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! Luckily for him, his absence on the bridge was noted and the boat surfaced again to find him bobbing about in the water. After a running convoy battle in which KRETSCHMER did not sleep for two days straight, he exhausted his torpedoes and set course for home. Husband of Elsie Gertrude Kretschmer. The ships used barrels for ballast to prevent them sinking. In December 1934, he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln, then in January 1936 made the move to the fledgling U-boat service. Only five of the 161-strong crew survived. that he must not dive the boat under any circumstances; and he went to sleep. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. [77] Kretschmer was senior officer at the camp. [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. Click on the prints to see their descriptions. 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. This was the first ever in the history of warfare that a submarine was detected on sound gear, tracked by sound gear, attacked by sound gear and destroyed all by the use of the sound gear. The Greatest Submarine Commander of all time was Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier who sank nearly 200 ships in World War One. 1) Black Otto Walter no.12.507.- prismen glaser8x40 reflexfreie on right side. The U-boot commanded by Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has sunk the two British auxiliary cruisers H.M.S. [68], Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. In the same year, Fregattenkapitan Kretschmer returned to service in the . 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. Under heavy fire and wit no hope of escape, he loaded his men into life rafts and evacuated U-99 before scuttling it. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. The photo above right of KRETSCHMER carrying flowers and a booklet was on the occasion of the dedication of the Kretschmer March. Comes with leather case. 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. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. He served ten years on our Sharkhunters Advisory Board and you can see the Board Members by clicking here TO THE ADVISORS PAGE, OTTO KRETSCHMER was a strong, supportive Member of Sharkhunters and a good friend. Laurentic of 18.724 brt and H.M.S. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. 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. [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. Keep me logged in. 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. Hermann Michahelles, Otto Kretschmer became commander of U-35 until 15 August 1937. He enrolled at Exeter University (then University College of the South West of England) and studied under Professor Jacob Wilhelm Schopp (b. This was not the case with U-99. Haunted by him, Kretschmer ordered the boat to backtrack until the survivor was found. [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. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a corvette. 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. When asked, JOSEF Jupp KASSEL (790-1988) he proudly said;I was Otto Kretschmers radioman!. Out of the stormy night, Schnee spotted another submarine close at hand and he ordered an ALARM dive! Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. Brother of Cecilie Hulda Kretschmer; Ernest Gustav Albert Kretschmer; Bertha Bianca Kretschmer and Carl Theodor Otto Kretschmer. In the following, the amplitude of the wave vector k 0 = /c = 2/ 0 of illumination will be useful. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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. ; otherwise, remain on the surface, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 20:17. Kretschmer was subsequently awarded the Iron Cross second class. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Kretschmer captured the vessel, the only such ship seized by U-99. McIntyre was the commanding officer of Walker, one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of U-99. At 2250hrs on 3 November, 1940, one of the most dramatic battles of the U-boat war began. [14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. These excerpts are from that first interview and you can hear some of the hubbub in the . 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. [56] Laurentic and Patroclus had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase buoyancy. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Restore content access for purchases made as guest, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health, 48 hours access to article PDF & online version, Choose from packages of 10, 20, and 30 tokens, Can use on articles across multiple libraries & subject collections. 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. He dispensed with the standard practice of firing salvoes of torpedoes from long distances. [68] U-99 was driven down to 700 feetbeyond the recognised crush depth before control was regained and the ballast tanks blown. My ship deserted me!. He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship. Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany. Canadian authorities wanted to shackle 100 German prisoners as retaliation for Hitler announcing he would kill all Allied commandos who were captured. The renaming of the navy was a symbolic gesture, to erase the unpleasant memories of the 1920s and symbolise a new era. This was not OTTO KRETSCHMER! 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. [4] He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. He became known as the Golden Horseshoe by his men. Kretschmer learned its identity from frantic radio signals. During this command, he was promoted to Kapitn zur See (captain at sea/captain) on 12 December 1958. OTTO reached into the torrent, grabbed the lanyard and slammed the hatch but where was Schnee? 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. 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. Karl Dnitz, Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU), ordered attacks on Allied shipping at sea, beginning the Battle of the Atlantic. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Here, however, we focus on OTTO KRETSCHMER, the man. A Short Sunderland appeared briefly, and Kretschmer was forced to accomplish the destruction of the ship with torpedoes, submerged. The next day, Kretschmer was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse). Kretschmer docked in Lorient on 21 July. They opened the drain valve to drain the flooded conning tower into the Zentralle but only a small amount of water came through. [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. [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. 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 is preparing for her first Feindfahrt (war patrol), taking on supplies. U-99 was returning from her seventh Feindfahrt (war patrol) and this was to be OTTOs last Feindfahrt. I am sunking. Yep Sunking is the word he used. His wife was so devastated that she just gave up and died two years later, almost to the day. COOPER grinned and said;Lets ask this gentleman here. Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. 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. 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 . During the Spanish Civil War, Kretschmer was involved in several patrols as part of the international non-intervention force. 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. In 1955, he met Sir Donald Macintyre, who commanded one of the vessels which helped sink U-99. [18] Further patrols took U-23 around the British coast. They fought Canadian troops armed with ice hockey sticks, and only surrendered when the guards brought in high-pressure water hoses. OTTO replied;It was necessary. 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. Schnee had the con and OTTO was in his bunk. The ship was loaded with coal, set for Buenos Aires, Argentina. 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! So how was it that he was sunk? 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. On March 16, his boat was badly damaged by British depth charges, and it began to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. [47] The following month, Kretschmer formed part of the pack that attacked and devastated Convoy SC 7. Kretschmer formed part of "Crew 30" (the incoming class of 1930), 78strong intake of officer candidates. When giving their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode. We will cover his accomplishments on another page. Unfortunately, his mother died from tetanus after a medical incident, so he returned home to be with his family. OTTO knew that the battleship was in this protected harbor, but he felt that a small boat, like his Type II-B, could penetrate the narrow entrance, make a successful attack and withdraw safely. Why? This definitive work details his personal story and the political backdrop from his earliest days. Once secured dockside, the crew poses for a triumphant photo. Kretschmer waited for the crew to take to the lifeboats before destroying the ship with a torpedo. He departed from Wilhelmshaven for his eighth war patrol on 9 February. 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. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . One signalman sent a message to the escorts "we are sinking" and the firing stopped. [18], In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. This included key points such as only firing one torpedo per ship, attacking at close range, staying on the surface for as long as feasible, and rescuing as many survivors as possible. [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. Under water U-99 had no chance of catching her. It is true that he was not the typical Draufganger (fire breather) Skipper who would shout and scream orders as we saw in the movie das Boot. Such were his expertise, he re-joined the navy in 1955. He then moved to a Realgymnasium (secondary school). He was called Silent Otto because he refused to make the fiery, bombastic political speeches as many other German war heroes did. Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. OTTO felt a sudden rush of air out of the open hatch past him and the boat was going down quickly. Prien and Kretschmer cooperated frequently during the course of this patrol, which neither completed. [21] He returned to Kiel, rather than Wilhelmshaven, on 16 October. In fact, out of 116 torpedoes fired in action, Kretschmer scored 74 hits (equivalent to a 69.8% success rate). Not the crew of U-99. 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. Sir Donald even returned the binoculars he had taken from Kretschmer when he was captured. 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. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. 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. 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. To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our Cookie Policy. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. [69] He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer. An illegal "Court of Honour" was convened and headed by Kretschmer. He very nearly drowned as, in the icy water, he no longer had the strength to climb up himself, only for a British sailor to clamber down and rescue him from the ocean. COOPER returned to the bus, instructed everyone to check into their room then come right down to the dining room for the evening meal. 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. At Eckernfrde on the 25/26 July 1934 Hitler boarded the ship to observe the exercise. 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. 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. Kretschmer then met Hitler at the Reich Chancellery and he repeated his opinions on the war situation. 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. It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. 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. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Prien and Kretschmer, along with U-70 (Matz) and UA, attacked the convoy. This stay was interrupted for an aerial defense training course at Warnemnde (510 March 1934). 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 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. Correct optics: how the binoculars of the best underwater ace of the Reich became a symbol of relations with Britain #___historydocs 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. 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 . Otto passed away on month day 1981, at age 85 at death place. [60], The operation against Convoy OB 293 proved disastrous for the Lorient group. Comes with leather case and all lens protectors.- 3) Swift Falcon wide angle fully coated optics. 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. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. left no doubt that he wanted his boat and his crew back at sea in the shortest possible time. 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. Otto married Elsie, Gertrude Kretschmer. [58], Several of Kretschmer's senior officers left the boat before the final patrol. 3099067 [21] The next day, he sank Tiberton, 5,225GRT, in the Moray Firth. 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. He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. I gratefully acknowledge the help of Marianna Colasuonno for patiently reading the manuscript and providing valuable suggestions throughout the drafting of this paper. 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. 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. He continued to serve as Watch Officer of U-35 until 30 September 1937. 8x40 model no. [2] His father was a teacher at the local Volkschule (primary school), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began the war in Europe. [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. Geleitgeschwader (1st Escort Squadron) which he commanded from 3 January to 15 October 1957. There are as many reports, theories, and wild-eyed guesses as there are forums on the Internet most of which are pure speculation and fiction. German radio acknowledged the capture and the death of Schepke. 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. The crew abandoned ship and were questioned by Kretschmer. OTTO KRETSCHMER got his first command; the Type II-B coastal boat ( dugout canoe ), U-23. [30] The destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack easy. [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. Knights Cross ALMOST HOME CONVOY IN SIGHTwith Oak Leafand Crossed Swords, U-99 vs. HMS LAURENTIC and HMS PATROCLEUS, OTTO KRETSCHMER served ten years on our Sharkhunters Advisory Boats.Click here to view the entire Board. Almost every U-Boat had one or more emblems PAINTED on their conning tower fairweather. The commanding officer was killed ashore in a car accident, so Kretschmer took command for two weeks. Only five survived. [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. Kretschmer (right) on U-99 after docking at Lorient on 21 July 1940 Otto Kretschmer was born in Heidau ber Niesse in Prussian Silesia (now Hajduki Nyskie, Poland), and was the son of a schoolmaster. Death and burial ground of Kretschmer, Otto Wilhelm August "Silent Otto". His brother was later killed in action. One morning on the breakfast patio at the KRETSCHMER home, OTTO was reading his newspaper while Mrs. Kretschmer and COOPER talked over breakfast tea. [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. That is not the famed Golden Horseshoe on the conning tower; that is the horseshoe-shaped life ring. After completing his officer training and time on the training ship Niobe he served . Patroclus lost 56 crew; 230 survived. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War . At the time, Kretschmer was president of the Deutscher Marinebund, a member club of the International Maritime Confederation. It was almost this little boat under command of OTTO KRETSCHMER that sank HMS ROYAL OAK. Triumphant photo dockside, the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland during. 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