[RPS69]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Mostly, however, catapult launched aircraft were used for recon and artillery spotting, rather than direct attacks.

Not so true. On the Bismarck attempt at crossing between Iceland and Britain, when it was spotted by a PBY, (if I remember well), the registry relates that the Arado on board was launched on an attempt to give chase, the PBY actually pulled away, the Arado not being capable of climbing fast enough to make contact, but the attempt was made. Also many early war ships got floaters for an intended defense task. You may discuss their effectiveness as fighters, which actually happened, but they did try.

Agreed.

At the very least, submerged submarines shouldn't just be represented as a periscope, but also as a submarine-shaped "shadow" on the water's surface. Basically, a mobile "oil slick" centered around the periscope, or perhaps a submarine-shaped shadow model. I think that this is a fairly easy fix, requiring only a bit of graphics work.

Well, it depends on the waters you are flying over. On clear waters they don't look like a shadow. They clearly looks like a distorted ship, at least at periscope depth. Planes used to straffe this shapes underwater, and they were very vulnerable even to heavy machine gun fire.

Submarines at greater depths should be represented as submarine-shaped "shadows" of lesser intensity, using the same fixes above.

I would be happy with just the periscope depth submarine, the other thing goes unto the dream wardrobe, but well, who knows!

First, submarines and ships would need to be given sufficient AI that they'll take evasive action. All sea vessels would need basic collision avoidance and station-keeping routines. Ships and subs would need to be given basic attack routines vs. other ships (e.g., torpedo runs for SS, DD and PT types). Ships would need standard torpedo, sea/land attack and air-attack avoidance routines. Submarines would need the option of crash diving when attacked, or the option of maneuvering like ships while fighting it out on the surface.

A nice attempt unto this was made in CLOD. Just with ships I must say. I didn't played enough with it to judge how well was it implemented. But this is a thing asked once and again from IL2, way before TD took the flame.
I think TD have been also pestered with this, but until now it never entered into the agenda.

Your other suggestions are excellent, but just the possibility of attacking a periscope depth submarine is a huge change.

BTW, you must add that depth charges clocked to higher depths, don't make a big water flush as seen on films.