The first U-Bootfahrer to win the KNIGHTS CROSS with OAK LEAVES & CROSSED SWORDS was KK OTTO KRETSCHMER (122-LIFE-1985).

OTTO commanded U-23 then U-99, and was the most successful submarine Skipper of any navy in World War II. He sank more ships than any other submarine Skipper and more than some navies did and what makes this feat even more remarkable, is that he did all this in about one year of combat! He was in and out of the war long before the United States even got (officially) involved.

OTTO won his SWORDS on 26 December 1941 and the medal was awarded to him from Germany to England at a time when some chivalry remained in this conflict. The medal was presented to OTTO in POW camp, since he had been a ‘guest of the King’ since St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) of 1941 when HMS WALKER under LCDR Donald MacIntyre sank U-99 with the loss of three men. OTTO and MacIntyre became friends after the war, and the binoculars that OTTO wore while on watch, which were taken from him by MacIntyre upon his capture - were returned to him some years later by the same Royal Navy Skipper who sank him.

During the ‘Battle of Beaumanville’ which was the camp uprising in Canada, led by OTTO KRETSCHMER, his medal was taken by someone unknown and never returned. What is unfortunate is that this medal has never surfaced, and probably got tossed in an old garage or basement, perhaps in some soldier’s footlocker and ultimately was thrown away by someone who had no idea what a treasure to history they had.