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Week 1/May 1942. Substantial reinforcements arrive, but 4 units originally destined to the Pacific are finally sent to other theathers (GROUPER, NAUTILUS, S-27 and S-28 ) under the 'house rule'.
War Event: No Ultra. Only 14 subs are in station, and most of them are old units with little punch. They do remarkably well, sinking 4 ships and damaging a tanker, but tonnage sunk is poor (8000 tons in all). The no-losses spell ends when TROUT is destroyed in a counter-attack; a well-liked sub with three kills to her credit, which will be sorely missed. Hoping for better results next week, when several of the hard-hitting 'Gatos' will be in patrol.

Week 2/May 1942. A most intense turn! Pressure and nerves are mounting, with 3 weeks to go and 41,000 tons needed to pass the tonnage check. Twenty subs are in patrol. Weather must be quite foggy in the Java/Banda/South China Sea areas, where the less powerful subs are concentrated, for sub after sub fails to detect any shipping or to carry attacks due to poor TDCs. The 6-3-4s have also little luck in the Coral Sea and South China Sea 2 areas, only a 3000-tonner is sunk by GAR and a 1000-tonner damaged by SEARAVEN. A 'double tonnage' combat event is wasted by SAURY, and a 'mech trouble' event frustrates a perfect approach by SEALION on three isolated merchantmen.
But my best hopes are in the Marshalls, where I have concentrated four hard-hitting 'Gato' class subs. First to arrive is DRUM, after a quick refitting following her frustrating maiden patrol; she hits a merchant with her first torpedo... a dud. On re-attack a merchant 'Lumbers in the way' of her torpedoes... another dud. I feel like crying. At least DRUM remains in patrol. Second in the area is brand-new TRIGGER. She carries a text-book attack on a 3000-tonner, but the ship is only damaged; stubbornly she re-attacks, and the merchant is finished-off. At last! The aggressive commander remains in patrol, too. FLYING FISH is next; four juicy unescorted merchantmen are revealed, TDCs are excellent and the CO decides to split the attack between two targets; both are missed. On re-attack, two more merchants and a CL are revealed. With no escorts in sight and excellent TDCs, a double-shot is again attempted. This time, a solid hit is obtained on a 9000-tons fleet tanker... A DUD! The raging CO keeps his sub in station. Last to arrive is GREENLING. Four unescorted ships are sighted; with the mounting pressure to sink enough tonnage, easy small targets are ignored, and a 30% probability shot misses a 10,000-tons ship. On re-attack, GREENLING finds herself surrounded by big vessels but with terrible TDCs; in desperation, her CO attempts a 20% probability shot on IZUMO, a 10,000-tonner... A HIT... and A DUD! This time, I really have to cry.
The week has ended in a fiasco. Just 2 ships for 6000 tons sunk. Another 35,000 tons are needed, and just two weeks to go... The only bright note, all four 'Gatos' in the Marshalls are keeping in station. Next week can be the decisive one.
WHAT A GAME !!!

Week 3/May 1942. War Event: No Ultra. There are 24 subs in patrol, including 6 'Gatos' (two in North Pacific, four in Marshalls). Traffic is heavy, and a very high number of Combat Events are revealed, both positive and negative. A 'surface gunnery' and a 'target lumbers in the way' are wasted for lack of suitable targets. GUDGEON scores a big success in the Coral Sea sinking a 10,000-ton merchant; SPEARFISH sinks a 3000-tonner, and two more ships are damaged. Once again, all hopes are put on the 'Gato' fleet submarines. Things go badly in the North Pacific; GROWLER sights nothing and remains in patrol, SILVERSIDES misses a 9000-ton unescorted CA with a high-probability shot. In the Marshalls, DRUM finds just three scattered contacts: the first is a 15,000-ton oiler, the second the 10,000-ton IZUMO (again!), the third... a combat event... COMBAT-COMBAT! This is it, DRUM has a golden opportunity to bag the needed tonnage. A few moments later, DRUM is heading for home empty-handed; all she has obtained is yet another dud against IZUMO. In two patrols during April/May, DRUM has remained four weeks in station; she has obtained six torpedo hits, all of which have been duds, two of them against the same enemy ship (IZUMO). Her commander certainly needs a rest. Next arriving in the area is TRIGGER, she sinks a 2000-tonner. FLYING FISH encounters just a few DDs, and GREENLING scores yet another dud. The much-needed effort by the 'Gatos' has been a failure, with just a small ship sunk, and only two of them remaining in patrol. Total results for the week: 3 ships sunk (15,000 tons) and 3 damaged (7000 tons).
For the next, decisive week, we need to sink 20,000 tons, but most of the larger boats will not be at sea. With a bit of luck...

Week 4/May 1942. For the 19 subs in patrol, orders are unequivocal: each and every target must be attacked regardless of enemy defence. No sub, even damaged ones, are allowed to break-off a possible attack. Many targets are located, but big ships seem to have disappeared from the seas; SEAL sinks two ships, SAILFISH and SEALION one each, but their aggregate tonnage is just 9000 tons; two more ships are hit but only damaged. Enemy counter-attacks destroy S-45 and damage two other boats. Then GRAYBACK sights a big 10,000 tonner in the Coral Sea - her destruction would almost guarantee the 20,000 tons needed. GRAYBACK fires at just 30% probability... scores a hit... A DUD! She maneuvers for re-attack, revealing two strong enemy DDs and also air escort. Her second attack misses... ans she is then sunk by the merciless enemy counter-attack. To cope it all, SEARAVEN is surprised in the Banda Sea by a Japanese submarine; she is it... and incredibly the enemy torpedo causes damage serious but not lethal.
As usual, I have left the most promising areas for the last; two 'Gato' and two 'T' class are in patrol in the Aleutians and the Marshalls, they must sink 11,000 tons or more to meet the tonnage deadline. Everything is possible.
In the Marshalls, TAMBOR's approach is frustrated by a 'Mech failure' combat event. THRESHER locates three isolated small merchants, she sinks a 2000-tonner and damages a 1000-tonner. Everything is in the hands of the two 'Gatos' in the Aleutians. Against a powerful escort, FLYING FISH manages to score a hit on a 5000-tonner... which refuses to sink. Here comes the last one, GROWLER. Low density traffic, C1: two 'meatballs' in column A, another in B. Column A is revealed: a 5000-ton oiler, a 15,000-ton tanker !!! Column B is revealed: a COMBAT EVENT. Colour drains from my face. A thought flashes through my mind: this is just too much. I will not allow a whole campaign to be ruined by yet another stroke of bad luck. If this is a bad event, I will just roll again and... but wait... what am I talking about? Am I going to cheat to myself? What is the point of playing a solitaire game, if I'm going to re-roll a dice which I don't like? So with the firm decision of accepting the die result, I roll... and am rewarded with a 'Perfect Setup'. The 15,000-tonner is hit, and a solid 8 confirms her sinking. YES! The tonnage requirement is met!
With a sigh of relief, I re-attack the second target, and now that it's no longer required, it goes up in a ball of flames with another hit and 9 for damage. This brings the weekly total to 7 ships sunk (31,000 tons) and 3 damaged (12,000 tons), and the overall campaign results to 66 ships sunk (231,000 tons). But fate has not finished with GROWLER. I don't want her to go to Dutch Harbor with its poor dock facilities; she must return to Pearl Harbor for a heroe's welcome. So GROWLER heads for Hawaii... and is never heard of again. This blow raises the week losses to three subs, the worst of the campaign by far.
Excuse me if this AAR sounds too dramatic... but the whole week WAS dramatic. And just in case I have not said it enough... WHAT A GAME!

Week 1/June 1942. Subs in patrol: 18. Compared with the hectic final weeks of May, this has been a placid turn, although interesting things did happen, too. POMPANO narrowly escapes a circling torpedo. Three ships for 16,000 tons are sunk, the nicest success (a 10,000-tons steamer) being scored by low-punch PORPOISE in the Banda Sea; a 1000-tonner is damaged. Only two 'Gatos' are at sea; TRIGGER misses two easy shots against unescorted ships, and DRUM (under a new skipper!) sees nothing but remains in patrol.
The horizon for the campaign has brightened. For the first time the roll to advance to War Period 2 has a chance of success. And with 69 ships sunk, soon I will beguin rolling for improved torpedoes (at last!). Also, having met the May tonnage requirement, now I am free from the 'reinforcement check' house rule.

Week 2/June 1942. Subs in patrol: 19. Several subs fail to spot any shipping, but at least most of them remain in station. Five ships are sunk, two by old subs (DOLPHIN and POMPANO) and three by 'Gatos' (FLYING FISH, GRUNION and SILVERSIDES) but the aggregate tonnage is modest (12,000 tons); one of three duds is suffered by DRUM, which in 3 patrols has accumulated seven duds and no successes. STURGEON is sunk by air and sea enemy forces in the Java Sea.

The War Progress check is positive: WAR PERIOD 2 STARTS. Time to re-learn many things. Since our torpedoes are still at -2, the coming weeks could be made difficult by the reinforced defense. The subs preferred hunting ground at the Marshalls will yield much less targets; as soon as better torpedoes are obtained, we must move farther away from our bases.

Week 3/June 1942. The sudden start of War Period 2 has left several of the 25 subs in patrol cruising poorly-transited areas. Predictably attacks have been few, just two ships sunk for 6000 tons (by SAILFISH and THRESHER) and two more damaged, including a 10,000-tons tanker hit by GAR. It's surprising how some sub counters seem to have a luck rate of its own; there is really no reason for it, but some just happen to hit everything they attack, while the contrary is true for others. So, SAILFISH is keeping her top-scorer status since the campaign's first week; she is now credited with 8 ships sunk (22,000 tons) and 1 damaged (3000 tons). Meanwhile, in Pearl bar-rooms DRUM is already known as 'Dud' DRUM (seven torpedo hits, all failed to explode).

REVISED STRATEGY. Traffic in favourite areas like Coral Sea, Marshalls and Aleutians having markedly decreased, patrols will now be concentrating in Java Sea, Solomons and South Philippine Sea. The Gilberts will be also popular due to its scarce defensive forces. We will see more long-range patrols, and more care must be given to the 'cautious transit/patrol movement' combination, in order to minimize risk of Transit Events, now quite more dangerous.

Week 4/June 1942. A record 27 subs are in patrol. Nine ships are torpedoed, but of them only 5 (16,000 tons) sink, the 4 others (12,000 tons) are damaged. For the first time an enemy carrier has been stalked, although her speed was too high and no torpedoes were launched. Best successes have been a 6000-tonner for SWORDFISH and a 5000-tonner for TAUTOG. A total of 81 ships have been sunk to date, so the roll for torpedo improvement is getting easier.

Week 1/Aug 42. The 21 subs in patrol have an unusually quiet time, with not a single Combat Event revealed. There is plenty of duds however, which prevents the turn to be outstanding. In all, 6 ships are sunk (16,000 tons) and 2 damaged (6,000 tons). Half the successes occur at the Ultra area of Java Sea (2 sunk by SEAWOLF and 1 by SAURY), but the best achievement is by low-hitter DOLPHIN, which in a low-traffic area (the Marshalls) sinks a 5000-ton tanker with two successful shots. For the first time a sub has patrolled deep in Empire waters; TAUTOG returns without success and with slight damage.

Week 2/Aug 42. The war seems to have reached an stalemate: 11 turns without a War Event! There are 17 subs in patrol. They sink 5 ships (11,000 tons) and damage two more (10,000 tons). Not a spectacular result, but enough to pass the tonnage check with two weeks to spare. The torpedo problem is far from fixed: there have been four duds this week. SAILFISH has sunk her 9th ship, reaching the 25,000-tons mark, but GUDGEON also has destroyed a 5000-tonner and keeps her status of top-scorer thanks to the big size of her victims (4 ships for 26,000 tons). For the second consecutive turn no Combat Events have been triggered; I will do an extra re-seed of the cups just in case.

YIPES!!! I discover that administrative problems are preventing my bigger subs from carrying longer patrols. (In game terms, I just come aware that the current torpedo modifier also affects the endurance check. As I had memorized the table and was no longer consulting it, I had failed to notice this fact; my better subs will favour from now on).

Week 3/Aug 42. A most intense turn. Subs in patrol: 25. I improvise a 'special mission' with 3 lesser boats, which use patrol movement to move into the empty Marianas to take advantage of 'Ultra' information. The result is positive: one ship is sunk by S-31 and another damaged by S-30, although ARGONAUT has a big scare when her roll for a transit event is a 9-9-0. Combat Events return with a vengeance, mostly positive ones. FINBACK takes advantage of a 'Perfect setup' to sink two ships in the Solomons. GAR rolls a 'Combat-Combat' in the Carolines; she misses with a 30% shot a 10000-tons aircraft carrier, but at least manages to sink a big tanker. TRIGGER rolls another 'Combat-Combat'; the first round she sinks a small ship, the extra round reveals a 6-1 destroyer and three 10,000-tonners: a tanker, a CV and the IZUMO, but the torpedo is an absolute miss. For the final round, the TDCs are excellent on the big tanker and another 5000-tonner: TRIGGER has a possibility of obtaining a super-skipper if she splits her torpedo value and sinks both tankers, but some lucky dice will be needed. After much number-crunching and indecision, I go for big and split the attack: I have a 40% chance of hitting the big one, a 30% for the small one. The first is a miss, but at least TRIGGER sinks the 5000-tonner with a perfect hit. Her skipper is not yet 'super', but he's learning quickly!
The weekly results are the best of the campaing: 11 ships sunk (33,000 tons) and 1 damaged (5000 tons), for no subs lost.

Week 4/Aug 42. Defying all mathematical logic, the 40% probability roll for a War Event has failed for 12 consecutive weeks. Before someone raises doubts about the dice used, I must point out that since Jan 1942 I am using 5 different dice, all five are simultaneously in my hand and I choose them randomly for quick throwing. So, the dice are not the cause!
22 subs are in patrol. This could have been a great turn: 14 ships are hit by torpedoes, but only 5 (13,000 tons) are sunk, 3 (11,000 tons) damaged, and 6 are duds. The blasted torpedoes are not yet fixed! Top-scorers GUDGEON and GRENADIER have both sunk 2000-tonners, and FLYING FISH benefited from a 'double tonnage' to bag a 6000-tonner. Several of the big subs are keeping station for next week.

August has been a record month, with 27 ships sunk (63,000 tons) for no own losses. Total for the campaign stoods at 128 ships - 411,000 tons. The tonnage check has been passed easily, but now sinkings must rise steadily, for almost 70,000 per month will be needed to cope with the November check.
GUDGEON leads the pack with a score of 28,400 (5 ships sunk and 2 damaged), followed by GRENADIER with a score of 27,000 (also 5 sunk and 2 damaged). Third one is SAILFISH with 25,300 (9 sunk and 1 damaged).

Week 1/Oct 42. War Event: 'No Ultra'. Twenty subs are in patrol. What an strange turn! It started awfully, with the first 4 torpedo hits being all duds (a total of 8 duds were suffered this week, a mark not previously reached, even in the darkest days of December 41), improved slightly with successes for the top-ten SEARAVEN, GRAYLING and GRENADIER, and ended in a blaze of glory when GATO and KINGFISH ran into a force of Jap carriers in the Gilberts and sank a couple of 10,000-ton CVs (with the help of a 'Combat-Combat' event in the case of KINGFISH). These are the first capital ships sunk by the submarine force, and with them a new weekly tonnage record has been reached: 8 ships sunk for 39,000 tons, plus a 2000-tonner damaged. WAHOO has completed an excellent first patrol of three weeks in the Marianas, with the overall sinking of 3 ships (7,000 tons).

Week 2/Oct 42. A great turn. The 22 subs in patrol have been rather lucky, only two duds suffered and compensated Combat Events. The ubiquitous 10,000-ton IZUMO has been finally sunk by GREENLING, now the second-best scorer (7 ships for 30,000 tons), bested only by SAILFISH (11 ships for 32,000 tons). On her first patrol, WHALE has sunk two ships in Jap home waters; old S-34 also has scored a commendable success in the Aleutians, sinking two small merchantmen. A big 10,000-ton tanker has been sunk in the Carolines by FLYING FISH, and she climbs to 5th place of the top-ten (6 ships for 27,000 tons). In all, 11 ships have been destroyed (39,000 tons) and 2 damaged (6000 tons). The only sad note has been the loss in the Java Sea of SEALION, a veteran credited with 4 sinkings (12,000 tons). This ends a streak of 3 weeks without own losses.

Week 3/Oct 42. The extra endurance allowed by the improved torpedoes is felt more and more. This week there are 25 subs in patrol, which sink 12 ships (29,000 tons) and damage 4 more (18,000 tons). And results could still have been better: HADDOCK evades the air escort of a light cruiser and attempts a 10% prob shot, the torpedo is a hit but does not explode! In total 6 duds are suffered. Notable successes are gained by S-32 (a 5000-tonner sunk in the Aleutians), GUDGEON (two ships in the Gilberts) and DRUM (two ships in the Carolines). FLYING FISH torpedoes 3 ships in succession from a convoy, but only a small 1000-tonner sinks, two big 5000-tonners are only damaged. WHALE sinks a third ship in her first patrol in Japan home waters.
GUDGEON now leads the pack, with a score of 33,400 (7 ships sunk and 2 damaged).

REVISED STRATEGY. The longer patrols carried by the big boats are saturating the areas close to the bases, and the successes obtained by AMBERJACK and WHALE in the Empire Pacific are proof that this can be a favourable hunting ground. More big boats will be sent to these remote areas.

Week 4/Oct 42. The maintenance effort in all bases allows a record 33 subs to be in patrol zones, only a dozen boats remaining in broom and pierside boxes. Thus a big success was expected, but the week has been a bit disappointing. The numerous S boats have failed to score a single hit; the long-range patrols in the Empire Pacific have yielded only one small ship sunk by GATO. On the other hand, some outstanding successes have been obtained, both SEARAVEN and KINGFISH scoring twice. In all, 9 ships have been sunk (28,000 tons) and 6 damaged (10,000 tons), again without losses.
October has been by far the best month of the campaign to date: 40 ships (125,000 tons) sunk, for the loss of 1 own sub.
The next tonnage check is almost guaranteed, we have to sink just 8000 tons in four weeks to pass it.

Week 1/Dec 42. How difficult is to maintain a sustained effort in the high-traffic areas! 17 subs are in patrol; several fail to contact any shipping, and others are frustrated by awful TDCs: weather must be really bad. S-34 misses a Jap sub in the Aleutians. Tragedy strucks in the Solomons; after sinking a 3000-tonner, SILVERSIDES presses home a re-attack despite several potential warship contacts, lured by two easy, low-defence targets; faced with three DDs escorting a small CV, SILVERSIDES is destroyed by depth-charges. So ends a promising sub and crew, credited with 7 ships sunk for 17,000 tons. This is the first 'Gato' confirmed as sunk by the enemy, the previous one (GROWLER) having simply vanished at sea. The best success of the week is obtained by old S-38, who opens her score by sinking a 5000-tonner in the Banda Sea. New GUARDFISH torpedoes a big 10,000-ton tanker which refuses to sink. GREENLING wastes a 'double tonnage' event against several unescorted ships when both salvos fired miss completely; perhaps stress begins to take its toll in this veteran and successful crew. In all, 5 ships are sunk (13,000 tons) and 1 damaged (10,000 tons).

Week 2/Dec 42. War Event: 'Political Pressure'; our subs are ordered to engage only TFs (a 20% contact probability, 30% if aided by Ultra). The effect of this directive is devastating; out of 23 subs in patrol, only four see some action, which results in a 5000-tons ship sunk by S-31 in the Aleutians and in two duds. The only subs not affected by the special orders (two deployed in the Empire Pacific area) DO encounter TFs, although only a small ship is sunk by HALIBUT. Weekly results: 2 ships sunk (6000 tons), the worst since the July crisis. As an small consolation, 13 boats are continuing their patrols.

Week 3/Dec 42. How many things can go wrong? What a miserable week... With 33 boats in patrol, I was expecting a great turn. Instead, War Event 'Solomons Campaign' sends 12 subs to Guadalcanal; I am forced to assign this dangerous task to some boats which I would have rather kept out of harm's way. One of them is GREENLING, one of the few ones to actually sight enemy TFs. The third chit she reveals results in a nice 'Combat-Combat' event; the fourth is a Diligent Escort... GREENLING is rammed and sunk with the loss of all hands. A sad end for the third-ranking submarine, credited with 10 ships sunk (33,000 tons), and which during December was showing some signs of strain; I should have never assigned her that dangerous mission. If one feels so bad after losing a cardboard submarine, the real thing must have been nigh unbearable.
Guadalcanal is certainly a hard nut to crack; two other subs (GRENADIER and PERCH) are forced to turn back with damage. Things are little better in the far North; PIKE and S-32 sink two small ships, but S-33 is sunk by a Jap sub. This is the second S boat lost to enemy torpedoes in this area. And the week is not over yet. ARGONAUT sinks a 1000-tonner in the Java Sea (her first success after a year of war), SAURY another; while maneuvering for a re-attack, SAURY is surprised by a Betty aircraft which drops a bomb squarely in her middle; she goes down, having sunk 4 ships (10,000 tons) during her career. In the other areas, there is a dud after another; a 6000-tonner is destroyed by HALIBUT and another ship by SEARAVEN, bringing the weekly total to 6 ships (13,000 tons) plus 2 damaged, little consolation for the loss of 3 submarines.

Week 4/Dec 42. With only 13 subs in patrol, results are predictably low. KINGFISH and FINBACK sink small ships in the Solomons, where TRIGGER also damages a 5000-tonner and watches the re-attack hit the ship again, but fail to detonate; one of 3 duds experienced in the turn. SEARAVEN however obtains a fine success, taking advantage of a 'double tonnage' to bag a 10,000-tonner and a 3000-tonner too; this places her in top position of the ranking, with a score of 43,600 (11 ships sunk and 3 damaged), no mean feat for a S2 when competing with the powerful 'Gatos'. Weekly results are 4 ships sunk (15,000 tons) and 2 damaged (8000 tons).

Total results for December are 17 ships sunk (47,000 tons) and 5 damaged (24,000 tons), confirming the downwards tendence of the last quarter. The heavy losses (4 boats) are unacceptable in the long term.

Week 1/Jan 43. The 17 subs in patrol enjoy their first taste of radar, and it's sweet indeed. They make a gallant effort, hitting 12 ships with torpedoes, but again the cursed Mark-XIV damps their enthusiasm: only 5 ships sink (14,000 tons), 4 more are damaged (12,000 tons) and the remaining 3 are duds. The defenses react fiercely, and several boats have to break-off the patrol with damage. First sinking of the year goes to old PORPOISE, a 3000-tonner in the Bismarck Sea. The best success is scored by SPEARFISH, a 5000-ton tanker in the Solomons, while HADDOCK sinks her 9th ship, GRAYLING her 5th, and GUARDFISH her first.

Week 2/Jan 43. Subs in patrol: 24. I was tempted to throw my five dice by the window, when torpedo after torpedo slammed into enemy ships and inflicted negligible damage. The crews efficiency was remarkable; they managed to hit 15 ships. How many of them sank? FOUR, with a grand total of 8000 tons, half of them by 'pig boats' S-34 and S-39. SAILFISH sinks a 1000-tonner which becomes her 13th victim, confirming her as the sub with most kills, although in tonnage she only ranks in third place. Six other ships are damaged, for 24,000 tons: both HADDOCK and GAR damage 5000-tonners with their first attack, and suffer duds against the crippled ships on re-attacking. There are 5 duds in all, including a most demoralizing one for GRUNION: facing only a couple of small destroyers, she obtains a 10% probability hit in one of them, only to roll the dreaded '0' on the damage table. The only bright spot is that no own losses were incurred.

Week 3/Jan 43. Twenty subs are in patrol, and they are getting better in the use of radar. S-38 sinks the first Jap sub of the campaign, a small L4-type in the Banda Sea; S-38 also conducts a notable patrol in the same area, sinking a 3000-tonner and damaging a smaller ship. The new crews are obviously well trained: RUNNER's maiden patrol in the Empire area has been spectacular, sinking a big 20,000-transport and damaging a tanker. PETO also scores in her first patrol, while GRENADIER adds a 5000-tonner to her already considerable total. The weekly results are 8 ships sunk (39,000 tons) including a Jap submarine, and 5 ships damaged (13,000 tons).

Week 4/Jan 43. War Event: 'Relegated to Training Duties' puts an end to the active career of CACHALOT and CUTTLEFISH, and I can't say that I'm sorry to see them go. Both had done enough by surviving; their only success had been a 3000-tonner damaged by CACHALOT. After the intensive operations of past week, only 13 boats are in patrol. They hit 9 ships, of which 4 (9000 tons) sink and 4 more (9000 tons, too) are damaged. The only remarkable sinking is a 5000-tonner by WAHOO in the Empire Pacific area. There is a big scare when TAMBOR barely escapes the attack of a Determined Escort.

January has been a better month than December. Radar has proved its value as a life-saver, and no subs have been lost; 21 ships (70,000 tons) have been sunk including a big 20,000-ton transport and a submarine, and as a further proof of the little punch packed by the Mark-XIV torpedoes, almost as many targets have been damaged: 19 ships (58,000 tons). And soon the rolls for Improved Torpedoes and War Period will have relevance again...

Week 1/Mar 43. Without 'political pressures', the 17 subs in patrol put up a good effort. Concentrating in just a few areas, they sink 6 ships in the Carolines/Solomons zone and 2 more in the Java Sea. Two ships fall victim to RUNNER, and FINBACK sinks a destroyer which slumbers in the way of her torpedoes; it's just the second DD sunk in the whole campaign. ARGONAUT sinks a 5000-tonner with a difficult, long-range shot, and both GUDGEON and FLYING FISH add to their high scores. In all, 8 ships sunk for 22,000 tons.

Week 2/Mar 43. Tension mounts as the possibility of Torpedo Improvement or War Progress rises, although for the moment the dice are not triggering them. The 24 subs in patrol report heavy tanker traffic; two big oilers are sunk during the week, and two more damaged. SHARK damages a 3000-tonner in the Java Sea: this is her first success in 15 months of campaign! The four 'fishes' deployed in the Solomons (SUNFISH, GUARDFISH, KINGFISH and FLYING FISH) sink 5 ships for 24,000 tons; four more vessels are sunk in other areas, bringing the weekly total to 9 ships (31,000 tons), plus 4 damaged vessels (14,000 tons), a more than reasonable success. FLYING FISH now ranks second in the rating, with a score of 44,100 (13 ships sunk and 5 damaged). KINGFISH has amassed 29,000 tons in a short time; she is the only amongst the 17 most successful boats to have destroyed all ships she has attacked (seven).

Week 3/Mar 43. War Event: 'Blockade of Truk'. Of the 25 subs in patrol, 7 reach Truk (PERCH has to turn back with damage). They find only small ships, of which HALIBUT and SUNFISH sink two. Operations in other areas go rather well; TRIGGER and new SCAMP sink two ships in the Empire Pacific, PETO two ships in the Java Sea, PERMIT and GRENADIER two in the Gilberts... WHALE even misses a Jap sub. Weekly results are 10 ships sunk (21,000 tons) and 4 damaged (10,000 tons), again for no losses.
And when it seemed everything was going OK...

WAR PERIOD 3 STARTS. Unfortunately it arrives when our torpedoes are still at -1, but the chance to improve them is reasonable, and I expect to accomplish it in a few weeks.
During War Period 2, we have sunk 224 ships (639,000 tons) and damaged 89 (290,000 tons), while losing 12 submarines.
Overall results for the campaign are 298 ships sunk (898,000 tons) and 112 (360,000 tons) damaged, for the loss of 22 subs.

Week 4/Mar 43. War Event: 'Airstrike on Palau'; this, combined with the fact that several subs have received the new War Period on non-productive areas, means that only two boats of the 20 in patrol manage to contact enemy ships. PLUNGER boldly moves inside columns C and D of a TF, and her reward is the sinking of a 3000-tonner. THRESHER tries to repeat the success, and founds herself surrounded by a hunter-killer group: two Diligent Escorts and a DD2. The two DEs attacks result in a miss and an 'spotted', leaving the sub crew shaken but alive.

With the single sinking by PLUNGER, the overall monthly result for March has been 28 ships sunk (77,000 tons) and 8 damaged (24,000 tons). GUDGEON leads the 'aces' list, with a score of 47,000 (11 ships sunk and 5 damaged), followed by FLYING FISH with 44,100 (13 sunk and 5 damaged).