What was the military rank of Engelbert Endrass before Aug 1936?
Engelbert Endrass Engelbert Endrass ( ) ( 2 March 1911 – 21 December 1941 ) was a German U-boat commander in World War II . He commanded the and the , being credited with sinking 22 ships on ten patrols , for a total of of Allied shipping , to purportedly become the 23rd highest claiming U-boat commander of World War II . He was a recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany . It was Germanys 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 and service on escort ships , he was assigned in October 1937 to the U-boat force . He joined in December 1938 as Leutnant zur See . World War II . Engelbert Endrass was Watch Officer when his commanding officer , Günther Prien penetrated the defences at Scapa Flow attack and sank the battleship in October 1939 . The snorting bull emblem on U-47s conning tower was painted by Endrass before they returned . Endrass painted this symbol on all subsequent boats on which he served . The reason , given by Endrass for this , was the sight of Priens demeanour as U-47 entered Scapa Flow , his frowning face and hunched shoulders reminded him of a bull in a ring . Endrass remained on U-47 until May 1940 , when he left and took over command of from the relatively unsuccessful Herbert Sohler , who had only sunk two ships in five patrols . Endrass had immediate success . He sank the British auxiliary cruiser on his first patrol . The patrol yielded over 4,000 tons . Endrass success continued on his second patrol with U-46 , sinking five more ships , including another British auxiliary cruiser , 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 . 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 . Endrass and six other U-boats intercepted Convoy SC 7 and sank many ships . U-46 sank three during the three-day battle . The commander followed this up with an attack on Convoy HX 79 , sinking two ships . Five patrols later he received the Oak Leaves to his Knights Cross . The presentation was made on 30 June 1941 by Adolf Hitler at the Führer Headquarter Wolfsschanze ( Wolfs 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 . 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 and corvette , northeast of the Azores . Summary of career . Awards . - Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class ( 5 April 1939 ) - Spanish Cross ( 6 June 1939 ) - Iron Cross ( 1939 ) - 2nd Class ( 25 September 1939 ) - 1st Class ( 17 October 1939 ) - U-boat War Badge ( 1939 ) ( 19 December 1939 ) ; with Diamonds ( 18 July 1941 ) - Italian Croce di Guerra with Swords ( 1 November 1941 ) - Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves - Knights 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