The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () and its variants were the highest awards in the military of the Third Reich. Recipients are grouped by grades of the Knight's Cross. Within each grade the recipients are ordered chronologically. An exception is the lowest grade, here the recipients are ordered alphabetically by last name. The rank listed is the recipient's rank at the time the Knight's Cross was awarded. Broken out into sub lists are the recipients of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, one list for every year between 1940 and 1945 the award was presented. Also listed separately are the alphabetical lists of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients. The foreign recipients of the Knight's Cross and the foreign recipients of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves are listed separately as well.
The last legal presentation of the Knight's Cross, in any of its grades, had to be made before 23:01 Central European Time 8 May 1945, the time when the German surrender became effective. A number of presentations were made after this date, the last on 17 June 1945. These late presentations are considered de facto but not de jure awards. In 1986, the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) acknowledged 7,321 presentations made to the members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force)—as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD—Reich Labour Service) and the Volkssturm (German national militia). There were also 43 recipients in the military forces of allies of the Third Reich for a total of 7,364 recipients. Analysis of the German Federal Archives revealed evidence for 7,161 officially—de facto and de jure—bestowed recipients, including one additional presentation previously unidentified by the AKCR. The AKCR names 890 recipients of the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, including the eight recipients who served in the military forces of allies of the Third Reich. The German Federal Archives do not substantiate 27 of these Oak Leaves recipients. The Swords to the Knight's Cross were awarded 160 times according to the AKCR, among them the posthumous presentation to the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, 13 of which cannot be supported by the German Federal Archives. The Diamonds to the Knight's Cross were awarded 27 times, all of which are verifiable in the German Federal Archives. The final grade, the Golden Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross was verifiably awarded once to Hans-Ulrich Rudel on 29 December 1944.
Background The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grades were based on four separate enactments. The first enactment, of 1 September 1939 instituted the Iron Cross (), the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (). Article 2 of the enactment mandated that the award of a higher class be preceded by the award of all preceding classes. As the war progressed, some of the recipients of the Knight's Cross distinguished themselves further and a higher grade, the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment of 3 June 1940. In 1941, two higher grades of the Knight's Cross were instituted. The enactment of 28 September 1941 introduced the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords () and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (). At the end of 1944 the final grade, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (), based on the enactment of 29 December 1944, became the final variant of the Knight's Cross authorized.
Grand Cross of the Iron Cross The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross is based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573 of 1 September 1939 Verordnung über die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes (Regulation of the renewing of the Iron Cross). This grade was awarded only once. The sole recipient was Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring, who at the same time was promoted to Reichsmarschall.
Number Name Service Rank Role and unit Date of award Notes 1 Hermann Göring Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Reich Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe at the same time promoted to Reichsmarschall
Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds The "Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds" is based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944. This grade of the award was to be awarded twelve times only. The sole recipient was Oberstleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel.
Number Name Service Rank Role and unit Date of award Notes 1 Hans-Ulrich Rudel Luftwaffe Oberstleutnant Geschwaderkommodore of Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" at the same time promoted to Oberst
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds The "Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds" is based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 of 28 September 1941 to reward those servicemen who had already been awarded the Oak Leaves with Swords to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Ultimately, it would be awarded to only twenty-seven German soldiers, sailors and airmen, ranging from young fighter pilots to field marshals.
Number Name Service Rank Role and unit Date of award Notes 1 Luftwaffe 17-LOberst Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 Killed in plane crash 22 November 1941 2 Luftwaffe 17-LOberst Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" 3 Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77 4 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 27 KIA 30 September 1942 5 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant of the Reserves Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52 6 Heer 22-HGeneralfeldmarschall Commander-in-chief of Heeresgruppe Afrika Committed suicide 14 October 1944 7 Kriegsmarine 15-MFregattenkapitän Commander of Killed 14 May 1945 8 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54 KIA 8 November 1944 9 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Panzer-Regiment 25 KIA 28 January 1944 10 + Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" Awarded 1st (and only) Golden Oak Leaves 29 December 1944 11 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of a Panzer Group in the Heeresgruppe Nord Promoted to Generalmajor with the Diamonds 12 Waffen-SS 19-WSS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS Commander of 5. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Wiking" 13 Heer 20-HGeneral der Panzertruppe Commander of 1. Panzerarmee Promoted to Generaloberst with the Diamonds, killed in a plane crash 21 April 1944 14 Luftwaffe 22-LGeneralfeldmarschall OB Süd (Heeresgruppe C) 15 Luftwaffe 16-LOberstleutnant Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 KIA 7 October 1944 16 Waffen-SS 21-WSS-Oberstgruppenführer and Generaloberst of the Waffen-SS Commanding general of I. SS-Panzerkorps "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" 17 Heer 22-HGeneralfeldmarschall Commander in chief of Heeresgruppe Mitte Committed suicide 21 April 1945 18 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52 19 Heer 20-HGeneral der Panzertruppe Acting commander of 4. Panzerarmee 20 Luftwaffe 19-LGeneralleutnant Commander of Fortress Brest Awarded the Swords simultaneously with the Diamonds. 21 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 22 Kriegsmarine 15-MFregattenkapitän Commander of 23 Heer 21-HGeneraloberst Commander-in-chief of Heeresgruppe Nord 24 Heer 20-HGeneral der Panzertruppe Commander-in-chief of 5. Panzerarmee 25 Heer 18-HGeneralmajor Commander of 340. Volks-Grenadier-Division 26 Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of 7. Panzer-Division 27 Heer 20-HGeneral der Panzertruppe Commander-in-chief of Armeeoberkommando East Prussia
Rank on day of awardHeerWaffen-SSKriegsmarineLuftwaffeForeignersTotals Generalfeldmarschall / Großadmiral 2 1 3 Generaloberst / Generaladmiral 1 1 2 General der Infanterie etc. / Admiral 4 4 Generalleutnant / Vizeadmiral 1 1 1 3 Generalmajor / Konteradmiral 1 1 Oberst / Kapitän zur See 2 2 4 Oberstleutnant / Fregattenkapitän 1 1 Major / Korvettenkapitän 2 2 4 Hauptmann / Kapitänleutnant 2 2 Oberleutnant / Oberleutnant zur See 3 3 Totals 11 2 2 12 27
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
The "Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords" is also based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 of 28 September 1941 to reward those servicemen who had already been awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The sequential numbers greater than 143 are unofficial and were assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) and therefore denoted in brackets. The number of the 160 Sword recipients is based on the analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the (AKCR). Author Veit Scherzer has challenged the validity of 13 of these listings. The majority—12 recipients—of these disputed recipients have received the award in 1945. The deteriorating situation of the Third Reich during the final days of World War II has left the nominations unfinished in various stages of the approval process. Hermann Fegelein had received the Oak Leaves in 1942 but was sentenced to death by Adolf Hitler and executed by SS-Gruppenführer Johann Rattenhuber's Reichssicherheitsdienst (RSD) on 28 April 1945 after a court martial led by SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS Wilhelm Mohnke. The sentence was carried out the same day. The death sentence, according to German law, resulted in the loss of all orders and honorary signs.