otto kretschmer binoculars

After the war he served in the German Federal Navy, from which he retired in 1970 with the flag rank of commodore. Karl Dnitz, Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU), ordered attacks on Allied shipping at sea, beginning the Battle of the Atlantic. Por todo ello y entre otras, recibi On 4 October 1939 he sank the coastal ship Glen Farg (876GRT). He had to return to port to repair the damage. [36] Kretschmer's tenth patrol (27 June21 July) yielded over 20,000GRT. [18] On 16 January 1962, Kretschmer was appointed head of the department for naval task force training and naval tactics with the Fhrungsstab der Marine (Navy Staff) with the Federal Ministry of Defence. [39], Among the victims was the Estonian ship, Merisaar, 2,126GRT. Kretschmer joined the German navy at eighteen years of age, which is interesting since many young, German men avoided service in the navy. The main area of operations were the seas and estuaries off East of England and Scotland, with mine-laying operations in the Baltic, to counter the Royal Navy Submarine Service at the end of 1939. "[73], 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 spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. 12 ships were sunk in total. They all got along perfectly, and MacIntyre told KRETSCHMER that these were the only truly good bridge games hed had during the war. His school report contained the remark: "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. [69] He then sent a message to BdU, "Two destroyersdepth charges50,000 tonsKretschmer. Kretschmer and U-23 had departed from Wilhelmshaven on 25 August, one week before the start of World War II. He was the fifth member of the German armed forces to be so honored. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. [29] U-23 returned to port on 29 January. 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 stated that he was unmarried. Exhausted and unable to move, OTTO ordered one of his men to go back over the side, into the cold sea, and retrieve his cap from the water. Instead, OKM sent him an administrative officer, H. J. von KNEBEL-DOBERITZ (681-1988) as his new I.W.O. [45][dubious discuss], On U-99's fourth war patrol in September 1940,[34] Kretschmer formed part of a wolfpack that struck against Convoy HX 72. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. [48] Kretschmer recommended his helmsman Stabsobersteuermann Heinrich Petersen for the Knight's Cross after twelve war patrols for saving U-99 from enemy detection. Under water U-99 had no chance of catching her. [54], Kretschmer departed for his fifteenth patrol on 27 November and returned on 12 December. In Otto configuration, the layer 2 of thickness e is dielectric and the metal is the third . [64] Four ships were sunk, but two U-boats were sunk, one of which was U-47. [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. COOPER returned to the bus, instructed everyone to check into their room then come right down to the dining room for the evening meal. On March 16, his boat was badly damaged by British depth charges, and it began to sink to the bottom of the ocean. 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. On 3 August 1998, they were on a luxury cruise boat on the Donau (Danube) River celebrating their 50th (Golden) wedding anniversary. [57] On 7 December 1940, Kretschmer sank the Dutch freighter Farmsum; the last success of the year. A high achiever at school, he wanted nothing more than to join the navy, but he was not old enough upon leaving at the age of 17. [9], On 27 August 1941, U-570 was captured by the Royal Navy. [28] Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 15 January. Kretschmer also favoured surfaced attacks as opposed to the recommended submerged engagement, listing 11 Points of Submarine Warfare: [16], 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. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. During the Spanish Civil War, Kretschmer was involved in several patrols as part of the international non-intervention force. That day, he was made chief-of-staff of the NATO command COMNAVBALTAP at Kiel, taking command on 15 June. [50] 51 men died aboard Laurentic, 367 survived. Otto, Herman Ernest Kretschmer was born on month day 1895, at birth place, to Otto, Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste, Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. Here, however, we focus on OTTO KRETSCHMER, the man. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in Mnchen but it was to no avail. 8x40 model no. OTTO KRETSCHMER was almost lost in this actionA firm, almost hard-headed man, KRETSCHMER firmly DIS-believed the old sailors story that a sinking ship will create a suction that will pull down anyone in the water so as his U-99 was going down, OTTO stood at attention on the bridge and his boat sank out from under him; So you see, Harry, he told HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983), I did not desert my ship! 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. Many thanks to Valeria Basso, Alessio Basso and Francesco Signorino for helping in the retrieval of a few rare archival sources, and for stimulating discussions. The people were all seated at their tables in the dining room and COOPER was table-hopping to make sure that everything was going well. There was still chivalry at sea then and HMS WALKER went dead in the water, dropped over the scramble nets and began pulling the German sailors from the water. He had a great sense of humor during one Patrol in Germany, our bus stopped at our little gasthaus and COOPER went inside to check on the rooms. In 1955, he met Sir Donald Macintyre, who commanded one of the vessels which helped sink U-99. Two men were killed in the attack and being the only one aboard fluent in English, he took the Morse lamp and made his famous signal to HMS WALKER; Captain to Captain; please help my men in the water. I had to surrender my ship to the British Captain and I had to be in complete uniform.. [9] Kretschmer joined the U-boat service in January 1936. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a corvette. Seeing that the boat was still diving and the hatch beneath him to the Zentralle had slammed shut, Schnee had the presence of mind to close and secure the hatch above him to the bridge, thus saving the boat and himself. OTTO peered over the top of his newspaper and said;Juli is happy. He became known as the Golden Horseshoe by his men. Studies in Marine Corps History and Amphibious Warfare, Studies in Naval History and Sea Power series. His I.W.O. Once secured dockside, the crew poses for a triumphant photo. His first operational posting was to the 2nd U-Flotillas Type VII U35 where he survived almost being drowned during training in the Baltic Sea. Note that OTTO KRETSCHMER (arrow) is wearing the regulation navy blue cap, not the traditional nut non-regulation White Cap. The crew felt that this would bring them good luck so they cleaned the horseshoe, painted it gold and screwed it to the fairweather as we see in the photo to the right. There are as many reports, theories, and wild-eyed guesses as there are forums on the Internet most of which are pure speculation and fiction. Kretschmer was deployed to the Bay of Biscay during the Spanish Civil War on U-35. Kretschmer was born in Heidau near Neisse, then in the German Empire on 1 May 1912 to Friedrich Wilhelm Otto and Alice (ne Herbig) Kretschmer. Registered in England & Wales No. Immediate Family: Son of Otto Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. "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 then caused havoc in the rest of the convoy, winning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 3099067 He quietly went about his business, sinking more ships than any other Skipper in the war, and stayed out of politics. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. [22], 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. Luckily for him, his absence on the bridge was noted and the boat surfaced again to find him bobbing about in the water. [34] His greatest success was the sinking of Auckland Star, a 13,212GRT ship on 28 July followed by another two totalling 12,811GRT on 29 and 31 July. He spoke English quite well, though he lacked practice. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. 702. At the time, Kretschmer was president of the Deutscher Marinebund, a member club of the International Maritime Confederation. Kretschmer was presented with an opportunity to put his "one torpedo, one ship" mantra into practice. [9] Kretschmer's first operational experience on a submarine was as a lieutenant on the U-35 in 1937 as first watch officer under the command of Klaus Ewerth and then Hans-Rudolf Rsing. Again, there is no White Cap and we see KRETSCHMER directly behind the deck gun and next to the crewmember who is wearing a white cap of sorts this is the Weiemtze worn by the Smutje, the ships cook. Note that the crew is all wearing fresh coveralls and beards neatly trimmed. While on holiday in Bavaria in the summer of 1998, Kretschmer died in an accident during a boating expedition on the Danube to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary, at the age of 86. All Rights Reserved. They provided clothes and alcohol, then transferred him to a lifeboat at the first opportunity. It went passed its crushing depth of 700m, and all looked lost. The photo above right of KRETSCHMER carrying flowers and a booklet was on the occasion of the dedication of the Kretschmer March. Dave Powell. They were sent to Lime Street Station to be transported to London for interrogation. 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. COOPER said that this was one of the warmest compliments he had ever received. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. [80], On 1 December 1955, Kretschmer joined West Germany's navy, at the time named the Bundesmarine (Federal Navy), holding the rank of Fregattenkapitn (Commander). He fired a single torpedo that missed before he lost the ship in thick mist. As the passengers got into the lifeboats, OTTO noticed a great number of women and children. The ship sank slowly. This was not the case with U-99. Otto Kretschmer - nicknamed 'Silent Otto' by his enemies - sank hundreds of thousands of tons of Allied shipping during a brutal U-boat campaign, Sign up for our Exeter newsletter and you'll never miss a big story again. Kretschmer purportedly confined his remarks to the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe, a point Raeder was fully aware of. Kretschmer waited for the crew to take to the lifeboats before destroying the ship with a torpedo. [20] Another neutral Scandinavian ship was sunk. Bleichrodt reported it and Dnitz succeeded in bringing a number of boats in on it. He assumed most of the crew went down with the ship; but there were 159 survivors. Kretschmer docked in Lorient on 21 July. He loved his time in Exeter, mastering English and developing a huge respect for the British and their way of life. She told COOPER that he was such a fine man that she knew there would never be another like him. [51] Kretschmer was awarded the 6th Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 4 November 1940. From September 1939 to March 1941, Germany's Otto Kretschmer terrorised Allied shipping on the high seas. Kretschmer was subsequently awarded the Iron Cross second class. Why his average daily tonnage sinking equaled that of de la Perrier. Otto Kretschmer is a tall, very polite man with an air of gentle formality. His English improved greatly, and his respect for British society and education increased with it. [20] On his fifth patrol (515 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 Gnther Prien's attack. Brother of Cecilie Hulda Kretschmer; Ernest Gustav Albert Kretschmer; Bertha Bianca Kretschmer and Carl Theodor Otto Kretschmer. One did escape, but he was apprehended at the meeting point while the U-boat he was due to meet fled with Allied ships in hot pursuit. The first watch is at attention on the foredeck and the second watch is at attention on the after deck. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. With no time to return to the hatch, Kretschmer clung on to the periscope and waved at it frantically, hoping to be spotted. On 1 November 1958, he was transferred to the position of commander of the Bundesmarine's Amphibische Streitkrfte ("amphibious forces"), a position he held until 15 January 1962. 1999-2020 Sharkhunters International. In doing so, both the effectiveness and limitations of Kretschmers tactics are clarified and put into the context of the Battle of the Atlantic. Does not come with case. Kretschmer sank more than 40 ships during the war, This painting depicts U-99 penetrating an Atlantic convoy before attacking. On 19 March 1934, his stay on Deutschland ended and he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln (20 March 26 September 1934). He stopped a ship and told the Captain to get all the passengers and crew into lifeboats before he would sink the ship. [21] He returned to Kiel, rather than Wilhelmshaven, on 16 October. BACK TO ADVISORS PAGE. The crew abandoned ship and were questioned by Kretschmer. He continued to serve as Watch Officer of U-35 until 30 September 1937. 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. 176 men died. Leather strap partially torn from case.- 2) Tasco 7x35 fully coated 304. In December 1934, he was transferred to the light cruiser Kln, then in January 1936 made the move to the fledgling U-boat service. His crew loved and respected him, and would have got into hell if that was the order he gave. I obey the rules. "[69] 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. His wife was so devastated that she just gave up and died two years later, almost to the day. It took nine torpedoes and one dud to sink them; the latter was sunk after it stopped to pick up survivors from the former. 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