Joachim Schepke arrived in U-100 and sank seven. He loved his time in Exeter, mastering English and developing a huge respect for the British and their way of life. Chivalry was still at work at this time and former enemies who had been killing each other the previous day could play cards together. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. They all got along perfectly, and MacIntyre told KRETSCHMER that these were the only truly good bridge games hed had during the war. Laurentic of 18.724 brt and H.M.S. [35] U-99's first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. In the Atlantic, Kretschmer became bolder and bolder. The convoy suffered heavy losses while the U-boats escaped unscathed. Geleitgeschwader (1st Escort Squadron) which he commanded from 3 January to 15 October 1957. [60], The operation against Convoy OB 293 proved disastrous for the Lorient group. . Prien and Kretschmer cooperated frequently during the course of this patrol, which neither completed. The U-boot commanded by Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has sunk the two British auxiliary cruisers H.M.S. [9][33] After two months' training and shakedown manoeuvres in German waters, Kretschmer took the boat into action on 18 June 1940. [24] Following this patrol, he received the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse) on 17 December. 1871), a Germanborn naturalised Briton. He was upset, but he was a proper officer and obeyed his orders. 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. 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. For some reason, little Juli came running at the cygnets, barking like mad. Kretschmer then met Hitler at the Reich Chancellery and he repeated his opinions on the war situation. 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. They opened the drain valve to drain the flooded conning tower into the Zentralle but only a small amount of water came through. "[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. He wants to be a naval officer. He departed from Wilhelmshaven for his eighth war patrol on 9 February. An illegal "Court of Honour" was convened and headed by Kretschmer. He was given the opportunity to convey his opinions on the state of the U-boat war. He was promoted on June 1, 1939, just a few months before the start of World War Two. 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. He continued to serve as Watch Officer of U-35 until 30 September 1937. [4] He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. 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 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. Six months later, on 15 December, he officially became Flottillenadmiral. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. 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. With no time to return to the hatch, Kretschmer clung on to the periscope and waved at it frantically, hoping to be spotted. I was a lieutenant on U-35, in the second submarine flotilla, and together with U . [50] 51 men died aboard Laurentic, 367 survived. On February 22, 1941, Kretschmer set off on his final patrol. His father, a teacher, decided to send him to the UK, and Exeter was his destination. "[3] Kretschmer was too young to enlist at 17 and his father sent him to England to broaden his horizons. 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 . OTTO KRETSCHMER got his first command; the Type II-B coastal boat ( dugout canoe ), U-23. The booklet was the music and award document, and the flowers were handed to him by Fraulein von Ribbentrop. When giving their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode. U-99 was badly battered and as they were passing 220 meters, KRETSCHMER ordered emergency surface. Later in the war, his ship was torpedoed; before that he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer back to port after ramming a U-boat. The sound of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived the boat! He wants to be a naval officer.". Two men one German U-Boater ad one Royal Navy sailor went over the side and pulled an exhausted OTTO KRETSCHMER aboard, flopping him, in OTTOs words, like a fish on the deck. Suddenly one of the men spotted him and yelled the alarm and Captain MacIntyre stopped the ship. [19] A second patrol (921 September) yielded no success either. Rahmlow and his second-in-command, Bernhard Berndt, were found "guilty of cowardice"; the other two officers were "acquitted". 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. U-99 is preparing for her first Feindfahrt (war patrol), taking on supplies. The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-boat Commander. . Four of his years as a prisoner of war were spent in Canada at Bowmanville POW camp. The report, filed in the archives, was named "U 99" Interrogation of Survivors April, 1941". Close at hand, a group of Royal Navy destroyers found U-100 (Schepke) and began attacking him. Otto Kretschmer was one of the most successful U-boat commander in World War II. 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. [6] Kretschmer was present for gunnery exercises in the North and Baltic Sea. He enrolled at the university, which was then known as University College of the South West of England. One attack saw him surface in the midst of a convoy before opening fire. The seaman did as he was ordered and brought the cap back to OTTO. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried.". Keep me logged in. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Miraculously, power was restored and it limped back to the surface. 702. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. [51] Kretschmer was awarded the 6th Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 4 November 1940. [15] Through the remaining Interwar period, Kretschmer developed his own approach to combat, which can be summarized by the phrase "one torpedo, one ship". 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. He was eventually promoted to the rank of flotilla admiral, before becoming chief-of-staff of the NATO command. With this result, Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has reached . He quietly went about his business, sinking more ships than any other Skipper in the war, and stayed out of politics. A fall caused fatal injuries. A British intelligence report on him said: "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. One British admiral thought Kretschmer's move so aggressive, it had to have been a mistake, Kretschmer looked back with great fondness at his time at the University of Exeter, Otto Kretschmer died in 1998 after a successful career in the navy. 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. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. Kretschmer sank more than 40 ships during the war, This painting depicts U-99 penetrating an Atlantic convoy before attacking. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. 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. [53] In December Kretschmer tried to intercept Convoy HX 90 but encountered only stragglers. He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. The OKM was established as the supreme command of the navy responsible for all facets of naval warfare. Register to receive personalised research and resources by email. That same day the British escorts scored another success against the Kriegsmarine when the noted U-boat skipper Joachim Schepke was killed aboard U-100, having been depth charged, rammed and sunk by Vanoc. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes . [28] Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 15 January. This stay was interrupted for an aerial defense training course at Warnemnde (510 March 1934). The air crews sank eight and damaged several more. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. Comes with leather case and all lens protectors.- 3) Swift Falcon wide angle fully coated optics. 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. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. He was the fifth member of the German armed forces to be so honored. She told COOPER that he was such a fine man that she knew there would never be another like him. Admiral Sir George Creasy considered the manoeuvre so dangerous he thought it had been done by mistake. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. COOPER grinned and said;Lets ask this gentleman here. Kretschmer sank one and damaged twowhich he and Prien dispatched the following day. [65] British reports of the action mention a large red glow appearing deep below the surface amid the depth charge explosions. [38] Acts of compassion in submarine warfare were "selective and fickle", one historian wrote when describing Kretschmer's rescue of a lone man in a raft. This is a trusted computer. As they pulled up the anchor one day, an actual horseshoe was caught in the flukes of the anchor. 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. While working on the deck gun, the boat suddenly dived. Kretschmer took command of U-99, and adorned the conning tower with two gold-painted horseshoes for luck. [9], In 1933 Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power. Dave Powell. There, they would meet a German U-boat to take them back to Germany. He hand signed some of our very rare fine art prints. In the same year, Fregattenkapitan Kretschmer returned to service in the . [56] Laurentic and Patroclus had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase buoyancy. Kretschmer was soon missed and the U-boat surfaced to find him before he succumbed to the cold. 1) Black Otto Walter no.12.507.- prismen glaser8x40 reflexfreie on right side. - 1998. augusztus 5.) 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. [29] U-23 returned to port on 29 January. Prien's demise was not disclosed. Death and burial ground of Kretschmer, Otto Wilhelm August "Silent Otto". The boat went to the yard for repairs and OTTO left no doubt that he wanted his boat and his crew back at sea in the shortest possible time. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the Amt fr Militrkunde (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970.[18]. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. 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. During this conversation, COOPER asked OTTO why it was necessary for him to send a sailor back in the water for his hat. [30] The destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack easy. Only five survived. It was not this way with U-99. Read more: Devon father and son inspired Hollywood film after disappearing searching for lost city of Z. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. Death: November 08, 1981 (85) Millicent, South Australia, Australia. [39], Among the victims was the Estonian ship, Merisaar, 2,126GRT. Under heavy fire and wit no hope of escape, he loaded his men into life rafts and evacuated U-99 before scuttling it. Leather strap partially torn from case.- 2) Tasco 7x35 fully coated 304. Kretschmer was so outraged that he and other officers organised a rebellion. However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. His wife was so devastated that she just gave up and died two years later, almost to the day. The boat went to the yard for repairs and. As the passengers got into the lifeboats, OTTO noticed a great number of women and children. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. He then ordered the merchant Skipper to put everyone back aboard then gave him a course to steer for one of the German bases on the French coast, and ordered the merchant Skipper to surrender the ship to the harbor authorities there. Once secured dockside, the crew poses for a triumphant photo. Kretschmer's thoughts on Hitler and the subsequent conference are not known. He enrolled at Exeter University (then University College of the South West of England) and studied under Professor Jacob Wilhelm Schopp (b. Otto Kretschmer (Straubing, 1912. mjus 1. Note that OTTO KRETSCHMER (arrow) is wearing the regulation navy blue cap, not the traditional nut non-regulation White Cap. Thistle was sunk weeks later by U-4. This definitive work details his personal story and the political backdrop from his earliest days. He sank another vessel on his fifth patrol to earn the Iron Cross first class, and he notched up further kills as the war progressed. 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. [5] He underwent basic military training in the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund (1 April 1930 30 June 1930). Almost every U-Boat had one or more emblems PAINTED on their conning tower fairweather. OTTO and his L.I. [14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. [52] U-99 docked four days later, concluding Kretschmer's fourteenth patrol after just ten days at sea. 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. His school report contained the remark: "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. 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. He mastered the English language and came to respect British education: its practical focus complemented his scientific and theoreticalbased German background. His I.W.O. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). Con su legendario submarino Tipo VII, el U-99, se apunt desde Septiembre de 1.939 hasta Marzo de 1.941, 47 barcos hundidos con un total de 274.333 toneladas. All Rights Reserved. Okay, back to the story of U-23 and HMS ROYAL OAK. [57] On 7 December 1940, Kretschmer sank the Dutch freighter Farmsum; the last success of the year. [ 50 ] 51 men died aboard Laurentic, 367 survived the story of U-23 and HMS Royal OAK a. Suddenly one of the anchor she knew there would never be another like him a large red glow appearing below... 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