Otto von Bülow

Otto von Bülow was a German naval officer who served as a U-boat commander in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He is credited with sinking over 15 ships during the Battle of the Atlantic, for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. After the war, he joined the post-war German Navy and served as a senior officer in NATO before retiring in 1970.

Early life and career

Otto von Bülow was born on 15 October 1911 in Wilhelmshaven, a major naval base of the German Empire. He entered the Reichsmarine as an officer candidate in 1930, receiving his early training on the sail training ship ''Gorch Fock''. His initial sea service was aboard the light cruiser , followed by postings to the light cruiser and the battleship ''Schleswig-Holstein''. In 1936, he transferred to the newly emerging U-boat arm, attending the U-boat School in Mürwik before serving as a watch officer on under the command of Karl-Heinz Moehle. This period during the interwar years and the early phases of World War II provided him with critical experience in submarine warfare prior to assuming his own command.

World War II service

In September 1941, von Bülow took command of the Type VIIC submarine , part of the 1st U-boat Flotilla based in Brest. He conducted ten war patrols, primarily operating in the North Atlantic and along the eastern seaboard of the United States during Operation Drumbeat. His notable successes included sinking the American tanker ''Robert H. Colley'' and participating in attacks on several key Allied convoys. In March 1943, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his tonnage achievements. His most famous action occurred in April 1943, when he successfully attacked and severely damaged the British escort carrier HMS ''Biter'', an action for which he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross in April 1944. His final patrols faced increasingly effective Allied countermeasures, including hunter-killer groups centered on escort carriers and advances in ASDIC technology. In late 1944, he was transferred to command the new Type XXI submarine , but saw no further combat before the surrender in May 1945.

Post-war life and death

After the war, von Bülow was held by the British until 1946. He subsequently worked in the private sector before rejoining the military in 1956 as part of the nascent German Navy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Serving in the Bundeswehr, he held several important staff and command positions, contributing to the integration of the new navy into the NATO alliance. His post-war commands included the salvaged Type XXI submarine ''Wilhelm Bauer'' (ex-U-2540), used for testing. He retired with the rank of Kapitän zur See in 1970. Otto von Bülow died on 5 January 2006 in Hamburg at the age of 94.

Awards and decorations

Throughout his military career, Otto von Bülow received several high-ranking awards. His highest decoration was the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, awarded on 26 April 1944. He had previously received the Knight's Cross on 20 March 1943. Other notable awards included the Iron Cross First Class and Second Class, the U-boat War Badge with diamonds, and the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Bronze. After his service in the Bundeswehr, he was also a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Category:1911 births Category:2006 deaths Category:German military personnel of World War II Category:German U-boat commanders of World War II Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves