Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

July 26th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

December 10th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

June 14th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

August 14th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

August 15th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Obersturmführer der Reserve (1st Lieutenant of Reserves)

Awarded on:

1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Obersturmführer der Reserve (1st Lieutenant of Reserves)

Awarded on:

December 31st, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve (Captain of Reserves)

Unit:

Chef, 13. Kompanie, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 "Theodor Eicke", 3. SS-Panzer-Division 'Totenkopf'

Awarded on:

June 4th, 1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve (Captain of Reserves)

Awarded on:

February 2nd, 1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve (Captain of Reserves)

Unit:

Führer, II. Bataillon, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 "Theodor Eicke", 3. SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf"

Awarded on:

March 23rd, 1945

Endreß’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…

“On the 01.01.1945 we launched an attack to break through the Vertes mountains south of the Danube. One of the units participating in this operation was Kampfgruppe Kleffner (composed of the reinforced SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt. 6 ‘Theodor Eicke’ and the subordinated SS-Panzer-Regiment 3), which reached the Bajot area in the evening hours of the 02.01.1945.

Kampfgruppe Kleffner recommenced its attack at 00:00 on the 03.01.1945 following a brief regrouping. It moved out of the Bajot area as the Division’s main group in the direction of Bajna.

At first the point Bataillon (II./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt. 6 ‘Theodor Eicke’ under the command of SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans Endreß) made swift progress and reached the hills northwest of Bajna by the early morning hours. It was here that the attack first ground to a halt under heavy enemy defensive fire. The enemy had prepared the village of Bajna for defense, and were helped massively in this regard by the area’s extremely defensible terrain. An extremely strong enemy Pakfront dominated the approaches to Bajna from the northwest, northeast and southwest. Numerous enemy tanks were very skillfully entrenched in the village as well as on the slopes surrounding it. Prisoner statements confirmed that the enemy was holding Bajna with about 60 tanks (an entire Tank Brigade).

In this situation a frontal attack against the village from the northwest was hardly possible, and the extremely terrain similarly made the employment of our own Panzers rather difficult (as was confirmed when two of them were lost). Hauptsturmführer Endreß thus left two Kompanien to the northwest of Bajna and advanced parallel to the west and southwestern perimeter of the village with his other Kompanie on his own initiative. Personally leading at the head of this Kompanie, he then turned around at a point just north of Hill 245 and entered the village from the south.

Following a heavy friendly artillery barrage Endreß and his Bataillon engaged in a 24+ hour battle to penetrate into and occupy Bajna. The point Kompanie of the Bataillon already eliminated 3 assault guns and 5 anti-tank guns (7.62 cm) in close combat during the fighting for the first houses. Over the course of the heavy urban combat against a bitterly fighting and well-entrenched enemy, whose tanks likewise intervened in the village battle, Endreß’s Bataillon alone destroyed a total of 24 enemy tanks in close combat. Most of these were Panzerfaust kills. 19 tanks of these were knocked out in a confined area around the village centre.

Throughout all this time Hauptsturmführer Endreß led his Bataillon’s difficult village battle from the front while constantly encouraging and directing his men. Over this course of this extremely ferocious combat he showed outstanding personal bravery as well as energy, prudence and swift decisiveness in his issuing of orders. After almost 30 hours of fighting the Bataillon had cleared the village of Bajna and established firm control over it.

With the occupation of Bajna the enemy had lost a strong blocking position from their defense. The road for a further advance was opened, and thus the groundwork was laid for the Division’s further advance towards Szomor on the 05.01.1945.

The extraordinary personal bravery of this Bataillon commander along with the decisive achievement of leadership he wrought at the battle of Bajna are worthy of being recognized with the high award of the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross.”