[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. [4] He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. COOPER grinned and said;Lets ask this gentleman here. Carefully KRETSCHMER opened the hatch from the Zentralle into the conning tower and found, to his dismay and great relief, there was a soggy Schnee, waiting patiently to be rescued. [22], U-23 departed from Kiel on 8 January 1940 for its sixth war patrol and Schnee had been replaced by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen. U-99 tried in vain to assist Prien in U-47, against OB290. German radio acknowledged the capture and the death of Schepke. During this conversation, COOPER asked OTTO why it was necessary for him to send a sailor back in the water for his hat. At 2250hrs on 3 November, 1940, one of the most dramatic battles of the U-boat war began. OTTO and COOPER were splashed with the flying mud and water as Juli and Papa Swan ran madly around the yard, tearing up the soft green grass and leaving ruts and tracks in their wake. The ship had been torpedoed by U-57 and abandoned. [19] A second patrol (921 September) yielded no success either. 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 passed away on month day 1981, at age 85 at death place. Alongside his military skill was a character that remained rooted in the traditions of the Prussian military. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. [57] Kretschmer was forced to engage Patroclus with the deck gun when it appeared to resist the torpedo damage, but retreated when the ship fired back. 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. He was the fifth member of the German armed forces to be so honored. [66], On 16 March 1941 Kretschmer attacked Convoy HX 112. One of the Sharkhunters Members asked COOPER if he thought OTTO KRETSCHMER would really be with them. The British report noted of Kretschmer, "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. Studies in Marine Corps History and Amphibious Warfare, Studies in Naval History and Sea Power series. "He prided himself on being able to take advantage of whatever the passing moment offered and made no elaborate plans for attacking convoys. He enrolled at Exeter University (then University College of the South West of England) and studied under Professor Jacob Wilhelm Schopp (b. 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. OTTO replied;It was necessary. He went on to sink almost 280,000 tons of Allied shipping to become Germany's most successful U-boat captain of the war. During this command, he was promoted to Kapitn zur See (captain at sea/captain) on 12 December 1958. 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. Otto Kretschmer was the Watch Officer of U-35 from 03 November 1936 - 30 July 1937. Prien sank the ship the following day. [9] Kretschmer joined the U-boat service in January 1936. The boat went to the yard for repairs and. 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. All Rights Reserved. [7] During this assignment, Kretschmer was promoted to Oberfhnrich zur See (Senior Midshipman) on 1 April 1934. [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). Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe, a point Raeder was fully aware of. 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. [8] On 22 December 1934, Kretschmer was again on Kln serving as the ship's second torpedo officer. After sinking the Magog, he gave his crew brandy as a reward. Although he fought doggedly for Nazi Germany during the war, his affection for Exeter remained with him until his death. Kretschmer sank six and disabled a seventh. [31] Kretschmer sighted the British submarine Thistle(N24) soon afterwards, and fired a second torpedo which missed. The U-boot commanded by Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has sunk the two British auxiliary cruisers H.M.S. "[3] Kretschmer was too young to enlist at 17 and his father sent him to England to broaden his horizons. OTTO KRETSCHMER indeed, was a fine man! COOPER stated that KRETSCHMER was one of the absolutely finest men he had ever known totally honest and honorable. It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. 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. 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 small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. "Silent Otto" Kretschmer circled the lifeboat in the submarine and noted the name faintly painted out on the bow. Something went wrong, please try again later. When clear of the battle scene, he turned in to his bunk and gave strict orders to his new I.W.O. Correct optics: how the binoculars of the best underwater ace of the Reich became a symbol of relations with Britain #___historydocs [20] Another neutral Scandinavian ship was sunk. Hitler invited Kretschmer to sit in on a lunch meeting with Hitler and Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Union's ambassador to the Third Reich. 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. He did not come through the hatch he must be lost at sea. Suddenly one of the men spotted him and yelled the alarm and Captain MacIntyre stopped the ship. During the Spanish Civil War, Kretschmer was involved in several patrols as part of the international non-intervention force. He did not return to England from his hiatus, but travelled through France, Switzerland and Italy. He mastered the English language and came to respect British education: its practical focus complemented his scientific and theoreticalbased German background. 3099067 [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. [40] The BdU acquired new bases along the French Atlantic coast after the Battle of France. When asked, JOSEF Jupp KASSEL (790-1988) he proudly said;I was Otto Kretschmers radioman!. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. There were two reasons for this; He was tough but he had a heart and was chivalrous as well. 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. She had been married before, to a doctor who was killed in action with the Afrika Korps. [69] He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab. U-99 was badly battered and as they were passing 220 meters, KRETSCHMER ordered emergency surface. [18] Further patrols took U-23 around the British coast. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. [35] U-99's first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. 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. He enrolled at the university, which was then known as University College of the South West of England. Otto Kretschmer (Straubing, 1912. mjus 1. 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. As they pulled up the anchor one day, an actual horseshoe was caught in the flukes of the anchor. He was given the opportunity to convey his opinions on the state of the U-boat war. Schroeder never returned. "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. He was upset, but he was a proper officer and obeyed his orders. He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. He died in 1998 in Bavaria. There, they would meet a German U-boat to take them back to Germany. 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. 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. Luckily for him, his absence on the bridge was noted and the boat surfaced again to find him bobbing about in the water. Four of his years as a prisoner of war were spent in Canada at Bowmanville POW camp. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). He participated in the 2nd officers training course held at the former NS-Ordensburg Sonthofen. He was understandably upset when he and all the other Type II boats in the area were ordered to get back into the North Sea, far away from Scapa Flow. [18], In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. Kretschmer took command of U-99, and adorned the conning tower with two gold-painted horseshoes for luck. [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. The convoy suffered heavy losses while the U-boats escaped unscathed. There were two reasons for this; Knights Cross with Oak Leaf and Crossed Swords, There would be nine diamonds forming the Swastika, All the time this was going on, as the pair ran, Why you never saw him with the traditional . He was being transferred to a shore base where he would teach his tactics to Skippers in training. BACK TO ADVISORS PAGE. Only five survived. I had to surrender my ship to the British Captain and I had to be in complete uniform.. Kretschmer was also involved in the Battle of Bowmanville. While Kretschmer was discharging his responsibilities for the operational readiness of the deck gun, Rsing dived the ship, leaving Kretschmer stranded in the freezing water. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. During this time, he developed his own theory about submarine warfare. 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. It noted that the destroyers "did not know how to help" and busied themselves firing star shells on a moonlit night. This definitive work details his personal story and the political backdrop from his earliest days. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the Amt fr Militrkunde (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970.[18]. McIntyre was the commanding officer of Walker, one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of U-99. The sound of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived the boat! McIntyre was the commanding officer of Walker, one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of U-99. (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. Otto Kretschmer is a tall, very polite man with an air of gentle formality. 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. The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-boat Commander. One hugely successful patrol saw him sink the 1,300 ton British fleet destroyer Daring with a solitary torpedo, before speeding off into the night undetected. [23] Kretschmer targeted the Danish Scotia, a 2,400GRT on 7 December. that he must not dive the boat under any circumstances; and he went to sleep. 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. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. [56] Laurentic and Patroclus had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase buoyancy. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a corvette. Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. The seaman did as he was ordered and brought the cap back to OTTO. 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. Kretschmer formed part of "Crew 30" (the incoming class of 1930), 78strong intake of officer candidates. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. He stopped a ship and told the Captain to get all the passengers and crew into lifeboats before he would sink the ship. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. Registered in England & Wales No. 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. On 3 August 1998, they were on a luxury cruise boat on the Donau (Danube) River celebrating their 50th (Golden) wedding anniversary. His command ended on 31 March 1969. The ship was loaded with coal, set for Buenos Aires, Argentina. [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). 1871), a Germanborn naturalised Briton. After the war he served in the German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 with the flag rank of commodore. Does not come with case. 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. [18], From 1 March to 31 October 1958, Kretschmer served as Admiralstabsoffizier (Astoofficer of the admiralty staff) with the Fleet Command. Sinking the Magog, he developed his own theory about submarine Warfare otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the seas. At sea/captain ) on 1 April 1934 Donald mcintyre returned Kretschmer 's binoculars, which he retired in 1970 the. On month day 1981, at age 85 at death place had been assumed returned Kretschmer 's binoculars which! The boat surfaced again to find him bobbing about in the flukes of the war again... No success either said ; I was otto Kretschmers radioman! of air support from the Luftwaffe, 2,400GRT. Proper officer and obeyed his orders, was repatriated to Germany in 1970 with the Afrika.. 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