Otto Ites

Otto Ites
File:Ites.jpg Otto Ites
Born	(1918-02-05)5 February 1918
Died	2 February 1982(1982-02-02) (aged 63)
Place of birth	Norden
Place of death	Norden
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine German Navy
Years of service	1936–1945, 1956–1977
Rank	Kapitänleutnant (Kriegsmarine) Konteradmiral (Bundesmarine)
Unit	Schlesien torpedo boats Kondor and Albatros U-51 U-48
Commands held	U-146 U-94 destroyer Zerstörer 2 (D171)
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Other work	Dentist

Otto Christian Ites (5 February 1918 – 2 February 1982) was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later a Konteradmiral with the Bundesmarine. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Otto Ites, born on 5 February 1918 in Norden in the Province of Hanover a Free State of Prussia, joined the military service of the Kriegsmarine on 3 April 1936.

Ites served as second watch officer on nine war patrols on U-48, the first five patrols under the command of Herbert Schultze, two patrols under Hans-Rudolf Rösing and two patrols under Heinrich Bleichrodt. Promoted to Oberleutnant zur See on 1 October 1940 and he was made first watch officer on U-48. In this position he went on one more patrol (10 November 1940 – 13 March 1941), U-48 now again under the command of Herbert Schultze. He commanded U-146 and U-94, sinking fifteen ships on seven patrols, for a total of 76,882 gross register tons (GRT) tons of Allied shipping. In September 1941 the Pegasus was torpedoed and all the crew managed to scramble into 2 lifeboats. One of the lifeboats was rescued but the other was found empty and upside down. The Captain reported that the Pegasus was torpedoed twice, the first one caused quite a lot of damage and the crew left the ship, but then she was torpedoed again and she sank. On 28 August 1942 U-94 was sunk by depth charges in the Caribbean Sea, in position 17°40′N 74°30′W from a Catalina of VP-92 and by the Canadian corvette HMCS Oakville. Ites and 25 of her crew were taken prisoner of war. Ites remained in US captivity at Camp Crossville, Tennessee, until 1 May 1946.

After the war Otto Ites matriculated at the University of Bonn in the winter semester 1946/47. He submitted his dissertation on 20 October 1950 at the medical faculty. Dr. Ites joined the military service of the Bundesmarine and as Fregattenkapitän commanded the destroyer Zerstörer 2 (D171), formerly USS Ringgold (DD-500), from November 1960 until September 1962. His twin brother, Oberleutnant zur See Rudolf Ites, commander of U-709, was killed in action on 1 March 1944. U-709 was sunk by depth charges from the US destroyer escorts USS Thomas, Bostwick and Bronstein north of the Azores at 49°10′N 26°00′W.

Summary of career

Ships Attacked

As a U-boat commander of U-146 and U-94 Otto Ites is credited with the sinking of 15 merchant ships for a total of 76,882 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging one further ship of 8,022 GRT.

Date	Name of ship	Flag	Tonnage	Fate
28 Jun 1941	Pluto	Finland	3,496	Sunk at 58°48′N 08°45′W
15 September 1941	Newbury	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	5,102	Sunk at 54°39′N 28°04′W
15 September 1941	Pegasus	Greece	5,762	Sunk at 54°40′N 29°50′W
15 September 1941	Empire Eland	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	5,613	Sunk at 54°00′N 28°00′W
1 October 1941	San Florentino	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	12,842	Sunk at 52°50′N 34°40′W
24 February 1942	Empire Hail	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	7,005	Sunk at 44°48′N 40°21′W
9 March 1942	Cayrǘ	Brazil	5,152	Sunk at 39°10′N 72°02′W
11 March 1942	Hvoslef	Norway	1,630	Sunk at 38°27′N 74°54′W
25 March 1942	Imperial Transport	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	8,022	Damaged at 46°26′N 41°30′W
12 May 1942	Coclé	Panama	5,630	Sunk at 52°37′N 29°13′W
13 May 1942	Tolken	Sweden	4,471	Sunk at 51°50′N 33°35′W
13 May 1942	Batna	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	4,399	Sunk at 52°09′N 33°56′W
5 June 1942	Maria de Glória*	Portugal	320	Sunk at 50°14′N 39°12′W
10 June 1942	Ramsay	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	4,855	Sunk at 51°53′N 34°59′W
10 June 1942	Empire Clough	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	6,147	Sunk at 51°50′N 35°00′W
11 June 1942	Pontypridd	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	4,458	Sunk at 49°50′N 41°37′W

* Sailing vessel

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (27 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (25 February 1940)
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (21 December 1939)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 March 1942 as Oberleutnant zur See and commander of U-94
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht on 30 March 1942 and 18 June 1942

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Monday, 30 March 1942	Bei den Erfolgen gegen die britisch-amerikanische Handelsschiffahrt im Nordatlantik hat sich das Unterseeboot unter Führung des Oberleutnants zur See Ites besonders ausgezeichnet.	In the success against the Anglo-American merchant shipping in the North Atlantic, the submarine under the leadership of Lieutenant at Sea Ites has particularly distinguished itself.
Thursday, 18 June 1942	Die Unterseeboote unter Führung der Kapitänleutnante Mohr, Topp, Witte und von Rosenstiel und des Oberleutnants zur See Ites haben sich bei der Bekämpfung der feindlichen Versorgungsschiffahrt besonders ausgezeichnet.	The submarines under the leadership of Captain Lieutenant Mohr, Topp, Witte and von Rosenstiel and Lieutenant at Sea Ites have in the fight against the enemy supply shipping particularly distinguished themselves.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Busch, Hans-Joachim; Röll (2003) (in German). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945]. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2. 
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches]. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
• Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2. 
• Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1. 
• Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
• (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1943]. München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 

External links

• Otto Ites in the German National Library catalogue
• uboat.net
• BBC