Otto Kretschmer
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Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 – 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
r in World War II and the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. He earned the nickname "Silent Otto", both for his successful use of the " silent running" capability of U-boats and for his reluctance to transmit radio messages during patrols. After the war he served in the German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 with the flag rank of commodore.


Early life and career

Kretschmer was born in Heidau near Neisse, then in the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
on 1 May 1912 to Friedrich Wilhelm Otto and Alice (née Herbig) Kretschmer. His father was a teacher at the local ''Volkschule'' (
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. He then moved to a ''Realgymnasium'' (
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
). In the aftermath of World War I the Kretschmer family remained aloof from the political turbulence of the Weimar era. Kretschmer indulged in sporting pastimes and scientific interests. Kretschmer achieved good results in mathematics and chemistry and passed his ''
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
'' (school-leaving certificate) at 17. The report contained the remark, "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. He wants to be a naval officer." Kretschmer was too young to enlist at 17 and his father sent him to England to broaden his horizons. He enrolled at Exeter University (then University College of the South West of England) and studied under Professor Jacob Wilhelm Schopp (b. 1871), a German–born naturalised Briton. He mastered the English language and came to respect British education: its practical focus complemented his scientific and theoretical–based German background. 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. He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. He did not return to England from his hiatus, but travelled through France, Switzerland and Italy.


''Reichsmarine''

Kretschmer entered the '' Reichsmarine'' (Weimar Navy) on 1 April 1930 as ''See Offizier Anwärter'' (naval officer cadet). Kretschmer formed part of "Crew 30" (the incoming class of 1930), 78–strong intake of officer candidates. He underwent basic military training in the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
in
Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...
(1 April 1930 – 30 June 1930).2nd department —II. ''Abteilung''standing ship division —''Schiffsstammdivision'' 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
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through the Mediterranean and
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
. The ''Emden'' made stops in
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, the
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, China and Japan; then
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,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
,
Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
and Spain on the return journey. A month after the ''Emdens return to
Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
on 2 December 1931, Kretschmer and his crew mates were promoted to the rank of '' Fähnrich zur See'' (midshipman) on 1 January 1932. Following his journey on ''Emden'', Kretschmer attended a naval infantry course for cadets at Stralsund (5 January–31 March 1932),infantry course for cadets—''Infanterielehrgang für Fähnriche'' before starting with the main cadet course at the Naval Academy Mürwik on 1 April 1932.main cadet course—''Hauptlehrgang für Fähnriche'' This course was interrupted by two brief assignments on the survey vessel ''Meteor'' (22–25 June 1932 and 10–15 October 1932) for navigation training. His training included a pathfinder course for cadets at Kiel (28 March −22 April 1933),pathfinder course for cadets—''Sperrlehrgang für Fähnriche'' an artillery course for cadets at Kiel-Wik (23 April – 28 June 1933),artillery course for cadets—''Artillerielehrgang für Fähnriche'' a torpedo course in Mürwik (29 June – 18 August 1933),torpedo course for cadets—''Torpedolehrgang für Fähnriche'' an anti-aircraft artillery course at Wilhelmshaven (19–31 August 1933),anti-aircraft artillery course for cadets—''Fla-Waffenlehrgang für Fähnriche'' a communication course for cadets at Mürwik again (1–3 September 1933),communication course for cadets—''Nachrichtenlehrgang für Fähnriche'' and his first U-boat course at Mürwik (25 September – 1 October 1933). On 2 October 1933, Kretschmer was transferred to the pocket battleship as a gunnery officer during a trip to Denmark. This stay was interrupted for an aerial defense training course at Warnemünde (5–10 March 1934).aerial defense training course for cadets—''Luftschutzlehrgang für Fähnriche'' On 19 March 1934, his stay on ''Deutschland'' ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser (20 March – 26 September 1934). Kretschmer was present for gunnery exercises in the
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
and Baltic Sea. At Eckernförde on the 25/26 July 1934 Hitler boarded the ship to observe the exercise. During this assignment, Kretschmer was promoted to ''Oberfähnrich zur See'' (Senior Ensign) on 1 April 1934. During another torpedo training course at Flensburg-Mürwik (27 September – 21 December 1934), Kretschmer received his commission as '' Leutnant zur See'' on 1 October 1934. On 22 December 1934, Kretschmer was again on ''Köln'' serving as the ship's second torpedo officer.


''Kriegsmarine''

In 1933
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
and the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
came to power. The establishment of the ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'' (Nazi German Armed Forces) in 1935 divided the major branches of the armed forces. The ''Reichsmarine'' was renamed the ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
'', a Nazi creation. The OKM was established as the supreme command of the navy responsible for all facets of
naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. The Military, armed forces branch designated for naval warfare is a navy. Naval operations can be ...
. The renaming of the navy was a symbolic gesture, to erase the unpleasant memories of the 1920s and symbolise a new era. According to one historian, Kretschmer was a patriot and loyal to the government, but later "eschewed Nazi efforts to glorify his success through
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
." During Kretschmer's stay on ''Köln'', he attended an aircraft catapult course at Travemünde.aircraft catapult course —''Katapultlehrgang'' On 26 September 1935, he was transferred to the 1st department of the standing ship division of the North Sea in Wilhelmshaven where he served as a company officer until 25 January 1936. Kretschmer joined the U-boat service in January 1936. After the completion of his submariner training he was promoted to ''
Oberleutnant zur See (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as Ranks and insignia of officers of NATO Navies, OF-1 in NATO. The rank was ...
'' (senior-sub lieutenant/Lieutenant Junior Grade) on 1 June 1936. Kretschmer's first operational experience on a submarine was as a lieutenant on the in 1937 as first watch officer under the command of Klaus Ewerth and then Hans-Rudolf Rösing. Rösing brought his own watch officer, and Kretschmer was demoted to second watch officer. While Kretschmer was discharging his responsibilities for the operational readiness of the deck gun, Rösing dived the ship, leaving Kretschmer stranded in the freezing water. He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. Kretschmer was soon missed and the U-boat surfaced to find him before he succumbed to the cold. He was given interim command of ''U-35'' in August 1937, and this appointment coincided with Germany's involvement in the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. The boat was ordered to patrol the
Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
off the Spanish-French border. The crew were permitted ashore at the resort town of
San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
. Rösing's successor, Hermann Michahelles, was killed in a car accident and Kretschmer assumed command for two weeks. ''U-35'' returned to Germany after an uneventful patrol during which no ships were sunk. On 1 October 1937, Kretschmer took command of . Through the remaining
Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
, Kretschmer developed his own approach to combat, which can be summarized by the phrase "one torpedo, one ship". He dispensed with the standard practice of firing salvoes of torpedoes from long distances. Kretschmer also favoured surfaced attacks as opposed to the recommended submerged engagement, listing 11 Points of Submarine Warfare: # 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 # Fire at close range # Once an attack is launched, do not submerge except in circumstances of dire necessity. 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.; otherwise, remain on the surface 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. In fact, out of 116 torpedoes fired in action, Kretschmer scored 74 hits (equivalent to a 69.8% success rate). The vast majority of Kretschmer's attacks - at least 83 - were launched on the surface. Kretschmer was promoted to '' Kapitänleutnant'' ( captain lieutenant/
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
) on 1 June 1939.


World War II


''U-23'': Patrols 1–8

The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began the war in Europe. Karl Dönitz, Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU), ordered attacks on Allied shipping at sea, beginning the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...
. The short range of the Type II submarine allowed for operations in the North Sea, but no further. Kretschmer and ''U-23'' had departed from Wilhelmshaven on 25 August, one week before the start of World War II. 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 boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 4 September. Further patrols took ''U-23'' around the British coast. The main area of operations were the seas and estuaries off
East of England East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...
and
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, with mine-laying operations in the Baltic, to counter the Royal Navy Submarine Service at the end of 1939. A second patrol (9–21 September) yielded no success either. Kretschmer departed from Kiel for the third war patrol on 1 October. On 4 October 1939 he sank the coastal ship ''Glen Farg'' (). The small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. Kretschmer waited for the crew to take to the lifeboats before destroying the ship with a torpedo. He returned to Kiel, rather than Wilhelmshaven, on 16 October. The next day, Kretschmer was awarded the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
2nd Class (). The fourth patrol (1–9 November) was unsuccessful. On his fifth patrol (5–15 December) he was ordered to explore the inner waters around the
Orkney Islands Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...
and engage any remaining Home Fleet units that had departed from Scapa Flow in the aftermath of Günther Prien's attack. Kretschmer targeted the Danish ''Scotia'', a on 7 December. The ship was accompanied by three other vessels, but she was darkened and the black out aroused Kretschmer's suspicions. 19 men were killed in the sinking; only two were saved. Following this patrol, he received the Iron Cross 1st Class () on 17 December. ''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. The Norwegian ''Fredville'', only was sunk on 11 January 1940 without warning. The single torpedo attack killed 11 men. Only five sailors survived. Kretschmer's next success came in the Inganess Bay, Kirkwall, where he attacked and sank the Danish tanker ''Danmark'' on 12 January 1940 while she lay at anchor. There were no deaths among the crew. Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 15 January. Three days later he departed for his seventh war patrol. Another neutral Scandinavian ship was sunk. The Norwegian ''Varild'' was sunk east of the Shetland Islands. The attack was conducted with no warning, and consequently all 15 crewmen died. ''U-23'' returned to port on 29 January. He departed from Wilhelmshaven for his eighth war patrol on 9 February. On 18 February, Kretschmer sank the 1,300 ton British fleet destroyer off the Pentland Firth while she was escorting convoy HN 12 from Norway. The destroyer crew lifted the black-out curtains, making the attack easy. A single torpedo was fired, then Kretschmer ordered a u-turn and sped away on the surface; the destroyers neither sighted him nor detected him with
ASDIC Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
. Kretschmer sighted the British submarine soon afterwards, and fired a second torpedo which missed. ''Thistle'' was sunk weeks later by ''U-4''. 157 of the ''Daring'' crew were killed, including Commander Sydney Cooper. Only five survived. The next day, he sank , , in the Moray Firth. All 33 men aboard died. ''Loch Maddy'' , , was sunk on 22 February. The ship had been torpedoed by ''U-57'' and abandoned. Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 25 February after 17 days at sea—his longest to date.


''U-99'': Battle of the Atlantic

On 2 April 1940, after eight patrols on ''U-23'', Kretschmer was ordered to the
Germaniawerft Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft (often just called Germaniawerft, "Germania (personification), Germania shipyard") was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for ...
, the shipbuilding works in Kiel, for construction training of the new Type VIIB . He commissioned ''U-99'' on 18 April 1940 which was part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. After two months' training and shakedown manoeuvres in German waters, Kretschmer took the boat into action on 18 June 1940. On 21 June, his ninth patrol, his boat was damaged by an Arado Ar 196 floatplane from in the belief ''U-99'' was a British submarine. ''U-99''s first patrol ended in Wilhelmshaven on 25 June. During ''U-99''s first four patrols, Kretschmer commenced attacking convoys at night on the surface, sinking merchant ships with highly accurate shots, using only one
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
per target ship; the quote "one torpedo ... one ship" is attributed to Kretschmer around this time. His particularly brazen and risky innovation was to execute these night surface attacks inside the convoy. Admiral Sir George Creasy considered the manoeuvre so dangerous he thought it had been done by mistake. Kretschmer's tenth patrol (27 June–21 July) yielded over . After sinking '' Magog''—the submarine's first victim—Kretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. 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. Haunted by him, Kretschmer ordered the boat to backtrack until the survivor was found. They provided clothes and alcohol, then transferred him to a lifeboat at the first opportunity. Among the victims was the
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
n ship, ''Merisaar'', . Kretschmer captured the vessel, the only such ship seized by ''U-99''. The crew abandoned ship and were questioned by Kretschmer. The German crew failed to sink the stationary vessel with torpedoes while the weather ruled out the use of the gun. A prize crew boarded to sail it to
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. The ship did not reach port. German aircraft bombed and sank it three days later. Kretschmer docked in
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
on 21 July. The BdU acquired new bases along the French Atlantic coast after the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
. A notable failure on the patrol occurred in the interception of HMS ''Manistee''. Kretschmer attempted to sink the ship with gunfire, but return fire and the appearance of an aircraft forced him to submerge. Under water ''U-99'' had no chance of catching her. Four days later Kretschmer began his eleventh patrol which concluded on 5 August. This third patrol on ''U-99'', took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. He sank four ships and damaged three. His greatest success was the sinking of '' Auckland Star'', a ship on 28 July followed by another two totalling on 29 and 31 July. Kretschmer was guided onto convoy OB 191. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...
. Kretschmer was presented with an opportunity to put his "one torpedo, one ship" mantra into practice. Kretschmer hit and sank the cargo ship ''
Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
'' northwest of Tory Island while damaging three others, including the '' Strinda''. The ships used barrels for ballast to prevent them sinking. The crew remained in lifeboats nearby for reboarding once the attack was over. Following his third war patrol with ''U-99'', Kretschmer was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...
() on 4 August. The presentation was made by '' Großadmiral'' Erich Raeder following his return to Lorient. On ''U-99''s fourth war patrol in September 1940, Kretschmer formed part of a wolfpack that struck against Convoy HX 72. The convoy suffered heavy losses while the U-boats escaped unscathed. Kretschmer sank one and damaged two–which he and Prien dispatched the following day. Joachim Schepke arrived in ''U-100'' and sank seven. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. 12 ships were sunk in total. Kretschmer's logbook recorded the chaos. It noted that the destroyers "did not know how to help" and busied themselves firing star shells on a moonlit night. The following month, Kretschmer formed part of the pack that attacked and devastated Convoy SC 7. Bleichrodt reported it and Dönitz succeeded in bringing a number of boats in on it. Kretschmer sank six and disabled a seventh. Kretschmer recommended his
helmsman A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver or steersman) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, airship, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fis ...
'' Stabsobersteuermann'' Heinrich Petersen for the Knight's Cross after twelve war patrols for saving ''U-99'' from enemy detection. The nomination was approved on 5 November 1940. Petersen had served as Kretschmer's helmsman on every war patrol on both ''U-23'' and ''U-99''. In November and December 1940 ''U-99'' sank three British armed merchant cruisers (AMC), HMS ''Laurentic'', HMS ''Patroclus'' and . ''Laurentic'' and ''Patroclus'' were attacked on the night of 3/4 November. 51 men died aboard ''Laurentic'', 367 survived. ''Patroclus'' lost 56 crew; 230 survived. Kretschmer was awarded the 6th
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was lower in precedence than the Grand C ...
() on 4 November 1940. ''U-99'' docked four days later, concluding Kretschmer's fourteenth patrol after just ten days at sea. Upon reaching port, he was summoned to Berlin to meet Raeder. He was given the opportunity to convey his opinions on the state of the U-boat war. Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the ''
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
'', a point Raeder was fully aware of. Kretschmer then met Hitler at the Reich Chancellery and he repeated his opinions on the war situation. Hitler invited Kretschmer to sit in on a lunch meeting with Hitler and Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Union's ambassador to the Third Reich. Kretschmer's thoughts on Hitler and the subsequent conference are not known. Kretschmer departed for his fifteenth patrol on 27 November and returned on 12 December. In December Kretschmer tried to intercept Convoy HX 90 but encountered only stragglers. ''Forfar'' was one, and during the sinking ''HMS Viscount'' appeared, forcing Kretschmer to dive. He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. 176 men died. ''Laurentic'' and ''Patroclus'' had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase
buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is the force exerted by a fluid opposing the weight of a partially or fully immersed object (which may be also be a parcel of fluid). In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of t ...
. It took nine torpedoes and one dud to sink them; the latter was sunk after it stopped to pick up survivors from the former. Kretschmer was forced to engage ''Patroclus'' with the deck gun when it appeared to resist the torpedo damage, but retreated when the ship fired back. A
Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of ...
appeared briefly, and Kretschmer was forced to accomplish the destruction of the ship with torpedoes, submerged. On 7 December 1940, Kretschmer sank the Dutch freighter '' Farmsum''; the last success of the year. The ship was loaded with coal, set for
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. The ship sank slowly. Kretschmer learned its identity from frantic radio signals.


Defeat and capture

Several of Kretschmer's senior officers left the boat before the final patrol.
Klaus Bargsten Klaus Bargsten (31 October 1911 – 25 October 2000) was the captain and sole survivor of the sunken German submarine . He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Career ''U-521'' under Bargsten's command was sunk on 2 June 19 ...
served aboard ''U-99'' under Kretschmer, before being promoted to captain himself and becoming the sole survivor of on 2 June 1943. On 22 February 1941 ''U-99'' left Lorient for the final time. For 13 days Kretschmer sailed without success. ''U-99'' tried in vain to assist Prien in , against OB 290. Prien achieved several sinkings, Kretschmer did not; the pair was chased off by destroyers. Prien's reports were picked up by the Luftwaffe which sent Focke-Wulf Fw 200s from I. '' Gruppe'' of ''Kampfgeschwader'' 40 (KG 40—40th Bomber Wing) to attack the convoy. The air crews sank eight and damaged several more. Kretschmer continued to search for stragglers and found ''SS Holmlea''. He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. Prien sank the ship the following day. Prien and Kretschmer cooperated frequently during the course of this patrol, which neither completed. The operation against Convoy OB 293 proved disastrous for the Lorient group. Prien and Kretschmer, along with (Matz) and , attacked the convoy. The ships were protected by an escort group of two destroyers, and , and two corvettes, and . As with the group that eventually sank Kretschmer ten days later, they were experienced and competent. Kretschmer attempted a surface night attack using his favourite tactic. On 7 March Kretschmer sank two ships from the convoy including the '' Terje Viken''. Four ships were sunk, but two U-boats were sunk, one of which was ''U-47''. Prien along with his crew disappeared, presumably in a depth charge attack. British reports of the action mention a large red glow appearing deep below the surface amid the depth charge explosions. On 16 March 1941 Kretschmer attacked Convoy HX 112. Kretschmer sank all but one of the ships lost by the convoy. During a counterattack by the escorts ''U-99'' was disabled after repeated depth charge attacks by the destroyers and . ''U-99'' was driven down to 700 feet—beyond the recognised crush depth— before control was regained and the ballast tanks blown. Kretschmer surfaced and, under fire from the British vessels, scuttled his boat. Three of his men were lost, but Kretschmer and the remainder of ''U-99''s crew were captured. That same day the British escorts scored another success against the ''Kriegsmarine'' when the noted U-boat skipper Joachim Schepke was killed aboard , having been depth charged, rammed and sunk by ''Vanoc''. Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. One signalman sent a message to the escorts "we are sinking" and the firing stopped. He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyers—depth charges—50,000 tons—Kretschmer." Kretschmer signalled ''Walker'' asking for rescue for his men, taking care to ensure as many left the submarine as possible, and assisted some of his crew towards the rescue nets hung from the British destroyer. 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.


Prisoner of war

Kretschmer and his crew were landed in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. 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. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens.
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
on 21 March. German radio acknowledged the capture and the death of Schepke. Prien's demise was not disclosed. German propagandists feared the triple loss might be too damaging to morale. Once in London, Royal Navy interrogators questioned the crew. The report, filed in the archives, was name
"U 99" Interrogation of Survivors April, 1941"
The British report noted of Kretschmer, "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed.  On seeing the craters of a stick of bombs near
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
he was genuinely shocked that an attempt had so obviously been made by his countrymen to bomb the Palace. He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. 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. Kretschmer stated that he was unmarried." 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. He prided himself on being able to take advantage of whatever the passing moment offered and made no elaborate plans for attacking convoys. He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship.""Interrogation of U-99 survivors"
/ref> Following his capture, Kretschmer spent almost seven years as a
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
(POW) in the hands of the British, initially at No 1 POW camp Grizedale Hall in
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
. In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
in Canada. During his captivity, Kretschmer was promoted in rank to ''
Korvettenkapitän (; ) is the lowest ranking Field officer, senior officer in the German navy. Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in li ...
'' (Lieutenant-Commander) on 19 March 1941, effective as of 1 March 1941, and to '' Fregattenkapitän'' (Commander) on 1 September 1944. In addition, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords () on 26 December 1941. He was the fifth member of the German armed forces to be so honored. On 27 August 1941, ''U-570'' was captured by the Royal Navy. The officers were also taken to the prisoner-of-war camp at Grizedale Hall. Kretschmer was senior officer at the camp. An illegal " Court of Honour" was convened and headed by Kretschmer. They tried commander Hans-Joachim Rahmlow, ''
in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...
'', and ''U-570''s other officers. Rahmlow and his second-in-command, Bernhard Berndt, were found "guilty of cowardice"; the other two officers were "acquitted". On the night of 18/19 October, Berndt escaped from the camp. A detachment of the Home Guard apprehended him, shooting him when he tried to escape. 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 was also involved in a second illegal court of honour hearing against the commander of . Its commander, Hugo Förster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. 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. Four of his years as a prisoner of war were spent in Canada at
Bowmanville POW camp The Bowmanville POW camp, also known as ''Camp 30'', was a Canada administered Prisoner of war camp, POW camp for German soldiers during World War II located on 2020 Lambs Road in the community of Bowmanville, Ontario in Clarington, Ontario, Can ...
. Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany.


Postwar career, and later life

In 1955, Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. McIntyre was the commanding officer of ''Walker'', one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of ''U-99''. At the time, Kretschmer was president of the ''Deutscher Marinebund'', a member club of the International Maritime Confederation. On 1 December 1955, Kretschmer joined
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
's navy, at the time named the '' Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy), holding the rank of ''Fregattenkapitän'' (Commander). He participated in the second officers' training course held at the former NS-''Ordensburg''
Sonthofen Sonthofen is the southernmost Town#Germany, town of Germany, located in the Oberallgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. Neighbouring Oberstdorf is situated 14 km farther south but is classified as a market town. In 2005, Sonthofen was awarded ...
. There, he became inspection group leader at the acceptance organization.inspection group leader at the acceptance organization—''Prüfgruppenleiter bei der Annahmeorganisation'' On 16 June 1956, he was tasked with the creation of 1. ''Geleitgeschwader'' (1st Escort Squadron) which he commanded from 3 January to 15 October 1957. He then attended a training course (16 October 1957 – 28 February 1958) for amphibious forces in the United States. From 1 March to 31 October 1958, Kretschmer served as ''Admiralstabsoffizier'' (Asto—officer of the admiralty staff) with the Fleet Command. On 1 November 1958, he was transferred to the position of commander of the ''Bundesmarine''s ''Amphibische Streitkräfte'' ("amphibious forces"), a position he held until 15 January 1962. During this command, he was promoted to '' Kapitän zur See'' (captain at sea/captain) on 12 December 1958. On 16 January 1962, Kretschmer was appointed head of the department for naval task force training and naval tactics with the ''Führungsstab der Marine'' (Navy Staff) with the Federal Ministry of Defence.head of the department for naval task force training and naval tactics—''Leiter des Referates Verbandsausbildung und Seetaktik'' On 28 August 1963, he was transferred to the NATO Defense College in Paris. Kretschmer served in this function until 18 June 1964 when he was appointed chief-of-staff of the ''Befehlshaber der Seestreitkräfte der Nordsee'' (German national Commander Naval Forces North Sea). On 1 June 1965, he was promoted to '' Flottillenadmiral'' (flotilla admiral/Commodore/Rear Admiral), a rank which he initially held on probation. That day, he was made chief-of-staff of the NATO command COMNAVBALTAP at
Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
, taking command on 15 June. Six months later, on 15 December, he officially became ''Flottillenadmiral''. His command ended on 31 March 1969. The next day, Kretschmer was transferred to the ''Amt für Militärkunde'' (Department of Military Studies), retiring on 30 September 1970. While on holiday in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
in the summer of 1998, Kretschmer died in an accident during a boating expedition on the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary, at the age of 86. He was on a holiday cruise from
Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
to
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
when he tried climbing some almost vertical steps. A fall caused fatal head injuries. He died on 5 August 1998 at a hospital in
Straubing Straubing (; Central Bavarian: ''Strauwing'') is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the Districts of Germany, district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Ba ...
. His body was cremated, and following a funeral ceremony at Hinte, his ashes were scattered at sea.


Summary of military career

According to Dixon, Kretschmer sank 47 ships of , further damaging three ships of . Stockert lists him with 46 ships sunk, totaling , and damaging five ships of . Busch and Röll state that he sunk 47 ships of plus five ships damaged of .


Awards

*
Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a List of military decorations of the Third Reich, military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March 1936, Adolf ...
4th Class (2 October 1936) * Memel Medal (26 October 1939) *
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
(1939) ** 2nd Class (17 October 1939) ** 1st Class (17 December 1939) * U-boat War Badge (1939) (9 November 1939) * Sudetenland Medal (20 December 1939) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords ** Knight's Cross on 4 August 1940 as '' Kapitänleutnant'' and commander of ''U-99'' ** 6th Oak Leaves on 4 November 1940 as ''Kapitänleutnant'' and commander of ''U-99'' ** 5th Swords on 26 December 1941 as ''
Korvettenkapitän (; ) is the lowest ranking Field officer, senior officer in the German navy. Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in li ...
'' and commander of ''U-99''


Promotions


Reichsmarine

*''Offiziersanwärter'' (
officer cadet Officer cadet is a rank held by military personnel during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by personnel of University Service Units such as the University Officers' Training Corps. Th ...
) – 1 April 1930 *''Seekadett'' ( naval cadet) – 9 October 1930 *''Fähnrich zur See'' (
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...
) – 1 January 1932 *''Oberfähnrich zur See'' (senior midshipman) – 1 April 1934 *''Leutnant zur See'' (acting sub-lieutenant) – 1 October 1934


Kriegsmarine

*''Oberleutnant zur See'' ( sub-lieutenant) – 1 June 1936 *'' Kapitänleutnant'' ( captain lieutenant/
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
) – 1 June 1939 *''
Korvettenkapitän (; ) is the lowest ranking Field officer, senior officer in the German navy. Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in li ...
'' ( corvette captain/ lieutenant commander) – 19 March 1941, effective as of 1 March 1941 *'' Fregattenkapitän'' ( frigate captain/
commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
) – 1 September 1944


Bundesmarine

*'' Fregattenkapitän'' (frigate captain/commander) – 1 December 1955 *'' Kapitän zur See'' (
captain at sea Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...
/
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
) – 12 December 1958 *'' Flottillenadmiral'' ( flotilla admiral/ commodore) on probation – 1 June 1965 *''Flottillenadmiral'' (flotilla admiral/commodore) – 15 December 1965


Translation notes


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

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Further reading

* * * * * * * * *


External links

* *
Telegraph On-line edition, February 4, 2008
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kretschmer, Otto 1912 births 1998 deaths People from Nysa County Military personnel from the Province of Silesia U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine) Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Bundesmarine admirals Reichsmarine personnel Burials at sea Flotilla admirals of the German Navy German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom