Kretschmer was transferred to the training ship Niobe (1 July 1930 9 October 1930), attaining the rank of Seekadett (cadet) on 9 October 1930 before embarking on a 14-month stay on board the cruiser Emden (10 October 1930 4 January 1932), which took him to the Far East through the Mediterranean and Suez canal. Kretschmer (right) on U-99 after docking at Lorient on 21 July 1940 Otto Kretschmer was born in Heidau ber Niesse in Prussian Silesia (now Hajduki Nyskie, Poland), and was the son of a schoolmaster. [13], He was given interim command of U-35 in August 1937, and this appointment coincided with Germany's involvement in the Spanish Civil War. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War . Restore content access for purchases made as guest, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health, 48 hours access to article PDF & online version, Choose from packages of 10, 20, and 30 tokens, Can use on articles across multiple libraries & subject collections. 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. Why? After the completion of his submariner training he was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See (senior-sub lieutenant/Lieutenant Junior Grade)[12] on 1 June 1936. He sank four ships and damaged three. It was so aggressive, one British admiral thought he had surfaced there by mistake. He commissioned U-99 on 18 April 1940 which was part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. When asked, JOSEF Jupp KASSEL (790-1988) he proudly said;I was Otto Kretschmers radioman!. His whole demeanour was calm and quiet, and he seemed anxious to be friendly; he was also less suspicious of British Officers than was his First Lieutenant. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Kretschmer learned its identity from frantic radio signals. Leather strap partially torn from case.- 2) Tasco 7x35 fully coated 304. Patroclus of 11.314 brt as well as the armed Britsish merchantman Casanare of 5.376 brt. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried.". However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. Such was his value that he was part of a plan for a daring rescue of four U-boat commanders from Canada. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the Amt fr Militrkunde (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970.[18]. Laurentic of 18.724 brt and H.M.S. At the time, Kretschmer was president of the Deutscher Marinebund, a member club of the International Maritime Confederation. ; otherwise, remain on the surface, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 20:17. [20] On his fifth patrol (515 December) he was ordered to explore the inner waters around the Orkney Islands and engage any remaining Home Fleet units that had departed from Scapa Flow in the aftermath of Gnther Prien's attack. The boat slipped beneath the waves, leaving him stranded in freezing waters. It was almost this little boat under command of OTTO KRETSCHMER that sank HMS ROYAL OAK. 3 binoculars included in this lot. Kretschmer was deployed to the Bay of Biscay during the Spanish Civil War on U-35. 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. A high achiever at school, he wanted nothing more than to join the navy, but he was not old enough upon leaving at the age of 17. Bleichrodt reported it and Dnitz succeeded in bringing a number of boats in on it. To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our Cookie Policy. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. An illegal "Court of Honour" was convened and headed by Kretschmer. [23] Kretschmer targeted the Danish Scotia, a 2,400GRT on 7 December. [80], On 1 December 1955, Kretschmer joined West Germany's navy, at the time named the Bundesmarine (Federal Navy), holding the rank of Fregattenkapitn (Commander). [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). Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. Otto, Herman Ernest Kretschmer was born on month day 1895, at birth place, to Otto, Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste, Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. [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. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. Karl Dnitz, Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU), ordered attacks on Allied shipping at sea, beginning the Battle of the Atlantic. The OKM was established as the supreme command of the navy responsible for all facets of naval warfare. At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. Kretschmer was subsequently awarded the Iron Cross second class. [9], In 1933 Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power. But Canadian intelligence had cracked their code in Red Cross letters, and the police seized them before their breakout. A fall caused fatal injuries. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. [20] Another neutral Scandinavian ship was sunk. Prien and Kretschmer, along with U-70 (Matz) and UA, attacked the convoy. Kretschmer sank one and damaged twowhich he and Prien dispatched the following day. [56] Laurentic and Patroclus had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase buoyancy. [61] As with the group that eventually sank Kretschmer ten days later, they were experienced and competent. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. [77] Kretschmer was senior officer at the camp. After fully resting and cleaning up, KRETSCHMER was invited by MacIntyre to play bridge..with officers of some of the merchant ships that OTTO had just sunk! OTTO reached into the torrent, grabbed the lanyard and slammed the hatch but where was Schnee? "He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. [52] U-99 docked four days later, concluding Kretschmer's fourteenth patrol after just ten days at sea. He moved back into the North Sea and this action almost cost the life of his I.W.O., Adalbert Schnee, who later commanded U-201. Otto Kretschmer Fregattenkapitn ( Crew 30) U-boat Commands Kptlt. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in Mnchen but it was to no avail. Okay, back to the story of U-23 and HMS ROYAL OAK. One signalman sent a message to the escorts "we are sinking" and the firing stopped. The single torpedo attack killed 11 men. U-99 tried in vain to assist Prien in U-47, against OB290. Chivalry was still at work at this time and former enemies who had been killing each other the previous day could play cards together. [50] 51 men died aboard Laurentic, 367 survived. I obey the rules. There were no deaths among the crew. German propagandists feared the triple loss might be too damaging to morale. The U-boot commanded by Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has sunk the two British auxiliary cruisers H.M.S. OTTO and his wife were already in the dining room. 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. So how was it that he was sunk? The Norwegian Varild 1,085GRT was sunk east of the Shetland Islands. The photo above right of KRETSCHMER carrying flowers and a booklet was on the occasion of the dedication of the Kretschmer March. COOPER said that this was one of the warmest compliments he had ever received. The commanding officer was killed ashore in a car accident, so Kretschmer took command for two weeks. 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. 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. [39], Among the victims was the Estonian ship, Merisaar, 2,126GRT. [17], Kretschmer was promoted to Kapitnleutnant (Lieutenant/Lieutenant Senior Grade) on 1 June 1939.[9]. They were both sunk within seven hours, during which the U-boat fired ten torpedoes and four rounds from the deck gun, while the vessels returned fire without damaging the U-boat. [15] Through the remaining Interwar period, Kretschmer developed his own approach to combat, which can be summarized by the phrase "one torpedo, one ship". 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. My ship deserted me!. He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. They provided clothes and alcohol, then transferred him to a lifeboat at the first opportunity. 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. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. [66], On 16 March 1941 Kretschmer attacked Convoy HX 112. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. He met Adolf Hitler on more than once occasion, even having lunch with the Fhrer. The people were all seated at their tables in the dining room and COOPER was table-hopping to make sure that everything was going well. 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). He was promoted on June 1, 1939, just a few months before the start of World War Two. My family is complete.. Alongside his military skill was a character that remained rooted in the traditions of the Prussian military. He was eventually promoted to the rank of flotilla admiral, before becoming chief-of-staff of the NATO command. [2] His father was a teacher at the local Volkschule (primary school), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. Rsing's successor, Hermann Michahelles, was killed in a car accident and Kretschmer assumed command for two weeks. Kretschmer was presented with an opportunity to put his "one torpedo, one ship" mantra into practice. 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. The renaming of the navy was a symbolic gesture, to erase the unpleasant memories of the 1920s and symbolise a new era. [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. Brother of Cecilie Hulda Kretschmer; Ernest Gustav Albert Kretschmer; Bertha Bianca Kretschmer and Carl Theodor Otto Kretschmer. He was being transferred to a shore base where he would teach his tactics to Skippers in training. [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. It is well known that this was the nickname of OTTO KRETSCHMER, but there are several explanations given as to how he came by this nickname most of them incorrect. 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. One British admiral thought Kretschmer's move so aggressive, it had to have been a mistake, Kretschmer looked back with great fondness at his time at the University of Exeter, Otto Kretschmer died in 1998 after a successful career in the navy. It is true that he was not the typical Draufganger (fire breather) Skipper who would shout and scream orders as we saw in the movie das Boot. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Otto passed away on month day 1981, at age 85 at death place. 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. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. Thistle was sunk weeks later by U-4. Kretschmer was released after seven years as a prisoner of war. Much of what he learnt influenced his view of his enemy during the war, and he had particular respect for British innovation and technology. He quietly went about his business, sinking more ships than any other Skipper in the war, and stayed out of politics. He then attended a training course (16 October 1957 28 February 1958) for amphibious forces in the United States. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. This third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. Joachim Schepke arrived in U-100 and sank seven. He did not return to England from his hiatus, but travelled through France, Switzerland and Italy. [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. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. Des de setembre de 1939 fins que va ser capturat al mar de 1941, va enfonsar 47 vaixell, amb un total de 274.333 tones. That same day the British escorts scored another success against the Kriegsmarine when the noted U-boat skipper Joachim Schepke was killed aboard U-100, having been depth charged, rammed and sunk by Vanoc. [69] He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer. Kretschmer was soon missed and the U-boat surfaced to find him before he succumbed to the cold. [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). Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. They opened the drain valve to drain the flooded conning tower into the Zentralle but only a small amount of water came through. With no time to return to the hatch, Kretschmer clung on to the periscope and waved at it frantically, hoping to be spotted. Death: November 08, 1981 (85) Millicent, South Australia, Australia. Kretschmer was born in Heidau in what is now part of Poland, but then belonged to Germany. [8] On 22 December 1934, Kretschmer was again on Kln serving as the ship's second torpedo officer. unread, Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 . 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. We do not come into port looking like pirates with dirty uniforms, untrimmed beards and with legs hanging over the side. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Incredibly though, this war hero, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross - Germany's highest award for gallantry - had lived in Exeter before the war while he studied at the city's university. In addition, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) on 26 December 1941. [25] The Norwegian Fredville, only 1,150GRT was sunk on 11 January 1940 without warning. "He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship.". The boat went to the yard for repairs and OTTO left no doubt that he wanted his boat and his crew back at sea in the shortest possible time. 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. The ship sank slowly. In later years, Kretschmer was often interviewed for television and radio programmes - including an appearing in the landmark British 1974 documentary series The World at War. This was the first ever in the history of warfare that a submarine was detected on sound gear, tracked by sound gear, attacked by sound gear and destroyed all by the use of the sound gear. 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! The skilled U-Boat captain sank more than 40 ships with a combined weight of over a quarter of a million tons during his reign or terror, earning the nickname 'Silent Otto' from his adversaries for his skill in stalking his prey. OTTO KRETSCHMER and Sharkhunters President HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) were close friends, and when COOPER asked him why there were no photos of him with the traditional White Cap, OTTO explained he said;The white hat was not issue, it was tradition but not regulation and I am a Prussian officer. Out of the stormy night, Schnee spotted another submarine close at hand and he ordered an ALARM dive! Kretschmer experienced His I.W.O. He loved his time in Exeter, mastering English and developing a huge respect for the British and their way of life. 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. The British report noted of Kretschmer, "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. On 4 October 1939 he sank the coastal ship Glen Farg (876GRT). Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. In fact, out of 116 torpedoes fired in action, Kretschmer scored 74 hits (equivalent to a 69.8% success rate). On February 22, 1941, Kretschmer set off on his final patrol. "On seeing the craters of a stick of bombs near Buckingham Palace he was genuinely shocked that an attempt had so obviously been made by his countrymen to bomb the Palace. 176 men died. U-99 is preparing for her first Feindfahrt (war patrol), taking on supplies. His command ended on 31 March 1969. [70], Kretschmer and his crew were landed in Liverpool. Otto Kretschmer. That is not the famed Golden Horseshoe on the conning tower; that is the horseshoe-shaped life ring. 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. Otto had 4 siblings: Cecilie Hulda and 3 other siblings. 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. [9] Kretschmer's first operational experience on a submarine was as a lieutenant on the U-35 in 1937 as first watch officer under the command of Klaus Ewerth and then Hans-Rudolf Rsing. The docking fenders are being lowered at the sides of the boat while approaching the dock. Paterson: Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat captain of the Second World War, and the term 'scoring' relates to the total tonnage of shipping that he sank while commander of both U23 and U99. She told COOPER that he was such a fine man that she knew there would never be another like him. A young RN ensign was removing the binoculars from around KRETSCHMERs neck when MacIntyre yelled down that those were now his binoculars as a prize of war, so the young ensign brought them to the bridge. When war broke out, Kretschmer was on U-23, a short-range submarine which could not operate as far as the Atlantic, so had to stay in the North Sea. His particularly brazen and risky innovation was to execute these night surface attacks inside the convoy. [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. Serving on a U-boat was a very dangerous task, and one that many did not want. Miraculously, power was restored and it limped back to the surface. [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. He prided himself on being able to take advantage of whatever the passing moment offered and made no elaborate plans for attacking convoys. There, they would meet a German U-boat to take them back to Germany. Kretschmer achieved good results in mathematics and chemistry and passed his Abitur (school-leaving certificate) at 17. The establishment of the Wehrmacht (Nazi German Armed Forces) in 1935 divided the major branches of the armed forces. It was not this way with U-99. Today's London Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of Otto Kretschmer who has died at the age of 86. - 1998. augusztus 5.) It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. 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! Kretschmer was also involved in the Battle of Bowmanville. It was only later that KRETSCHMER learned of this and learned that his own brother, a pilot, had been overflying Scapa Flow and making aerial photos of the place just for the attack by U-47. [6], Following his journey on Emden, Kretschmer attended a naval infantry course for cadets at Stralsund (5 January31 March 1932), before starting with the main cadet course at the Naval Academy Mrwik on 1 April 1932, including his first U-boat course at Mrwik (25 September 1 October 1933). 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. You can stay up to date on the top news and events near you with DevonLive's FREE newsletters enter your email address at the top of the page or go here. Otto Kretschmer was the Watch Officer of U-35 from 03 November 1936 - 30 July 1937. 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. A prize crew boarded to sail it to Bordeaux. As OTTO said;I am a Prussian officer; we are not pirates!. [34] On 21 June, his ninth patrol, his boat was damaged by an Arado Ar 196 floatplane from Scharnhorst in the belief U-99 was a British submarine. Prepared by Stephen Ames. Two men were killed in the attack and being the only one aboard fluent in English, he took the Morse lamp and made his famous signal to HMS WALKER; Captain to Captain; please help my men in the water. 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. Kretschmer continued to search for stragglers and found SS Holmlea. "Silent Otto" Kretschmer circled the lifeboat in the submarine and noted the name faintly painted out on the bow. KLAUS BARGSTEN (328-1987) and his II.W.O. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. He then ordered the merchant Skipper to put everyone back aboard then gave him a course to steer for one of the German bases on the French coast, and ordered the merchant Skipper to surrender the ship to the harbor authorities there. [53] In December Kretschmer tried to intercept Convoy HX 90 but encountered only stragglers. Once secured dockside, the crew poses for a triumphant photo. Kretschmer was taken to London for interrogation. Hitler invited Kretschmer to sit in on a lunch meeting with Hitler and Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Union's ambassador to the Third Reich. Sir, do you think that OTTO KRETSCHMER will be with us on this trip? to which OTTO smiled and replied; I think he is already here. at which point the Member nearly fell out of his chair.
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