Otto Kretschmer, Comandante alemn de U-Boot de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, fue sin duda el ms eficaz de toda la Kriegsmarine. The Greatest Submarine Commander of all time was Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier who sank nearly 200 ships in World War One. 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. [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. His brother was later killed in action. Later in the war, his ship was torpedoed; before that he nursed a bent-nosed destroyer back to port after ramming a U-boat. Chivalry was still at work at this time and former enemies who had been killing each other the previous day could play cards together. All 33 men aboard died. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). At 2250hrs on 3 November, 1940, one of the most dramatic battles of the U-boat war began. [2] In the aftermath of World War I the Kretschmer family remained aloof from the political turbulence of the Weimar era. 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! [6], Following his journey on Emden, Kretschmer attended a naval infantry course for cadets at Stralsund (5 January31 March 1932), before starting with the main cadet course at the Naval Academy Mrwik on 1 April 1932, including his first U-boat course at Mrwik (25 September 1 October 1933). (Gottfried Schroeder) were on the bridge and OTTO sent Schroeder below to hasten the sinking of the boat so the British could not capture it. [28] Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 15 January. Did you know that with a free Taylor & Francis Online account you can gain access to the following benefits? The report contained the remark, "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. [14] U-35 returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. [40] The BdU acquired new bases along the French Atlantic coast after the Battle of France. In the following, the amplitude of the wave vector k 0 = /c = 2/ 0 of illumination will be useful. I am sunking. Yep Sunking is the word he used. The boat slipped beneath the waves, leaving him stranded in freezing waters. Kretschmer then met Hitler at the Reich Chancellery and he repeated his opinions on the war situation. The single torpedo attack killed 11 men. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. Kretschmer waited for the crew to take to the lifeboats before destroying the ship with a torpedo. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried. Kretschmer was also involved in the Battle of Bowmanville. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes . [58], Several of Kretschmer's senior officers left the boat before the final patrol. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . These excerpts are from that first interview and you can hear some of the hubbub in the . 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. [18] Kretschmer served in this function until 18 June 1964 when he was appointed chief-of-staff of the Befehlshaber der Seestreitkrfte der Nordsee (German national Commander Naval Forces North Sea). A prize crew boarded to sail it to Bordeaux. This was not OTTO KRETSCHMER! [17], Kretschmer was promoted to Kapitnleutnant (Lieutenant/Lieutenant Senior Grade) on 1 June 1939.[9]. Immediate Family: Son of Otto Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. When U-23 was stabilized at her depth and the sound man could no longer hear any noises of the other boat, they came to periscope depth, confirmed that all was safe, and KRETSCHMER was ready to begin the hopeless task of looking for Schnees body. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. It noted that the destroyers "did not know how to help" and busied themselves firing star shells on a moonlit night. He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship. Such were his expertise, he re-joined the navy in 1955. A British intelligence report on him said: "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. The seaman did as he was ordered and brought the cap back to OTTO. 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. Joachim Schepke arrived in U-100 and sank seven. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the Amt fr Militrkunde (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970.[18]. That day, he was made chief-of-staff of the NATO command COMNAVBALTAP at Kiel, taking command on 15 June. It was not this way with, . The boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 4 September. Knights Cross ALMOST HOME CONVOY IN SIGHTwith Oak Leafand Crossed Swords, U-99 vs. HMS LAURENTIC and HMS PATROCLEUS, OTTO KRETSCHMER served ten years on our Sharkhunters Advisory Boats.Click here to view the entire Board. One attack saw him surface in the midst of a convoy before opening fire. 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. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab. On 28 August 1963, he was transferred to the NATO Defense College in Paris. [20] Kretschmer departed from Kiel for the third war patrol on 1 October. His first patrol, with Oberleutnant zur See Adalbert Schnee as first watch officer, took U-23 into the North Sea and along the coast of the Netherlands. 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. German propagandists feared the triple loss might be too damaging to morale. The Emden made stops in Ceylon, the Philippines, China and Japan; then Guam, South Africa, Angola and Spain on the return journey. Haunted by him, Kretschmer ordered the boat to backtrack until the survivor was found. Registered in England & Wales No. "[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. Kretschmer's thoughts on Hitler and the subsequent conference are not known. The British report noted of Kretschmer, "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. "He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship.". He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. [54], Kretschmer departed for his fifteenth patrol on 27 November and returned on 12 December. During this time, he developed his own theory about submarine warfare. 3099067 Por todo ello y entre otras, recibi During the Spanish Civil War, Kretschmer was involved in several patrols as part of the international non-intervention force. Kretschmer sank one and damaged twowhich he and Prien dispatched the following day. [72], Once in London, Royal Navy interrogators questioned the crew. OTTO and his wife were already in the dining room. Geleitgeschwader (1st Escort Squadron) which he commanded from 3 January to 15 October 1957. He was on a holiday cruisefrom Regensburg to Budapest when he tried climbing some almost vertical steps. Alongside his military skill was a character that remained rooted in the traditions of the Prussian military. Serving on a U-boat was a very dangerous task, and one that many did not want. Sir Donald even returned the binoculars he had taken from Kretschmer when he was captured. [19] A second patrol (921 September) yielded no success either. "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. [22], The fourth patrol (19 November) was unsuccessful. [53] Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Erich Raeder. However, he was haunted by the image of a lone survivor in a life raft who would surely die if not rescued. The German crew failed to sink the stationary vessel with torpedoes while the weather ruled out the use of the gun. As OTTO said;I am a Prussian officer; we are not pirates!. 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. Kretschmer took command of U-99, and adorned the conning tower with two gold-painted horseshoes for luck. Prepared by Stephen Ames. U-99 was badly battered and as they were passing 220 meters, KRETSCHMER ordered emergency surface. Sir, do you think that OTTO KRETSCHMER will be with us on this trip? to which OTTO smiled and replied; I think he is already here. at which point the Member nearly fell out of his chair. With this result, Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has reached . Prien achieved several sinkings, Kretschmer did not; the pair was chased off by destroyers. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. Kretschmer docked in Lorient on 21 July. [35] U-99's first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. Kretschmer sank all but one of the ships lost by the convoy. Keep me logged in. I gratefully acknowledge the help of Marianna Colasuonno for patiently reading the manuscript and providing valuable suggestions throughout the drafting of this paper. 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. Otto had 4 siblings: Cecilie Hulda and 3 other siblings. 176 men died. Husband of Elsie Gertrude Kretschmer. 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! Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. [69] Kretschmer surfaced and, under fire from the British vessels, scuttled his boat. Death: November 08, 1981 (85) Millicent, South Australia, Australia. 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. OTTO reached into the torrent, grabbed the lanyard and slammed the hatch but where was Schnee? Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Kretschmer sank six and disabled a seventh. At the time, Kretschmer was president of the Deutscher Marinebund, a member club of the International Maritime Confederation. The nomination was approved on 5 November 1940. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a corvette. Pyers Symon. Kretschmer travelled the world as he rose up through the ranks, before joining the U-boat service in 1936. U-99 attacked the armed merchant cruisers HMS Laurentic and HMS Patroclus. 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. Browse 597 otto kretschmer stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. This was not the case with U-99. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. 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. 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