Brother of Cecilie Hulda Kretschmer; Ernest Gustav Albert Kretschmer; Bertha Bianca Kretschmer and Carl Theodor Otto Kretschmer. It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. Not the crew of U-99. The skilled U-Boat captain sank more than 40 ships with a combined weight of over a. Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, "U 99" Interrogation of Survivors April, 1941", Newspaper clippings about Otto Kretschmer, Telegraph On-line edition, February 4, 2008, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Otto_Kretschmer&oldid=1125960308, Efficient lookouts are of prime importance, It is essential not simply to spot the target, but to spot it in good time, Lone ships should be attacked on the surface with gunfire in order to save expensive torpedoes, Survivors should be assisted when possible, Convoys should be attacked in daylight only if it is not feasible to wait for nightfall, Attack at night from the dark side of the convoy, so that the target is silhouetted and the submarine is in shadow, When there is little or no moonlight, attack from the windward side (to avoid a visible white bow-wave when motoring into the wind), Fire one torpedo per target, not fanned salvoes, Once an attack is launched, do not submerge except in circumstances of dire necessity. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. 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. 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. The photo above right of KRETSCHMER carrying flowers and a booklet was on the occasion of the dedication of the Kretschmer March. In the same year, Fregattenkapitan Kretschmer returned to service in the . Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. "[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. [53] Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Erich Raeder. After completing his officer training and time on the training ship Niobe he served . I had to surrender my ship to the British Captain and I had to be in complete uniform.. Today's London Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of Otto Kretschmer who has died at the age of 86. At the time, Kretschmer was president of the Deutscher Marinebund, a member club of the International Maritime Confederation. U-99 was returning from her seventh Feindfahrt (war patrol) and this was to be OTTOs last Feindfahrt. That is not the famed Golden Horseshoe on the conning tower; that is the horseshoe-shaped life ring. [6] Kretschmer was present for gunnery exercises in the North and Baltic Sea. HARRY COOPER was contacted by OTTOs wife very soon after the accident that took his life. The seaman did as he was ordered and brought the cap back to OTTO. Allied courts and Rahmlow sought justice against Kretschmer after the war, but he was never vigorously pursued for trial for his role in the death of Berndt. Prien's demise was not disclosed. The U-boot commanded by Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has sunk the two British auxiliary cruisers H.M.S. Kretschmer learned its identity from frantic radio signals. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. One of the Sharkhunters Members asked COOPER if he thought OTTO KRETSCHMER would really be with them. [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. 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. Kretschmer joined the German navy at eighteen years of age, which is interesting since many young, German men avoided service in the navy. His first patrol, with Oberleutnant zur See Adalbert Schnee as first watch officer, took U-23 into the North Sea and along the coast of the Netherlands. [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. In doing so, both the effectiveness and limitations of Kretschmers tactics are clarified and put into the context of the Battle of the Atlantic. [47] The following month, Kretschmer formed part of the pack that attacked and devastated Convoy SC 7. In Otto configuration, the layer 2 of thickness e is dielectric and the metal is the third . Upon the death of Kptlt. The docking fenders are being lowered at the sides of the boat while approaching the dock. During this time, he developed his own theory about submarine warfare. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Does not come with case. As OTTO said;I am a Prussian officer; we are not pirates!. In December 1934, he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln, then in January 1936 made the move to the fledgling U-boat service. He loved his time in Exeter, mastering English and developing a huge respect for the British and their way of life. [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. [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. Shortly after he surrendered, OTTO KRETSCHMER fell asleep in an overstuffed chair in the Captains cabin on HMS WALKER. Admiral Sir George Creasy considered the manoeuvre so dangerous he thought it had been done by mistake. The British report noted of Kretschmer, "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. Death and burial ground of Kretschmer, Otto Wilhelm August "Silent Otto". 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 had 4 siblings: Cecilie Hulda and 3 other siblings. His greatest success came in August with the sinking of the 13,000-ton ship Auckland Star. [9][33] After two months' training and shakedown manoeuvres in German waters, Kretschmer took the boat into action on 18 June 1940. [39], Among the victims was the Estonian ship, Merisaar, 2,126GRT. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. He mastered the English language and came to respect British education: its practical focus complemented his scientific and theoreticalbased German background. A detachment of the Home Guard apprehended him, shooting him when he tried to escape. 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. 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. 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. Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany. Despite being captured, the German nay continued to promote him, and even awarded him he Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords - only the fifth member of the German armed forces to receive the accolade. We will tell you accurately; How it was almost KRETSCHMER who sank HMS ROYAL OAK; OTTO KRETSCHMER got his first command; the Type II-B coastal boat (dugout canoe), U-23. This third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. Otto Kretschmer (Straubing, 1912. mjus 1. All Rights Reserved. In 1955, MacIntyre returned the Zeiss binoculars to Kretschmer. [34], During U-99's first four patrols, Kretschmer commenced attacking convoys at night on the surface, sinking merchant ships with highly accurate shots, using only one torpedo per target ship; the quote "one torpedo one ship" is attributed to Kretschmer around this time. [54], Kretschmer departed for his fifteenth patrol on 27 November and returned on 12 December. Kretschmer was so outraged that he and other officers organised a rebellion. He died in 1998 in Bavaria. Why? 3099067 The boat slipped beneath the waves, leaving him stranded in freezing waters. A fall caused fatal injuries. [14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. [22], U-23 departed from Kiel on 8 January 1940 for its sixth war patrol and Schnee had been replaced by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen. Husband of Elsie Gertrude Kretschmer. "[69] Kretschmer signalled Walker asking for rescue for his men, taking care to ensure as many left the submarine as possible, and assisted some of his crew towards the rescue nets hung from the British destroyer. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. Petersen had served as Kretschmer's helmsman on every war patrol on both U-23 and U-99. He was the fifth member of the German armed forces to be so honored. Only five sailors survived. Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe, a point Raeder was fully aware of. 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. In his bunk, OTTO felt the sharp downward angle of the boat and was immediately on his feet as the bridge watch tumbled past him all by Schnee, and now green water was flooding through the open hatch from the Zentralle to the conning tower. He was upset, but he was a proper officer and obeyed his orders. A British intelligence report on him said: "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. OTTO felt a sudden rush of air out of the open hatch past him and the boat was going down quickly. When asked, JOSEF Jupp KASSEL (790-1988) he proudly said;I was Otto Kretschmers radioman!.