[14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. He was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Cumbria, before being sent to Canada. 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. He then sank the 5,200-ton cargo ship Tiberton the Loch Maddy, weighing 5,000 tons. She had been married before, to a doctor who was killed in action with the Afrika Korps. 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. 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. Shortly after he surrendered, OTTO KRETSCHMER fell asleep in an overstuffed chair in the Captains cabin on HMS WALKER. Kretschmer ordered his U-boat to be turned around, and they rescued the lone sailor. In the Atlantic, Kretschmer became bolder and bolder. Under water U-99 had no chance of catching her. [20] On his fifth patrol (515 December) he was ordered to explore the inner waters around the Orkney Islands and engage any remaining Home Fleet units that had departed from Scapa Flow in the aftermath of Gnther Prien's attack. OTTO KRETSCHMER indeed, was a fine man! [2] In the aftermath of World War I the Kretschmer family remained aloof from the political turbulence of the Weimar era. My ship deserted me!. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. 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. 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. 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. Comes with leather case and all lens protectors.- 3) Swift Falcon wide angle fully coated optics. 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. [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. Kretschmer indulged in sporting pastimes and scientific interests. He wants to be a naval officer. [21] The next day, he sank Tiberton, 5,225GRT, in the Moray Firth. 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. 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. Petersen had served as Kretschmer's helmsman on every war patrol on both U-23 and U-99. 3099067 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. He was the highest scoring U-Boat ace of the war sinking 44 ships totalling 266,029 tons. In 1943, the men dug a tunnel out of the camp ahead of an 870-mile journey across Canada to New Brunswick. [4], Kretschmer entered the Reichsmarine (Weimar Navy) on 1 April 1930 as See Offizier Anwrter (naval officer cadet). Not the crew of U-99. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. 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. Today's London Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of Otto Kretschmer who has died at the age of 86. His I.W.O. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. 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. He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. 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. Kretschmer was subsequently awarded the Iron Cross second class. He had to return to port to repair the damage. OTTOs New Boat, the Type VII-B boat U-99. Death: November 08, 1981 (85) Millicent, South Australia, Australia. He survived the sinking of his submarine but he was not clear yet. Only five survived. Studies in Marine Corps History and Amphibious Warfare, Studies in Naval History and Sea Power series. 702. The presentation was made by Dnitz following his return to Lorient. He sank four ships and damaged three. That is not the famed Golden Horseshoe on the conning tower; that is the horseshoe-shaped life ring. "[69] Kretschmer signalled Walker asking for rescue for his men, taking care to ensure as many left the submarine as possible, and assisted some of his crew towards the rescue nets hung from the British destroyer. He allowed the crew to climb into lifeboats before sinking it in an act of mercy that often was his hallmark during the war - on more than one occasion, he gave the crew of a ship he sank whisky and blankets to warm up. Dave Powell. At the time, Kretschmer . 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 first time I met him and asked for an interview, he granted me a half hour following a luncheon celebrating his wife's birthday. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the Amt fr Militrkunde (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970.[18]. Only five sailors survived. On 4 October 1939 he sank the coastal ship Glen Farg (876GRT). Kretschmer continued to search for stragglers and found SS Holmlea. 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. I obey the rules. He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship. They fought Canadian troops armed with ice hockey sticks, and only surrendered when the guards brought in high-pressure water hoses. Prien sank the ship the following day. Joachim Schepke arrived in U-100 and sank seven. They provided clothes and alcohol, then transferred him to a lifeboat at the first opportunity. When giving their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode. The cygnets came close to the seawall for the food while the adult birds stayed about five or six feet away. [30] The destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack easy. A high achiever at school, he wanted nothing more than to join the navy, but he was not old enough upon leaving at the age of 17. 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. The officers were also taken to the prisoner-of-war camp at Grizedale Hall. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. As OTTO said;I am a Prussian officer; we are not pirates!. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. 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. 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! Upon the death of Kptlt. 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. My family is complete.. 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. All Rights Reserved. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. At 2250hrs on 3 November, 1940, one of the most dramatic battles of the U-boat war began. 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. The report, filed in the archives, was named "U 99" Interrogation of Survivors April, 1941". 3 binoculars included in this lot. The renaming of the navy was a symbolic gesture, to erase the unpleasant memories of the 1920s and symbolise a new era. Browse 597 otto kretschmer stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Kretschmer travelled the world as he rose up through the ranks, before joining the U-boat service in 1936. 19 men were killed in the sinking; only two were saved. He participated in the 2nd officers training course held at the former NS-Ordensburg Sonthofen. Three days later he departed for his seventh war patrol. Otto Kretschmer was the Watch Officer of U-35 from 03 November 1936 - 30 July 1937. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. 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. On 1 June 1965, he was promoted to Flottillenadmiral (flotilla admiral/Commodore/Rear Admiral), a rank which he initially held on probation. Chivalry was still at work at this time and former enemies who had been killing each other the previous day could play cards together. [70], Kretschmer and his crew were landed in Liverpool. The nomination was approved on 5 November 1940. Prien along with his crew disappeared, presumably in a depth charge attack. He prided himself on being able to take advantage of whatever the passing moment offered and made no elaborate plans for attacking convoys. 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. Schnee had the con and OTTO was in his bunk. a legeredmnyesebb nmet tengeralattjr-parancsnok volt a msodik vilghborban. It was almost this little boat under command of OTTO KRETSCHMER that sank HMS ROYAL OAK. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. Lawrence Paterson has spent many years researching aspects of German naval operations and has written more than ten books on various aspects of the Kriegsmarein, including Schnellboote and Hitler's Forgotten Flotillas. 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. Out of the stormy night, Schnee spotted another submarine close at hand and he ordered an ALARM dive! As the passengers got into the lifeboats, OTTO noticed a great number of women and children. He then caused havoc in the rest of the convoy, winning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The ships used barrels for ballast to prevent them sinking. The boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 4 September. Prien's demise was not disclosed. 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. It took nine torpedoes and one dud to sink them; the latter was sunk after it stopped to pick up survivors from the former. He commissioned U-99 on 18 April 1940 which was part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. A detachment of the Home Guard apprehended him, shooting him when he tried to escape. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. This definitive work details his personal story and the political backdrop from his earliest days. "Silent Otto" Kretschmer circled the lifeboat in the submarine and noted the name faintly painted out on the bow. KLAUS BARGSTEN (328-1987) and his II.W.O. 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. Kretschmer formed part of "Crew 30" (the incoming class of 1930), 78strong intake of officer candidates. 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. On the night of 18/19 October, Berndt escaped from the camp. Okay, back to the story of U-23 and HMS ROYAL OAK. [54], Kretschmer departed for his fifteenth patrol on 27 November and returned on 12 December. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. I had to surrender my ship to the British Captain and I had to be in complete uniform.. [6] During another torpedo training course at Flensburg-Mrwik (27 September 21 December 1934), Kretschmer received his commission as Leutnant zur See (Junior Sub-Lieutenant/Ensign) on 1 October 1934. 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. 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. 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. Kretschmer learned its identity from frantic radio signals. Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe, a point Raeder was fully aware of. Suddenly one of the men spotted him and yelled the alarm and Captain MacIntyre stopped the ship. 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. After the war he served in the German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 with the flag rank of commodore. Schroeder never returned. 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. [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. 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. [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. German U-boat commander Otto Kretschmer studied literature at the University of Exeter before becoming a German war hero, Kretschmer spent almost a year at the University of Exeter - known as University College of the South West of England, Seamen abandoning a blazing tanker in an oil painting by John Hamilton. 1871), a Germanborn naturalised Briton. [18], From 1 March to 31 October 1958, Kretschmer served as Admiralstabsoffizier (Astoofficer of the admiralty staff) with the Fleet Command. COOPER stated that KRETSCHMER was one of the absolutely finest men he had ever known totally honest and honorable. The air crews sank eight and damaged several more. Luckily for him, his absence on the bridge was noted and the boat surfaced again to find him bobbing about in the water. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. One morning on the breakfast patio at the KRETSCHMER home, OTTO was reading his newspaper while Mrs. Kretschmer and COOPER talked over breakfast tea. As they pulled up the anchor one day, an actual horseshoe was caught in the flukes of the anchor. Were landed in Liverpool war I the Kretschmer March lists articles that other readers of this article have read and! Start a new era ( the incoming class of 1930 ), 78strong intake of officer candidates 5,000.! 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