In total, 43 individuals in the military of allies of Nazi Germany, excluding non German units, were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), the highest award in the military of Nazi Germany during World War II. Eight of these men were also honoured with the next higher grade, the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, and one senior naval officer, Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, was additionally awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Among the recipients were eighteen Romanians, nine Italians, eight Hungarians, two Slovaks, two Japanese, two Spaniards, two Finns, one Dutch man, and one Belgian.
Colonel General Dezső László of Hungary became the last foreign recipient of the award on 3 March 1945. The last surviving foreign recipient of the award was Belgian politician Léon Degrelle, who died on 31 March 1994, fifty years after receiving the medal from Hitler's hands.
Background The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht kept separate Knight's Cross lists, one for each of the 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. Once the four lists of the Knight's Cross recipients were merged into one listing, the chronological order was abandoned and the list was converted to an alphabetical list of recipients. Foreign recipients were never integrated into this list. The Wehrmacht also refrained from assigning a numbering scheme to the different lists of foreign recipients. Two principles were retained: the foreign Knights Cross recipients were ordered alphabetically and the recipients of the higher grades were ordered chronologically.
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grades were based on four separate enactments. The first enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573 of 1 September 1939 instituted the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. As the war progressed, some of the recipients distinguished themselves further and a higher grade, the Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of 3 June 1940. In 1941, two higher grades of the Knight's Cross were instituted. The enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 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 (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten), based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944, concluded the variants of the Knight's Cross.
Recipients The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross are initially ordered alphabetically whereas the recipients of the higher grades are initially ordered chronologically. The rank listed is the recipient's rank at the time the Knight's Cross or the Oak Leaves were awarded.
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 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 to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Isoroku Yamamoto was the sole non-German combatant to be honoured with the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.
Name Country Rank Role and unit Date of award Notes Picture Japan Admiral Commander-in-chief of the IJN Combined Fleet * Killed in action 18 April 1943
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves was based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of 3 June 1940.
Name Country Rank Role and unit Date of award Notes Picture Romania (General de divizie) Commander of the Romanian 6th Infantry Division of the 3rd Romanian Army Spain Commander of the Spanish Blue Division (250. Infantry Division) Japan Commander-in-chief of the IJN Combined Fleet * Awarded Swords 27 May 1943 Romania (General de brigadă) Commander of the Romanian 6th Cavalry Division Romania (General de armată) Commander-in-chief of the Romanian 3rd Romanian Army Japan Japanese Chief of Fleet * Killed in action 31 March 1944 Finland President and Commander-in-chief of Finnish Defense Forces Belgium Commander of 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's 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).
Name Country Rank Role and unit Date of award Notes Picture Romania (General de armată) Commander-in-chief of the Military of Romania First non-German to receive this award Italy (Generale di Brigata) Commander of the Italian 52nd Infantry Division "Torino" * Killed in action 12 December 1941 Italy (Generale di Corpo d'Armata designato d'Armata) Chief of the Italian Supreme Command Romania (General de divizie) Commanding general of the Romanian 6th Army Corps Romania (General de brigadă) Commander of the Romanian 2nd Romanian Mountain Division Romania (General de armată) Commander-in-chief of the 3rd Romanian Army Awarded Oak Leaves 4 April 1944 Spain Commander of the Spanish Blue Division (250. Infantry Division) Italy (Capitano di Fregata) Commander of the Italian submarine Enrico Tazzoli Italy (Generale di Corpo d'Armata designato d'Armata) Commander-in-chief of the 8th Italian Army Italy (Capitano di Corvetta) Commander of the Italian submarine Archimede * Killed in action 24 May 1943 Romania (General de escadră) Chief of General Staff of the Romanian Air Force Italy (Generale di Divisione) Commander of the Italian 55 Infantry Division Savona Italy (Capitano di Fregata) Commander of the Italian submarine Barbarigo Finland Chief of Finnish General Staff Hungary (Altábornagy) Leader of the 3rd Hungarian Army Hungary (Tengernagy) Commander-in-chief of the Military of Hungary Romania Commander of the Romanian 2nd Călărași Cavalry Regiment Hungary (Altábornagy) Commander of the Hungarian 1st Cavalry Division Hungary (Altábornagy) Commander-in-chief of the 2nd Hungarian Army Romania (General de escadră) Commanding general of the Romanian Air Force's Corpul I Aerian Japan Japanese Chief of Fleet * Oak Leaves 12 May 1944 Romania Commander of the Romanian 8th Cavalry Division Hungary (Vezérezredes) Commander-in-chief of the 1st Hungarian Army Romania (General de brigadă) Commander of the Romanian 1st Mountain Brigade Awarded Oak Leaves 22 November 1942 Hungary (Vezérezredes) Commander-in-chief of the 1st Hungarian Army Romania (Contraadmiral) Commander-in-chief of the Romanian Naval Forces Slovakia Commander of the Slovak Fast Division Finland Commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defense Forces Awarded Oak Leaves 5 August 1944 Romania (General de divizie) Commander of the Romanian 4th Mountain Division Italy (Generale di Brigata) Chief of Staff of the Italian Alpini Corps (Corpo d'Armata Alpino) * Killed in action 26 January 1943 Italy (Generale di Corpo d'Armata) Commanding general of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia Hungary (Altábornagy) Commanding general of the Hungarian Fast Corps Romania (General de brigadă) Commander of the Romanian 3rd Mountain Division Spain Commander of the Spanish Blue Division (250. Infantry Division) Awarded Oak Leaves 13 December 1942 Romania Commander of the Romanian I./Infantry Regiment 94 Romania of the Cavalry (General de corp de armată) Commander-in-chief of the 4th Romanian Army Romania (General de brigadă) Commander of the Romanian 11th Infantry Division Romania Commander of the Romanian I./Infantry Regiment 15 Hungary (Ezredes) Commander of the Hungarian Infantry Division Szent László Romania (General de divizie) Commander of the Romanian 20th Infantry Division Romania Commander of the Romanian 6th Cavalry Division Awarded Oak Leaves 8 December 1943 Slovakia Commander of the Slovak Fast Division Japan Commander-in-chief of the IJN Combined Fleet * Awarded Oak Leaves 27 May 1943Awarded Swords 27 May 1943
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