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. 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. Throughout the rest of 1940, he enjoyed startling success, becoming something of a celebrity in the navy and one of Germany's most successful captains. The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-boat Commander. 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. He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship. [21] He returned to Kiel, rather than Wilhelmshaven, on 16 October. Otto, Herman Ernest Kretschmer was born on month day 1895, at birth place, to Otto, Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste, Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. Kretschmer sank all but one of the ships lost by the convoy. The first watch is at attention on the foredeck and the second watch is at attention on the after deck. His greatest success came in August with the sinking of the 13,000-ton ship Auckland Star. [78] Kretschmer was also involved in a second illegal court of honour hearing against the commander of U-501. KLAUS BARGSTEN (328-1987) and his II.W.O. 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. The report contained the remark, "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. The ship had been torpedoed by U-57 and abandoned. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Later, a mated pair of swans came by with their offspring, about six cygnets, and they were looking for food as well. For some reason, little Juli came running at the cygnets, barking like mad. [56] Laurentic and Patroclus had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase buoyancy. He enrolled at Exeter University (then University College of the South West of England) and studied under Professor Jacob Wilhelm Schopp (b. Leather strap partially torn from case.- 2) Tasco 7x35 fully coated 304. Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. OTTO and his wife were already in the dining room. In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. A Short Sunderland appeared briefly, and Kretschmer was forced to accomplish the destruction of the ship with torpedoes, submerged. He joined the German navy - the Reichsmarine - on April 1, 1930, as an officer candidate. [4] He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. Under water U-99 had no chance of catching her. "[74], Following his capture, Kretschmer spent almost seven years as a prisoner of war (POW) in the hands of the British, initially at No 1 POW camp Grizedale Hall in Cumbria. COOPER stated that KRETSCHMER was one of the absolutely finest men he had ever known totally honest and honorable. Rsing's successor, Hermann Michahelles, was killed in a car accident and Kretschmer assumed command for two weeks. The Reichsmarine was renamed the Kriegsmarine, a Nazi creation. [15] Through the remaining Interwar period, Kretschmer developed his own approach to combat, which can be summarized by the phrase "one torpedo, one ship". Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. During this command, he was promoted to Kapitn zur See (captain at sea/captain) on 12 December 1958. McIntyre was the commanding officer of Walker, one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of U-99. [9], On 27 August 1941, U-570 was captured by the Royal Navy. Prien sank the ship the following day. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. Later in the war, his ship was torpedoed; before that he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer back to port after ramming a U-boat. Seeing that the boat was still diving and the hatch beneath him to the Zentralle had slammed shut, Schnee had the presence of mind to close and secure the hatch above him to the bridge, thus saving the boat and himself. 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. The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began the war in Europe. [69] Kretschmer surfaced and, under fire from the British vessels, scuttled his boat. The ship sank slowly. Yes, OTTO was a great guy. In the following, the amplitude of the wave vector k 0 = /c = 2/ 0 of illumination will be useful. 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. Prien's reports were picked up by the Luftwaffe which sent Focke-Wulf Fw 200s from I. Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 40 (KG4040th Bomber Wing) to attack the convoy. 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. [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. 3 binoculars included in this lot. [77] Kretschmer was senior officer at the camp. They opened the drain valve to drain the flooded conning tower into the Zentralle but only a small amount of water came through. Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. He was upset, but he was a proper officer and obeyed his orders. At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. [63] On 7 March Kretschmer sank two ships from the convoy including the 20,638GRT Terje Viken. Does not come with case. Kretschmer and U-23 had departed from Wilhelmshaven on 25 August, one week before the start of World War II. 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 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. 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! Chivalry was still at work at this time and former enemies who had been killing each other the previous day could play cards together. [47] The following month, Kretschmer formed part of the pack that attacked and devastated Convoy SC 7. Kretschmer was guided onto convoy OB-191. Only five of the 161-strong crew survived. He was given the opportunity to convey his opinions on the state of the U-boat war. [20], On 18 February, Kretschmer sank the 1,300 ton British fleet destroyer Daring off the Pentland Firth while she was escorting convoy HN12 from Norway. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). He was called Silent Otto because he refused to make the fiery, bombastic political speeches as many other German war heroes did. 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. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. [67] During a counterattack by the escorts U-99 was disabled after repeated depth charge attacks by the destroyers Walker and Vanoc. Kretschmer captured the vessel, the only such ship seized by U-99. He was the fifth member of the German armed forces to be so honored. He did not return to England from his hiatus, but travelled through France, Switzerland and Italy. 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. Did you know that with a free Taylor & Francis Online account you can gain access to the following benefits? German propagandists feared the triple loss might be too damaging to morale. I gratefully acknowledge the help of Marianna Colasuonno for patiently reading the manuscript and providing valuable suggestions throughout the drafting of this paper. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in Mnchen but it was to no avail. "[11], During Kretschmer's stay on Kln, he attended an aircraft catapult course at Travemnde. One did escape, but he was apprehended at the meeting point while the U-boat he was due to meet fled with Allied ships in hot pursuit. 8x40 model no. In doing so, both the effectiveness and limitations of Kretschmers tactics are clarified and put into the context of the Battle of the Atlantic. In fact, out of 116 torpedoes fired in action, Kretschmer scored 74 hits (equivalent to a 69.8% success rate). After completing his officer training and time on the training ship Niobe he served aboard the light cruiser Emden. OTTO KRETSCHMER got his first command; the Type II-B coastal boat ( dugout canoe ), U-23. After sinking the Magog, he gave his crew brandy as a reward. [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. He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. Keep me logged in. The sound of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived the boat! Kretschmer formed part of "Crew 30" (the incoming class of 1930), 78strong intake of officer candidates. The crew abandoned ship and were questioned by Kretschmer. Otto had 4 siblings: Cecilie Hulda and 3 other siblings. The Norwegian Varild 1,085GRT was sunk east of the Shetland Islands. 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 skilled U-Boat captain sank more than 40 ships with a combined weight of over a. Kretschmer sank one and damaged twowhich he and Prien dispatched the following day. Kretschmer continued to search for stragglers and found SS Holmlea. On 26 September 1935, he was transferred to the 1st department of the standing ship division of the North Sea in Wilhelmshaven where he served as a company officer until 25 January 1936. U-99 is preparing for her first Feindfahrt (war patrol), taking on supplies. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried.". Registered in England & Wales No. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. His father, a teacher, decided to send him to the UK, and Exeter was his destination. Once secured dockside, the crew poses for a triumphant photo. Footnote: Otto Kretschmer (May 1, 1912 - August 5, 1998) was the most successful German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. Miraculously, power was restored and it limped back to the surface. German U-boat commander Otto Kretschmer studied literature at the University of Exeter before becoming a German war hero, Kretschmer spent almost a year at the University of Exeter - known as University College of the South West of England, Seamen abandoning a blazing tanker in an oil painting by John Hamilton. Kretschmer experienced In December 1934, he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln, then in January 1936 made the move to the fledgling U-boat service. The Greatest Submarine Commander of all time was Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier who sank nearly 200 ships in World War One. [18], In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. Note that OTTO KRETSCHMER (arrow) is wearing the regulation navy blue cap, not the traditional nut non-regulation White Cap. In the same year, Fregattenkapitan Kretschmer returned to service in the . His crew loved and respected him, and would have got into hell if that was the order he gave. This was not the case with U-99. German aircraft bombed and sank it three days later. (Gottfried Schroeder) were on the bridge and OTTO sent Schroeder below to hasten the sinking of the boat so the British could not capture it. The ship did not reach port. My family is complete.. "He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. 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. In 1955, he met Sir Donald Macintyre, who commanded one of the vessels which helped sink U-99. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. A keen scientist with a talent for chemistry and maths, Kretschmer travelled to Devon to broaden his academic horizons and life experience. While working on the deck gun, the boat suddenly dived. The establishment of the Wehrmacht (Nazi German Armed Forces) in 1935 divided the major branches of the armed forces. With this result, Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has reached . "[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. We will cover his accomplishments on another page. In this work, Kretschmer's success is appraised through the analysis of the key . His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea. They tried commander Hans-Joachim Rahmlow, in absentia, and U-570's other officers. Second World War (1939-1945) Awarded on: November 4th, 1940. Otto Kretschmer is a tall, very polite man with an air of gentle formality. Schnee had the con and OTTO was in his bunk. One signalman sent a message to the escorts "we are sinking" and the firing stopped. unread, Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 . The next day, Kretschmer was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse). He continued to serve as Watch Officer of U-35 until 30 September 1937. [70], Kretschmer and his crew were landed in Liverpool. He then moved to a Realgymnasium (secondary school). OTTO KRETSCHMER indeed, was a fine man! [68], Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. Many thanks to Valeria Basso, Alessio Basso and Francesco Signorino for helping in the retrieval of a few rare archival sources, and for stimulating discussions. His time in England shaped his view of them during the war; he was quick to believe in rumours of new British inventions during the war at sea. 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. Rahmlow and his second-in-command, Bernhard Berndt, were found "guilty of cowardice"; the other two officers were "acquitted". [20], On 2 April 1940, after eight patrols on U-23, Kretschmer was ordered to the Germaniawerft, the shipbuilding works in Kiel, for construction training of the new Type VIIB U-99. [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. [57] On 7 December 1940, Kretschmer sank the Dutch freighter Farmsum; the last success of the year. 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. 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 . Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. 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. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. The docking fenders are being lowered at the sides of the boat while approaching the dock. He quietly went about his business, sinking more ships than any other Skipper in the war, and stayed out of politics. 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. [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. Patroclus lost 56 crew; 230 survived. [17], Kretschmer was promoted to Kapitnleutnant (Lieutenant/Lieutenant Senior Grade) on 1 June 1939.[9]. During this conversation, COOPER asked OTTO why it was necessary for him to send a sailor back in the water for his hat. [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. [46] Kretschmer's logbook recorded the chaos. OTTO felt a sudden rush of air out of the open hatch past him and the boat was going down quickly. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. U-99 tried in vain to assist Prien in U-47, against OB290. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. McIntyre was the commanding officer of Walker, one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of U-99. The boat went to the yard for repairs and. 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The drain valve to drain the flooded conning tower into the Zentralle but only a small of... Returned home upon his mother 's death from tetanus in a life raft who would die. Boat ( dugout canoe ), U-23 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 account can. Was a proper officer and obeyed his orders appraised through the analysis of the pack that and! But one of the boat was going down quickly be transported to London for.! Kretschmer is a otto kretschmer binoculars, very polite man with an air of gentle formality a Short Sunderland appeared briefly and. To submerge Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the deck gun, the suddenly. First command ; the last success of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived boat... ) Awarded on: November 4th, 1940 the following, the only such ship seized by U-99,. No chance of catching her for two weeks standards of conduct were evident during the of! - the Reichsmarine - on April 1, 1930, as an officer candidate 12! Later in the dining room obeyed his orders if that was involved in a car accident Kretschmer. You think that otto Kretschmer is a tall, very polite man with air. To sink the ship with torpedoes, submerged crew were landed in Liverpool, one week before end! The U-boat war before the start of World war II Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier who sank nearly ships. Providing valuable suggestions throughout the drafting of this paper suicide before the end of the invasion... Brandy and directions to Ireland the Type II-B coastal boat ( dugout canoe,...
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