Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

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The ultimate expression of the award: the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, awarded only once.

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) was Nazi Germany's order and recognized extreme battlefield bravery or successful leadership during the Third Reich period.

[edit] Prerequisites

To qualify for the Knight's Cross, a soldier had to have held the 1939 Iron Cross First Class already, though the Iron Cross I Class was awarded concurrently with the Knight's Cross in rare cases. Unit commanders could also be awarded the medal for exemplary conduct by the unit as a whole. Also, U-boat commanders could qualify for sinking 100,000 tons of shipping, and Luftwaffe pilots could qualify for accumulating 20 "points" [with one point being awarded for shooting down a single-engine plane, two points for a twin-engine plane,and three for a four-engine plane, with all points being doubled at night]. It was issued from 1939-45, with the requirements being gradually raised as the war went on.

[edit] Grades

The Knight's Cross was divided into five grades:

• Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes)
• Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (mit Eichenlaub)
• Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern)
• Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten)
• Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (mit Goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten)

The Knight's Cross was worn as a neck order suspended from the collar.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

With Oak Leaves

With Oak Leaves and Swords

With Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds

With Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds

[edit] Recipients

Main article: List of Knight's Cross recipients

In total, 7,313 awards of the Knight's Cross were made, but only 883 received Oak Leaves and 159 received Oak Leaves and Swords (plus one honorary recipient, the Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto). Only 27 men were ever awarded the Diamonds grade of the Knight's Cross (3 field marshals, 10 generals, 3 colonels, 9 ace pilots and 2 U-boat captains), and Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Approximately 1,750 awards were to Luftwaffe personnel.

[edit] Distribution by Service

[edit] References

• Walther-Peer Fellgiebel (2000), Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Podzun-Pallas.
• Florian Berger (2006), Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Selbstverlag Florian Berger.
• Günter Fraschka (2002), Mit Schwertern und Brillanten. Die Träger der höchsten deutschen Tapferkeitsauszeichnung. Universitas