otto kretschmer binoculars
OTTO and his L.I. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. He allowed the crew to climb into lifeboats before sinking it in an act of mercy that often was his hallmark during the war - on more than one occasion, he gave the crew of a ship he sank whisky and blankets to warm up. It noted that the destroyers "did not know how to help" and busied themselves firing star shells on a moonlit night. One attack saw him surface in the midst of a convoy before opening fire. OTTO KRETSCHMER made only seven Feindfahrt in World War Two but his daily average tonnage was equal to that of de la Perrier. Death and burial ground of Kretschmer, Otto Wilhelm August "Silent Otto". Otto Kretschmer is a tall, very polite man with an air of gentle formality. 1) Black Otto Walter no.12.507.- prismen glaser8x40 reflexfreie on right side. While his wartime actions have been narrated several times, his tactics, summarized by the famous motto one torpedo, one ship, have never been systematically analysed. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. The vast majority of Kretschmer's attacks - at least 83 - were launched on the surface. He had to return to port to repair the damage. [58], Several of Kretschmer's senior officers left the boat before the final patrol. Otto Kretschmer was only in combat from September 1939 until March 1941 but was Germany's highest-scoring U-boat commander, sinking 47 ships totaling 274,333 tons. Kretschmer was soon missed and the U-boat surfaced to find him before he succumbed to the cold. It is not possible to change the direction of a rapidly diving submarine at the wave of a hand, and so with Schnee on the bridge and both conning tower hatches fully open, U-23 disappeared beneath the North Sea. With this result, Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has reached . For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. The small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. Footnote: Otto Kretschmer (May 1, 1912 - August 5, 1998) was the most successful German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. [69] Kretschmer surfaced and, under fire from the British vessels, scuttled his boat. Kretschmer sank six and disabled a seventh. OTTO KRETSCHMER got his first command; the Type II-B coastal boat ( dugout canoe ), U-23. A month after the Emden's return to Wilhelmshaven on 2 December 1931, Kretschmer and his crew mates were promoted to the rank of Fhnrich zur See (midshipman) on 1 January 1932. [4] He returned home upon his mother's death from tetanus in a medical malpractice incident. I am sunking. Yep Sunking is the word he used. The crew were permitted ashore at the resort town of San Sebastin. Schroeder never returned. In 1955, Sir Donald McIntyre returned Kretschmer's binoculars, which he had kept in 1941. Prien along with his crew disappeared, presumably in a depth charge attack. unread, Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 . 3 binoculars included in this lot. [19] A second patrol (921 September) yielded no success either. [68], Kretschmer's usual standards of conduct were evident during the sinking of his boat. Nazi Admiral Otto Kretschmer was responsible for the sinking of 47 vessels in the space of just 18 months His short but prolific spell on German U-boats accounted for the sinking of 273,043 tons. 1939 szeptembertl, 1941 mrciusban bekvetkez fogsgba essig, 47 hajt sllyesztett el, melyeknek egyttes vzkiszortsa 274 333 tonna volt. Kretschmer ordered his U-boat to be turned around, and they rescued the lone sailor. Kretschmer was released after seven years as a prisoner of war. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. When clear of the battle scene, he turned in to his bunk and gave strict orders to his new I.W.O. Otto Kretschmer, Comandante alemn de U-Boot de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, fue sin duda el ms eficaz de toda la Kriegsmarine. That same day the British escorts scored another success against the Kriegsmarine when the noted U-boat skipper Joachim Schepke was killed aboard U-100, having been depth charged, rammed and sunk by Vanoc. "[74], Following his capture, Kretschmer spent almost seven years as a prisoner of war (POW) in the hands of the British, initially at No 1 POW camp Grizedale Hall in Cumbria. Two men one German U-Boater ad one Royal Navy sailor went over the side and pulled an exhausted OTTO KRETSCHMER aboard, flopping him, in OTTOs words, like a fish on the deck. Heinrich Bleichrodt hit and sank two. 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. So how was it that he was sunk? German radio acknowledged the capture and the death of Schepke. [18], From 1 March to 31 October 1958, Kretschmer served as Admiralstabsoffizier (Astoofficer of the admiralty staff) with the Fleet Command. As they were going below, OTTO slipped and fell down the stairwell, striking his head. While Kretschmer was discharging his responsibilities for the operational readiness of the deck gun, Rsing dived the ship, leaving Kretschmer stranded in the freezing water. "He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship.". [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. We do not come into port looking like pirates with dirty uniforms, untrimmed beards and with legs hanging over the side. Correct optics: how the binoculars of the best underwater ace of the Reich became a symbol of relations with Britain #___historydocs This is a trusted computer. The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-boat Commander. In this work, Kretschmers success is appraised through the analysis of the key characteristics of his attacks, and the conditions of the battlefield in which he operated. Prien's demise was not disclosed. The building was located at number 8 Kensington Palace Gardens. Otto Kretschmer (Straubing, 1912. mjus 1. OTTO KRETSCHMER indeed, was a fine man! A keen scientist with a talent for chemistry and maths, Kretschmer travelled to Devon to broaden his academic horizons and life experience. Kretschmer was presented with an opportunity to put his "one torpedo, one ship" mantra into practice. Bleichrodt reported it and Dnitz succeeded in bringing a number of boats in on it. Such were his expertise, he re-joined the navy in 1955. It was not this way with, . 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. Only five sailors survived. The ship did not reach port. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War . This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Chivalry was still at work at this time and former enemies who had been killing each other the previous day could play cards together. Prepared by Stephen Ames. One signalman sent a message to the escorts "we are sinking" and the firing stopped. A special thank you to Gertrud Kassel for sharing her family records about the history of U99, including many unpublished photos. This definitive work details his personal story and the political backdrop from his earliest days. [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. Here, however, we focus on OTTO KRETSCHMER, the man. A British intelligence report on him said: "His political views were less extremely Nazi than had been assumed. Haunted by him, Kretschmer ordered the boat to backtrack until the survivor was found. German U-boat commander Otto Kretschmer studied literature at the University of Exeter before becoming a German war hero, Kretschmer spent almost a year at the University of Exeter - known as University College of the South West of England, Seamen abandoning a blazing tanker in an oil painting by John Hamilton. [6] During another torpedo training course at Flensburg-Mrwik (27 September 21 December 1934), Kretschmer received his commission as Leutnant zur See (Junior Sub-Lieutenant/Ensign) on 1 October 1934. Only five survived. [78] Kretschmer was also involved in a second illegal court of honour hearing against the commander of U-501. 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. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. When asked, JOSEF Jupp KASSEL (790-1988) he proudly said;I was Otto Kretschmers radioman!. His I.W.O. Admiral Sir George Creasy considered the manoeuvre so dangerous he thought it had been done by mistake. Register a free Taylor & Francis Online account today to boost your research and gain these benefits: One Torpedo, One Ship: An appraisal of Otto Kretschmers U-boat tactics, 19391941, /doi/full/10.1080/00253359.2021.1898209?needAccess=true. One morning on the breakfast patio at the KRETSCHMER home, OTTO was reading his newspaper while Mrs. Kretschmer and COOPER talked over breakfast tea. He became known as the Golden Horseshoe by his men. The next day, Kretschmer was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse). For some reason, little Juli came running at the cygnets, barking like mad. He sank four ships and damaged three. The Reichsmarine was renamed the Kriegsmarine, a Nazi creation. Incredibly though, this war hero, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross - Germany's highest award for gallantry - had lived in Exeter before the war while he studied at the city's university. The presentation was made by Dnitz following his return to Lorient. [60], The operation against Convoy OB 293 proved disastrous for the Lorient group. Under heavy fire and wit no hope of escape, he loaded his men into life rafts and evacuated U-99 before scuttling it. Alongside his military skill was a character that remained rooted in the traditions of the Prussian military. The boat slipped beneath the waves, leaving him stranded in freezing waters. [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. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. In later years, Kretschmer was often interviewed for television and radio programmes - including an appearing in the landmark British 1974 documentary series The World at War. KRETSCHMER was quickly at the con, but once the boat went under and they were detected, there was no escape. 1871), a Germanborn naturalised Briton. [8] On 22 December 1934, Kretschmer was again on Kln serving as the ship's second torpedo officer. [29] U-23 returned to port on 29 January. The commanding officer was killed ashore in a car accident, so Kretschmer took command for two weeks. 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. There were two reasons for this; Knights Cross with Oak Leaf and Crossed Swords, There would be nine diamonds forming the Swastika, All the time this was going on, as the pair ran, Why you never saw him with the traditional . The boat went to the yard for repairs and. That boat is seen to the left on a barge going down the Donau River for Costanza, Rumania on the Black Sea coast to operate against Soviet forces under other Skippers including RUDOLF ARENDT (7563-2011). From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. Kretschmer experienced Otto Kretschmer was only in combat from September 1939 until March 1941 but was Germany's highest-scoring U-boat commander, sinking 47 ships totaling 274,333 tons. That day, he was made chief-of-staff of the NATO command COMNAVBALTAP at Kiel, taking command on 15 June. I gratefully acknowledge the help of Marianna Colasuonno for patiently reading the manuscript and providing valuable suggestions throughout the drafting of this paper. [59], On 22 February 1941 U-99 left Lorient for the final time. He was upset, but he was a proper officer and obeyed his orders. 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. [72], Once in London, Royal Navy interrogators questioned the crew. In the following, the amplitude of the wave vector k 0 = /c = 2/ 0 of illumination will be useful. 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. OTTO replied;It was necessary. 1999-2020 Sharkhunters International. McIntyre was the commanding officer of Walker, one of the ships that was involved in the sinking of U-99. During this conversation, COOPER asked OTTO why it was necessary for him to send a sailor back in the water for his hat. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. U-99 was badly battered and as they were passing 220 meters, KRETSCHMER ordered emergency surface. 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. This third patrol on U-99, took the boat into the North Atlantic, into the North Channel and west of Ireland. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. He clung to the periscope in the hope of being seen through the optics. Restore content access for purchases made as guest, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health, 48 hours access to article PDF & online version, Choose from packages of 10, 20, and 30 tokens, Can use on articles across multiple libraries & subject collections. OTTO KRETSCHMER and Sharkhunters President HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) were close friends, and when COOPER asked him why there were no photos of him with the traditional White Cap, OTTO explained he said;The white hat was not issue, it was tradition but not regulation and I am a Prussian officer. Kretschmer joined the German navy at eighteen years of age, which is interesting since many young, German men avoided service in the navy. [22], The fourth patrol (19 November) was unsuccessful. An illegal "Court of Honour" was convened and headed by Kretschmer. As they pulled up the anchor one day, an actual horseshoe was caught in the flukes of the anchor. He met Adolf Hitler on more than once occasion, even having lunch with the Fhrer. [2] His father was a teacher at the local Volkschule (primary school), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. [18] Further patrols took U-23 around the British coast. The docking fenders are being lowered at the sides of the boat while approaching the dock. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. Our DVD-56 features OTTO KRETSCHMER and you may get a glimpse of that DVD click here: SCENE 1 SCENE 2 SCENE 3, OTTO KRETSCHMER was with us for several of our Patrols in Germany and also in the USA. 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