Otto Kretschmer was only in combat from September 1939 until March 1941 but was Germany's highest-scoring U-boat commander, sinking 47 ships totaling 274,333 tons. [61] As with the group that eventually sank Kretschmer ten days later, they were experienced and competent. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. His brother was later killed in action. As U-99 returns from an early Feindfahrt, we see that the crew is neatly arranged (photo left) on the deck and there is no White Cap on the Skipper. Por todo ello y entre otras, recibi [43] Kretschmer hit and sank the cargo ship Jersey City 70 nautical miles (130 kilometres; 81 miles) northwest of Tory Island[44] while damaging three others, including the 10,973GRT Strinda. The main area of operations were the seas and estuaries off East of England and Scotland, with mine-laying operations in the Baltic, to counter the Royal Navy Submarine Service at the end of 1939. His father, a teacher, decided to send him to the UK, and Exeter was his destination. [36] Kretschmer's tenth patrol (27 June21 July) yielded over 20,000GRT. [21] The next day, he sank Tiberton, 5,225GRT, in the Moray Firth. He became known as the Golden Horseshoe by his men. In 1955, MacIntyre returned the Zeiss binoculars to Kretschmer. 2.6K views, 39 likes, 4 loves, 2 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from German U-Boats Crews and Commanders: Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was the most successful German. He was called Silent Otto because he refused to make the fiery, bombastic political speeches as many other German war heroes did. Kretschmer was guided onto convoy OB-191. A detachment of the Home Guard apprehended him, shooting him when he tried to escape. OTTO peered over the top of his newspaper and said;Juli is happy. The Reichsmarine was renamed the Kriegsmarine, a Nazi creation. Otto, Herman Ernest Kretschmer was born on month day 1895, at birth place, to Otto, Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste, Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. A prize crew boarded to sail it to Bordeaux. He was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Cumbria, before being sent to Canada. Otto passed away on month day 1981, at age 85 at death place. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. The crew were permitted ashore at the resort town of San Sebastin. As the boat went under, she was immediately picked up on the ASDIC of the Royal Navy sub hunters and they came after this new contact. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. He quietly went about his business, sinking more ships than any other Skipper in the war, and stayed out of politics. Kretschmer was also involved in the Battle of Bowmanville. Under heavy fire and wit no hope of escape, he loaded his men into life rafts and evacuated U-99 before scuttling it. Otto Kretschmer, Comandante alemn de U-Boot de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, fue sin duda el ms eficaz de toda la Kriegsmarine. Did you know that with a free Taylor & Francis Online account you can gain access to the following benefits? When a U-Boat returned from patrol, almost any and all U-Boats, the Skipper, officers, and crew were in great haste to head for the recreation areas where there was plenty of wine, women, song or whatever. The ship sank slowly. The Greatest Submarine Commander of all time was Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier who sank nearly 200 ships in World War One. [21] He returned to Kiel, rather than Wilhelmshaven, on 16 October. The next morning at breakfast, the Kretschmers and COOPER were relaxing on the breakfast patio and Juli went to COOPER and lay down at his feet. The ship did not reach port. [41] A notable failure on the patrol occurred in the interception of HMS Manistee. Yes, OTTO was a great guy. The crew abandoned ship and were questioned by Kretschmer. While on vacation in Bavaria in the summer of 1998, after an accident on a boat on the Danube, while celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary, he stumbled and was unconscious, he died two days later, old age 86, on 05-08-1998. [69] Kretschmer surfaced and, under fire from the British vessels, scuttled his boat. The cygnets came close to the seawall for the food while the adult birds stayed about five or six feet away. Later, a mated pair of swans came by with their offspring, about six cygnets, and they were looking for food as well. OTTO and his L.I. He wants to be a naval officer.". [43] Following his third war patrol with U-99, Kretschmer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 4 August. [45][dubious discuss], On U-99's fourth war patrol in September 1940,[34] Kretschmer formed part of a wolfpack that struck against Convoy HX 72. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. Kretschmer learned its identity from frantic radio signals. The establishment of the Wehrmacht (Nazi German Armed Forces) in 1935 divided the major branches of the armed forces. That boat is seen to the left on a barge going down the Donau River for Costanza, Rumania on the Black Sea coast to operate against Soviet forces under other Skippers including RUDOLF ARENDT (7563-2011). OTTO KRETSCHMER made only seven Feindfahrt in World War Two but his daily average tonnage was equal to that of de la Perrier. Miraculously, power was restored and it limped back to the surface. Kretschmer ordered his U-boat to be turned around, and they rescued the lone sailor. The Norwegian Varild 1,085GRT was sunk east of the Shetland Islands. As OTTO said;I am a Prussian officer; we are not pirates!. 8x40 model no. Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany. [63] On 7 March Kretschmer sank two ships from the convoy including the 20,638GRT Terje Viken. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. After the war he served in the German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 with the flag rank of commodore. Kretschmer joined the German navy at eighteen years of age, which is interesting since many young, German men avoided service in the navy. Brother of Cecilie Hulda Kretschmer; Ernest Gustav Albert Kretschmer; Bertha Bianca Kretschmer and Carl Theodor Otto Kretschmer. Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer, November 1940 (March 12, 2021) This week, 80 years ago, U-99, skippered by Otto Kretschmer, one of Germany's most famous U-boat commanders, had just fired the last of her torpedoes, when she was spotted by British destroyers southeast of Iceland in the North Atlantic. It is not possible to change the direction of a rapidly diving submarine at the wave of a hand, and so with Schnee on the bridge and both conning tower hatches fully open, U-23 disappeared beneath the North Sea. OTTO KRETSCHMER was almost lost in this actionA firm, almost hard-headed man, KRETSCHMER firmly DIS-believed the old sailors story that a sinking ship will create a suction that will pull down anyone in the water so as his U-99 was going down, OTTO stood at attention on the bridge and his boat sank out from under him; So you see, Harry, he told HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983), I did not desert my ship! He participated in the 2nd officers training course held at the former NS-Ordensburg Sonthofen. German aircraft bombed and sank it three days later. The seaman did as he was ordered and brought the cap back to OTTO. [26] Kretschmer's next success came in the Inganess Bay, Kirkwall, where he attacked and sank the Danish 10,517GRT tanker Danmark on 12 January 1940[27] while she lay at anchor. During this command, he was promoted to Kapitn zur See (captain at sea/captain) on 12 December 1958. He died in 1998 in Bavaria. Kretschmer was subsequently awarded the Iron Cross second class. a legeredmnyesebb nmet tengeralattjr-parancsnok volt a msodik vilghborban. The OKM was established as the supreme command of the navy responsible for all facets of naval warfare. [20] Another neutral Scandinavian ship was sunk. This definitive work details his personal story and the political backdrop from his earliest days. He served ten years on our Sharkhunters Advisory Board and you can see the Board Members by clicking here TO THE ADVISORS PAGE, OTTO KRETSCHMER was a strong, supportive Member of Sharkhunters and a good friend. Prepared by Stephen Ames. Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. He was the best of the best he knew how to penetrate a destroyer screen and because he had lived in England and studied at Cambridge prior to the war, he read the English and French tactical books on anti-submarine warfare in the captured French HQ in Brest he knew what depth settings the Royal Navy used and so he kept his boat at depths they did not set on their charges. McIntyre was the commanding officer of Walker, one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of U-99. He sank another vessel on his fifth patrol to earn the Iron Cross first class, and he notched up further kills as the war progressed. "Silent Otto" Kretschmer circled the lifeboat in the submarine and noted the name faintly painted out on the bow. Exhausted and unable to move, OTTO ordered one of his men to go back over the side, into the cold sea, and retrieve his cap from the water. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. Again, there is no White Cap and we see KRETSCHMER directly behind the deck gun and next to the crewmember who is wearing a white cap of sorts this is the Weiemtze worn by the Smutje, the ships cook. He warned Schroeder that the boat was nearly at neutral buoyancy and was riding on the vents so he should open the valves slowly and carefully. "[73], Of his personality and view of the war it stated, "He gave the impression of being a quiet, deliberate man, and looked more like a student than a U-Boat Captain. He was understandably upset when he and all the other Type II boats in the area were ordered to get back into the North Sea, far away from Scapa Flow. Schnee had the con and OTTO was in his bunk. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. Nazi Admiral Otto Kretschmer was responsible for the sinking of 47 vessels in the space of just 18 months His short but prolific spell on German U-boats accounted for the sinking of 273,043 tons. [39], Among the victims was the Estonian ship, Merisaar, 2,126GRT. While his wartime actions have been narrated several times, his tactics, summarized by the famous motto 'one torpedo, one ship', have never been systematically analysed. Registered in England & Wales No. I am grateful to the late Horst Bredow and Peter Monte at the Deutsches U-Boot-Museum for providing access to the unpublished records of U23 and U99. Otto Kretschmer was only in combat from September 1939 until March 1941 but was Germany's highest-scoring U-boat commander, sinking 47 ships totaling 274,333 tons. Such were his expertise, he re-joined the navy in 1955. The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-boat Commander. [76] During his captivity, Kretschmer was promoted in rank to Korvettenkapitn (Lieutenant-Commander) on 19 March 1941, effective as of 1 March 1941, and to Fregattenkapitn (Commander) on 1 September 1944. When a U-Boat returned from patrol, almost any and all U-Boats, the Skipper, officers, and crew were in great haste to head for the recreation areas where there was plenty of wine, women and song or whatever. [68], Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. He was upset, but he was a proper officer and obeyed his orders. Kretschmer was born in Heidau near Neisse, then in the German Empire on 1 May 1912 to Friedrich Wilhelm Otto and Alice (ne Herbig) Kretschmer. [66], On 16 March 1941 Kretschmer attacked Convoy HX 112. Instead, OKM sent him an administrative officer, H. J. von KNEBEL-DOBERITZ (681-1988) as his new I.W.O. We do not come into port looking like pirates with dirty uniforms, untrimmed beards and with legs hanging over the side. Later in the war, his ship was torpedoed; before that he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer back to port after ramming a U-boat. Shortly after he surrendered, OTTO KRETSCHMER fell asleep in an overstuffed chair in the Captains cabin on HMS WALKER. Her eyes misted up and a smile came to her lips, and then she said; A canal ran along behind the Kretschmer house and here we see Mrs. Kretschmer feeding the ducks with their little Schnauzer Juli. He very nearly drowned as, in the icy water, he no longer had the strength to climb up himself, only for a British sailor to clamber down and rescue him from the ocean. Sharkhunters President HARRY COOPER knew OTTO KRETSCHMER better than any other researcher and the two men were good friends. 1871), a Germanborn naturalised Briton. U-99 attacked the armed merchant cruisers HMS Laurentic and HMS Patroclus. At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. Rsing's successor, Hermann Michahelles, was killed in a car accident and Kretschmer assumed command for two weeks. [46] Kretschmer's logbook recorded the chaos. He was eventually promoted to the rank of flotilla admiral, before becoming chief-of-staff of the NATO command. OTTO KRETSCHMER indeed, was a fine man! We will cover his accomplishments on another page. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the Amt fr Militrkunde (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970.[18]. Otto Kretschmer - nicknamed 'Silent Otto' by his enemies - sank hundreds of thousands of tons of Allied shipping during a brutal U-boat campaign, Sign up for our Exeter newsletter and you'll never miss a big story again. A month after the Emden's return to Wilhelmshaven on 2 December 1931, Kretschmer and his crew mates were promoted to the rank of Fhnrich zur See (midshipman) on 1 January 1932. It took nine torpedoes and one dud to sink them; the latter was sunk after it stopped to pick up survivors from the former. ; otherwise, remain on the surface, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 20:17. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Correct optics: how the binoculars of the best underwater ace of the Reich became a symbol of relations with Britain #___historydocs Six months later, on 15 December, he officially became Flottillenadmiral. He did not come through the hatch he must be lost at sea. 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