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. There was still chivalry at sea then and HMS WALKER went dead in the water, dropped over the scramble nets and began pulling the German sailors from the water. Kretschmer formed part of "Crew 30" (the incoming class of 1930), 78strong intake of officer candidates. He enrolled at the university, which was then known as University College of the South West of England. His brother was later killed in action. Pyers Symon. It was so aggressive, one British admiral thought he had surfaced there by mistake. Kretschmer docked in Lorient on 21 July. I obey the rules. Death: November 08, 1981 (85) Millicent, South Australia, Australia. Not the crew of U-99. The boat was ordered to patrol the Bay of Biscay off the Spanish-French border. 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. He then attended a training course (16 October 1957 28 February 1958) for amphibious forces in the United States. 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. In fact, out of 116 torpedoes fired in action, Kretschmer scored 74 hits (equivalent to a 69.8% success rate). He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. 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. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a corvette. [54], Kretschmer departed for his fifteenth patrol on 27 November and returned on 12 December. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. "He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. [9] Kretschmer joined the U-boat service in January 1936. 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.". It was on his third patrol that he sank his first ship, the Glen Farg, a small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. Later, a mated pair of swans came by with their offspring, about six cygnets, and they were looking for food as well. He died in 1998 in Bavaria. 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. Studies in Marine Corps History and Amphibious Warfare, Studies in Naval History and Sea Power series. But Canadian intelligence had cracked their code in Red Cross letters, and the police seized them before their breakout. U-99 tried in vain to assist Prien in U-47, against OB290. The short range of the Type II submarine allowed for operations in the North Sea, but no further. [2] His father was a teacher at the local Volkschule (primary school), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. U-99 attacked the armed merchant cruisers HMS Laurentic and HMS Patroclus. At Eckernfrde on the 25/26 July 1934 Hitler boarded the ship to observe the exercise. "[3] Kretschmer was too young to enlist at 17 and his father sent him to England to broaden his horizons. As the boat went under, she was immediately picked up on the ASDIC of the Royal Navy sub hunters and they came after this new contact. 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. He then moved to a Realgymnasium (secondary school). 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. 702. Prien along with his crew disappeared, presumably in a depth charge attack. [35] U-99's first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. Kretschmer was soon missed and the U-boat surfaced to find him before he succumbed to the cold. Kretschmer was born in Heidau in what is now part of Poland, but then belonged to Germany. It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. The first watch is at attention on the foredeck and the second watch is at attention on the after deck. However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. After completing his officer training and time on the training ship Niobe he served . [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. [32] Loch Maddy [67] During a counterattack by the escorts U-99 was disabled after repeated depth charge attacks by the destroyers Walker and Vanoc. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. COOPER grinned and said;Lets ask this gentleman here. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Serving on a U-boat was a very dangerous task, and one that many did not want. Under water U-99 had no chance of catching her. Although he fought doggedly for Nazi Germany during the war, his affection for Exeter remained with him until his death. 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. Klaus Bargsten served aboard U-99 under Kretschmer, before being promoted to captain himself and becoming the sole survivor of U-521 on 2 June 1942. [2] In the aftermath of World War I the Kretschmer family remained aloof from the political turbulence of the Weimar era. [68], Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. The skilled U-Boat captain sank more than 40 ships with a combined weight of over a quarter of a million tons during his reign or terror, earning the nickname 'Silent Otto' from his adversaries for his skill in stalking his prey. [72], Once in London, Royal Navy interrogators questioned the crew. Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe, a point Raeder was fully aware of. A fall caused fatal injuries. Chivalry was still at work at this time and former enemies who had been killing each other the previous day could play cards together. With this result, Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has reached . Here, however, we focus on OTTO KRETSCHMER, the man. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. [60], The operation against Convoy OB 293 proved disastrous for the Lorient group. He survived the sinking of his submarine but he was not clear yet. 1) Black Otto Walter no.12.507.- prismen glaser8x40 reflexfreie on right side. Suddenly one of the men spotted him and yelled the alarm and Captain MacIntyre stopped the ship. The air crews sank eight and damaged several more. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. 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. There, they would meet a German U-boat to take them back to Germany. Kretschmer continued to search for stragglers and found SS Holmlea. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. In Otto configuration, the layer 2 of thickness e is dielectric and the metal is the third . 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, song or whatever. OTTO reached into the torrent, grabbed the lanyard and slammed the hatch but where was Schnee? unread, Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 . My ship deserted me!. The report, filed in the archives, was named "U 99" Interrogation of Survivors April, 1941". Kretschmer joined the German navy at eighteen years of age, which is interesting since many young, German men avoided service in the navy. At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. [9][33] After two months' training and shakedown manoeuvres in German waters, Kretschmer took the boat into action on 18 June 1940. 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. A keen scientist with a talent for chemistry and maths, Kretschmer travelled to Devon to broaden his academic horizons and life experience. The vast majority of Kretschmer's attacks - at least 83 - were launched on the surface. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. In later years, Kretschmer was often interviewed for television and radio programmes - including an appearing in the landmark British 1974 documentary series The World at War. Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. Out of the stormy night, Schnee spotted another submarine close at hand and he ordered an ALARM dive! 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. 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. This definitive work details his personal story and the political backdrop from his earliest days. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. Once secured dockside, the crew poses for a triumphant photo. [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. Only five of the 161-strong crew survived. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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 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. In doing so, both the effectiveness and limitations of Kretschmers tactics are clarified and put into the context of the Battle of the Atlantic. His particularly brazen and risky innovation was to execute these night surface attacks inside the convoy. Comes with leather case. The ship did not reach port. [40] The BdU acquired new bases along the French Atlantic coast after the Battle of France. [9], On 27 August 1941, U-570 was captured by the Royal Navy. [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. [65] British reports of the action mention a large red glow appearing deep below the surface amid the depth charge explosions. BACK TO ADVISORS PAGE. [21] The next day, he sank Tiberton, 5,225GRT, in the Moray Firth. Prepared by Stephen Ames. All 33 men aboard died. 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. 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. [41] A notable failure on the patrol occurred in the interception of HMS Manistee. Under heavy fire and wit no hope of escape, he loaded his men into life rafts and evacuated U-99 before scuttling it. Patroclus lost 56 crew; 230 survived. [29] U-23 returned to port on 29 January. She had been married before, to a doctor who was killed in action with the Afrika Korps. 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. Prien sank the ship the following day. 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 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. The OKM was established as the supreme command of the navy responsible for all facets of naval warfare. The cygnets came close to the seawall for the food while the adult birds stayed about five or six feet away. Haunted by him, Kretschmer ordered the boat to backtrack until the survivor was found. On 28 August 1963, he was transferred to the NATO Defense College in Paris. 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