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. Laurentic of 18.724 brt and H.M.S. 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. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. 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. 1871), a Germanborn naturalised Briton. 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. Prien and Kretschmer, along with U-70 (Matz) and UA, attacked the convoy. On 28 August 1963, he was transferred to the NATO Defense College in Paris. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. [21] The next day, he sank Tiberton, 5,225GRT, in the Moray Firth. 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. Kretschmer was presented with an opportunity to put his "one torpedo, one ship" mantra into practice. OTTO and his L.I. 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. Prien along with his crew disappeared, presumably in a depth charge attack. Close at hand, a group of Royal Navy destroyers found U-100 (Schepke) and began attacking him. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. "He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship.". 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! KLAUS BARGSTEN (328-1987) and his II.W.O. Hermann Michahelles, Otto Kretschmer became commander of U-35 until 15 August 1937. [42], Four days later Kretschmer began his eleventh patrol which concluded on 5 August. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. The ship sank slowly. Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. Why his average daily tonnage sinking equaled that of de la Perrier. Petersen had served as Kretschmer's helmsman on every war patrol on both U-23 and U-99. The crew abandoned ship and were questioned by Kretschmer. He survived the sinking of his submarine but he was not clear yet. It noted that the destroyers "did not know how to help" and busied themselves firing star shells on a moonlit night. He moved back into the North Sea and this action almost cost the life of his I.W.O., Adalbert Schnee, who later commanded U-201. The crew were permitted ashore at the resort town of San Sebastin. 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. Although he fought doggedly for Nazi Germany during the war, his affection for Exeter remained with him until his death. 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. Carefully KRETSCHMER opened the hatch from the Zentralle into the conning tower and found, to his dismay and great relief, there was a soggy Schnee, waiting patiently to be rescued. 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. On 1 October 1937, Kretschmer took command of U-23. He was upset, but he was a proper officer and obeyed his orders. 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. In fact, out of 116 torpedoes fired in action, Kretschmer scored 74 hits (equivalent to a 69.8% success rate). [70], Kretschmer and his crew were landed in Liverpool. He stopped a ship and told the Captain to get all the passengers and crew into lifeboats before he would sink the ship. These excerpts are from that first interview and you can hear some of the hubbub in the . At the time, Kretschmer was president of the Deutscher Marinebund, a member club of the International Maritime Confederation. But he always dreamed of joining the navy, and his ability in a U-boat saw him haunt Allied shipping lanes and claim countless sailors' lives in the name of the German war effort. This was not OTTO KRETSCHMER! 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. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. Prien's demise was not disclosed. Only five sailors survived. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. U-99 is preparing for her first Feindfahrt (war patrol), taking on supplies. 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. 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 commanding officer was killed ashore in a car accident, so Kretschmer took command for two weeks. He was on a holiday cruisefrom Regensburg to Budapest when he tried climbing some almost vertical steps. 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. It was on his third patrol that he sank his first ship, the Glen Farg, a small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. Registered in England & Wales No. 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. Kretschmer continued to search for stragglers and found SS Holmlea. His crew loved and respected him, and would have got into hell if that was the order he gave. Read more: Devon father and son inspired Hollywood film after disappearing searching for lost city of Z. The single torpedo attack killed 11 men. Much of what he learnt influenced his view of his enemy during the war, and he had particular respect for British innovation and technology. KRETSCHMER was quickly at the con, but once the boat went under and they were detected, there was no escape. 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. [41] A notable failure on the patrol occurred in the interception of HMS Manistee. Correct optics: how the binoculars of the best underwater ace of the Reich became a symbol of relations with Britain #___historydocs 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. [20] Another neutral Scandinavian ship was sunk. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). [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. "[11], During Kretschmer's stay on Kln, he attended an aircraft catapult course at Travemnde. 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! [55] Forfar was one, and during the sinking HMS Viscount appeared, forcing Kretschmer to dive. The boat went to the yard for repairs and. 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. Kretschmer sank more than 40 ships during the war, This painting depicts U-99 penetrating an Atlantic convoy before attacking. Otto Kretschmer (Straubing, 1912. mjus 1. The boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 4 September. Kretschmer was born in Heidau near Neisse, then in the German Empire on 1 May 1912 to Friedrich Wilhelm Otto and Alice (ne Herbig) Kretschmer. As they pulled up the anchor one day, an actual horseshoe was caught in the flukes of the anchor. [72], Once in London, Royal Navy interrogators questioned the crew. On February 22, 1941, Kretschmer set off on his final patrol. Schroeder never returned. a legeredmnyesebb nmet tengeralattjr-parancsnok volt a msodik vilghborban. Okay, back to the story of U-23 and HMS ROYAL OAK. Kretschmer also favoured surfaced attacks as opposed to the recommended submerged engagement, listing 11 Points of Submarine Warfare: [16], The 'one torpedo, one ship' tactics implemented by Kretschmer resulted in a very effective usage of torpedoes, as each attack was designed to maximize the chances of a hit. Kretschmer was soon missed and the U-boat surfaced to find him before he succumbed to the cold. He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold 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. We will cover his accomplishments on another page. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War . 176 men died. 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. [32] Loch Maddy 1) Black Otto Walter no.12.507.- prismen glaser8x40 reflexfreie on right side. After completing his officer training and time on the training ship Niobe he served . [14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. He continued to serve as Watch Officer of U-35 until 30 September 1937. [6] On 2 October 1933, Kretschmer was transferred to the pocket battleship Deutschland as a gunnery officer during a trip to Denmark. [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. This was not the case with U-99. He did not come through the hatch he must be lost at sea. Does not come with case. It was not this way with, . [76] During his captivity, Kretschmer was promoted in rank to Korvettenkapitn (Lieutenant-Commander) on 19 March 1941, effective as of 1 March 1941, and to Fregattenkapitn (Commander) on 1 September 1944. 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. 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. On 3 August 1998, they were on a luxury cruise boat on the Donau (Danube) River celebrating their 50th (Golden) wedding anniversary. There, they would meet a German U-boat to take them back to Germany. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. The boat slipped beneath the waves, leaving him stranded in freezing waters. Bleichrodt reported it and Dnitz succeeded in bringing a number of boats in on it. We do not come into port looking like pirates with dirty uniforms, untrimmed beards and with legs hanging over the side. Such was his value that he was part of a plan for a daring rescue of four U-boat commanders from Canada. Shortly after he surrendered, OTTO KRETSCHMER fell asleep in an overstuffed chair in the Captains cabin on HMS WALKER. Nazi Admiral Otto Kretschmer was responsible for the sinking of 47 vessels in the space of just 18 months His short but prolific spell on German U-boats accounted for the sinking of 273,043 tons. He mastered the English language and came to respect British education: its practical focus complemented his scientific and theoreticalbased German background. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. Browse 597 otto kretschmer stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. [59], On 22 February 1941 U-99 left Lorient for the final time. The officers were also taken to the prisoner-of-war camp at Grizedale Hall. 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. For 13 days Kretschmer sailed without success. Prien sank the ship the following day. 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. [18], From 1 March to 31 October 1958, Kretschmer served as Admiralstabsoffizier (Astoofficer of the admiralty staff) with the Fleet Command. The small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. They were both sunk within seven hours, during which the U-boat fired ten torpedoes and four rounds from the deck gun, while the vessels returned fire without damaging the U-boat. [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. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. Por todo ello y entre otras, recibi [63] On 7 March Kretschmer sank two ships from the convoy including the 20,638GRT Terje Viken. The presentation was made by Dnitz following his return to Lorient. [47] The following month, Kretschmer formed part of the pack that attacked and devastated Convoy SC 7. COOPER returned to the bus, instructed everyone to check into their room then come right down to the dining room for the evening meal. [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. Otto Kretschmer was the Watch Officer of U-35 from 03 November 1936 - 30 July 1937. [18], In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. Laurentic and Patroclus were attacked on the night of 3/4 November. 3099067 Death: November 08, 1981 (85) Millicent, South Australia, Australia. [17], Kretschmer was promoted to Kapitnleutnant (Lieutenant/Lieutenant Senior Grade) on 1 June 1939.[9]. Did you know that with a free Taylor & Francis Online account you can gain access to the following benefits? Admiral Sir George Creasy considered the manoeuvre so dangerous he thought it had been done by mistake. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. The sound of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived the boat! Later in the war, his ship was torpedoed; before that he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer back to port after ramming a U-boat. [46] Kretschmer's logbook recorded the chaos. After sinking the Magog, he gave his crew brandy as a reward. 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