"Otto der Schweigsame (Silent Otto)"@en . ", 31 July 1937 \u2013 15 August 1937" . . "(to 1933)" . . . "1930Z"^^ . "Kretschmer, Otto"@en . . . . . "1912Z"^^ . "German World War II U-boat commander" . "1998Z"^^ . . "(to 1945)" . "Otto Kretschmer"@en . ", 18 April 1940 \u2013 17 March 1941" . ", 1 October 1937 \u2013 1 April 1940" . "1912-05-01Z"^^ . . "Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 \u2013 5 August 1998) was the most successful German U-boat 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 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern), among other awards."@en . "1998-08-05Z"^^ .