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. Why? "[73], 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 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). She had been married before, to a doctor who was killed in action with the Afrika Korps. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. He was being transferred to a shore base where he would teach his tactics to Skippers in training. The boat was ordered to patrol the Bay of Biscay off the Spanish-French border. Something went wrong, please try again later. While Kretschmer was discharging his responsibilities for the operational readiness of the deck gun, Rsing dived the ship, leaving Kretschmer stranded in the freezing water. 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. Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer, November 1940 (March 12, 2021) This week, 80 years ago, U-99, skippered by Otto Kretschmer, one of Germany's most famous U-boat commanders, had just fired the last of her torpedoes, when she was spotted by British destroyers southeast of Iceland in the North Atlantic. Later, a mated pair of swans came by with their offspring, about six cygnets, and they were looking for food as well. 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. 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. 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. [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. Patroclus of 11.314 brt as well as the armed Britsish merchantman Casanare of 5.376 brt. 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. Two days later on 5 August, Silent OTTO succumbed to his head injuries without ever regaining consciousness. COOPER returned to the bus, instructed everyone to check into their room then come right down to the dining room for the evening meal. Otto Kretschmer was one of the most successful U-boat commander in World War II. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes . [23] Kretschmer targeted the Danish Scotia, a 2,400GRT on 7 December. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. During this time, he developed his own theory about submarine warfare. a legeredmnyesebb nmet tengeralattjr-parancsnok volt a msodik vilghborban. [2] His father was a teacher at the local Volkschule (primary school), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. As the passengers got into the lifeboats, OTTO noticed a great number of women and children. Today's London Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of Otto Kretschmer who has died at the age of 86. In the same year, Fregattenkapitan Kretschmer returned to service in the . Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. [42], Four days later Kretschmer began his eleventh patrol which concluded on 5 August. Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. All 33 men aboard died. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. After completing his officer training and time on the training ship Niobe he served . From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. [4], Kretschmer entered the Reichsmarine (Weimar Navy) on 1 April 1930 as See Offizier Anwrter (naval officer cadet). 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. Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. Shortly after he surrendered, OTTO KRETSCHMER fell asleep in an overstuffed chair in the Captains cabin on HMS WALKER. Registered in England & Wales No. His wife was so devastated that she just gave up and died two years later, almost to the day. Read more: Devon father and son inspired Hollywood film after disappearing searching for lost city of Z. [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. Prepared by Stephen Ames. A fall caused fatal injuries. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. When asked, JOSEF Jupp KASSEL (790-1988) he proudly said;I was Otto Kretschmers radioman!. Kretschmer docked in Lorient on 21 July. He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship. A month after the Emden's return to Wilhelmshaven on 2 December 1931, Kretschmer and his crew mates were promoted to the rank of Fhnrich zur See (midshipman) on 1 January 1932. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried.". This third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. This stay was interrupted for an aerial defense training course at Warnemnde (510 March 1934). The crew remained in lifeboats nearby for reboarding once the attack was over. [53] In December Kretschmer tried to intercept Convoy HX 90 but encountered only stragglers. 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. Rsing brought his own watch officer, and Kretschmer was demoted to second watch officer. The Emden made stops in Ceylon, the Philippines, China and Japan; then Guam, South Africa, Angola and Spain on the return journey. He then moved to a Realgymnasium (secondary school). Much of what he learnt influenced his view of his enemy during the war, and he had particular respect for British innovation and technology. 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. Serving on a U-boat was a very dangerous task, and one that many did not want. [14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab. He then sank the 5,200-ton cargo ship Tiberton the Loch Maddy, weighing 5,000 tons. His command ended on 31 March 1969. 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. Schroeder never returned. Why his average daily tonnage sinking equaled that of de la Perrier. German propagandists feared the triple loss might be too damaging to morale. It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. , 4,996GRT, was sunk on 22 February. Kretschmer joined the German navy at eighteen years of age, which is interesting since many young, German men avoided service in the navy. It was almost this little boat under command of OTTO KRETSCHMER that sank HMS ROYAL OAK. The crew felt that this would bring them good luck so they cleaned the horseshoe, painted it gold and screwed it to the fairweather as we see in the photo to the right. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. 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. 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. [53] Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Erich Raeder. BACK TO ADVISORS PAGE. Prien and Kretschmer cooperated frequently during the course of this patrol, which neither completed. After a running convoy battle in which KRETSCHMER did not sleep for two days straight, he exhausted his torpedoes and set course for home. [18] Further patrols took U-23 around the British coast. Almost every U-Boat had one or more emblems PAINTED on their conning tower fairweather. It was not this way with, . OTTO replied;It was necessary. [18], In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. ; otherwise, remain on the surface, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 20:17. COOPER said that this was one of the warmest compliments he had ever received. The ship sank slowly. OTTO reached into the torrent, grabbed the lanyard and slammed the hatch but where was Schnee? [79], In 1943, the German navy tried to rescue him in Operation Kiebitz but that daring plan (later dramatized in the novel The Bowmanville Break and the film, The McKenzie Break) failed. 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