Engelbert Endrass
Engelbert Endrass | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 March 1911 Bamberg |
| Died | 21 December 1941 (aged 30) U-567, Atlantic Ocean, off Azores 44°02′N 20°10′W / 44.033°N 20.167°W |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1935–41 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
| Unit | 7th U-boat Flotilla |
| Commands held | U-46 U-567 |
| Awards | Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves |
Engelbert Endrass (
Early life and career
Endrass began his naval career in April 1935. After some months on the cruiser Deutschland and service on escort ships, he was assigned in October 1937 to the U-boat force. He joined U-47 in December 1938 as Leutnant zur See.
World War II
Engelbert Endrass was Watch Officer when his commanding officer,
Endrass' success continued on his second patrol with U-46, sinking five more ships, including another British auxiliary cruiser, HMS Dunvegan Castle although the main periscope was damaged. The ship carried 23,225 steel drums and 2,700 wooden barrels and 440 tons of timber. Endrass was forced to use three torpedoes, for the drums fitted to British ships in this period was done so deliberately to provide extra ballast. It made sinking them more difficult and more expensive in munitions expenditure.[3] Her loss prompted Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches, Martin Dunbar-Nasmith to order all Liverpool–bound ships to remain in convoy until past the Mull of Kintyre. 277 survivors were rescued by HMS Harvester and HMS Primrose.[4]
Endrass and six other U-boats intercepted Convoy SC 7 and sank many ships. U-46 sank three during the three-day battle.[5] The commander followed this up with an attack on Convoy HX 79, sinking two ships.[6]
Five patrols later he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross. The presentation was made on 30 June 1941 by Adolf Hitler at the Führer Headquarters Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair) in Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn in Poland).
In September 1941 Endrass left U-46, which would become a training vessel, and a month later took over U-567. On his second patrol, he was killed on 21 December 1941 while operating against Convoy HG 76, when U-567 was sunk with all hands by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Deptford and corvette HMS Samphire, northeast of the Azores.
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (5 April 1939)[7]
- Spanish Cross (6 June 1939)[7]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (19 December 1939); with Diamonds (18 July 1941)[9]
- Italian Croce di Guerra with Swords (1 November 1941)[9]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 5 September 1940 as Oberleutnant zur See and commander of U-46[10][11]
- 14th Oak Leaves on 10 June 1941 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-46[10][12]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d Morgan & Taylor 2011, p. 33.
- ^ Vause 1997, p. 52.
- ^ Morgan & Taylor 2011, p. 63.
- ^ Morgan & Taylor 2011, p. 64.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 44.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 42–45.
- ^ a b c d Busch & Röll 2003, p. 62.
- ^ a b Thomas 1997, p. 155.
- ^ a b Busch & Röll 2003, p. 63.
- ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 294.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 172.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 54.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). 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] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Niestlé, Axel (1998). German U-boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction. ISBN 978-1-5575-0641-2.
- ISBN 978-1557500298.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Morgan, Daniel; Taylor, Bruce (2011). U-Boat Attack Logs: A Complete Record of Warship Sinkings from Original Sources, 1939–1945. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-118-2.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- ISBN 978-0-85052-760-5.
- Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
- Vause, Jordan (1997). Wolf: U-boat Commanders in World War II. Washington: ISBN 978-1557508744.
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