Otto Schultze

Otto Schultze
Otto Schultze
Born	11 May 1884(1884-05-11) Oldenburg
Died	22 January 1966(1966-01-22) (aged 81) Hamburg
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1919) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine  Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1900–1942
Rank	Generaladmiral
Unit	SMS König
Commands held	U-63 SMS Elsass
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Pour le Mérite
Relations	Heinz-Otto Schultze (son)

Otto Schultze (11 May 1884 – 22 January 1966) was a Generaladmiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Pour le Mérite during World War I. The Pour le Mérite was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I. As a U boat commander during World War I, he was credited with the sinking of 53 ships for a total of 132,531 long tons (134,658 t), including the HMS Falmouth and SS Transylvania.^[1]

Schultze joined the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) on 7 April 1900 as a Seekadett (sea cadet). He initially served on König during World War I before transferring to the U boat service in 1915, taking command of U-63. He surrendered command of U-63 in mid-December 1917. He then served a first officer of the admiral staff of the commander in chief of the U boats at the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, he held the position of chief of the I. U-Boot-Flottille (1st U boat Flotilla). Between the wars, he held various staff positions. From September 1927-September 1929, he was commander of Elsass.^[2] In October, he took command of the Marinestation der Nordsee (North Sea Naval Station). He was promoted to Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) in 1934 and to Admiral in 1936 retiring in 1937. With the outbreak of World War II, he was reactivated into active service.

His son Heinz-Otto Schultze—a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross—was a U-boat commander during World War II and was killed in action on 25 November 1943 when depth charges from an American B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. Otto Schultze retired on 31 August 1942.^[3]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class^[4]
• Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords^[4]
• Pour le Mérite (18 March 1918)^[4]
• U-boat War Badge (1918)^[4]
• Knight's Cross 2nd Class of the House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis with Swords^[4]
• Gallipoli Star (Türkischer Eiserner Halbmond)^[4]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class^[4]
• War Merit Cross 2nd and 1st Class with Swords^[4]
• German Cross in Silver on 31 August 1942 as Generaladmiral and commanding admiral France^[5]

References

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.

Citations

1. ^ "Otto Schultze". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/wwi/men/commanders/commander.php?officer=313. Retrieved 5 April 2011. 
2. ^ Hildebrand, Röhr and Steinmetz 1990b, p. 34.
3. ^ Huß & Viohl 2003, p. 263.
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Rangliste der Deutschen Reichsmarine, Hrsg.: Reichswehrministerium, Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1929, p. 40.
5. ^ Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 556.

Bibliography

• Hildebrand, Hans H. and Henriot, Ernest (1990a). Deutschlands Admirale 1849-1945 Band 3: P-Z (in German). Biblio Verlag. Osnabrück. ISBN 3-7648-1499-3.
• Hildebrand, Hans H.; Röhr, Albert; Steinmetz, Hans-Otto (1990b) (in German). Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe. Biographien - ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart. (10 Bände). Mundus Verlag. 
• Huß, Jürgen & Viohl, Armin (2003). Die Ritterkreuzträger des Eisernen Kreuzes der preußischen Provinz Schleswig-Holstein und der Freien und Hansestadt Lübeck 1939-1945. Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 3-925 480-79-X.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.

External links

• "Otto Schultze". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/wwi/men/commanders/commander.php?officer=313. Retrieved 5 April 2011. 

Military offices
Preceded by Admiral Karlgeorg Schuster	Commanding Admiral France 2 March 1941 – 8 August 1942	Succeeded by Admiral Wilhelm Marschall

Persondata
Name	Schultze, Otto
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	11 May 1884
Place of birth	Oldenburg
Date of death	22 January 1966
Place of death	Hamburg, Germany