'One Torpedo, One Ship': An appraisal of Otto Kretschmer's U-boat tactics, 1939–1941. Issue 2 (3rd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Magnozzi, Michele
• Is Part Of: Mariner's mirror. Volume 107:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 202
• Page End: 215
• Publication Date: 2021-04-03
• Subjects: Otto Kretschmer -- U-boat tactics -- Battle of the Atlantic -- Convoys -- 'One Torpedo -- One Ship' -- surface attacks -- anti-submarine warfare; Naval history -- Periodicals; Naval art and science -- Periodicals; Maritieme geschiedenis (wetenschap); Electronic journals; History -- Periodicals; 623.805
• DOI: 10.1080/00253359.2021.1898209
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2049-680X

Abstract

Abstract : Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. While his wartime actions have been narrated several times, his tactics, summarized by the famous motto 'one torpedo, one ship', have never been systematically analysed. In this work, Kretschmer's success is appraised through the analysis of the key characteristics of his attacks, and the conditions of the battlefield in which he operated. In doing so, both the effectiveness and limitations of Kretschmer's tactics are clarified and put into the context of the Battle of the Atlantic.