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Topic: Enter the Martial Matrix
Enter the Martial Matrix
My brow was beginning to collect beads of sweat. I didn’t know if it was from fear or from exertion. We had been forced under the Atlantic waves ever since I took a four-shot salvo at an outgoing British merchant convoy leaving the coast of Algeria.
That was two hours ago!
Since then, I have had at least one, sometimes as many as three, Flower-class corvettes angrily patrolling overhead, dropping depth charges in an attempt to attain revenge for damaging one of its charges---a 6400-ton C2 Cargo container. So far, through silent running and some clever maneuvering, the salvoes of the enemy had missed. But for how much longer could I keep this up?
After another 20 minutes, my sonar man tells me that the damaged freighter is limping along to my north, and based upon the sounds of corvette screws and depth charge explosions, the enemy is concentrating its search in that area. There may be an opportunity here….
I set a southerly course and creep along at 5 knots for 30 minutes with no further attacks by the enemy. I slowly rise to periscope depth and look to the north and am greeted with a pleasant view. I see the damaged cargo freighter about 3 kilometers to the north, a moderate fire consuming its stern, and a smaller fire burning amidships. It is barely making headway at a 1 knot drift. Just to its south, I see a lone Flower corvette patrolling around the vessel, protecting its wounded charge as it mopes along.
The C2 is burning, but does not appear to be low in the water. It needs to be finished off….
I open number 3 and 4 torpedo tubes and prepare to launch my last salvo. I take distance, speed, and angle on the bow readings for the cargo ship and relay the figures to my weapons officer who promptly enters them into the attack computer. This, in turn, computes the proper attack geometry, relaying the information to the forward torpedo bay where the weapon is properly configured. Torpedo Launch! I order, and a hiss is heard as high-pressure air expels the weapon. I then repeat the procedure on the Flower-class corvette in the hopes of killing a potential avenger.
I do not order an immediate dive as the enemy ship seems unaware that we are still in the area and have launched an attack. I examine my stopwatch and see that the first torpedo still has 60 seconds to run, with the second having 80 seconds. I anxiously count the seconds off until….
A BOOM! resounds through the hull. I look through my periscope and am rewarded with a large water plume! A hit! A smile creeps across my face as the vessel breaks in two.
Unfortunately, the second torpedo exceeds its running time, indicating a miss against the corvette---which is now furious and heading at high speed in my general direction. It must have spotted my periscope feather….
I order my sub, U-47, the Schwarze Katz, to 100 meters at flank speed. Before we reach 75 meters, the first salvo of depth charges start exploding, close enough to rock the sub from side to side. I order evasive action and silent running. Here we go again….
Fortunately, with the death of the C2, the corvette loses interest in prosecuting me after another 30 minutes of fruitless action. My sonar man reports the faint sounds of screws to the north---probably the remains of the convoy we initially attacked---and the corvette seems headed in that direction, apparently to rejoin the main body.
We survived. I surface the boat and set the crew to beginning repairing some of the superficial deck damage caused by a few too many near-misses. After being “under” for so long, I find myself deeply breathing the fresh air. A sad thought occurs to me as I take in the now calm waters that surround the boat: the future is grim. It is only September of 1941, and I know that there is a long war ahead of us….
* * * *
Did I lose my mind? Or maybe I invented a time machine? I suspect many of you prefer the former, but, in truth, both are wrong. The above action was a typical session of Silent Hunter 3, the excellent World War Two submarine simulator from UbiSoft. I highly recommend it---it is a WarTech favorite.
Now, why did I feel the need to write up my experiences in the game? Because this simulator caused something wonderful to happen---it allowed me to (safely) participate in a very dangerous, yet fascinating, profession: that of a World War Two U-Boat captain. For over three hours of real time (not game time), I sat with rapt attention in front of my computer, stalking and being stalked within an incredibly realistic virtual environment.
How many television programs or movies can so thoroughly hold your attention for the same length of time? I bet not too many….
Computers are really beginning to deliver on the promise made so many years ago, back when 8-bit Atari 800XLs could only offer crude sounds and graphics. Personal computers can now offer truly interactive and realistic experiences that heretofore only select movies and books could match in our imaginations. Modern technology is finally allowing us to make and star in our own movies!
This is remarkable! I ponder how, if the trend of affordable, yet powerful, home computer technology continues, such programs as SH3 will affect the future of American entertainment. Perhaps, at long last, the “idiot box” will die and yield the future to sophisticated, interactive programs that will instruct as well as excite? I do hope so.
But there are even greater implications. In addition to simulators such as SH3, there are already sophisticated wargames, available to the home user, which simulate modern warfare---many of which are actually in use by America’s armed forces, no less. They are not as glitzy as Silent Hunter 3, but just as realistic. How will such software affect American politics?
The virtues of military life are well known with the most obvious being a keen understanding of the cost of liberty. Once upon a time, a large portion of this nation’s political leadership had been educated by military academies which instilled this important lesson into their students. While few common folk could afford to attend such academies, many had served in this nation’s conscript army over the years and, as a result, they too were instructed about the necessary martial burdens of freedom.
Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.
With a nation that now has an all-volunteer army, only a small percentage of the electorate has become acquainted with the military virtues. Just as bad, all but a handful of the old, prestigious military academies have closed their doors---most failing due to a declining interest in the martial lifestyle. Simply put, commissions are out, MBAs are in, and the American electorate is almost completely out of touch with the wisdom of George Washington who warned that “to obtain peace, prepare for war.”
This is not a healthy state of affairs for a nation that is the world’s sole remaining superpower. The projection of military force is, unfortunately, a very real and common aspect of United States foreign policy---especially in light of the War on Terror. But how can we expect the electorate to make informed decisions when so many of them are estranged from the realities of serving on the front lines? Also, how can we expect the populace to direct the actions of our government with wisdom and insight when the very people who inform our opinions---journalists, professors, and elected officials---are themselves completely ignorant of even the most basic understanding of military operations and the most mundane lessons of military history?
Don’t worry, I am not going to suggest that wargaming is the answer. However, I do believe that as these military simulators become ever more realistic, they cannot but help to have a positive impact on the body politic. I do believe that popular and realistic wargames may serve to replace the military acumen that was lost with the hallowed martial academies of yesteryear and engender a military understanding in our contemporary society. Nothing in the world can replace the actual experience of nabbing terrorists on the Iraqi-Syrian border, but a faithful simulation can impart the very same lessons of cross-border insurgencies to an individual sitting at home behind his desktop PC.
Of course, software programmers are going to have to step up to the plate and deliver something more than the abundant action-oriented but empty minded eye-candy that lines the shelves of most game stores. As wargames and realistic simulators are still something of a niche market (due to their steep learning curves and, as demonstrated above, hefty time commitments), the major publishers will be hesitant to meet this challenge. Fortunately, laissez-faire capitalism and the Internet have served to generate a number of small, independent publishers that are willing to create these complex programs for like-minded enthusiasts. So far, their record has been exemplary, and, as we all know, success creates more success. I am confident that the sparse library of informative wargames will increase with time.
As the library grows, so will those who become acquainted with this more serious form of recreational gaming, especially the gaming industry's prime demographic: teens through twenty-somethings---the same age group that military recruiters like to target. Clearly, there could be some real symbiosis between the private and public sector. The United States Army has been quick to act upon this belief with its development of a popular first person shooter (FPS) by the name of America’s Army. Mixing action with real-world military operations, this free, downloadable FPS has the Army hoping to reap the rewards of the Martial Matrix. Needless to say, this is only the beginning of what could be a most interesting development in the mixed-history of the military-industrial complex. Even more interesting, this could be the first wargame with measurable impact on the general population---whatever that impact may prove to be.
We all are familiar with the famous poster of Uncle Sam declaring that “I Want You!” for the United States Army. Well, in the not too distant future, it may well read “I Want You to Wargame!” Don’t laugh, vicarious experiences have real power. Remember, it was the popular fiction of Uncle Tom's Cabin that was credited with helping to ignite the Civil War. Wargames can be just as emotionally and intellectually informative as any work of fiction. And who’s to say that the tomorrow’s wargame fiction might not have the power to also start a war…or stop one?
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Achtung! All U-Boat Kapitans! Now that Ubisoft has released the last patch for Silent Hunter 3, I highly recommend you try the excellent Real U-Boat mod over at Beery Mods. This excellent 35MB download adds a wealth of new detail and realism to an already excellent simulator! Check it out before your next deployment!
