Nickname: Silent Otto
Date of Birth: 01.05.1912 - Heidenau bei Neisse, Schlesien (German Empire)
Date of Death: 05.08.1998 - Straubing, Bayern (Germany)
Battles and Operations: Spanish Civil War (non-intervention patrol), North Sea operations and mine-laying, Battle of the Atlantic, attacks on Convoys HX 72, SC 7 and HX 112
NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: Friedrich Wilhelm Otto Kretschmer, Alice Johanna Luise Herbig
Siblings: No information
Spouse: 1948 Dr. Luise-Charlotte Mohnsen-Hinrichs (née Bruns)
Children: No information
Promotions:
01.04.1930 Offiziersanwärter
10.10.1930 Seekadett
01.01.1932 Fähnrich zur See
01.04.1934 Oberfähnrich zur See
01.10.1934 Leutnant zur See
01.06.1936 Oberleutnant zur See
01.06.1939 Kapitänleutnant
01.03.1941 Korvettenkapitän
01.09.1944 Fregattenkapitän
12.12.1958 Kapitän zur See
00.00.1970 Flottillenadmiral (Bundesmarine retirement)
Career:
00.00.1918-00.00.1921 Volkschule Heidenau
00.00.1921-00.00.1929 Realgymnasium
00.00.1929-00.04.1930 University of Exeter, England
01.04.1930 entered Reichsmarine as officer candidate, basic training Stralsund
01.07.1930-09.10.1930 training ship Niobe
10.10.1930-04.01.1932 light cruiser Emden (world cruise)
1933-1935 service and training on pocket battleship Deutschland and light cruiser Köln with various gunnery, torpedo and navigation courses
01.1936 transferred to U-boat service after submariner training
31.07.1937-15.08.1937 interim commander and watch officer U-35 during Spanish Civil War non-intervention patrol in Bay of Biscay
01.10.1937-01.04.1940 commander U-23 (eight patrols, 97 days at sea)
18.04.1940-17.03.1941 commander U-99 (eight patrols, 127 days at sea)
17.03.1941 scuttled U-99 after depth-charge damage by HMS Walker during attack on Convoy HX 112 southeast of Iceland, captured with most of crew
17.03.1941-31.12.1947 prisoner of war in British and Canadian camps (Grizedale Hall, Bowmanville)
01.12.1955 joined Bundesmarine as Fregattenkapitän
03.01.1957-15.10.1957 commander 1. Geleitgeschwader
1958 commander Amphibische Streitkräfte
1962-1964 staff positions in naval tactics and training, NATO Defence College Paris
05.1965-1969 Chief of Staff, Allied Naval Forces Baltic Approaches (COMNAVBALTAP)
09.1970 retired as Flottillenadmiral
Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 17.10.1939
U-Boot-Kriegsabzeichen 09.11.1939
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 17.12.1939
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 04.08.1940 as Kapitänleutnant and Kommandant U 99 - for his successes as a U-Boat commander. While commanding U-23 he sunk 8 ships with 24899 GRT (including the British destroyer HMS Daring on 18 February 1940 east of Pentland Firth with a single surfaced torpedo). Over the course of three more war patrols with U-99 he sunk a further 9 ships with 49704 GRT, damaged 3 with 25545 GRT, and captured 1 more with 2136 GRT.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub on 04.11.1940 as Kapitänleutnant and Kommandant U 99 (6th recipient overall) - for sinking another 15 ships with 65654 GRT and damaging 1 more with 3106 GRT over the course of three patrols with U-99, most notably the destruction of three British armed merchant cruisers Laurentic (18724 GRT), Patroclus (11314 GRT) and Forfar (16402 GRT) in November-December 1940 for a total exceeding 46000 tons in one extended operation.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern on 26.12.1941 as Korvettenkapitän and Kommandant U 99 (5th recipient overall) - for his successes on his last two war patrols with U-99. In this time he sank the British auxiliary cruiser HMS Forfar (with 16402 GRT) and another 13 ships with 79000 GRT, furthermore damaging 1 more ship with 9314 GRT, bringing his career total to 47 ships for 274333 GRT and establishing him as the undisputed top U-boat tonnage ace of the war.
U-Boot-Kriegsabzeichen mit Brillanten (date not specified, awarded with higher decorations)
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Otto Wilhelm August Kretschmer, universally known as Silent Otto for his mastery of stealth, minimal radio traffic and silent-running tactics, emerged as the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War despite a combat career lasting only eighteen months. Born the son of a Silesian schoolmaster, he developed a cool, analytical approach to submarine warfare after pre-war training cruises and early experience in Spanish waters. Commanding first the small Type II U-23 and then the Type VIIB U-99 he perfected night surface attacks from inside Allied convoys, striking at close range with the motto one torpedo one ship and achieving a remarkable hit rate of nearly seventy percent. The Ritterkreuz recognised his early sinkings with U-23, capped by the destruction of the destroyer HMS Daring, and initial victories with U-99 including the capture of the Estonian prize Merisaar. The Eichenlaub arrived immediately after his spectacular November 1940 patrol in which he penetrated defended formations to torpedo the three large armed merchant cruisers Laurentic, Patroclus and Forfar in rapid succession, elevating him to the position of tonnage king that no other commander ever surpassed. While already a prisoner after U-99 was crippled by depth charges from HMS Walker and Vanoc during the chaotic night action against Convoy HX 112 on 16-17 March 1941, he received the Schwerter in December 1941 for the cumulative record of his final patrols. In captivity he upheld the traditions of the German officer corps, presiding over courts of honour and resisting attempts to shackle prisoners. Repatriated at the end of 1947, he rebuilt his life in the Federal Republic, re-entering naval service in 1955 and rising through escort, amphibious and NATO staff appointments to retire as Flottillenadmiral in 1970. He died at Straubing in 1998 at the age of eighty-six from head injuries sustained in a boating accident on the Danube while celebrating his golden wedding anniversary.
In the high-stakes world of World War II submarine warfare, Otto Kretschmer wasn't just another U-boat commander—il was the most successful one of the entire war. The nickname "Silent Otto" (der schweigsame Otto) wasn't just a catchy label; it was a perfect summary of his tactical philosophy and his personality.
Here is why he earned the moniker:
Tactical Stealth: "One Torpedo, One Ship". Kretschmer revolutionized U-boat tactics. While other commanders preferred to fire salvos from a distance, Kretschmer’s signature move was to surface at night and slip inside the defensive perimeter of a convoy.
The Approach: He would maneuver his U-99 silently on the surface between columns of merchant ships.
The Ambush: By staying low and keeping his engines quiet, he became nearly invisible to the primitive radar and sonar (ASDIC) of the time.
The Efficiency: He famously used a "one torpedo, one ship" rule, rarely missing his mark. His ability to strike and vanish without a sound earned him a reputation for ghostly efficiency.
Radio Silence: Kretschmer was a firm believer in strict radio silence. In an era where many commanders would broadcast long reports or even taunts back to headquarters, Kretschmer stayed off the airwaves as much as possible. He knew that British direction-finding equipment could triangulate a U-boat’s position the moment they hit the "transmit" button. By staying quiet, he stayed hidden.
His Personal Demeanor: Beyond his combat style, the nickname stuck because of his reserved and stoic personality. He was described as a quiet, professional, and somewhat unreadable officer. He didn't seek the limelight or engage in the boisterous "war hero" persona that some of his peers adopted. Even when he was eventually captured in 1941, he maintained a dignified, silent composure that impressed his British captors. Despite his lethality, Kretschmer was known for his humanity; he often provided lifeboats with supplies or directions to the nearest land after sinking their ships.
Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://uboat.net/
https://www.historisches-marinearchiv.de/
Lawrence Paterson, Otto Kretschmer: The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-boat Commander, Seaforth Publishing, 2018
Terence Robertson, The Golden Horseshoe: The Wartime Career of Otto Kretschmer, U-Boat Ace, Bantam, 1957
David Childs obituary in The Independent, 25 August 1998
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