The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

 (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest award in the military of the Third Reich. Recipients are grouped by grades of the Knight's Cross. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, 23 German sailors and officers of the Schnellboot (Fast Attack Craft

Fast Attack Craft

Fast Attack Craft are small, fast, agile and offensive warships, that are armed with anti-ship missiles, guns or torpedoes. These are usually operated in close proximity to land as they lack both the sea-keeping and all-round defensive capabilities to survive in blue water. The size of the vessel...

) service, which was a part of the Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

, 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

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

 (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub).

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grades were based on four separate enactments

Coming into force

Coming into force or entry into force refers to the process by which legislation, regulations, treaties and other legal instruments come to have legal force and effect...

. The first enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573 of 1 September 1939 instituted the Iron Cross

Iron Cross

The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....

 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 with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

 (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.

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht

Oberkommando der Wehrmacht

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...

kept separate Knight's Cross lists, one for each of the three military branches, Heer

German Army

The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...

(Army

Army

An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...

), Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

(Navy

Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...

), Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

(Air force

Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...

) and for the Waffen-SS

Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...

. Within each of these lists a unique sequential number was assigned to each recipient. The same numbering paradigm

Paradigm

The word paradigm has been used in science to describe distinct concepts. It comes from Greek "παράδειγμα" , "pattern, example, sample" from the verb "παραδείκνυμι" , "exhibit, represent, expose" and that from "παρά" , "beside, beyond" + "δείκνυμι" , "to show, to point out".The original Greek...

 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.

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes
		Kapitänleutnant	commander of Schnellboot S-102 in the 1. Schnellbootsflottille
		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-56 in the 3. Schnellbootflottille
		Korvettenkapitän	chief of the 3. Schnellbootflottille
		Korvettenkapitän	chief of the 1. Schnellbootflottille
		Korvettenkapitän	chief of the 5. Schnellbootflottille
		Korvettenkapitän	chief of the 2. Schnellbootflottille
		Kapitän zur See	Führer der Schnellboote
		Kapitänleutnant	chief of the 9. Schnellbootflottille

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

 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).

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes
1		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-31 in the 2. Schnellbootflottille		Killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  22 March 1945
2		Kapitänleutnant	chief of the 1. Schnellbootflottille
3		Korvettenkapitän	chief of the 2. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 499th Oak Leaves 13 June 1944
4		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-26 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille
5		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-21 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 500th Oak Leaves 14 June 1944
6		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-102 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 143rd Oak Leaves 13 November 1942
7		Kapitänleutnant	commander of Schnellboot S-28 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 361st Oak Leaves 1 January 1944
8		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-30 in the 2. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 362nd Oak Leaves 1 January 1944
9		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-101 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 326th Oak Leaves 13 November 1943
10		Oberleutnant Oberleutnant Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...  of the Reserves Military reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...	commander of Schnellboot S-60 in the 3. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 226th Oak Leaves 14 April 1943
11		Kapitänleutnant	chief of the 4. Schnellbootflottille		Killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  12 December 1944
12		Kapitänleutnant	chief of the 3. Schnellbootflottille		Awarded 249th Oak Leaves 27 May 1943
13		Kapitänleutnant	commander of Schnellboot S-27 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille
14		Oberleutnant zur See of the Reserves Military reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...	commander of Schnellboot S-55 in the 3. Schnellbootflottille
15		Kapitänleutnant	commander of Schnellboot S-52 in the 5. Schnellbootflottille
16		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-87 in the 4. Schnellbootflottille
17		Oberleutnant zur See	group leader and commander of Schnellboot S-28 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille
18		Kapitänleutnant	commander of Schnellboot S-59 in the 3. Schnellbootflottille
19		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-54 in the 10 Schnellbootflottille		Killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  22 December 1944
20		Kapitänleutnant	chief of the 5. Schnellbootflottille		Killed in action Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...  14 June 1944
21		Oberleutnant zur See	commander of Schnellboot S-60 in the 3. Schnellbootflottille
22		Korvettenkapitän	chief of the 8. Schnellbootflottille
23

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|Korvettenkapitän
|chief of the 6. Schnellbootflottille
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