Otto Schultze (11 May 1884 – 22 January 1966) was a '' Generaladmiral'' 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 a recipient of the ''

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

'' during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The ''Pour le Mérite'' was the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I. As a

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

commander during World War I, he was credited with the sinking of 53 merchant ships for a total of 132,567 gross register tons, and of displacement.

Early career

Schultze was born on 11 May 1884 in Oldenburg and following his primary education, he joined the ''

Kaiserliche Marine {{italic title The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term wa ...

'' (Imperial Navy) on 7 April 1900 as a ''

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 ...

'' (sea cadet). He initially served on during World War I before transferring to the U-boat service in 1915, taking command of . He surrendered command of ''U-63'' in mid-December 1917. He then served as a first officer of the admiral staff of the commander in chief of the U-boats at the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

. At the same time, he held the position of chief of the I. ''U-Boot-Flottille'' (1st U-boat Flotilla). Between the wars, he held various staff positions. From September 1927-September 1929, he was commander of . In October, he took command of the ''

Marinestation der Nordsee The Marinestation der Nordsee (North Sea Naval Station) of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) at Wilhelmshaven came out of the efforts of the navy of the North German Confederation. The land was obtained for the Confederation from the ...

'' (North Sea Naval Station). He was promoted to ''

Vizeadmiral (abbreviated VAdm) is a senior naval flag officer rank in several German (language), German-speaking countries, equivalent to Vice admiral. Austria-Hungary In the Austro-Hungarian Navy there were the flag-officer ranks ''Kontreadmiral'' (al ...

'' (vice admiral) in 1934 and to admiral in 1936 retiring in 1937.

World War II

On 1 January 1939, Schultze was recalled to active service and placed to the disposal of the '' Kriegsmarine''. Following a few months without command, he was appointed Commanding admiral of the North Sea Naval Station, which he had commanded in 1935–1937. While in this capacity, with headquarters in

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 ...

, Schultze was responsible for the area stretched from 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 ...

to the West Coast and to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and it also controlled the

Schelde The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

Delta. Schultze remained in this command until 28 November 1939, when he was relieved by Admiral Hermann Densch and placed to the ''

Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches an ...

''. He remained without command again until 2 March 1941, when he was ordered to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

for duty as Commanding Admiral of France. Schultze remained in that capacity until the end of August 1942 and received

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Silver on 31 August 1942. He was promoted to the rank of '' Generaladmiral'' (equivalent of U.S. four star Admiral) and placed to the disposal of the ''Kriegsmarine''. Schultze retired on 30 September 1942. ''Generaladmiral'' Otto Schultze died on 22 January 1966, aged 81, in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. His son, Heinz-Otto Schultze also served in the ''Kriegsmarine'' and received Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as ''

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 ...

'' and commander of '' U-432''. He was killed in action on 25 November 1943 in the South Atlantic.

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 ...

(1914) 2nd and 1st Class''Rangliste der Deutschen Reichsmarine'', Hrsg.: Reichswehrministerium, Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1929, p. 40. * Knight's Cross 2nd Class of the

House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis The House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Frederick Louis (German: ''Haus und Verdienstorden von Herzog Peter Friedrich Ludwig'') or proper German Oldenburg House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Frederick Louis (German: ''Oldenburgische Haus- und Verdi ...

with Swords * Friedrich-August-Kreuz, 2nd and 1st Class * Austrian Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decorations * Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class with War Decorations *

Liakat Medal The Liakat Medal ( tr, Liyakat Madalyasi) translated as "Medal of Merit," was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890. It could be awarded in two classes, gold or silver. The medal was a common military decoration of the late Ottoma ...

, in Silver with Sabre *

Gallipoli Star The Gallipolli Star is a military decoration awarded by the Ottoman Empire. It was known as the Ottoman War Medal ( tr, Harp Madalyası) or the Iron Crescent (from German ''Eiserner Halbmond'', in allusion to the Iron Cross). It was instituted b ...

("Iron Crescent", Ottoman Empire) * Prussian Service Award Cross * U-Boot Badge 1918 *

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 ...

, 1st Class *

The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd Class *

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Meri ...

, 2nd and 1st Class with Swords * Knight's Cross of the

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...

with Swords * ''

'' (18 March 1918) *

in Silver on 31 August 1942 as '' Generaladmiral'' and commanding admiral FrancePatzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 556.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography *Hildebrand, Hans H. and Henriot, Ernest (1990a). ''Deutschlands Admirale 1849-1945 Band 3: P-Z'' (in German). Biblio Verlag. Osnabrück. . * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schultze, Otto 1884 births 1966 deaths Military personnel from Oldenburg (city) U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy) Vice admirals of the Reichsmarine General admirals of the Kriegsmarine Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Liakat Medal People from Oldenburg (state) Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I