Otto Kretschmer nació el 1 de mayo de 1912 en Heidau, Silesia, Germany [ahora Golanka Dolna, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]. Estuvo casado con Luise-Charlotte Mohnsen-Hinrichs. Murió el 5 de agosto de 1998 en Baviera, Alemania.
Otto Kretschmer was the most successful German U-boat commander in the Second World War. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and by March 1941, sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons (more than any other Nazi U-Boat captain)
In March 1941 his U-99 was itself sunk by several destroyers protecting convoy HX-11 and Kretschmer was rescued from the water by a British seaman.
