Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 – 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. 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 The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), 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. The Knight ...

, 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 The Lusatian Neisse (german: Lausitzer Neiße; pl, Nysa Łużycka; cs, Lužická Nisa; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.German Empire 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, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. He then moved to a ''Realgymnasium'' ( secondary school). In the aftermath of World War I the Kretschmer family remained aloof from the political turbulence of the

Weimar era The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is als ...

. Kretschmer indulged in sporting pastimes and scientific interests. Kretschmer achieved good results in mathematics and chemistry and passed his '' Abitur'' (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 The ''Reichsmarine'' ( en, Realm Navy) was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the ''Reichswehr'', existing from 1919 to 1935. In 1935, it became known as the '' ...

'' (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 Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

in Stralsund (1 April 1930 – 30 June 1930). Kretschmer was transferred to the

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

''Niobe'' (1 July 1930 – 9 October 1930), attaining the rank of ''

Seekadett ''Seekadett'' (short SKad or SK; ,Langenscheidt´s Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the English and German language: „Der Große Muret-Sander“, Part II German-English, Second Volume L–Z, 8th edition 1999, ; p. 1.381 ) is a military rank of the B ...

'' (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

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

through the Mediterranean and Suez canal. The ''Emden'' made stops in Ceylon, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, China and Japan; then

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

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. Wilhelmsh ...

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), before starting with the main cadet course at the

Naval Academy Mürwik A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

on 1 April 1932, including 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). 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 or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and

. 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 Midshipman) 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 ''Leutnant zur See'' (''Lt zS'' or ''LZS'') is the lowest officer rank in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF1 in NATO, equivalent to an Ensign in the United States Navy, and an Acting Sub-Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. The rank was int ...

'' (Junior Sub-Lieutenant/Ensign) 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 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

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 ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

'' (Nazi German Armed Forces) in 1935 divided the major branches of the armed forces. The ''Reichsmarine'' was renamed the '' Kriegsmarine'', a Nazi creation. The OKM was established as the supreme command of the navy responsible for all facets of naval warfare. 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." During Kretschmer's stay on ''Köln'', he attended an

aircraft catapult An aircraft catapult is a device used to allow aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space, such as the deck of a vessel, but can also be installed on land-based runways in rare cases. It is now most commonly used on aircraft carrier ...

course at

Travemünde Travemünde () is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, and the Danes ...

. 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 ''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 ...

'' (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 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 ...

. 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 ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. The boat was ordered to patrol the Bay of Biscay off the Spanish-French border. The crew were permitted ashore at the resort town of San Sebastián. 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, 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 ''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer an ...

'' ( Lieutenant/Lieutenant Senior Grade) on 1 June 1939.

World War II

''U-23'': Patrols 1–8

The

German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

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 short range of the

Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Nazi Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw Den Haag (I.v.S) (set up by Germany after World War I ...

allowed for operations in the North Sea, but no further. U-9 IWM HU 1012

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 Otto Adalbert Schnee (31 December 1913 – 4 November 1982) was a ''Korvettenkapitän'' (corvette captain) with Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. He commanded the submarines , , , and , sinking twenty-one merchant ships on ...

as first watch officer, took ''U-23'' into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

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 and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, with mine-laying operations in the Baltic, to counter the

Royal Navy Submarine Service The Royal Navy Submarine Service is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. It is sometimes known as the Silent Service, as submarines are generally required to operate undetected. The service operates six fleet submarines ( SSNs) ...

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 (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 ...

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 and engage any remaining Home Fleet units that had departed from Scapa Flow in the aftermath of

Günther Prien Günther Prien (16 January 1908 – presumed 8 March 1941) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was the first U-boat commander to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the first member of the ''Kriegsmarine'' to r ...

's attack. Kretschmer targeted the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

''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 Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

''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 Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

, 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 The Pentland Firth ( gd, An Caol Arcach, meaning the Orcadian Strait) is a strait which separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland. Despite the name, it is not a firth. Etymology The name is presumed to be a corrup ...

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 on ...

. 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, 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 The 7th U-boat Flotilla (German ''7. Unterseebootsflottille''), also known as Wegener Flotilla, was the seventh operational U-boat combat unit in the Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine''. Founded on 25 June 1938 under the command of ''Korvettenkapit� ...

. 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 The Arado Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance low-wing monoplane aircraft built by the German firm of Arado starting in 1936. The next year it was selected as the winner of a design contest and became the standard aircraft of the ''Kriegsmarin ...

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, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

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, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

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 oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

. The ship did not reach port. German aircraft bombed and sank it three days later. Kretschmer docked in

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

on 21 July. The BdU acquired new bases along the French Atlantic coast after the Battle of France. 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. 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'' northwest of

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

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 () on 4 August. The presentation was made by Dönitz 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 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 . ...

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 SC 7 was the code name for a large Allied World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships and six escorts, which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia, for Liverpool and other United Kingdom ports on 5 October 1940. While crossing the Atlantic, ...

. 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) is a person who steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fishing vessels and yachts, the fu ...

'' 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 (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), 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. The Knight' ...

() 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

Erich Raeder Erich Johann Albert Raeder (24 April 1876 – 6 November 1960) was a German admiral who played a major role in the naval history of World War II. Raeder attained the highest possible naval rank, that of grand admiral, in 1939, becoming the f ...

. 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 branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'', a point Raeder was fully aware of. Kretschmer then met Hitler at the

Reich Chancellery The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared ...

and he repeated his opinions on the war situation. Hitler invited Kretschmer to sit in on a lunch meeting with Hitler and

Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov. ; (;. 9 March Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O._S._25_February.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O. S. 25 February">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dat ...

, 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 an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the ...

. 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 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 Sunderland in North Ea ...

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 Farmsum () is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Eemsdelta. History The village was first mentioned in the 10th or 11th century as "de Fretmarashem", and means "settlement of Fretmar". Farmsum was ...

''; the last success of the year. The ship was loaded with coal, set for

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. 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 . 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 1943 by the Unite ...

served aboard ''U-99'' under Kretschmer, before being promoted to captain himself and becoming the sole survivor of on 2 June 1942. 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 ''U-47'', 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 200 The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 ''Condor'', also known as ''Kurier'' to the Allies (English: Courier), was a German all-metal four-engined monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner. A Japanese request for a long-range maritime ...

s 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 HX 112 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 19 ...

. 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 Depth ratings are primary design parameters and measures of a submarine's ability to operate underwater. The depths to which submarines can dive are limited by the strengths of their hulls. Ratings The hull of a submarine must be able to with ...

— 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 city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. 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 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the 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 parliament. T ...

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 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 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 ...

(POW) in the hands of the British, initially at No 1 POW camp

Grizedale Hall Grizedale Hall was a large country house at Grizedale, Hawkshead, in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. After two earlier Grizedale Halls had preceded, it was built anew in 1905 in the style of Gothic Revival architecture. During World War ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

. 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. The Canada–United States border ...

in Canada. During his captivity, Kretschmer was promoted in rank to '' Korvettenkapitän'' (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

() 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 is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in ab ...

'', 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 Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

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 ''The McKenzie Break'' is a 1970 British war drama film starring Brian Keith as Jack Connor, an intelligence officer investigating recent disturbances at a prisoner of war (POW) camp in Scotland. The Nazi German POWs are led by the charismatic ...

'') failed. Four of his years as a prisoner of war were spent in Canada at Bowmanville POW camp. Kretschmer was released from captivity on 31 December 1947, and returned to Germany.

Postwar career

In 1955, Sir 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. Marinebundestreffen 1966 (Kiel 38

On 1 December 1955, Kretschmer joined

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

's navy, at the time named 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 ...

'' (Federal Navy), holding the rank of ''Fregattenkapitän'' (Commander). He participated in the 2nd officers training course held at the former NS-''Ordensburg''

Sonthofen Sonthofen is the southernmost town of Germany, located in the Oberallgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. Neighbouring Oberstdorf is situated 14 km farther south but is not classified as a town. In 2005, Sonthofen was awarded "Alpenstadt des ...

. There, he became inspection group leader at the acceptance organization. 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 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 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 The Federal Ministry of Defence (german: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, ), abbreviated BMVg, is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The ministry is headquartered at ...

. 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 is the lowest flag rank, a rank above captain, in the modern navies of Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden. It corresponds to the ranks of commodore or rear admiral (lower half) in the navies of the United ...

'' (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 German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

, 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 (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

in the summer of 1998, Kretschmer died in an accident during a boating expedition on the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary, at the age of 86. He was on a holiday cruise from Regensburg to

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

when he tried climbing some almost vertical steps. A fall caused fatal injuries. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Awards

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March, 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of a service awar ...

4th Class (2 October 1936) * Memel Medal (26 October 1939) *

(1939) ** 2nd Class (17 October 1939) ** 1st Class (17 December 1939) *

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) (9 November 1939) *

Sudetenland Medal The 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal (german: Die Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938), commonly known as the Sudetenland Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded during the interwar period, and the second in a series of Occupa ...

(20 December 1939) *

** Knight's Cross on 4 August 1940 as ''

'' 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'' and commander of ''U-99''

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

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