The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The decoration was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of extreme gallantry. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () was introduced on 3 June 1940 to further distinguish those who had already received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and who continued to show merit in combat bravery or military success. A total of 7 awards were made in 1940; 50 in 1941; 111 in 1942; 192 in 1943; 328 in 1944, and 194 in 1945, giving a total of 882 recipients—excluding the 8 foreign recipients of the award.
The number of 882 Oak Leaves recipients is based on the analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). However, author Veit Scherzer has challenged the validity of 27 of these listings. With the exception of Hermann Fegelein, all of the disputed recipients had received the award in 1945, when the deteriorating situation during the final days of World War II in Germany left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process. Fegelein 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.
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.
Recipients
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW—Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) kept separate Knight's Cross lists, one for each of the three military branches, Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air force) and for the Waffen-SS. Within each of these lists a unique sequential number was assigned to each recipient. The same numbering paradigm was applied to the higher grades of the Knight's Cross, one list per grade. The recipients are ordered chronologically and numbered by the official sequential number assigned by the OKW. The rank listed is the recipient's rank at the time the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves was awarded.
Recipients of 1940 Number Name Service Rank Role and unitFor an explanation of the various naming schemes used by the Luftwaffe, Heer, Kriegsmarine and Waffen-SS refer to nomenclature used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. Date of award Notes Image 1 + Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commanding general of Gebirgskorps Norwegen Awarded 72nd Swords 1 July 1944.At the same time promoted to General der Infanterie, later General der Gebirgstruppen 2 + Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Geschwaderkommodore of Awarded 2nd Swords 22 June 19411st Diamonds 15 July 1941 3 + Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Geschwaderkommodore of "Schlageter" Awarded 1st Swords 21 June 19412nd Diamonds 28 January 1942 4 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the "Richthofen" 5 Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of 6 + Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of Awarded 5th Swords 26 December 1941 7 Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of
Recipients of 1941 Number Name Service Rank Role and unit Date of award Notes Image 8 Luftwaffe 16-LOberstleutnant Chief of the general staff of the X. Fliegerkorps 9 + Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the Awarded 3rd Swords 15 July 1941 10 + Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 7. Panzer-Division Awarded 6th Swords 20 January 19426th Diamonds 11 March 1943 11 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the 12 + Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the "Schlageter" Awarded 19th Swords 9 September 1942 13 Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of At the same time promoted to Korvettenkapitän 14 Kriegsmarine 13-MOberleutnant zur See Commander of 15 Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of 16 + Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the Awarded 9th Swords 24 April 1942 17 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Geschwaderkommodore of "Richthofen" 18 Luftwaffe 12-LLeutnant Pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" 19 Heer 20-HGeneral der Panzertruppe Commanding general of the XXXIX. Armeekorps (motorized) 20 + Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Pilot in the Awarded 16th Swords 17 August 1942 21 Luftwaffe 16-LOberstleutnant Geschwaderkommodore of "Immelmann" 22 Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Geschwaderkommodore of 23 Kriegsmarine 15-MKorvettenkapitän Commander of 24 Heer 21-HGeneraloberst Commander-in-chief of Panzergruppe 2 25 + Heer 21-HGeneraloberst Commander-in-chief of Panzergruppe 3 Awarded 35th Swords 15 September 1943 26 Luftwaffe 20-LGeneral der Flieger Commanding general of the VIII. Fliegerkorps 27 + Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Geschwaderkommodore of Awarded 4th Swords 11 October 1941 28 + Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the "Schlageter" Awarded 73rd Swords 2 July 1944 29 Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Geschwaderkommodore of 30 + Heer 14-HRittmeister Commander of Divisions-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 Awarded 69th Swords 4 June 1944 31 + Luftwaffe 12-LLeutnant Pilot in the Awarded 7th Swords 16 February 1942 32 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the "Richthofen" 33 + Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the Awarded 8th Swords 12 March 1942 34 Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 11. Panzer-Division 35 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 36 Luftwaffe 10-LOberfeldwebel Pilot in the * Killed in action 3 October 1941 37 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 89 38 + Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the Awarded 13th Swords 23 June 19423rd Diamonds 30 August 1942 39 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 40 Kriegsmarine 17-MKapitän zur See Commander of Hilfskreuzer Pinguin (HSK-5) * Killed in action 8 May 1941 41 + Waffen-SS 20-WSS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS Commander of SS-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (motorized) Awarded 26th Swords 14 March 194316th Diamonds 6 August 1944 42 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of the 5. Panzer-Brigade 43 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 22 44 Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 2./Panzer-Regiment 6 45 Kriegsmarine 17-MKapitän zur See Commander of Hilfskreuzer Atlantis (HSK-2) 46 + Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Kampfgeschwader 77 Awarded 31st Swords 23 July 1943 47 + Heer 14-HHauptmann Commander of the I./Panzer-Regiment 25 Awarded 33rd Swords 6 August 19439th Diamonds 14 December 1943 48 Heer 15-HMajor Commander of the I./Schützen-Regiment 113 * Killed in action 17 October 1941 49 Heer 15-HMajor Commander of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 191 50 + Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 132 Awarded 21st Swords 19 December 1942 51 Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of 52 Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Gruppenkommandeur of the II.(Schlacht)/Lehrgeschwader 2 53 + Heer 14-HRittmeister Chief of the 1./Divisions-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 6 Awarded 114th Swords 28 November 1944 54 Heer 18-HGeneralmajor Commander of the 12. Infanterie-Division 55 + Heer 18-HGeneralmajor Commander of the 12. Panzer-Division Awarded 36th Swords 15 September 1943 56 + Kriegsmarine 13-MOberleutnant zur See Commander of Awarded 18th Swords 1 September 1942 57 Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"
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