Otto von Bülow

Otto von Bülow ( born October 16, 1911 in Wilhelmshaven, † January 5, 2006 in Wohltorf ) was a German U- boat commander in World War II as well as sea captain of the German Navy.

Family

Otto came from the Mecklenburg Uradelsgeschlecht those of Bulow and was the son of Captain Otto von Bülow (1874-1930) and his wife Johanna, née Meyer ( 1883-1937 ).

On June 5, 1937, he married Helga Christiansen ( born April 2, 1914 in rodding, Denmark) in Bremen.

Military Career

Bülow became effective on 1 April 1930 as Seeoffizieranwärter in the Imperial Navy and finished an infantry training in the Division II ship master division of the Baltic in Stralsund. His board training Bülow graduated from July 1930 on the Niobe and from October until the beginning of 1932 on the light cruiser Emden. It was followed by further training courses in Stralsund and 1932-1933 the main course for midshipmen at the Naval Academy Mürwik.

1933 Bülow was transferred to the ironclad Germany, where he served as Division lieutenant and battery commander as from 1 April 1934. In September 1935, he joined as a company officer and company commander of the Fla-Kompanie/VI. Marine Artillery Division to Emden. In the years 1937-1939 led Bülow as division officer of the I.WO and anti-aircraft AO on the battleship Schleswig -Holstein and 1939-1940 as a company commander of the Marine Artillery Division and commander of the Naval Flak Battalion in pillau.

From April 1940 Bülow moved to U- boat arm, completed training and courses and was on 11 November 1940 Commander of U 3 ( 21 U- Boat Flotilla ) appointed. On 6 August 1941, he finally was given command of the newly put into service in U 404 ( 6 U- Flotilla ), with whom he sank 15 ships, including a British destroyer and 2 ships damaged. Bülow was awarded on 20 October 1942, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On September 1, 1943, he was appointed flotilla of 23 U- Flotilla in Gdansk. In April 1945 he was again entrusted with the command of U 2545 ( 31 U- Flotilla ) in the short term, but in the same month, the Marine assault battalion I Neustrelitz, Plön and Mürwik was conferred on him.

Bülow came in May 1945 in British captivity, from which he has already been released in August. He joined the German Army in 1956, was commander from 1956 to 1959 in Bremerhaven, then to 1962, commander of the destroyer Z 6 1963 him the command has been transmitted through the 3rd Destroyer Squadron.

Then Bülow taught until 1965 at the Staff College / Department Marine in Blankenese. Bülow was from 1965 to 1970 commander and commander of Hamburg location.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939 ), Second Class and First Class on April 6, 1942
• U- boat War Badge (1939 )
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on October 20, 1942
• Oak Leaves on April 26th 1943 ( 234 awards )