[52] U-99 docked four days later, concluding Kretschmer's fourteenth patrol after just ten days at sea. It was on his third patrol that he sank his first ship, the Glen Farg, a small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. On 1 November 1958, he was transferred to the position of commander of the Bundesmarine's Amphibische Streitkrfte ("amphibious forces"), a position he held until 15 January 1962. [62] Kretschmer attempted a surface night attack using his favourite tactic. 1939 szeptembertl, 1941 mrciusban bekvetkez fogsgba essig, 47 hajt sllyesztett el, melyeknek egyttes vzkiszortsa 274 333 tonna volt. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. A Short Sunderland appeared briefly, and Kretschmer was forced to accomplish the destruction of the ship with torpedoes, submerged. "He prided himself on being able to take advantage of whatever the passing moment offered and made no elaborate plans for attacking convoys. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). [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. 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. As U-99 returns from an early Feindfahrt, we see that the crew is neatly arranged (photo left) on the deck and there is no White Cap on the Skipper. 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. KLAUS BARGSTEN (328-1987) and his II.W.O. The attack was conducted with no warning, and consequently all 15 crewmen died. [60], The operation against Convoy OB 293 proved disastrous for the Lorient group. 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. U-99 attacked the armed merchant cruisers HMS Laurentic and HMS Patroclus. Rahmlow and his second-in-command, Bernhard Berndt, were found "guilty of cowardice"; the other two officers were "acquitted". In the same year, Fregattenkapitan Kretschmer returned to service in the . [69] He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer. 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. 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. [42], Four days later Kretschmer began his eleventh patrol which concluded on 5 August. Today's London Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of Otto Kretschmer who has died at the age of 86. [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. [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. He continued to serve as Watch Officer of U-35 until 30 September 1937. He wants to be a naval officer. [20] Kretschmer departed from Kiel for the third war patrol on 1 October. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Sir Donald even returned the binoculars he had taken from Kretschmer when he was captured. ; otherwise, remain on the surface, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 20:17. On 1 June 1965, he was promoted to Flottillenadmiral (flotilla admiral/Commodore/Rear Admiral), a rank which he initially held on probation. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. [30] The destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack easy. [58], Several of Kretschmer's senior officers left the boat before the final patrol. The boat went to the yard for repairs and. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. 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. His particularly brazen and risky innovation was to execute these night surface attacks inside the convoy. [65] British reports of the action mention a large red glow appearing deep below the surface amid the depth charge explosions. One attack saw him surface in the midst of a convoy before opening fire. 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. 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. 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. Dave Powell. 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 given the opportunity to convey his opinions on the state of the U-boat war. Comes with leather case and all lens protectors.- 3) Swift Falcon wide angle fully coated optics. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. All 33 men aboard died. Por todo ello y entre otras, recibi [48] Kretschmer recommended his helmsman Stabsobersteuermann Heinrich Petersen for the Knight's Cross after twelve war patrols for saving U-99 from enemy detection. However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. Kretschmer sank all but one of the ships lost by the convoy. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. The small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. I gratefully acknowledge the help of Marianna Colasuonno for patiently reading the manuscript and providing valuable suggestions throughout the drafting of this paper. She had been married before, to a doctor who was killed in action with the Afrika Korps. 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. The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began the war in Europe. His command ended on 31 March 1969. Yes, OTTO was a great guy. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a corvette. The docking fenders are being lowered at the sides of the boat while approaching the dock. Prien along with his crew disappeared, presumably in a depth charge attack. U-99 was returning from her seventh Feindfahrt (war patrol) and this was to be OTTOs last Feindfahrt. 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. He stopped a ship and told the Captain to get all the passengers and crew into lifeboats before he would sink the ship. Canadian authorities wanted to shackle 100 German prisoners as retaliation for Hitler announcing he would kill all Allied commandos who were captured. His greatest success came in August with the sinking of the 13,000-ton ship Auckland Star. The short range of the Type II submarine allowed for operations in the North Sea, but no further. Prien's demise was not disclosed. Otto Kretschmer, Comandante alemn de U-Boot de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, fue sin duda el ms eficaz de toda la Kriegsmarine. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. 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 dispensed with the standard practice of firing salvoes of torpedoes from long distances. [4] He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. [68], Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. 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Later in the war, his ship was torpedoed; before that he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer back to port after ramming a U-boat. On February 22, 1941, Kretschmer set off on his final patrol. The British report noted of Kretschmer, "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. 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 cygnets came close to the seawall for the food while the adult birds stayed about five or six feet away. [4], Kretschmer entered the Reichsmarine (Weimar Navy) on 1 April 1930 as See Offizier Anwrter (naval officer cadet). He went on to sink almost 280,000 tons of Allied shipping to become Germany's most successful U-boat captain of the war. [9] Kretschmer joined the U-boat service in January 1936. 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 I.W.O. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. 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. [6] Kretschmer was present for gunnery exercises in the North and Baltic Sea. In this work, Kretschmers success is appraised through the analysis of the key characteristics of his attacks, and the conditions of the battlefield in which he operated. Although he fought doggedly for Nazi Germany during the war, his affection for Exeter remained with him until his death. In 1955, he met Sir Donald Macintyre, who commanded one of the vessels which helped sink U-99. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. Kretschmer was also involved in the Battle of Bowmanville. Petersen had served as Kretschmer's helmsman on every war patrol on both U-23 and U-99. He survived the sinking of his submarine but he was not clear yet. There, they would meet a German U-boat to take them back to Germany. Unfortunately, his mother died from tetanus after a medical incident, so he returned home to be with his family. He joined the German navy - the Reichsmarine - on April 1, 1930, as an officer candidate. [14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. 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. I am sunking. Yep Sunking is the word he used. In the following, the amplitude of the wave vector k 0 = /c = 2/ 0 of illumination will be useful. 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 . The report, filed in the archives, was named "U 99" Interrogation of Survivors April, 1941". [19] A second patrol (921 September) yielded no success either. This third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. With this result, Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has reached . 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. El Otto Kretschmer (1 de maig de 1912 - 5 de maig de 1998) va ser un comandant de submarins alemany durant la Segona Guerra Mundial, sent l' amb ms xit. German radio acknowledged the capture and the death of Schepke. - 1998. augusztus 5.) Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany. There were two reasons for this; He was tough but he had a heart and was chivalrous as well. Ezzel a teljestmnyvel kirdemelte a Tlgyfalombokkal s kardokkal . Kretschmer achieved good results in mathematics and chemistry and passed his Abitur (school-leaving certificate) at 17. The ships were protected by an escort group of two destroyers, Wolverine and Verity, and two corvettes, Arbutus and Camellia. He commissioned U-99 on 18 April 1940 which was part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. He enrolled at Exeter University (then University College of the South West of England) and studied under Professor Jacob Wilhelm Schopp (b. Second World War (1939-1945) Awarded on: November 4th, 1940. 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. 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. The next day, Kretschmer was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse). [51] Kretschmer was awarded the 6th Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 4 November 1940. Later, a mated pair of swans came by with their offspring, about six cygnets, and they were looking for food as well. [59], On 22 February 1941 U-99 left Lorient for the final time. [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. As they pulled up the anchor one day, an actual horseshoe was caught in the flukes of the anchor. OTTO KRETSCHMER made only seven Feindfahrt in World War Two but his daily average tonnage was equal to that of de la Perrier. [45][dubious discuss], On U-99's fourth war patrol in September 1940,[34] Kretschmer formed part of a wolfpack that struck against Convoy HX 72. Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. [17], Kretschmer was promoted to Kapitnleutnant (Lieutenant/Lieutenant Senior Grade) on 1 June 1939.[9]. He had to return to port to repair the damage. His first operational posting was to the 2nd U-Flotillas Type VII U35 where he survived almost being drowned during training in the Baltic Sea. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. [23] Kretschmer targeted the Danish Scotia, a 2,400GRT on 7 December. During this time, he developed his own theory about submarine warfare. When clear of the battle scene, he turned in to his bunk and gave strict orders to his new I.W.O. As OTTO said;I am a Prussian officer; we are not pirates!. 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. 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. 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. The single torpedo attack killed 11 men. He wants to be a naval officer.". At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. He enrolled at the university, which was then known as University College of the South West of England. 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. [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. I had to surrender my ship to the British Captain and I had to be in complete uniform.. Suddenly one of the men spotted him and yelled the alarm and Captain MacIntyre stopped the ship. [7] During this assignment, Kretschmer was promoted to Oberfhnrich zur See (Senior Midshipman) on 1 April 1934. 1871), a Germanborn naturalised Briton. 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. OTTOs New Boat, the Type VII-B boat U-99. 3099067 [2] In the aftermath of World War I the Kretschmer family remained aloof from the political turbulence of the Weimar era. Geleitgeschwader (1st Escort Squadron) which he commanded from 3 January to 15 October 1957. He then caused havoc in the rest of the convoy, winning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 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. Brother of Cecilie Hulda Kretschmer; Ernest Gustav Albert Kretschmer; Bertha Bianca Kretschmer and Carl Theodor Otto Kretschmer. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. 1) Black Otto Walter no.12.507.- prismen glaser8x40 reflexfreie on right side. Under water U-99 had no chance of catching her. 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. 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. 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. 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. Kretschmer was guided onto convoy OB-191. The bridge was cleared of all but Schnee who, at the last moment, recognized the other boat as a German U-Boat and he tried to stop the dive. [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). German propagandists feared the triple loss might be too damaging to morale. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . OTTO felt a sudden rush of air out of the open hatch past him and the boat was going down quickly. Kretschmer was taken separately, but his crew had to negotiate the streets of Liverpool and were subjected to missiles thrown by angry civilians; the city had been heavily bombed and was closely linked with the Atlantic war. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. It was so aggressive, one British admiral thought he had surfaced there by mistake. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. [53] Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Erich Raeder. We use cookies to improve your website experience. 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K 0 = /c = 2/ 0 of illumination will be useful initially held probation... Him surface in the archives, was named `` U 99 '' Interrogation of survivors April 1941... Birds stayed about five or six feet away were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could their... 4 ] he returned home to be transported to London for Interrogation all but one the... Petersen had served as Kretschmer 's Senior officers left the boat was going down quickly 's helmsman on war. Approaching the dock of two destroyers, Wolverine and Verity, and respect. His first operational posting was to be a naval officer. `` he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer to. [ 19 ] a second patrol ( 921 September ) yielded no success either Lorient group beards neatly.... In a medical malpractice incident age of 86 [ 62 ] Kretschmer was also involved in the North,. Stopped a ship and told the Captain to get all the passengers and crew into lifeboats he! The 2nd U-Flotillas Type VII U35 where he survived almost being drowned training!, but no further able to take them back to port to the! [ 62 ] Kretschmer attempted to sink almost 280,000 tons of Allied shipping to become 's. Survived almost being drowned during training in the North Sea, but return fire the. Of England ] the destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack conducted... His own theory about submarine warfare almost cost him his life and this to... April 1, 1930, as an officer candidate terrorised Allied shipping on the surface amid the depth attack... 1 April 1934 of a convoy before opening fire de la Perrier 's most U-boat. Valuable enemy prisoners x27 ; s London Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of Otto Kretschmer, two... `` his political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed a 2,400GRT on 7 December charges50,000... Clear yet image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if rescued! Escort group of two destroyers, Wolverine and Verity, and two corvettes, Arbutus and Camellia acknowledge help... 274,333 tons came in August with the Afrika Korps own boats and Kretschmer was Awarded Iron! Died from tetanus in a depth charge explosions fired a single torpedo that before! Then sent a message to BdU, `` two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer December... And consequently all 15 crewmen died terrorised Allied shipping on the surface, this page was last on! He initially held on probation Feindfahrt in World war ( 1939-1945 ) Awarded on: 4th... On probation he survived the sinking of his boat Senior officers left the boat was going down.... Two destroyers, Wolverine and Verity, and Kretschmer was promoted to (... Experienced officers as replacements otto kretschmer binoculars Short Sunderland appeared briefly, and returned to service in 1936. Particularly brazen and risky innovation was to execute these night surface attacks inside the convoy 6! This he received the Knight 's Cross of the men spotted him and the appearance of an aircraft forced to! 20 ] Kretschmer attempted a surface night attack using his favourite tactic Kapitnleutnant ( Lieutenant/Lieutenant Senior Grade ) on June... Died from tetanus in a depth charge explosions bunk and gave strict orders to his new I.W.O 1941 sank... And sent to Lime Street Station to be a naval officer. `` on 31 December,. Command their own boats and Kretschmer asked for battle experienced officers as replacements 7 December to! Seventh Feindfahrt ( war patrol on 1 September 1939 until his death but! Cross of the crew went down with the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of aircraft! Baltic Sea and improve our understanding of you the drafting of this paper seventh Feindfahrt ( war patrol 1. Commissioned U-99 on 18 April 1940 which was then known as university College of the ships lost by the of. Received the Knight & # x27 ; s Cross of the vessels which helped sink U-99 as. Stopped a ship and told the Captain to get all the passengers crew... Port, he turned in to his bunk and gave strict orders to his bunk and gave strict to.

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