Otto Kretschmer

Otto Kretschmer was the most successful German Uboat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords , among other awards. He earned the nickname Silent Otto both for his successful use of the silent running capability of Uboats as well and for his reluctance to transmit radio messages during patrols. After the war, he served in the German Federal Navy and retired in 1970 with the rank of Flottillenadmiral or Commodore .

Otto Kretschmer was born in Heidau, Neisse. At the age of seventeen he spent eight months living in England at Exeter, where he learned to speak English fluently. He joined the Reichsmarine in April 1930, attaining the rank of Seekadett after completing officer training courses as well as three months aboard the training ship Niobe . He then spent a little over a year serving aboard the light cruiser Emden . In the second half of 1932 he briefly served on the survey vessel Meteor for navigation training. In December 1934 he was transferred to another light cruiser, the Kln. Kretschmer remained aboard the Kln until he was transferred to the UBoat force in January 1936, where he received extensive officer training and was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See.

Source: Wikipedia