960 tons of merchant
shipping since her raid began on March 31, 1940. 23. Battle of the Barents Sea
While re-supplying U-126, the British cruiser HMS 31 December 1942
Devonshire closes in. Convoy JW51B is sailing to Kola Inlet when
Historical Outcome: intercepted by multiple German forces.
Atlantis - Sunk Historical Outcome:
Achates - Sunk
18. Kormoran versus Sydney Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt - Sunk
19 November 1941 Onslow - Heavy damage
The auxiliary cruiser Kormoran is operating in the Admiral Hipper -Heavy damage
Indian Ocean and has sunk or captured 68,270 Obdurate - Light damage
tons of allied shipping. Off the coast of Western Obedient - Light damage
Australia, HMAS Sydney investigates the
Kormoran, currently posing as the Dutch merchant 24. Convoy TM-1
"Straat Malakka". 9 January 1943
Historical Outcome: Convoy TM1 consisting of tankers sailing from
Sydney - Sunk Trinidad to Gibraltar is attacked by wolf packs.
Kormoran - Scuttled Historical Outcome:
7 Tankers - Sunk
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25. Les Sept Iles 28. Ile de Vierge
23 October 1943 28 April 1944
The blockade runner Munsterland and her escorts After protecting a mine laying operation in the
sail out from Brest. English Channel, Allied escorts detect enemy
Historical Outcome: contacts.
Charybdis - Sunk Historical Outcome:
Athabaskan - Sunk
26. Battle of the North Cape T27 - Sunk
26 December 1943 T24 - Light damage
Scharnhorst and her escort are searching for arctic
convoys to attack. After sending her escort south 29. Action off Brittany
to scout, the now alone Scharnhorst is cornered by 9 June 1944
two British forces. An allied patrol intercepts enemy ships in the
Historical Outcome: English Channel.
Scharnhorst - Sunk Historical Outcome:
Norfolk - Medium damage Z32 - Sunk
Duke of York - Light damage Tartar - Medium damage
Z24 - Medium damage
27. Ile de Batz Eskimo - Light damage
26 April 1944 Haida - Light damage
After laying mines in the English Channel, three
torpedo boats are intercepted by an Allied patrol. 30. Action off Bergen
Historical Outcome: 28 January 1945
T29 - Sunk The 4th flotilla has been ordered to vacate the
Ashanti - Medium damage Arctic. Allied intelligence intercepts these orders
Huron - Light damage and two light cruisers are sent to intercept.
Athabaskan - Light damage Historical Outcome:
Haida - Light damage Z31 - Medium damage
T24 - Light damage Diadem - Light damage
T27 Light damage Mauritius - Light damage
Z34 - Light damage
Z38 - Light damage
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4. Game Options / Help
Game Options can be accessed from the Main Menu by LEFT CLICK on "Options / Help".
In addition, they can be accessed during combat via the Special Commands Menu of the Tactical Map or
[ESCAPE KEY].
Here you can adjust sound and music volume, camera sensitivity as well as various difficulty and realism
settings. In addition, the Help section contains chapters describing the various aspects of the game.
Options Page
By default, all options are off. Turning them on Wind Affects Player Shells
makes the following changes: Shells fired by player ships now drift in the
direction of the wind. Both direction and strength
Longer Start Range of the wind must now be manually compensated
Increases starting distances by about 20%. for by the player.
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Battle of the Atlantic Options: Low Ocean uses simplified ocean graphics
Hard Difficulty suitable for older hardware.
Increases the number of enemy ships on the map High Ocean runs the game with complex
and increases the amount of merchant tonnage and more detailed ocean graphics.
sunk by events (decreases event merchant
tonnage if playing Germany). - Shadows disables real time shadows.
+ Shadows enables real time shadows.
Sunk Ships Recycled by Enemy
Allows the enemy to resurrect sunk ships and V- Sync
eventually put them back into battle. This is Vertical Synchronization, may decrease "tearing"
particularly useful for increasing the difficulty artifacts on screen and improve performance.
when playing the Royal Navy to compensate for
the lower number of German ships available. Anti-Aliasing
Increases smoothness of graphics.
20 Player Ships Only
Player fleet size is 30 by default. Turning this Shadows
option on reduces it to 20 for a more challenging Enables real time shadows. Changing this setting
game. Changing this setting during a game makes will also change the global graphics quality setting
it possible to have more than the allowed number in the startup configuration.
of ships, however new ships cannot be purchased
unless below the current maximum fleet size. High Quality Ocean Detail
Only available if playing with "High Ocean"
Graphics Settings: enabled in the startup configuration panel.
In addition to the settings here, there are 4 global Low, Medium or High settings are available to
graphics quality settings which can be set in the adjust the resolution and detail of the ocean
configuration panel at game startup. surface.
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5. Appendicies
Torpedo Data
Arming distance: ~1000 yd. Note that under this distance, a torpedo will not arm and be a dud.
Torpedo data below indicates torpedo type, speed in knots and maximum range.
Royal Navy:
Aerial 18" Mark XIV 33kn 3,500 yd
Submarine 21" Mark VII / VIII 41kn 7,000 yd
Surface 21" Mark IX 35kn 14,000 yd
Kriegsmarine:
Aerial H6 24kn 6,500 yd
Submarine G7a 40kn 8,750 yd
Surface G7a 30kn 15,300 yd
Barracuda replaces Swordfish in January 1943 for the Illustrious Class Aircraft Carrier only and is a full dive
bomber as opposed to shallow dive of the Swordfish.
Carrier aircraft (fighters) with "none" payload act as a Combat Air Patrol and are best at shooting down
incoming enemy aircraft. Can still be used in strafing attacks.
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FAQ
1. Gunnery is too hard! Why is it so difficult to land hits?
The Target Solution is only an estimate, it can often be wrong so just use it as a guide.
Be sure to use the Splash History and Tactical Map Shot History. They are powerful tools that can give you a
lot of information about how to plan your next shot.
Using the Splash History can land hits about 75% of the time. It tells you whether the last elevation you
fired at will be long, short or on target this turn. Adjusting elevation 1 to 1.5 degrees is usually enough to
bring the shot into the next category and once in the "green zone" only minimal adjustments should be
necessary. Do the "Gunnery Training" mission for more information.
The ability for the enemy to disengage adds an additional challenge. If you want to drive off an enemy, you
can. If you want to sink an enemy, you will need to deliberately target the propulsion systems to prevent it
from escaping. Shots that you might have otherwise just targeted the magazines with...
6. Why are torpedo bombers so hard to use? The enemy just sails past aerial torpedoes...
Aerial torpedoes usually run over several turns to their target. This means you don't have to get too close to
the enemy ship before dropping (although allied torpedoes do have a fairly short range).
Most importantly make sure to set the aircraft attack marker 0.5-1.5 ship lengths in front of the target so it
sails into the torpedo. Remember you can adjust both the angle of the attack and the point along the ship's
path you wish to strike.
8. Why are Campaigns so easy, I have lots of Renown and nothing to spend it on?
Save it! The later levels become very difficult and you will need it to replace lost ships.
It is possible to lose a campaign due to being unable to replace your ships.
Still too easy? There's an option to reduce Renown rewards by 50% for both Campaign and Battle of the
Atlantic modes.
10. Why don't I earn Renown for sinking ships in Battle of the Atlantic?
Renown is earned only for enemy warships and submarines sunk, not merchants.
Merchant tonnage instead goes to the War Summary tally and is used to determine how the war is
progressing.
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11. There are enemy ships in the same zone as mine, why won't they engage?
In Battle of the Atlantic mode a zone represents a large area of ocean, so there is a change that the ships
don't find each other. Having more ships, the total number of aircraft carried by ships (including aircraft
carriers) and good weather all increase the chances of the two forces detecting each other.
12. Why do aircraft attack my own ships? Why is the aircraft attack marker on my ship?
By default the aircraft attack marker initially appears on the ship launching the attack.
If your ship already has a target, simply LEFT CLICK the Target Solution or [F2 KEY].
Or go into the Tactical Map, LEFT CLICK a target then LEFT CLICK the Go To Ship button to target any ship.
14. Why won't ships sink? I've hit them so many times...
Atlantic Fleet does not use hit points, but actual buoyancy physics. This means you have to hit the ship near
the water line in order for water to flood it. Multiple hits away from the waterline cause damage, but cause
very little flooding.
Also be aware of counter flooding. Try to avoid hitting a ship on both sides or at both ends. Concentrate on
one side or one end to capsize it or force the ship under.
Use the right tool for the job. Small calibre guns or HE shells won't penetrate heavy armour.
Finally distance plays a major role in armour penetration. At long range you want to plunge your shells into
the deck rather than have them glance the belt. Belt armour penetration decreases with longer distances,
while deck armour penetration increases and vise versa.
16. Why can't I progress in a Battle of the Atlantic game, I keep getting the same screen every
time I press "Next"?
The ending criteria have been met for that campaign and it is finished.
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Glossary & Abbreviations
AP Armour-Piercing shell, best used against armour thickness > 50% shell calibre
BB Battleship
BC Battlecruiser
CAP Combat Air Patrol, carrier-based fighters constantly in the air vs. enemy aircraft
CA Heavy Cruiser
CL Light Cruiser
CV Aircraft Carrier
DC Corvette
DD Destroyer
MS Merchant Ship
RN Royal Navy
TB Torpedo Boat
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