Another BBC History game, this time focusing on the anti-submarine tactics of the Allied convoy escorts against the U-boat raiders of the German Kriegsmarine.

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The game first explains how submarines are detected by surface vessels with a combination of ASDIC/sonar, searchlights and visual sightings before their approximate positions are calculated by HF/DF (High Frequency Direction Finding) readings from multiple escorts and finally destroyed with depth charges or guns.

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The most interesting part of the tutorial is the clear explanation of the different tactics used by the convoy escorts to trap and destroy the submarine or at least deter it from approaching the defenseless merchant ships within the convoy. The animations that accompany the text are nicely done and help a lot in illustrating the actual manuevers.

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With names like Raspberry and Pineapple, you’ll wonder whether the Allied seamen of WWII were so fruit-deprived onboard their ships as to name these manuevers (akin to plays in American football) after their fruity namesakes. The Creeping Attack whereby a ‘blind’ attacking ship is directed by another ship actively tracking the submarine with ASDIC/sonar at standoff range was probably a precursor to the post WWII tactics of using specialized AWACS aircraft to dispatch and coordinate fighters to counter any threats detected using their powerful radars.

After going thorough the tutorial, the game will randomly select a scenario and let you decide the best manuever to undertake for that particular situation before playing out the actual encounter. Choosing the appropriate tactics will allow you to turn the hunter into the hunted and save the precious lives of the sailors onboard the vulnerable merchantmen.

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Play The Battle of the Atlantic at BBC History Channel.