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 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 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. A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945. This number is based on the analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Presentations were made to 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.

These recipients are listed in the 1986 edition of Walther-Peer Fellgiebel's book, — The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945. Fellgiebel was the former chairman and head of the order commission of the AKCR. In 1996, the second edition of this book was published with an addendum delisting 11 of these original recipients. Author Veit Scherzer has cast doubt on a further 193 of these listings. The majority of the disputed recipients had received the award in 1945, when the deteriorating situation of Germany in the final days of World War II in Europe left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process.

Listed here are the 82 Knight's Cross recipients whose last name starts with "O". Scherzer has challenged the validity of two of these listings. 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.

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 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (), 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 (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) kept separate Knight's Cross lists for the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force) and 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. Of the 82 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with "O", seven were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and four the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords; seven presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received 52 of the medals, six went to the Kriegsmarine, 21 to the Luftwaffe, and three to the Waffen-SS. The sequential numbers greater than 843 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves are unofficial and were assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) and are therefore denoted in parentheses.

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 Luftwaffe 16-LOberstleutnant Commander of Flak-Regiment 99 (motorized) Heer 14-HHauptmann Company chief in the II./Jäger-Regiment 25 (L) * Died of wounds 20 February 1945 Heer 06-HOberjäger Group leader in the 6./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 218 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Pilot in the 2./Kampfgeschwader 55 Heer 12-HLeutnant of the Reserves Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 3./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 667 Heer 15-HMajor of the Reserves Commander of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 34 Luftwaffe 10-LOberfähnrich Observer in the 11.(H)/Aufklärungs-Gruppe 13 Heer 14-HHauptmann Leader of Panzer-Abteilung "Feldherrnhalle" Luftwaffe 12-LLeutnant Staffelführer of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 52 Waffen-SS 13-WSS-Obersturmführer Leader of the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 1126 Heer 12-HLeutnant Leader of the 4./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 66 * Died of wounds 10 October 1943 + Heer 20-HGeneral der Infanterie Commanding general of the XXIX. Armeekorps Awarded 251st Oak Leaves 110th Swords + Heer 14-HHauptmann Commander of schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 346 Awarded (858th) Oak Leaves + Heer 10-HOberfeldwebel Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 101 Awarded 360th Oak Leaves Heer 17-HOberst Commander of the 31. Infanterie-Division Heer 15-HMajor Commander of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 132 Luftwaffe 20-LGeneral der Flakartillerie Commanding general of the II. Flakkorps (motorized) Luftwaffe 10-LOberfeldwebel Observer in the 4./Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever" Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 5./Schützen-Regiment 4 Heer 12-HLeutnant Leader of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 62 * Killed in action 5 July 1943 Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Leader of Kampfgruppe "Oehmichen" Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of Luftwaffe 10-LOberfeldwebel Pilot in the 8./Kampfgeschwader 27 "Boelcke" Heer 14-HHauptmann Leader of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 21 (L) Heer 14-HHauptmann Chief of the 6./Artillerie-Regiment 12 + Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 51 Awarded 9th Oak Leaves 3rd Swords Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant of the Reserves Chief of the Küstenschutzflottille "Attika" * Killed in aerial bombardment 22 January 1944 Heer 03-HGefreiter Machine gunner in the 11./Grenadier-Regiment 186 + Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 7./Bau-Lehr-Regiment z.b.V. 800 "Brandenburg" Awarded 734th Oak Leaves Heer 06-HUnteroffizier Group leader in the 1./Pionier-Bataillon 323 Heer 09-HFeldwebel Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 9./Infanterie-Regiment 191 Luftwaffe 09-LFeldwebel Pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 Kriegsmarine 13-MOberleutnant (M.A.) Chief of the Marinebatterie "Marcouf" (Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung 260) Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 11./Panzer-Regiment 25 Heer 04-HObergefreiter Richtkanonier (gunner) in the 4./Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 116 Waffen-SS 15-WSS-Sturmbannführer Commander of the III.(gepanzert)/Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 "Hitlerjugend" ? Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 24. Infanterie-Division Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 1 Heer 14-HHauptmann Commander of the I./Artillerie-Regiment 78 Kriegsmarine 13-MOberleutnant (Ing.) Chief engineer on Luftwaffe 12-LLeutnant Pilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 77 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 2 Kriegsmarine 13-MOberleutnant zur See Commander Schnellboot S-31 in the 2. Schnellbootflottille Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 911 + Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Panzer-Regiment 204 Awarded 536th Oak Leaves 142nd Swords Heer 18-HGeneralmajor Commander of the 305. Infanterie-Division Heer 09-HFeldwebel Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 7./Jäger-Regiment 38 * Died of wounds 20 March 1943 Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 10./Infanterie-Regiment 266 Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 299. Infanterie-Division Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Gruppenkommandeur of the Fernaufklärungs-Gruppe 122 Luftwaffe 10-LOberfeldwebel Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 4./Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment * Killed in action 10 March 1942 Heer 01-HGrenadier In the 13./Grenadier-Regiment 453 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 754 Luftwaffe 09-LFahnenjunker-Feldwebel Pilot in the 7./Schlachtgeschwader 10 Heer 06-HOberjäger Group leader in the 1./Jäger-Regiment 56 * Killed in action 29 July 1944 + Waffen-SS 16-WSS-Obersturmbannführer Ia (operational officer) of SS-Division "Das Reich" Awarded (861st) Oak Leaves Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Chief of the 2./Flak-Regiment 8 (motorized) + Heer 15-HMajor Commander of the III./Füsilier-Regiment 27 Awarded 732nd Oak Leaves Luftwaffe 18-LGeneralmajor Jagdfliegerführer of Luftflotte 2 Heer 14-HHauptmann Leader of Divisions-Bataillon 260 + Luftwaffe 12-LLeutnant Pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 54 Awarded 81st Oak Leaves 10th Swords + Heer 14-HHauptmann of the Reserves Leader of a Kampfgruppe in the Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle" Awarded 834th Oak Leaves Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Staffelkapitän of the 13.(Panzer)/Schlachtgeschwader 9 Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Gruppenkommandeur of (Fern)Aufklärungs-Gruppe 2 Heer 20-HGeneral der Infanterie Commanding general of the LII. Armeekorps ? Heer 10-HOberwachtmeister Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 12./Panzer-Regiment 24 Heer 13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves Chief of the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 97 Heer 14-HHauptmann of the Reserves Leader of the I./Jäger-Regiment 28 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Jäger-Regiment 56 Heer 14-HHauptmann of the Reserves Chief of the 1./Füsilier-Regiment 22 Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 2./Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 32 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Jäger-Regiment 207 + Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Pilot in the 9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" Awarded 433rd Oak Leaves Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 36. Infanterie-Division (motorized) Heer 14-HHauptmann Leader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 454 Heer 06-HUnteroffizier Group leader in the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 529 Heer 06-HUnteroffizier Group leader in the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 529 Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 56. Infanterie-Division Heer 09-HFeldwebel Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 9./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 11 (motorized)

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