# Engelbert Endrass
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{{Short description|German WW2 U-Boat commander}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Engelbert Endrass
|birth_date={{birth date|1911|3|2|df=y}}
|death_date={{death date and age|1941|12|21|1911|3|2|df=y}}
|birth_place=[Bamberg](/source/Bamberg)
|death_place={{GS|U-567||2}}, [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean), off [Azores](/source/Azores)
{{coord|44|02|N|20|10|W|name=Engelbert Endrass (death)}}
|image=Engelbert Endrass.jpg
|caption=
|nickname=
|allegiance={{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|service_years=1935–41
|rank=[Kapitänleutnant](/source/Kapit%C3%A4nleutnant)
|branch={{navy|Nazi Germany}}
|commands={{GS|U-46|1938|2}}
{{GS|U-567||2}}
|unit=[7th U-boat Flotilla](/source/7th_U-boat_Flotilla)
|battles=
|awards=[Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves](/source/Knight's_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross)
|relations=
|other_work=
}}
'''Engelbert Endrass''' ({{langx|de|Engelbert Endraß}}) (2 March 1911 – 21 December 1941) was a German [U-boat](/source/U-boat) commander in [World War II](/source/World_War_II). He commanded the {{GS|U-46|1938|2}} and the {{GS|U-567||2}}, being credited with sinking 22 ships on ten patrols, for a total of {{GRT|118,528|disp=long}} of [Allied](/source/Allies_of_World_War_II) shipping, to purportedly become the 23rd highest claiming U-boat commander of World War II. He was a recipient of the [Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves](/source/Knight's_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves) of [Nazi Germany](/source/Nazi_Germany). It was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Endrass.
==Early life and career==
Endrass began his naval career in April 1935. After some months on the [cruiser](/source/cruiser) {{Ship|German cruiser|Deutschland||2}} and service on escort ships, he was assigned in October 1937 to the [U-boat](/source/U-boat) force. He joined {{GS|U-47|1938|2}} in December 1938 as ''[Leutnant zur See](/source/Leutnant_zur_See)''.
==World War II==
Engelbert Endrass was Watch Officer when his commanding officer, [Günther Prien](/source/G%C3%BCnther_Prien) penetrated the defences at [Scapa Flow](/source/Scapa_Flow) attack and sank the [battleship](/source/battleship) {{HMS|Royal Oak|08|6}} in October 1939. The snorting bull emblem on ''U-47''{{'}}s conning tower was painted by Endrass before they returned. Endrass painted this symbol on all subsequent boats on which he served.{{sfn|Morgan|Taylor|2011|p=33}} The reason, given by Endrass for this, was the sight of Prien's demeanour as ''U-47'' entered Scapa Flow, "his frowning face and hunched shoulders reminded him of a bull in a ring."{{sfn|Vause|1997|p=52}} Endrass remained on ''U-47'' until May 1940, when he left and took over command of {{GS|U-46|1938|2}} from the relatively unsuccessful [Herbert Sohler](/source/Herbert_Sohler), who had only sunk two ships in five patrols.{{sfn|Morgan|Taylor|2011|p=33}} Endrass had immediate success. He sank {{HMS|Carinthia}}, an [auxiliary cruiser](/source/auxiliary_cruiser), on his first patrol.{{sfn|Morgan|Taylor|2011|p=33}} The patrol yielded over 4,000 tons.{{sfn|Morgan|Taylor|2011|p=33}}
thumb|upright|Snorting bull emblem on the conning tower painted by Endrass
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 were to provide extra [ballast](/source/ballast). It made sinking them more difficult and more expensive in munitions expenditure.{{sfn| Morgan|Taylor|2011|p=63}} Her loss prompted the [Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches](/source/Commander-in-Chief%2C_Western_Approaches), [Martin Dunbar-Nasmith](/source/Martin_Dunbar-Nasmith), to order all [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool)–bound ships to remain in convoy until past the [Mull of Kintyre](/source/Mull_of_Kintyre); 277 survivors were rescued by {{HMS|Harvester|H19|6}} and {{HMS|Primrose|K91|6}}.{{sfn| Morgan|Taylor|2011|p=64}}
Endrass and six other U-boats intercepted [Convoy SC 7](/source/Convoy_SC_7) and sank many ships. ''U-46'' sank three during the three-day battle.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=44}} The commander followed this up with an attack on [Convoy HX 79](/source/Convoy_HX_79), sinking two ships.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|pp=42–45}}
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](/source/F%C3%BChrer_Headquarters) of the ''[Wolfsschanze](/source/Wolf's_Lair)'' (Wolf's Lair) in [Rastenburg](/source/K%C4%99trzyn) (now Kętrzyn in Poland).
In September 1941 Endrass left ''U-46'', which would become a training vessel and a month later took over {{GS|U-567||2}}. On his second patrol, he was killed on 21 December 1941 while operating against [Convoy HG 76](/source/Convoy_HG_76), when ''U-567'' was sunk with all hands by [depth charge](/source/depth_charge)s from {{HMS|Deptford|U53|6}} a {{sclass|Grimsby|sloop}} and {{HMS|Samphire|K128|6}} a {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}}, northeast of the [Azores](/source/Azores).
==Awards==
*[Wehrmacht Long Service Award](/source/Wehrmacht_Long_Service_Award) 4th Class (5 April 1939){{sfn|Busch|Röll|2003|p=62}}
*[Spanish Cross](/source/Spanish_Cross) (6 June 1939){{sfn|Busch|Röll|2003|p=62}}
*[Iron Cross](/source/Iron_Cross) (1939)
** 2nd Class (25 September 1939){{sfn|Busch|Röll|2003|p=62}}{{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=155}}
** 1st Class (17 October 1939){{sfn|Busch|Röll|2003|p=62}}{{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=155}}
*[U-boat War Badge](/source/U-boat_War_Badge) (1939) (19 December 1939); with Diamonds (18 July 1941){{sfn|Busch|Röll|2003|p=63}}
*Italian [Croce di Guerra](/source/Croce_di_Guerra) with Swords (1 November 1941){{sfn|Busch|Röll|2003|p=63}}
*[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves](/source/Knight's_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves)
**Knight's Cross on 5 September 1940 as ''[Oberleutnant zur See](/source/Oberleutnant_zur_See)'' and commander of ''U-46''{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=294}}{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|p=172}}
**14th Oak Leaves on 10 June 1941 as ''[Kapitänleutnant](/source/Kapit%C3%A4nleutnant)'' and commander of ''U-46''{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=294}}{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|p=54}}
==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|25em}}
===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book
|last1=Busch
|first1=Rainer
|last2=Röll
|first2=Hans-Joachim
|year=2003
|title=Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945
|trans-title=The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945
|language=de
|location=Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany
|publisher=Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn
|isbn=978-3-8132-0515-2
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Fellgiebel
|first=Walther-Peer
|year=2000
|orig-year=1986
|title=Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile
|trans-title=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
|language=de
|location=Friedberg, Germany
|publisher=Podzun-Pallas
|isbn=978-3-7909-0284-6
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Niestlé
|first=Axel
|year=1998
|title=German U-boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction
|publisher=[Naval Institute Press](/source/Naval_Institute_Press)
|isbn=978-1-5575-0641-2
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Rohwer
|first=Jürgen
|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer
|year=1999
|title=Axis submarine successes of World War Two: German, Italian, and Japanese submarine successes, 1939-1945
|publisher=Greenhill Books
|isbn=978-1557500298
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Rohwer
|first1=Jürgen
|last2=Hümmelchen
|first2=Gerhard
|author-link1=Jürgen Rohwer
|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two
|year=2005
|publisher=Naval Institute Press
|location= Annapolis, Maryland
|isbn=1-59114-119-2
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Morgan
|first1=Daniel
|last2=Taylor
|first2=Bruce
|year=2011
|title=U-Boat Attack Logs: A Complete Record of Warship Sinkings from Original Sources, 1939–1945
|publisher=Seaforth Publishing
|isbn=978-1-84832-118-2
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Scherzer
|first=Veit
|year=2007
|title=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
|trans-title=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
|language=de
|location=Jena, Germany
|publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag
|isbn=978-3-938845-17-2
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Terraine
|first=John
|author-link=John Terraine
|title=Business in Great Waters: The U-Boat Wars, 1916–1945
|publisher=Leo Cooper
|location=London
|year=1989
|isbn=978-0-85052-760-5
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Thomas
|first=Franz
|year=1997
|title=Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K
|trans-title=The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K
|language=de
|location=Osnabrück, Germany
|publisher=Biblio-Verlag
|isbn=978-3-7648-2299-6
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Vause
|first=Jordan
|year=1997
|title=Wolf: U-boat Commanders in World War II
|location=Washington
|publisher=[Naval Institute Press](/source/Naval_Institute_Press)
|isbn=978-1557508744
}}
==External links==
* {{PM20|FID=pe/004713}}
{{Subject bar
| portal1=Biography
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Endrass, Engelbert}}
Category:1911 births
Category:1940s missing person cases
Category:1941 deaths
Category:Kriegsmarine personnel killed in World War II
Category:German military personnel of the Spanish Civil War
Category:People from Bamberg
Category:Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria
Category:People who died at sea
Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Category:Reichsmarine personnel
Category:U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine)
Category:Captains who went down with the ship
Category:German sea captains
Category:Military personnel from Bavaria
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Engelbert Endrass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Endrass) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Endrass?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.