On 1 November 1958, he was transferred to the position of commander of the Bundesmarine's Amphibische Streitkrfte ("amphibious forces"), a position he held until 15 January 1962. Does not come with case. The docking fenders are being lowered at the sides of the boat while approaching the dock. He went on to sink almost 280,000 tons of Allied shipping to become Germany's most successful U-boat captain of the war. Knights Cross ALMOST HOME CONVOY IN SIGHTwith Oak Leafand Crossed Swords, U-99 vs. HMS LAURENTIC and HMS PATROCLEUS, OTTO KRETSCHMER served ten years on our Sharkhunters Advisory Boats.Click here to view the entire Board. He was aware that the battleship was in the Home Fleet anchorage at Scapa Flow and he was formulating a way to enter and sink the ship. Kretschmer captured the vessel, the only such ship seized by U-99. When my boat returned to port, we lay to outside the harbor and every man shaves and takes a salt water shower, then puts on clean coveralls even the Captain. 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[42], Four days later Kretschmer began his eleventh patrol which concluded on 5 August. The Emden made stops in Ceylon, the Philippines, China and Japan; then Guam, South Africa, Angola and Spain on the return journey. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes . [79], In 1943, the German navy tried to rescue him in Operation Kiebitz but that daring plan (later dramatized in the novel The Bowmanville Break and the film, The McKenzie Break) failed. He captured the number one German U-boat ace Otto Kretschmer (whose Zeiss binoculars he took and used for the rest of the war); in the same battle, he directed the attack that killed the second-scoring ace Joachim Schepke. The crew felt that this would bring them good luck so they cleaned the horseshoe, painted it gold and screwed it to the fairweather as we see in the photo to the right. In the Atlantic, Kretschmer became bolder and bolder. The sound of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived the boat! Karl Dnitz, Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU), ordered attacks on Allied shipping at sea, beginning the Battle of the Atlantic. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. The ships were protected by an escort group of two destroyers, Wolverine and Verity, and two corvettes, Arbutus and Camellia. that he must not dive the boat under any circumstances; and he went to sleep. 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. [24] Following this patrol, he received the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse) on 17 December. [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. Alongside his military skill was a character that remained rooted in the traditions of the Prussian military. [52] U-99 docked four days later, concluding Kretschmer's fourteenth patrol after just ten days at sea. The report contained the remark, "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. The seaman did as he was ordered and brought the cap back to OTTO. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. Kretschmer sank one and damaged twowhich he and Prien dispatched the following day. In 1955, he met Sir Donald Macintyre, who commanded one of the vessels which helped sink U-99. Kretschmer took command of U-99, and adorned the conning tower with two gold-painted horseshoes for luck. As the passengers got into the lifeboats, OTTO noticed a great number of women and children. COOPER grinned and said;Lets ask this gentleman here. [5] He underwent basic military training in the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund (1 April 1930 30 June 1930). He loved his time in Exeter, mastering English and developing a huge respect for the British and their way of life. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the Amt fr Militrkunde (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970.[18]. unread, Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 . We do not come into port looking like pirates with dirty uniforms, untrimmed beards and with legs hanging over the side. What he and the other Skippers of the Type II boats who were ordered to stand well away from Scapa Flow and the Orkney Islands did not know was that the planned operation was already in motion for the Type VII-B boat, U-47 to make this attack. Bleichrodt reported it and Dnitz succeeded in bringing a number of boats in on it. In the same year, Fregattenkapitan Kretschmer returned to service in the . [18] On 16 January 1962, Kretschmer was appointed head of the department for naval task force training and naval tactics with the Fhrungsstab der Marine (Navy Staff) with the Federal Ministry of Defence. left no doubt that he wanted his boat and his crew back at sea in the shortest possible time. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. BACK TO ADVISORS PAGE. Immediate Family: Son of Otto Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. [15] Through the remaining Interwar period, Kretschmer developed his own approach to combat, which can be summarized by the phrase "one torpedo, one ship". Kretschmer waited for the crew to take to the lifeboats before destroying the ship with a torpedo. 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. [70], Kretschmer and his crew were landed in Liverpool. Prepared by Stephen Ames. [9], On 27 August 1941, U-570 was captured by the Royal Navy. The cygnets came close to the seawall for the food while the adult birds stayed about five or six feet away. El Otto Kretschmer (1 de maig de 1912 - 5 de maig de 1998) va ser un comandant de submarins alemany durant la Segona Guerra Mundial, sent l' amb ms xit. OTTO replied;It was necessary. The boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 4 September. Klaus Bargsten served aboard U-99 under Kretschmer, before being promoted to captain himself and becoming the sole survivor of U-521 on 2 June 1942. When giving their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. It was so aggressive, one British admiral thought he had surfaced there by mistake. An illegal "Court of Honour" was convened and headed by Kretschmer. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). Death: November 08, 1981 (85) Millicent, South Australia, Australia. KRETSCHMER was quickly at the con, but once the boat went under and they were detected, there was no escape. His brother was later killed in action. [66], On 16 March 1941 Kretschmer attacked Convoy HX 112. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. "He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship.". Why? He was on a holiday cruisefrom Regensburg to Budapest when he tried climbing some almost vertical steps. Comes with leather case and all lens protectors.- 3) Swift Falcon wide angle fully coated optics. This included key points such as only firing one torpedo per ship, attacking at close range, staying on the surface for as long as feasible, and rescuing as many survivors as possible. Otto passed away on month day 1981, at age 85 at death place. The ship was accompanied by three other vessels, but she was darkened and the black out aroused Kretschmer's suspicions. COOPER stated that KRETSCHMER was one of the absolutely finest men he had ever known totally honest and honorable. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. That day, he was made chief-of-staff of the NATO command COMNAVBALTAP at Kiel, taking command on 15 June. [19] A second patrol (921 September) yielded no success either. [35] U-99's first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. Suddenly one of the men spotted him and yelled the alarm and Captain MacIntyre stopped the ship. At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. U-99 is preparing for her first Feindfahrt (war patrol), taking on supplies. It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. In a rush of roiling water that must have looked like a surfacing submarine, Papa Swan came roaring out of the water heading right at Juli who decided that it was time to leave but with about six feet of wingspan flailing about and huge clawed feet ripping chunks of OTTOs grass up, Papa Swan was hot after Juli all the while making a tremendous hissing sound. Not the crew of U-99. [51] Kretschmer was awarded the 6th Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 4 November 1940. After the war he served in the German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 with the flag rank of commodore. [63] On 7 March Kretschmer sank two ships from the convoy including the 20,638GRT Terje Viken. [18] Kretschmer served in this function until 18 June 1964 when he was appointed chief-of-staff of the Befehlshaber der Seestreitkrfte der Nordsee (German national Commander Naval Forces North Sea). His school report contained the remark: "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. 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. 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. A prize crew boarded to sail it to Bordeaux. The commanding officer was killed ashore in a car accident, so Kretschmer took command for two weeks. [38] Acts of compassion in submarine warfare were "selective and fickle", one historian wrote when describing Kretschmer's rescue of a lone man in a raft. He had to return to port to repair the damage. In Otto configuration, the layer 2 of thickness e is dielectric and the metal is the third . However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. Kretschmer indulged in sporting pastimes and scientific interests. On 1 June 1965, he was promoted to Flottillenadmiral (flotilla admiral/Commodore/Rear Admiral), a rank which he initially held on probation. [39], Among the victims was the Estonian ship, Merisaar, 2,126GRT. Rsing's successor, Hermann Michahelles, was killed in a car accident and Kretschmer assumed command for two weeks. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Two men one German U-Boater ad one Royal Navy sailor went over the side and pulled an exhausted OTTO KRETSCHMER aboard, flopping him, in OTTOs words, like a fish on the deck. 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. I was a lieutenant on U-35, in the second submarine flotilla, and together with U . Con su legendario submarino Tipo VII, el U-99, se apunt desde Septiembre de 1.939 hasta Marzo de 1.941, 47 barcos hundidos con un total de 274.333 toneladas. ; otherwise, remain on the surface, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 20:17. A single torpedo was fired, then Kretschmer ordered a u-turn and sped away on the surface; the destroyers neither sighted him nor detected him with ASDIC. 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. In 1955, MacIntyre returned the Zeiss binoculars to Kretschmer. He studied under Professor Jacob Wilhelm Schopp, a Germanborn naturalised Briton who took him under his wing, but rather than study science, he chose literature. Hitler invited Kretschmer to sit in on a lunch meeting with Hitler and Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Union's ambassador to the Third Reich. [58], Several of Kretschmer's senior officers left the boat before the final patrol. He earned the nickname "Silent Otto", both for his successful use of the "silent running" capability of U-boats and for his reluctance to transmit radio messages during patrols. [4] He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. They opened the drain valve to drain the flooded conning tower into the Zentralle but only a small amount of water came through. He wants to be a naval officer. At the time, Kretschmer . He did not return to England from his hiatus, but travelled through France, Switzerland and Italy. Schroeder never returned. [53] Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Erich Raeder. Only five survived. [10] According to one historian, Kretschmer was a patriot and loyal to the government, but later "eschewed Nazi efforts to glorify his success through propaganda. A British intelligence report on him said: "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. Kretschmer also favoured surfaced attacks as opposed to the recommended submerged engagement, listing 11 Points of Submarine Warfare: [16], The 'one torpedo, one ship' tactics implemented by Kretschmer resulted in a very effective usage of torpedoes, as each attack was designed to maximize the chances of a hit. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. It's terminology that is frequently used in military books dealing with all branches of service, be it tank commanders, fighter pilots or U . Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. She had been married before, to a doctor who was killed in action with the Afrika Korps. The Greatest Submarine Commander of all time was Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier who sank nearly 200 ships in World War One. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. Joachim Schepke arrived in U-100 and sank seven. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. 1999-2020 Sharkhunters International. He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. While on holiday in Bavaria in the summer of 1998, Kretschmer died in an accident during a boating expedition on the Danube to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary, at the age of 86. Kretschmer was also involved in the Battle of Bowmanville. Husband of Elsie Gertrude Kretschmer. There, they would meet a German U-boat to take them back to Germany. Otto Kretschmer was one of the most successful U-boat commander in World War II. [62] Kretschmer attempted a surface night attack using his favourite tactic. When U-23 was stabilized at her depth and the sound man could no longer hear any noises of the other boat, they came to periscope depth, confirmed that all was safe, and KRETSCHMER was ready to begin the hopeless task of looking for Schnees body. His crew loved and respected him, and would have got into hell if that was the order he gave. 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. He then moved to a Realgymnasium (secondary school). His nickname Silent Otto referred to his ability to remain undetected and his reluctance to provide the regular radio reports required by Dnitz: he had guessed that the Allies had broken German codes. The presentation was made by Dnitz following his return to Lorient. Kretschmer travelled the world as he rose up through the ranks, before joining the U-boat service in 1936. During the Spanish Civil War, Kretschmer was involved in several patrols as part of the international non-intervention force. Otto Kretschmer (Straubing, 1912. mjus 1. 1) Black Otto Walter no.12.507.- prismen glaser8x40 reflexfreie on right side. HMS WALKER had drifted several hundred yards from the spot U-99 had disappeared and, still wearing his full set of leathers AND sea boots (filled with water), OTTO made the difficult swim to HMS WALKER only to grab onto the scramble nets as the destroyer was beginning to pick up speed they didnt know he was on the nets! Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. Only five sailors survived. After completing his officer training and time on the training ship Niobe he served aboard the light cruiser Emden. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The British report noted of Kretschmer, "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. The short range of the Type II submarine allowed for operations in the North Sea, but no further. Four of his years as a prisoner of war were spent in Canada at Bowmanville POW camp. Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe, a point Raeder was fully aware of. He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. 176 men died. Three days later he departed for his seventh war patrol. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried. [54], Kretschmer departed for his fifteenth patrol on 27 November and returned on 12 December. She told COOPER that he was such a fine man that she knew there would never be another like him. The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began the war in Europe. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 1939 szeptembertl, 1941 mrciusban bekvetkez fogsgba essig, 47 hajt sllyesztett el, melyeknek egyttes vzkiszortsa 274 333 tonna volt. [18], In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. Kretschmer's thoughts on Hitler and the subsequent conference are not known. Why his average daily tonnage sinking equaled that of de la Perrier. Prien sank the ship the following day. Rahmlow and his second-in-command, Bernhard Berndt, were found "guilty of cowardice"; the other two officers were "acquitted". [34] His greatest success was the sinking of Auckland Star, a 13,212GRT ship on 28 July followed by another two totalling 12,811GRT on 29 and 31 July. He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. [31] 157 of the Daring crew were killed, including Commander Sydney Cooper. Thistle was sunk weeks later by U-4. He hand signed some of our very rare fine art prints. 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