GRGR(22) - Silent Otto

[David Morris]

>From: Paul Mackin > German engineer Nikolaus August Otto invented an early 
>four-stroke internal
> > combustion engine. It was known as the Otto, or the Silent Otto because 
>it
> > was relatively quiet.

The above reference was probably the original use of the moniker.  The more 
relevant WW2 application would be the nickname given to this later "Silent 
Otto."

>From HyperArts:
http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/gravity/gravity-f.html?gravity.header.html&gravity.left.html&ety.html

Born May 1, 1912, Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat Fregattenkapitän 
during World War II. He was quite successful, sinking a total of 44 Allied 
ships, mostly in the Atlantic in 1940 and 1941 before being captured by a 
British destroyer HMS Walker southeast of Iceland on March 17, 1941. He 
earned the moniker "Silent Otto" because he attacked on the surface at 
night, relying on the small silhouette of a U-boat not to give them away and 
the superior speed of the craft to get them away from the scene of 
devastation as quickly as possible. His motto was "One torpedo ... one 
ship." A ruthless U-boat commander, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with 
oak leaves (equivalent of Victoria Cross) by Hitler.
Kretschmer was accused by the British of war crimes for conducting a 
disciplinary hearing against another German submarine officer who had been 
accused of cowardice while they were both held in the same POW camp--it 
being contrary to the Geneva convention for POWs to hold a court-martial. 
Kretschmer argued that he held a 'council of honour' which did not pass 
sentence against the officer. In any case, charges were not pressed and he 
was later released.

After the war "Silent Otto" served 15 years in the "Bundesmarine" (post-war 
German navy), his last rank was the "Flotillenadmiral."

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http://uboat.net/men/interviews/kretschmer.htm
Real-Audio inteviews with "Silent Otto"


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