Talk:Otto Kretschmer/Archive 1

Origin of nickname
I'm concerned about the explanation given for the origin of the nickname, "Silent Otto." The story I always heard is somewhat different, but I don't know if I should insert it into this article without some citation.

My father was a young US Navy officer in the 1960s when he worked under Kretschmer at COMNAVBALTAP at the Marinenflughafen Holtenau (Kiel). Either Kretschmer or the other German officers told my father that the nickname referred to Kretschmer's refusal to radio in his position. Apparently, according to this story, each U-boat was expected to radio in to HQ on a daily (?) basis, but Kretschmer didn't want the British to intercept and triangulate or whatever. So he would conduct his patrol, sink lots of tonnage without reporting in, then return to base and be scolded by Admiral Doenitz. Each time he would promise to follow procedure on his next patrol ... but each time he would go back out and do the same thing again.

To me, this story has the ring of truth to it since it evokes both stereotypical German officialdom and Ordnung and the mind of a commanding officer making decisions alone at sea. On the other hand, a quick on-line search has not provided a verifiable source for my dad's version, and I don't know if the article should include it just because "my dad said so." Any thoughts?

-- Muffuletta 18:19, 5 December 2005 (UTC)
 * The german Wikipedia says, he was known as "Schweigsamer Otto", because of his reluctance to speak about his war successes and his refusal to become part of the propaganda machine. The silent running thing is not mentioned there. Neither is his reluctance to make radio broadcast. Now that doesn't mean the german Wikipedia is right on that. Just wanted to give you that info. Regards. --84.133.47.29 13:40, 27 March 2007 (UTC) (User Kleiderseller on de.wikipedia)

I can clarify this. In the early 1990's I interviewed Kretschmer 3 times, twice on audio once on video. He said that when he studied in Britain in the 1920's that he looked for any information he could find regarding the naval war (what we now call WWI). He said that he learned that the British had been reading the German codes. He concluded he should never consider codes to be secure. He also noted that they used signal direction finders. Therefor as a skipper he used the radio as little as possible.

Similarly, his tactics were violations of the standing orders of Donitz. For instance, the standing orders required attacking immediately upon sighting. Kretschmer would instead shadow and observe. He would identify convoy ships, but more importantly the screening coverage, how many and their patterns. Then he would penetrate the screen at night and attack from inside the convoy. He said that during the review of the log after every patrol Donitz would challenge him "Why did you not attack immediately?" Kretschmer would reply that he and his boat were a fighting machine and that they did not need to be instructed in minute detail. According to him, Donitz replied "This is alright for you, but not for others." (I guess the facts of his success spoke for his methods working, at least for himself.)

I never heard him say anything about "silent running" submerged. Frankly, he was very adamant about the best chance of evading a destroyer being to run at flank speed on the surface. He said when U99 was sunk he was not in command on the bridge, but resting below. The officer of the watch, upon sighting a closing destroyer, ordered the dive. Kretschmer was angry, but the act was commenced and could not be undone.

I can also add that Kretschmer despised the propaganda ministry. In particular he hated the term "Happy Time" which he vehemently stated was not created by the submariners. he noted that during that so-called period he was assigned to patrol an area, and researched the records of previous missions conducted there. He saw that of 6 previous u-boats in that area only 3 had returned. "Fifty percent losses!" he says on my tape. "This was not a 'happy time'!" So it would stand to reason that he cooperated as little as possible.

ArlingtonSteve (talk)

Picture
Photo was removed by an anonymous editor who claims "he never wore a white cap".

As the picture file states clearly that it is him, and the source is the Bundesarchive, I’ve put it back in. Xyl 54 (talk) 09:17, 12 February 2009 (UTC)


 * The picture with the caption "Kretschmer returning from patrol" shows Engelbert Endrass, not Otto Kretschmer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 158.37.1.171 (talk) 13:17, 12 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I am sorry friend,I have nothing to do with a guy who changed a photo, but that is not Kretschmer in picture "Kretschmer returning from patrol". The name of that captain is Engelbert Endrass, a captain of U-46, and if you go to any other source, you will notice a mistake easley. If you need a photo of Otto on board of U-99 I can help you, but just don't keep this wrong picture anymore. Endrass was a great U-boat ace, and you are doing him wrong.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nikodin (talk • contribs) 18:02, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

I checked another source and agree that it is Engelbert Endrass in the picture wearing the white cap. Dannygjk (talk) 10:49, 8 September 2009 (UTC)


 * The problem you have, then, is that the Bundesarchiv is a (reasonably) credble source; you are going to need something more than an unsubstantiated opinion for this. Do you have any evidence you are right, and the Ba is wrong? If so, we might get somewhere...Xyl 54 (talk) 07:09, 9 September 2009 (UTC)


 * It's clearily Engelbert Endrass at the picture, have a look at this source http://uboat.net/men/endrass.htm, you can also go http://image.google.com and type engelbert endrass and otto kretschmer for comparison purpose. I vote for removal of this picture. Eirirs (talk) 23:26, 15 February 2010 (UTC)


 * This is not a matter of voting, it’s a matter of Verifiability. If you or anyone else has a reliable source to say either this isn’t Kretschmer, or that it is someone else (like Endrass) bring it to the discussion. Or take it up with the Bundesarchiv; they could be wrong.
 * But do not remove sourced information without some evidence to support your claim. Xyl 54 (talk) 01:13, 17 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I gave you a link to uboat.net which have its source from copying and digitalizing all info from the uboat archive. you can see the photos of Endrass there. But I'll write a mail to Bundesarchiv. 19:57, 19 February 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eirirs (talk • contribs)
 * Now I got reply from Bundesarchiv where they agreed on that it were not Otto Kretschmer at the picture and is now fixing it. Eirirs (talk) 08:10, 27 February 2010 (UTC)

Swimming in the Atlantic
I have a library copy of Bitter Ocean (2006) by David Fairbank White, (which I have to return in 24 hours). It states on page 73 that: Once, in an accident, he [Kretschmer] ''had been left topside when his submarine dove unexpectedly. He had taken a swim in the Atlantic, then been fished out of the water when the sub resurfaced. He had faced his commanding officer with the rather unruffled remark "Reporting back on board, sir."''

While the quote (which is not referenced), is probably acceptable for inclusion in the "Otto Kretschmer" article, I am reluctant to include it. The reason for this is fairly simple: The book has some highly dubious content, such as: Others [merchant mariners] faced V-2 rockets and Luftwaffe attacks (my emphasis). This gem appears on page 66. As I pointed out on the "Battle of the Atlantic"s page, there are others. Another reason might be the doubt cast on the veracity of the quote, i.e. Did Kretschmer ever serve as a subordinate, reporting to a commanding officer, in the Atlantic? In the Baltic, quite probably; the Kriegsmarine did most of their training in the Ostsee (Baltic), but I understand U-boats did not operate in any numbers in the Atlantic until after the fall of France, by which time Kretschmer was a commanding officer himself.

RASAM (talk) 15:35, 6 June 2011 (UTC)

March 10 Edits
I changed information regarding when Kretschmer first assumed command of his own boat. The material present in the article was not cited and conflicted with the source I cited. Considering the source was published by the Nval Institute Press, I went with it. I also made U-Boat reflect what seemed to be most common: U-boat, lowercase b. Horst59 (talk) 03:03, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
 * I was able to pin down Kretschmer's first command. It was a short one, only 16 days from July 31 to Aug 15 1937.  It was an interim command:  Kommandant in Vertretung (Commandant substitute).  So I included and cited the information.Horst59 (talk) 23:53, 10 March 2017 (UTC)