"Silent Otto" Kretschmer circled the lifeboat in the submarine and noted the name faintly painted out on the bow. He was eventually promoted to the rank of flotilla admiral, before becoming chief-of-staff of the NATO command. His brother was later killed in action. Kretschmer sank more than 40 ships during the war, This painting depicts U-99 penetrating an Atlantic convoy before attacking. 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. Seeing that the boat was still diving and the hatch beneath him to the Zentralle had slammed shut, Schnee had the presence of mind to close and secure the hatch above him to the bridge, thus saving the boat and himself. The short range of the Type II submarine allowed for operations in the North Sea, but no further. Thistle was sunk weeks later by U-4. [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. HMS WALKER had drifted several hundred yards from the spot U-99 had disappeared and, still wearing his full set of leathers AND sea boots (filled with water), OTTO made the difficult swim to HMS WALKER only to grab onto the scramble nets as the destroyer was beginning to pick up speed they didnt know he was on the nets! [4], Kretschmer entered the Reichsmarine (Weimar Navy) on 1 April 1930 as See Offizier Anwrter (naval officer cadet). He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. Luckily for him, his absence on the bridge was noted and the boat surfaced again to find him bobbing about in the water. [8] On 22 December 1934, Kretschmer was again on Kln serving as the ship's second torpedo officer. They provided clothes and alcohol, then transferred him to a lifeboat at the first opportunity. 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. Does not come with case. 3099067 For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . There were no deaths among the crew. I am sunking. Yep Sunking is the word he used. [18], From 1 March to 31 October 1958, Kretschmer served as Admiralstabsoffizier (Astoofficer of the admiralty staff) with the Fleet Command. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. 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. 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. Okay, back to the story of U-23 and HMS ROYAL OAK. It was on his third patrol that he sank his first ship, the Glen Farg, a small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. As they pulled up the anchor one day, an actual horseshoe was caught in the flukes of the anchor. Kretschmer and U-23 had departed from Wilhelmshaven on 25 August, one week before the start of World War II. U-99 tried in vain to assist Prien in U-47, against OB290. Por todo ello y entre otras, recibi He then attended a training course (16 October 1957 28 February 1958) for amphibious forces in the United States. The ship was loaded with coal, set for Buenos Aires, Argentina. So how was it that he was sunk? 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). [18] Further patrols took U-23 around the British coast. Such were his expertise, he re-joined the navy in 1955. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried. At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. ; otherwise, remain on the surface, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 20:17. The ship did not reach port. OTTOs New Boat, the Type VII-B boat U-99. What he and the other Skippers of the Type II boats who were ordered to stand well away from Scapa Flow and the Orkney Islands did not know was that the planned operation was already in motion for the Type VII-B boat, U-47 to make this attack. 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. [22], The fourth patrol (19 November) was unsuccessful. Kretschmer learned its identity from frantic radio signals. Kretschmer sank six and disabled a seventh. Leather strap partially torn from case.- 2) Tasco 7x35 fully coated 304. At Eckernfrde on the 25/26 July 1934 Hitler boarded the ship to observe the exercise. [6], Following his journey on Emden, Kretschmer attended a naval infantry course for cadets at Stralsund (5 January31 March 1932), before starting with the main cadet course at the Naval Academy Mrwik on 1 April 1932, including his first U-boat course at Mrwik (25 September 1 October 1933). The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began the war in Europe. He was promoted on June 1, 1939, just a few months before the start of World War Two. 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. "[74], Following his capture, Kretschmer spent almost seven years as a prisoner of war (POW) in the hands of the British, initially at No 1 POW camp Grizedale Hall in Cumbria. 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. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. The ships used barrels for ballast to prevent them sinking. "[73], Of his personality and view of the war it stated, "He gave the impression of being a quiet, deliberate man, and looked more like a student than a U-Boat Captain. When giving their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode. Did you know that with a free Taylor & Francis Online account you can gain access to the following benefits? Kretschmer ordered his U-boat to be turned around, and they rescued the lone sailor. Patroclus lost 56 crew; 230 survived. "He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. He then caused havoc in the rest of the convoy, winning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. His command ended on 31 March 1969. He then moved to a Realgymnasium (secondary school). Immediate Family: Son of Otto Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. Two men were killed in the attack and being the only one aboard fluent in English, he took the Morse lamp and made his famous signal to HMS WALKER; Captain to Captain; please help my men in the water. On the night of 18/19 October, Berndt escaped from the camp. Comes with leather case and all lens protectors.- 3) Swift Falcon wide angle fully coated optics. It took nine torpedoes and one dud to sink them; the latter was sunk after it stopped to pick up survivors from the former. Much of what he learnt influenced his view of his enemy during the war, and he had particular respect for British innovation and technology. On 1 June 1965, he was promoted to Flottillenadmiral (flotilla admiral/Commodore/Rear Admiral), a rank which he initially held on probation. Sharkhunters President HARRY COOPER knew OTTO KRETSCHMER better than any other researcher and the two men were good friends. [32] Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 25 February after 17 days at seahis longest to date. Register to receive personalised research and resources by email. 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. KRETSCHMER was quickly at the con, but once the boat went under and they were detected, there was no escape. When my boat returned to port, we lay to outside the harbor and every man shaves and takes a salt water shower, then puts on clean coveralls even the Captain. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. [18], In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. [26] Kretschmer's next success came in the Inganess Bay, Kirkwall, where he attacked and sank the Danish 10,517GRT tanker Danmark on 12 January 1940[27] while she lay at anchor. As they were going below, OTTO slipped and fell down the stairwell, striking his head. Kretschmer achieved good results in mathematics and chemistry and passed his Abitur (school-leaving certificate) at 17. The Emden made stops in Ceylon, the Philippines, China and Japan; then Guam, South Africa, Angola and Spain on the return journey. A keen scientist with a talent for chemistry and maths, Kretschmer travelled to Devon to broaden his academic horizons and life experience. 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. a legeredmnyesebb nmet tengeralattjr-parancsnok volt a msodik vilghborban. 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. This third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. [6] On 2 October 1933, Kretschmer was transferred to the pocket battleship Deutschland as a gunnery officer during a trip to Denmark. 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 joined the German navy - the Reichsmarine - on April 1, 1930, as an officer candidate. This was not the case with U-99. 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. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. 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. U-99 was one of the most successful German U-boats in the war, sinking 38 ships for a total tonnage of 244,658 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping in eight patrols. Yes, OTTO was a great guy. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Her eyes misted up and a smile came to her lips, and then she said; A canal ran along behind the Kretschmer house and here we see Mrs. Kretschmer feeding the ducks with their little Schnauzer Juli. [53] Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Erich Raeder. [30] The destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack easy. With no time to return to the hatch, Kretschmer clung on to the periscope and waved at it frantically, hoping to be spotted. [53] In December Kretschmer tried to intercept Convoy HX 90 but encountered only stragglers. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes . Click on the prints to see their descriptions. [70], Kretschmer and his crew were landed in Liverpool. Only five survived. The first watch is at attention on the foredeck and the second watch is at attention on the after deck. [61] As with the group that eventually sank Kretschmer ten days later, they were experienced and competent. [35] U-99's first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. 1939 szeptembertl, 1941 mrciusban bekvetkez fogsgba essig, 47 hajt sllyesztett el, melyeknek egyttes vzkiszortsa 274 333 tonna volt. 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. 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