Topp and Endrass

[John Pancoast]

Ran across this interesting article written by Topp. Long but worth a look.

https://erenow.net/ww/silent-hunters-german-u-boat-commanders-wwii/2.php

[sublynx]

"Interesting"?!? That's the mother of all understatements. You must be British. That article is so astonishing I at first started to doubt its authenticity, only to find out it's real. It is a must read for all of us. Thanks for the link!

[derstosstrupp]

John, thanks a ton for posting that. We were recently wondering what that writeup was called in our Wolfpack group, I couldn’t for the life of me remember. Those two were the closest of friends. What’s interesting is Buchheim wrote their friendship into Das Boot even! He used pseudonyms for some well-known commanders, and the loss of Endraß and its impact on Topp is a scene in the beginning.

If anyone is interested I can post the translation of that part.

[John Pancoast]

"Interesting"?!? That's the mother of all understatements. You must be British. That article is so astonishing I at first started to doubt its authenticity, only to find out it's real. It is a must read for all of us. Thanks for the link!

"I'm a drunkard" (Bogey Casablanca line when asked his nationality). Actually, I'm 'Merican.
Though ancestors are from England (dad's side) and Germany (mom's).

Yeah at first I thought it was a third party writing about them.

[John Pancoast]

John, thanks a ton for posting that. We were recently wondering what that writeup was called in our Wolfpack group, I couldn’t for the life of me remember. Those two were the closest of friends. What’s interesting is Buchheim wrote their friendship into Das Boot even! He used pseudonyms for some well-known commanders, and the loss of Endraß and its impact on Topp is a scene in the beginning.

If anyone is interested I can post the translation of that part.

Thanks to you too; I didn't realize that about the book. Haven't read it in awhile, have to take a look.

I've always been intrigued by this photo of them too; who were the women ? French, German, what ?

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/kzJmYD.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/plkzJmYDj)

[derstosstrupp]

Ok here’s that part in the novel (Das Boot). Keep in mind Kallmann is Topp and Bartel is Endraß. This is in Bar Royal in the beginning.

The band takes a break. I can hear fragments of the conversation again.
“So where is Kallmann?”
“He’s definitely not coming!”
“Well yeah, that’s understandable!”
Kallmann came in yesterday – with three victory pennants on his half-extended periscope: three steamers. He sank the last one in shallow coastal waters with his cannon: “He swallowed over a hundred shots! Had rough seas. Had to turn to and shoot at an angle of 45 degrees to the sea. – We got a shot at him underwater before at 1900 at dusk. Two hits on 12000 tons – one dud. Then they had us. Depth charges for 8 hours. Probably no more left on board by the time they stopped.”
Kallmann looked like Jesus on the cross with his hollow cheeks and blond stringy beard. He was rubbing his hands together as if he needed to do that in order to press the words out.
We listened intently, shielded our uncertainty by overemphasizing our interest: When would he finally ask the question we all feared?
When he finished his report, he also stopped rubbing his hands. He sat there motionless, with his elbows propped up and his hands folded together. And now, staring off above our heads over his fingertips, he asks with forced indifference in his voice: “What’s the story with Bartel?”
No one answered. The flotilla chief let his head nod forward a tiny bit.
“Well – yeah, I kind of thought, when no more radio message came from him.” A minute of silence, then he pressed the question: “So really no one knows?”
“Nope!”
“Is there still a chance?”
“Nope!”
The cigarette smoke hung motionless in front of their mouths.
“We were together the whole refit time. I brought him back out with me”, said Kallmann finally. Helpless, embarrassed. It could make you puke. We all knew how close friends Kallmann and Bartel were. They always managed to leave port together. They attacked the same convoys. Kallmann said once: “Stiffens your backbone to know that you are not alone.”

[John Pancoast]

Ok here’s that part in the novel (Das Boot). Keep in mind Kallmann is Topp and Bartel is Endraß. This is in Bar Royal in the beginning.

The band takes a break. I can hear fragments of the conversation again.
“So where is Kallmann?”
“He’s definitely not coming!”
“Well yeah, that’s understandable!”
Kallmann came in yesterday – with three victory pennants on his half-extended periscope: three steamers. He sank the last one in shallow coastal waters with his cannon: “He swallowed over a hundred shots! Had rough seas. Had to turn to and shoot at an angle of 45 degrees to the sea. – We got a shot at him underwater before at 1900 at dusk. Two hits on 12000 tons – one dud. Then they had us. Depth charges for 8 hours. Probably no more left on board by the time they stopped.”
Kallmann looked like Jesus on the cross with his hollow cheeks and blond stringy beard. He was rubbing his hands together as if he needed to do that in order to press the words out.
We listened intently, shielded our uncertainty by overemphasizing our interest: When would he finally ask the question we all feared?
When he finished his report, he also stopped rubbing his hands. He sat there motionless, with his elbows propped up and his hands folded together. And now, staring off above our heads over his fingertips, he asks with forced indifference in his voice: “What’s the story with Bartel?”
No one answered. The flotilla chief let his head nod forward a tiny bit.
“Well – yeah, I kind of thought, when no more radio message came from him.” A minute of silence, then he pressed the question: “So really no one knows?”
“Nope!”
“Is there still a chance?”
“Nope!”
The cigarette smoke hung motionless in front of their mouths.
“We were together the whole refit time. I brought him back out with me”, said Kallmann finally. Helpless, embarrassed. It could make you puke. We all knew how close friends Kallmann and Bartel were. They always managed to leave port together. They attacked the same convoys. Kallmann said once: “Stiffens your backbone to know that you are not alone.”

Great, thanks ! I never knew that was about them until you mentioned it.

But it's obvious now.

[sublynx]

Thanks to you too; I didn't realize that about the book. Haven't read it in awhile, have to take a look.

I've always been intrigued by this photo of them too; who were the women ? French, German, what ?

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/kzJmYD.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/plkzJmYDj)

Scheherazade was a club run by Russian emigrees and the girls are probably their girlfriends:

https://books.google.fi/books?id=efpw8MherRgC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=scherazade+paris+brothel&source=bl&ots=5A1xvEhaQj&sig=ACfU3U0OXT_ZklcYS946b6KEqX95xyR78w&hl=fi&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi84cCi18blAhWtwsQBHRHHB5IQ6AEwBHoECAQQA Q#v=onepage&q=scherazade%20paris%20brothel&f=false

[John Pancoast]

Scheherazade was a club run by Russian emigrees and the girls are probably their girlfriends:

https://books.google.fi/books?id=efpw8MherRgC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=scherazade+paris+brothel&source=bl&ots=5A1xvEhaQj&sig=ACfU3U0OXT_ZklcYS946b6KEqX95xyR78w&hl=fi&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi84cCi18blAhWtwsQBHRHHB5IQ6AEwBHoECAQQA Q#v=onepage&q=scherazade%20paris%20brothel&f=false

Yeah I know, thanks for the info. though. I'm just always fascinated by people, circumstances, their lives, what happened to them, etc.

[sublynx]

There's some info on the girlfriends in that link: names, nationalities, one was a singer, the other a dancer. The picture has the info that it was taken in that club, but of course we don't know if the girls in case are the girls mentioned in the book.

[John Pancoast]

There's some info on the girlfriends in that link: names, nationalities, one was a singer, the other a dancer. The picture has the info that it was taken in that club, but of course we don't know if the girls in case are the girls mentioned in the book.

Ok thanks. I'll do some more digging via that link.

[sublynx]

I only now read that Castor and Pollux as the star constellation Gemini were of help to sailors, and that of the twins the other was mortal and the other immortal. How fitting to the ancient myth, that thousands of years later, of the re-emerged Castor and Pollux, Endrass died very young, and Topp lived nearly a hundred years. In the Greek myth the immortal twin gave half of his immortality to his dead brother. Now Topp and Endrass on the other hand, in the submarine enthusiast circles, they are as close to immortality as anything human can be.

[Leoz]

Wow. Thanks for sharing. Great read.



I love the second photo where you see Topp just visible behind Endrass and his (wife?). Great photo.



Many years later Topp wrote about Reinhard Suhren's funeral in depressing words.


Suhren was such a joker that one would think he would only want light hardheartedness at his funeral.

[Obltn Strand]

That was a commuter ride will spent. Thanks for sharing...

I don't recall the source but Topp once told Teddy Suhren had something going on with Eva Braun:hmmm: