Previous Otto Kretchmer Letter

Here is more of the letter from RADM OTTO KRETSCHMER (122-LIFE-1985).

"The first patrol of U-99 was planned for the Atlantic, but I had to take a sick Technical Warrant Officer to the entrance of Bergen Fjord. Unfortunately, I could not carry on proceeding to the Atlantic via the Fair Isle Passage between the Orkneys and the Shetlands because I had been bombed by the airplanes of the battleship SCHARNHORST, had to return to Wilhelmshaven for repairs and a new attack periscope which had not survived the bomb blast - I almost had managed to dive before the detonation of the bomb. The airplane subsequently reported to have sunk an enemy submarine.

The historical branch of the U.K. MOD (NAVY) has found out last year that I, with U-23, have one ship of 5,000 GRT more to my credit. The papers with the name are at my other home. The official list is being altered, also with respect to ELMBANK. That makes a total of 45 ships sunk with 270,192 GRT including 3 AMCs and the destroyer HMS DARLING.

(regarding SS CLINTONIA) I had torpedoed the ship in convoy. As usual I waited near the ship to see it sinking before I had to sink it by gunfire. Suddenly, quite close to my boat, I noticed high splashes; the fall of shot of gunfire, which made me leave the scene in a hurry. The culprit was a classmate of mine, Moehl, Skipper of U-123."

(HARRY's NOTE - Here in the USA, we are always hearing stories of our own planes and ships attacking and sadly, sometimes even sinking, our own submarines. In this letter from RADM KRETSCHMER, we see that all sides had this problem.)

There will be more from this very interesting letter in the next issue of our KTB Magazine....and as predicted, I did visit OTTO and Mrs. Kretschmer before KTB #106 was mailed.

Otto Kretchmer Letter (KTB 105)
Otto Kretchmer Letter (KTB 106)
Otto Kretchmer Letter (KTB 107)
Otto Kretchmer Letter (KTB 108)
Otto Kretchmer Letter (KTB 109)
Otto Kretchmer Letter (KTB 110)
Otto Kretchmer Letter (KTB 111)