The
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
(German: ''Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes'') and its variants were the highest military award in
Nazi Germany. Recipients are grouped by grades of the Knight's Cross. During
World War II, 23 German sailors and officers of the ''
Schnellboot'' (
Fast Attack Craft
A fast attack craft (FAC) is a small, fast, agile, offensive, often affordable warship armed with anti-ship missiles, gun or torpedoes. FACs are usually operated in close proximity to land as they lack both the seakeeping and all-round defensive ...
) service, which was a part of the ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'', received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Of these, 8 officers received the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (''Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub'').
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'' kept separate Knight's Cross lists, one for each of the three military branches, ''
Heer
Heer may refer to:
People
* Jeet Heer, Canadian author and journalist
* Jeffrey Heer (born 1979), American computer scientist and entrepreneur
* Kamal Heer (born 1973), Punjabi singer and musician
* Oswald Heer (1809–1883), Swiss botanist and ...
'' (
Army), ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' (
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
In science and philosophy, a paradigm () is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field.
Etymology
''Paradigm'' comes f ...
was applied to the higher grades of the Knight's Cross, one list per grade.
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves was based on the enactment ''Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849'' of 3 June 1940. The last officially announced number for the Oak Leaves was 843.
[Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.]
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
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).
Notes
References
;Specific
;General
*
*
Kurowski, Franz (2007). ''Korvettenkapitän Werner Töniges Der erste Eichenlaubträger der Schnellbootwaffe''. Flechsig Verlag. .
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnell
Lists of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients
Schnellboote