Engelbert Endrass
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant
Engelbert Endrass (2 March 1911 – 21 December 1941) was a German
U-boat
commander
in World War II
. He commanded the Type VIIB U-boat
and the Type VIIC
, sinking twenty-two ships on ten patrols, for a total of 118,528 tons of Allied shipping, to become the 23rd highest scoring U-Boat ace of World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. It was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Engelbert Endrass.
Endrass began his naval career in April 1935. After some months on the cruiser
and some escort ships, he was assigned in October 1937 to the U-boat force. He joined in December 1938 as Leutnant zur See. He was first Watch Officer when Günther Prien
made his famous Scapa Flow
attack and sank . The famous snorting bull emblem on U-47s conning tower was painted by Endrass before they returned.
Endrass remained on U-47 until December 1939, when he left the U-boat and after some training courses took over command of in May 1940 from Herbert Sohler
who failed to have proper success. Endrass had immediate success and sank five ships, including the British auxiliary cruiser .
His success continued and on his second patrol with U-46, he sank five more ships, including another British auxiliary cruiser, although the main periscope was damaged. After returning from this patrol Endrass received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. Five patrols later he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.
In September 1941 he left U-46 and a month later took over . On his second patrol he was killed on December 21, 1941, when U-567 was sunk with all hands by depth charge
s from the British sloop
and corvette
, northeast of the Azores
.
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Engelbert Endrass (2 March 1911 – 21 December 1941) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He commanded the Type VIIB U-boat
German Type IX submarine
The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...
and the Type VIIC
German Type IX submarine
The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...
, sinking twenty-two ships on ten patrols, for a total of 118,528 tons of Allied shipping, to become the 23rd highest scoring U-Boat ace of World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. It was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Engelbert Endrass.
Career
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
and some escort ships, he was assigned in October 1937 to the U-boat force. He joined in December 1938 as Leutnant zur See. He was first Watch Officer when Günther Prien
Günther Prien
Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien was one of the outstanding German U-boat aces of the first part of the Second World War, and the first U-boat commander to win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Under Prien's command, the submarine sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about...
made his famous Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
attack and sank . The famous snorting bull emblem on U-47s conning tower was painted by Endrass before they returned.
Endrass remained on U-47 until December 1939, when he left the U-boat and after some training courses took over command of in May 1940 from Herbert Sohler
Herbert Sohler
Herbert Sohler was a German U-boat commander of the Second World War.-Career:He commanded U-10 from 4 April to 31 July 1938...
who failed to have proper success. Endrass had immediate success and sank five ships, including the British auxiliary cruiser .
His success continued and on his second patrol with U-46, he sank five more ships, including another British auxiliary cruiser, although the main periscope was damaged. After returning from this patrol Endrass received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. Five patrols later he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.
In September 1941 he left U-46 and a month later took over . On his second patrol he was killed on December 21, 1941, when U-567 was sunk with all hands by depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s from the British sloop
Grimsby class sloop
With the realisation that war was approaching, 13 Grimsby class sloops were laid down in the mid to late 1930s. Of these eight were built in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy, four in Australia for the Royal Australian Navy and one for India...
and corvette
Flower class corvette
The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
, northeast of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
.
Awards
- Dienstauszeichnung 4th Class (5 April 1939)
- Spanish CrossSpanish CrossThe Spanish Cross was an award of Germany given to Germans who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco.- History :With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany sent the Condor Legion to give military aid to Francisco Franco's nationalist forces.On April 14, 1939, Germany...
(6 June 1939) - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd Class (25 September 1939)
- 1st Class (17 October 1939)
- U-boat War BadgeU-boat War BadgeThe U-Boat War Badge was a German war badge that was awarded to U-boat crew members during World War I and World War II.-History:The U-boat War Badge was originally instituted during the First World War on February 1, 1918. It was awarded to recognize U-boat crews who had completed three war patrols...
(1939) (19 December 1939)- with Diamonds (18 July 1941)
- Italian Croce di GuerraCroce di GuerraThe Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare is an Italian decoration for military valour.- Past recipients :* Edouard Izac, Lieutenant, United States Navy* Douglas MacArthur, General, United States Army...
with Swords (1 November 1941) - Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak LeavesKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 5 September 1940 as Oberleutnant zur See and commander of U-46
- 14th Oak Leaves on 10 June 1941 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-46
- U-boat War BadgeU-boat War BadgeThe U-Boat War Badge was a German war badge that was awarded to U-boat crew members during World War I and World War II.-History:The U-boat War Badge was originally instituted during the First World War on February 1, 1918. It was awarded to recognize U-boat crews who had completed three war patrols...
(1939)- U-boat War Badge (19 December 1939)
- U-boat War Badge with Diamonds (18 July 1941)
- Mentioned seven times in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....