Kretschmer and U-23 had departed from Wilhelmshaven on 25 August, one week before the start of World War II. He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. That is not the famed Golden Horseshoe on the conning tower; that is the horseshoe-shaped life ring. 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. [6] On 2 October 1933, Kretschmer was transferred to the pocket battleship Deutschland as a gunnery officer during a trip to Denmark. Prien and Kretschmer, along with U-70 (Matz) and UA, attacked the convoy. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. Allied courts and Rahmlow sought justice against Kretschmer after the war, but he was never vigorously pursued for trial for his role in the death of Berndt. 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. 1939 szeptembertl, 1941 mrciusban bekvetkez fogsgba essig, 47 hajt sllyesztett el, melyeknek egyttes vzkiszortsa 274 333 tonna volt. His school report contained the remark: "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. 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. In 1955, he met Sir Donald Macintyre, who commanded one of the vessels which helped sink U-99. 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. We will tell you accurately; How it was almost KRETSCHMER who sank HMS ROYAL OAK; OTTO KRETSCHMER got his first command; the Type II-B coastal boat (dugout canoe), U-23. 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. He commissioned U-99 on 18 April 1940 which was part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. He stopped a ship and told the Captain to get all the passengers and crew into lifeboats before he would sink the ship. 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. Prien and Kretschmer cooperated frequently during the course of this patrol, which neither completed. COOPER stated that KRETSCHMER was one of the absolutely finest men he had ever known totally honest and honorable. [35] U-99's first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. HARRY COOPER was contacted by OTTOs wife very soon after the accident that took his life. Upon the death of Kptlt. 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. It was on his third patrol that he sank his first ship, the Glen Farg, a small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. Kretschmer sank six and disabled a seventh. 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. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes . U-99 was returning from her seventh Feindfahrt (war patrol) and this was to be OTTOs last Feindfahrt. [32] Loch Maddy He was given the opportunity to convey his opinions on the state of the U-boat war. Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany. Here, however, we focus on OTTO KRETSCHMER, the man. 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. Kretschmer ordered his U-boat to be turned around, and they rescued the lone sailor. Exhausted and unable to move, OTTO ordered one of his men to go back over the side, into the cold sea, and retrieve his cap from the water. The single torpedo attack killed 11 men. 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. [15] Through the remaining Interwar period, Kretschmer developed his own approach to combat, which can be summarized by the phrase "one torpedo, one ship". However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. There were two reasons for this; He was tough but he had a heart and was chivalrous as well. He sank four ships and damaged three. Shortly after he surrendered, OTTO KRETSCHMER fell asleep in an overstuffed chair in the Captains cabin on HMS WALKER. The sound of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived the boat! [69] He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer. I obey the rules. Almost every U-Boat had one or more emblems PAINTED on their conning tower fairweather. 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 third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. Otto Kretschmer Fregattenkapitn ( Crew 30) U-boat Commands Kptlt. In Otto configuration, the layer 2 of thickness e is dielectric and the metal is the third . 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. U-99 is preparing for her first Feindfahrt (war patrol), taking on supplies. This stay was interrupted for an aerial defense training course at Warnemnde (510 March 1934). The small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. [9], On 27 August 1941, U-570 was captured by the Royal Navy. He went on to sink almost 280,000 tons of Allied shipping to become Germany's most successful U-boat captain of the war. 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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. Karl Dnitz, Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU), ordered attacks on Allied shipping at sea, beginning the Battle of the Atlantic. Why his average daily tonnage sinking equaled that of de la Perrier. 702. 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. He wants to be a naval officer.". He died in 1998 in Bavaria. [72], Once in London, Royal Navy interrogators questioned the crew. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. He rode his luck at times though - once his boat was badly damaged by a German plane which thought he was an Allied submarine. At 2250hrs on 3 November, 1940, one of the most dramatic battles of the U-boat war began. [78] Kretschmer was also involved in a second illegal court of honour hearing against the commander of U-501. A British intelligence report on him said: "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. [32] Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 25 February after 17 days at seahis longest to date. Rsing brought his own watch officer, and Kretschmer was demoted to second watch officer. Otto, Herman Ernest Kretschmer was born on month day 1895, at birth place, to Otto, Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste, Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. "[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. At the time, Kretschmer . He warned Schroeder that the boat was nearly at neutral buoyancy and was riding on the vents so he should open the valves slowly and carefully. 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. 8x40 model no. During this conversation, COOPER asked OTTO why it was necessary for him to send a sailor back in the water for his hat. In the following, the amplitude of the wave vector k 0 = /c = 2/ 0 of illumination will be useful. KLAUS BARGSTEN (328-1987) and his II.W.O. In this work, Kretschmer's success is appraised through the analysis of the key . He did not come through the hatch he must be lost at sea. 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. For 13 days Kretschmer sailed without success. U-99 tried in vain to assist Prien in U-47, against OB290. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. The main area of operations were the seas and estuaries off East of England and Scotland, with mine-laying operations in the Baltic, to counter the Royal Navy Submarine Service at the end of 1939. 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 officers were also taken to the prisoner-of-war camp at Grizedale Hall. [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. BACK TO ADVISORS PAGE. "He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship.". [45][dubious discuss], On U-99's fourth war patrol in September 1940,[34] Kretschmer formed part of a wolfpack that struck against Convoy HX 72. Later in the war, his ship was torpedoed; before that he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer back to port after ramming a U-boat. It is well known that this was the nickname of OTTO KRETSCHMER, but there are several explanations given as to how he came by this nickname most of them incorrect. Why? 19 men were killed in the sinking; only two were saved. [18] Further patrols took U-23 around the British coast. [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. Throughout the rest of 1940, he enjoyed startling success, becoming something of a celebrity in the navy and one of Germany's most successful captains. 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