Otto Christian Ites (5 February 1918 – 2 February 1982) was a German naval officer, serving first as a submarine commander with the ''
Kriegsmarine'' during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, and later as ''
Konteradmiral
''Konteradmiral'', abbreviated KAdm or KADM, is the second lowest naval flag officer rank in the German Navy. It is equivalent to ''Generalmajor'' in the '' Heer'' and ''Luftwaffe'' or to '' Admiralstabsarzt'' and '' Generalstabsarzt'' in the ' ...
'' with the ''
Bundesmarine
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
''.
Career
Otto Ites, born on 5 February 1918 in
Norden
Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to:
Places England
* Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane
* Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle
* Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...
in the
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover (german: Provinz Hannover) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.
During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position ...
a
Free State of Prussia
The Free State of Prussia (german: Freistaat Preußen, ) was one of the constituent states of Germany from 1918 to 1947. The successor to the Kingdom of Prussia after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, it continued to be the domina ...
, joined the military service of the ''
Kriegsmarine'' on 3 April 1936. From 3 April 1938 until 2 October 1939, he served on the
torpedo boats
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of s ...
''Kondor'' and
''Albatros'' in the 4th and 6th Torpedo Boat Flotilla.
Ites served as second watch officer on nine war patrols on , the first five patrols under the command of
Herbert Schultze
Herbert Emil Schultze (24 July 1909 – 3 June 1987), was a German submarine commander during World War II. He commanded the for eight patrols during the early part of the war, sinking of shipping. Schultze was a recipient of the Knight's Cross ...
, two patrols under
Hans-Rudolf Rösing
Hans-Rudolf Rösing (28 September 1905 – 16 December 2004) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and later served in the Bundesmarine of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, of Nazi ...
and two patrols under
Heinrich Bleichrodt
Heinrich Bleichrodt (21 October 1909 – 9 January 1977) was a German U-boat commander during the Second World War. From October 1939 until retiring from front line service in December 1943, he was credited with sinking 25 ships for a total of . ...
. Promoted to ''
Oberleutnant zur See
''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 OF-1 in NATO.
The rank was introduced in the Imp ...
'' on 1 October 1940 and he was made first watch officer on ''U-48''. In this position he went on one more patrol (10 November 1940 – 13 March 1941), ''U-48'' now again under the command of Schultze.
He commanded and , sinking fifteen ships on seven patrols, for a total of tons of Allied shipping. In September 1941 the ''Pegasus'' was torpedoed and all the crew managed to scramble into two lifeboats. One of the lifeboats was rescued but the other was found empty and upside down. The Captain reported that the ''Pegasus'' was torpedoed twice, the first one caused quite a lot of damage and the crew left the ship, but then she was torpedoed again and she sank. On 28 August 1942 ''U-94'' was sunk by depth charges in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, in position from a Catalina of
VP-92 and by the Canadian corvette . Ites and 25 of his crew were taken
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is 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 w ...
. Ites remained in US captivity at Camp Crossville,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, until 1 May 1946.
After the war Otto Ites
matriculated
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
at the
University of Bonn
The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...
in the winter semester 1946/47. He submitted his dissertation on 20 October 1950 at the medical faculty. Ites joined the military service of the ''
Bundesmarine
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
'' and as ''
Fregattenkapitän
Fregattenkapitän, short: FKpt / in lists: FK, () is the middle field officer rank () in the German Navy.
Address
In line with ZDv 10/8, the official manner of formally addressing military personnel holding the rank of ''Fregattenkapitän'' ...
'' commanded the
destroyer ''Zerstörer 2'' (D171), formerly USS ''Ringgold'' (DD-500), from November 1960 until September 1962. His twin brother, ''Oberleutnant zur See'' Rudolf Ites, commander of , was killed in action on 1 March 1944. ''U-709'' was sunk by depth charges from the US destroyer escorts , and north of the Azores at .
Awards
*
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
(1939)
** 2nd Class (27 October 1939)
** 1st Class (25 February 1940)
*
U-boat War Badge
The U-boat War Badge (german: U-Boot-Kriegsabzeichen) was a German war badge that was awarded to U-boat crew members during World War I and World War II.
History
The ''U-boat War Badge'' was originally instituted during the First World War on Feb ...
(1939) (21 December 1939)
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 March 1942 as ''
Oberleutnant zur See
''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 OF-1 in NATO.
The rank was introduced in the Imp ...
'' and commander of ''U-94''
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
BBC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ites, Otto
1918 births
1982 deaths
Bundesmarine admirals
U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine)
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
University of Bonn alumni
Counter admirals of the German Navy
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Military personnel from Lower Saxony
People from Norden, Lower Saxony