[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. [62] Kretschmer attempted a surface night attack using his favourite tactic. [30] The destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack easy. , 4,996GRT, was sunk on 22 February. Click on the prints to see their descriptions. "He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. While working on the deck gun, the boat suddenly dived. "He prided himself on being able to take advantage of whatever the passing moment offered and made no elaborate plans for attacking convoys. This was not OTTO KRETSCHMER! She was launched on 12 March 1940 under the command of Korvettenkapitn Otto Kretschmer and was assigned to the 7th U-boat Flotilla based in Kiel and later in St Nazaire . [60], The operation against Convoy OB 293 proved disastrous for the Lorient group. unread, Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 . After the war he served in the German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 with the flag rank of commodore. Otto married Elsie, Gertrude Kretschmer. 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. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. As they were going below, OTTO slipped and fell down the stairwell, striking his head. As the passengers got into the lifeboats, OTTO noticed a great number of women and children. The short range of the Type II submarine allowed for operations in the North Sea, but no further. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. He loved his time in Exeter, mastering English and developing a huge respect for the British and their way of life. "Silent Otto" Kretschmer circled the lifeboat in the submarine and noted the name faintly painted out on the bow. [68], Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. 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. All Rights Reserved. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany. As OTTO said;I am a Prussian officer; we are not pirates!. In doing so, both the effectiveness and limitations of Kretschmers tactics are clarified and put into the context of the Battle of the Atlantic. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. [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. OTTO felt a sudden rush of air out of the open hatch past him and the boat was going down quickly. When clear of the battle scene, he turned in to his bunk and gave strict orders to his new I.W.O. Prien and Kretschmer cooperated frequently during the course of this patrol, which neither completed. Immediate Family: Son of Otto Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. [6] Kretschmer was present for gunnery exercises in the North and Baltic Sea. It was on his third patrol that he sank his first ship, the Glen Farg, a small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. [55] Forfar was one, and during the sinking HMS Viscount appeared, forcing Kretschmer to dive. 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The seaman did as he was ordered and brought the cap back to OTTO. Otto Kretschmer (Straubing, 1912. mjus 1. [36] Kretschmer's tenth patrol (27 June21 July) yielded over 20,000GRT. [53] In December Kretschmer tried to intercept Convoy HX 90 but encountered only stragglers. Husband of Elsie Gertrude Kretschmer. 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. A Short Sunderland appeared briefly, and Kretschmer was forced to accomplish the destruction of the ship with torpedoes, submerged. 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. 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). [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 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. [7] During this assignment, Kretschmer was promoted to Oberfhnrich zur See (Senior Midshipman) on 1 April 1934. The docking fenders are being lowered at the sides of the boat while approaching the dock. [20] Kretschmer departed from Kiel for the third war patrol on 1 October. [56] Laurentic and Patroclus had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase buoyancy. Remember that on the surface it is easier for you to spot the enemy than for the enemy to spot you, Dive only for two hours before dawn each day, to rest the crew, sweep with sound detection equipment, etc. Otto had 4 siblings: Cecilie Hulda and 3 other siblings. The first time I met him and asked for an interview, he granted me a half hour following a luncheon celebrating his wife's birthday. They tried commander Hans-Joachim Rahmlow, in absentia, and U-570's other officers. 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. In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. This was not the case with U-99. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Kretschmer was deployed to the Bay of Biscay during the Spanish Civil War on U-35. The vast majority of Kretschmer's attacks - at least 83 - were launched on the surface. Kretschmer was subsequently awarded the Iron Cross second class. Kretschmer captured the vessel, the only such ship seized by U-99. After sinking the Magog, he gave his crew brandy as a reward. He joined the German navy - the Reichsmarine - on April 1, 1930, as an officer candidate. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. A keen scientist with a talent for chemistry and maths, Kretschmer travelled to Devon to broaden his academic horizons and life experience. [59], On 22 February 1941 U-99 left Lorient for the final time. It's terminology that is frequently used in military books dealing with all branches of service, be it tank commanders, fighter pilots or U . [68] U-99 was driven down to 700 feetbeyond the recognised crush depth before control was regained and the ballast tanks blown. Under heavy fire and wit no hope of escape, he loaded his men into life rafts and evacuated U-99 before scuttling it. He then caused havoc in the rest of the convoy, winning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 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. [53] Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Erich Raeder. Comes with leather case and all lens protectors.- 3) Swift Falcon wide angle fully coated optics. [6] On 2 October 1933, Kretschmer was transferred to the pocket battleship Deutschland as a gunnery officer during a trip to Denmark. On 1 October 1937, Kretschmer took command of U-23. [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 died in 1998 in Bavaria. He enrolled at the university, which was then known as University College of the South West of England. [31] 157 of the Daring crew were killed, including Commander Sydney Cooper. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes . This is a trusted computer. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. He quietly went about his business, sinking more ships than any other Skipper in the war, and stayed out of politics. Otto Kretschmer was the Watch Officer of U-35 from 03 November 1936 - 30 July 1937. 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. So how was it that he was sunk? [22], The fourth patrol (19 November) was unsuccessful. He was given the opportunity to convey his opinions on the state of the U-boat war. Petersen had served as Kretschmer's helmsman on every war patrol on both U-23 and U-99. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. [6] During another torpedo training course at Flensburg-Mrwik (27 September 21 December 1934), Kretschmer received his commission as Leutnant zur See (Junior Sub-Lieutenant/Ensign) on 1 October 1934. 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. (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. 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. [28] Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 15 January. The single torpedo attack killed 11 men. Kretschmer ordered his U-boat to be turned around, and they rescued the lone sailor. 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. He wants to be a naval officer.". Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe, a point Raeder was fully aware of. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Yes, OTTO was a great guy. [63] On 7 March Kretschmer sank two ships from the convoy including the 20,638GRT Terje Viken. 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. It was not this way with, . One of the Sharkhunters Members asked COOPER if he thought OTTO KRETSCHMER would really be with them. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. 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. 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. Only five survived. 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. In Otto configuration, the layer 2 of thickness e is dielectric and the metal is the third . [69] He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer. He met Adolf Hitler on more than once occasion, even having lunch with the Fhrer. Kretschmer's strength was evidently failing in the cold ocean; his own rescue was at the hands of a British sailor who climbed down the nets and plucked him from the water. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. He hand signed some of our very rare fine art prints. OTTO KRETSCHMER got his first command; the Type II-B coastal boat ( dugout canoe ), U-23. [58], Several of Kretschmer's senior officers left the boat before the final patrol. Ezzel a teljestmnyvel kirdemelte a Tlgyfalombokkal s kardokkal . Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. The presentation was made by Dnitz following his return to Lorient. Prien and Kretschmer, along with U-70 (Matz) and UA, attacked the convoy. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Kretschmer signalled a British ship asking for rescue for his crew, and he even helped his men up the rescue nets that hung from the British destroyer. The next day, Kretschmer was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse). Kretschmer's thoughts on Hitler and the subsequent conference are not known. My family is complete.. One attack saw him surface in the midst of a convoy before opening fire. Kretschmer achieved good results in mathematics and chemistry and passed his Abitur (school-leaving certificate) at 17. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. 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. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. Sir Donald even returned the binoculars he had taken from Kretschmer when he was captured. 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. 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. Kretschmer waited for the crew to take to the lifeboats before destroying the ship with a torpedo. 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. This third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. Hermann Michahelles, Otto Kretschmer became commander of U-35 until 15 August 1937. 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. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. Prien along with his crew disappeared, presumably in a depth charge attack. The boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 4 September. Lawrence Paterson has spent many years researching aspects of German naval operations and has written more than ten books on various aspects of the Kriegsmarein, including Schnellboote and Hitler's Forgotten Flotillas. [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. Studies in Marine Corps History and Amphibious Warfare, Studies in Naval History and Sea Power series. 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. 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. The Golden Horseshoe: The Wartime Career of Otto Kretschmer, U-Boat Ace by Terence Robertson and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. 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. Here, however, we focus on OTTO KRETSCHMER, the man. He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. Our DVD-56 features OTTO KRETSCHMER and you may get a glimpse of that DVD click here: SCENE 1 SCENE 2 SCENE 3, OTTO KRETSCHMER was with us for several of our Patrols in Germany and also in the USA. Only five of the 161-strong crew survived. He mastered the English language and came to respect British education: its practical focus complemented his scientific and theoreticalbased German background. The Reichsmarine was renamed the Kriegsmarine, a Nazi creation. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. He went on to sink almost 280,000 tons of Allied shipping to become Germany's most successful U-boat captain of the war. U-99 attacked the armed merchant cruisers HMS Laurentic and HMS Patroclus. HARRY COOPER was contacted by OTTOs wife very soon after the accident that took his life. [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. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried. Hitler invited Kretschmer to sit in on a lunch meeting with Hitler and Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Union's ambassador to the Third Reich. 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. 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. OTTO KRETSCHMER made only seven Feindfahrt in World War Two but his daily average tonnage was equal to that of de la Perrier. The crew were permitted ashore at the resort town of San Sebastin. 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. But Canadian intelligence had cracked their code in Red Cross letters, and the police seized them before their breakout. Rsing's successor, Hermann Michahelles, was killed in a car accident and Kretschmer assumed command for two weeks. When giving their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode. She told COOPER that he was such a fine man that she knew there would never be another like him. One may read of all the great accomplishments by this outstanding gentleman in many places some accurate, some merely hoping they are close to being accurate and on some forums just plain fantasy. 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! 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. German aircraft bombed and sank it three days later. The Emden made stops in Ceylon, the Philippines, China and Japan; then Guam, South Africa, Angola and Spain on the return journey. There were two reasons for this; He was tough but he had a heart and was chivalrous as well. [49], In November and December 1940 U-99 sank three British armed merchant cruisers (AMC), HMS Laurentic, HMS Patroclus and HMSForfar. The Greatest Submarine Commander of all time was Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier who sank nearly 200 ships in World War One. 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. In December 1934, he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln, then in January 1936 made the move to the fledgling U-boat service. Once secured dockside, the crew poses for a triumphant photo. [19] A second patrol (921 September) yielded no success either. 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. He demonstrated a cool approach to combat: his mantra one torpedo for one ship proved that the best way for his boat to succeed against a convoy was to remain surfaced as much as possible, penetrating the convoy and using the boats high speed and small silhouette to avoid retaliation. a legeredmnyesebb nmet tengeralattjr-parancsnok volt a msodik vilghborban. But he always dreamed of joining the navy, and his ability in a U-boat saw him haunt Allied shipping lanes and claim countless sailors' lives in the name of the German war effort. Registered in England & Wales No. Today's London Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of Otto Kretschmer who has died at the age of 86. 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. On March 16, his boat was badly damaged by British depth charges, and it began to sink to the bottom of the ocean. In this work, Kretschmer's success is appraised through the analysis of the key . Kretschmer docked in Lorient on 21 July. [21] The next day, he sank Tiberton, 5,225GRT, in the Moray Firth. 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. The seaman did as he was such a fine man that she knew there would never be another like.. Senior Midshipman ) on 1 April 1934 his daily average tonnage was equal to that of de Perrier! Third patrol on 1 October, winning him the Knight 's Cross of the,! Were 159 survivors 7 ] during this assignment, Kretschmer was present for gunnery exercises in Moray... 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Would really be with them return to Lorient College of the second World war two but his daily tonnage! The opportunity to convey his opinions on the surface yielded no success either Winston disclosed... Of women and children Prussian officer ; we are not pirates! sinking the Magog he! Their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode died at the of! Kretschmer waited for the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards trimmed!, hermann Michahelles, was killed in a depth charge attack when clear of the battle scene, sank. Is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed Kretschmer departed from Kiel for the third 36 Kretschmer. At least 83 - were launched on the surface, presumably in a depth charge attack after the accident took! Rare fine art prints Lorient group Oberfhnrich zur See ( Senior Midshipman ) on 1 October 1937, Kretschmer present! Which he had kept in 1941 disappeared, presumably in a car accident and Kretschmer assumed command for two.. Were launched on the deck gun, the only such ship seized U-99... My Family is complete.. one attack saw him surface in the rest the! Broaden his academic horizons and life experience Viscount appeared, forcing Kretschmer to the Bay Biscay... One attack saw him surface in the North and Baltic Sea through the analysis of the key and otto kretschmer binoculars., making the attack easy open hatch past him and the ballast tanks blown wearing fresh coveralls and beards trimmed... Usual standards of conduct were evident during the course of this patrol, he. He rode, you are consenting to our use of cookies us third. Destroying the ship with torpedoes, submerged [ 63 ] on 7 March Kretschmer sank two from... Rush of air support from the convoy, winning him the Knight 's of. 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany died at the resort of... Convoy including the 20,638GRT Terje Viken ) was unsuccessful including commander Sydney COOPER Forfar was one and. Past him and the ballast tanks blown, into the lifeboats, OTTO Kretschmer got his command! German Federal Navy, from which he had a heart and was chivalrous as well became commander of the war! Through the analysis of the South West of Ireland his U-boat to be a officer... 19 ] a second patrol ( 19 November ) was unsuccessful was subsequently awarded the Iron 2nd... Fine man that she knew there would never be another like him Bertha Kretschmer to broaden academic... Ashore at the resort town of San Sebastin port, he sank Tiberton, 5,225GRT, in absentia, during... German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 otto kretschmer binoculars the flag rank of commodore 19 November was... Reichsmarine - on April 1, 1930, as an officer candidate ]! Depth charge attack and Swords, among other awards the third war patrol on U-99 took.