U-46

Type

VIIB

 
Ordered21 Nov 1936
Laid down24 Feb 1937 F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 581)
Launched10 Sep 1938
Commissioned2 Nov 1938Kptlt. Herbert Sohler
Commanders
2 Nov 1938 - 21 May 1940   Herbert Sohler
22 May 1940 - 24 Sep 1941  Kptlt. Engelbert Endrass (Knights Cross)
Oct, 1941 - 19 Nov 1941  Oblt. Peter-Ottmar Grau
20 Nov 1941 - Mar, 1942  Oblt. Konstantin von Puttkamer
Mar, 1942 - Apr, 1942  Oblt. Kurt Neubert
20 Apr 1942 - May, 1942   Ernst von Witzendorff
May, 1942 - Jul, 1942  Ltn. Franz Saar
Aug, 1942 - 30 Apr 1943  Oblt. Joachim Knecht
1 May 1943 - Oct, 1943  Oblt. Erich Jewinski
Career
13 patrols
2 Nov 1938-31 Aug 1939  7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Sep 1939-31 Dec 1939  7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jan 1940-1 Sep 1941  7. Flottille (front boat)
2 Sep 1941-31 Mar 1942  26. Flottille (training)
1 Apr 1942-1 Jul 1942  24. Flottille (training)
1 Sep 1942-1 Oct 1943  24. Flottille (training)
Successes20 ships sunk for a total of 85,792 GRT
2 auxiliary warships sunk for a total of 35,284 GRT
4 ships damaged for a total of 25,491 GRT
1 ship a total loss for a total of 2,080 GRT
Fate

Stricken at Neustadt in October 1943. Scuttled on 4 May 1945 in Kupfermühlen Bay, in position 54.50N, 09.29E.

See the 27 ships hit by U-46 - View the 13 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-46 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Rösing (12 Jun 1940 - 15 Jun 1940)
   West (19 May 1941 - 6 Jun 1941)

Attacks on this boat

13 Apr 1940
During the battle around Narvik, Norway the boat was depth charged and severely damaged by British destroyers supporting HMS Warspite. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 152)

3 Aug 1940
The British submarine HMS Triad (Lt. Cm George Salt) was returning from patrol off Fedjeosen, to the north of Bergen, she spotted U-46 (Endrass) as she was sailing for patrol. Not being able to find a firing position, Triad surfaced and attacked U-46 with her 102mm gun at 2230 hours. Endrass decided not to engage and dived. Triad also dived and tried to hunt the U-boat, but both boats lost contact. HMS Triad was lost in action only 6 weeks later.

25 Oct 1940
3 Hudson aircraft from the 228th RAF Squadron attacked U-46 and one man was fatally wounded and died the next day. [Matrosengefreiter Plaep]

8 Jun 1941
The torpedoed British tanker Ensis rammed its attacker, the U-46, and damaged its tower and periscope. The damages forced the boat to abort the patrol. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 306)

4 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

3 Apr 1941. On 3 April, 1941 U-46 had to return to base due to serious problems with the flaps of the torpedo tubes.

Men lost from the boat

27 Sep 1940
The boat lost two men during an unintentional dive.[Oberbootsmaat Heinrich Schenk, Matrosenobergefreiter Wilhelm Reh]

25 Oct 1940
3 Hudson aircraft from the 228th RAF Squadron attacked U-46 and one man was fatally wounded and died the next day. [Matrosengefreiter Plaep]

27 Mar 1941
The boat lost a man, Oberleutnant zur See Helmut Pöttgen, overboard.

  Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -


We have emblem entries for this boat!

You can view the emblems here. (The emblem on the left is not the emblem for this boat).



U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2
Wynn, Kenneth


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Books dealing with this subject include:

German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Niestle, Axel, 1998.
Hitler's U-boat War. Blair, Clay, 1996.
Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II. Blair, Clay, 1998.
Narvik. Dickens, Peter and Grove, Eric J., 1996.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.


There was another U-46 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 18 May 1915 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 17 Dec 1915. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about the U 46 during WWI.