The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), 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. It was lower in precedence than the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, an award, though, that was never awarded at large to Nazi German military and paramilitary forces. The Grand Cross's sole award was made to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring in July 1940, making the Knight's Cross (specifically, the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds grade) the de facto highest award among the decorations of Nazi Germany.
The Knight's 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 military valour. Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the : the (army), the (navy) and the (air force), as well as the , the Reich Labour Service and the (German People storm militia), along with personnel from other Axis powers.
The award was instituted on 1 September 1939, at the onset of the German invasion of Poland. The award was created to replace the many older merit and bravery neck awards of the German Empire. A higher grade, the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, was instituted in 1940. In 1941, two higher grades of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves were instituted: the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and the Knight's 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, was created. Over 7,000 awards were made during the war.
Historic background
The Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III established the Iron Cross at the beginning of the German campaign during the Napoleonic Wars. The design was a silver-framed cast iron cross on 13 March 1813.Potempa 2003, p. 9. Iron was a material that symbolised defiance and reflected the spirit of the age. The Prussian state had mounted a campaign steeped in patriotic rhetoric to rally its citizens to repulse the French occupation. To finance the army, the king implored wealthy Prussians to turn in their jewels in exchange for a man's cast-iron ring or a lady's brooch, each bearing the legend "Gold I gave for iron" (Gold gab ich für Eisen). The award was reinstituted for the wars in 1870 and 1914.
With the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, Adolf Hitler in his role as commander-in-chief of the German armed forces decreed the renewal of the Iron Cross of 1939.Schaulen 2003, p. 6. A new grade of the Iron Cross series was introduced, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, without distinction, was awarded to officers and soldiers alike, conforming with the National Socialist slogan: "One people, one nation, one leader".Maerz 2007, p. 29.
Analysis of the German Federal Archives revealed evidence for 7,161 officially bestowed recipients.Scherzer 2007, pp. 117–186. The German Federal Archives substantiate 863 awards of the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, along with the 147 Swords and 27 Diamonds awards. The Golden Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross was awarded only once, to Hans-Ulrich Rudel on 29 December 1944.
Grades The legal grounds for this decree had been established in 1937 with the German law of Titles, Orders and Honorary Signs () that made the Führer and Chancellor of Germany the only person who was allowed to award orders or honorary signs. The reinstatement of the Iron Cross was therefore a Führer decree, which had political implications, since the Treaty of Versailles had explicitly prohibited the creation of a military decoration, order, or medal. However, Germany had formally renounced the Treaty by this time. The renewal for the first time had created an honorary sign of the entire German state.
As the war progressed for four additional years, leaders had to distinguish those who had already won the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross or one of the higher grades and who continued to show merit in combat bravery or military success. The Knight's Cross was eventually awarded in five grades:
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds.
Knight's Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross instituted on 1. September 1939. Its appearance was very similar to the Iron Cross. Its shape was that of a cross pattée, a cross that has arms which are narrow at the center and broader at the perimeter.Williamson 2004, p. 4. The most common Knight's Crosses were produced by the manufacturer Steinhauer & Lück in Lüdenscheid. The Steinhauer & Lück crosses are stamped with the digits "800" on the reverse side, indicating 800-grade silver.Schaulen 2004, p. 10.
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) was instituted on 3 June 1940. Before the introduction of the Oak Leaves, only 124 members of the Wehrmacht had received the Knight's Cross. Before Case Yellow (), the attack on the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, just 52 Knight's Crosses had been awarded. In May 1940, the number of presentations peaked. The timing for the introduction of the Oak Leaves is closely linked to Case Red (), the second and decisive phase of the Battle of France.Maerz 2007, p. 238
Like the Knight's Cross to which it was added, the Oak Leaves clasp could be awarded for leadership, distinguished service, or personal gallantry. The Oak Leaves, just like the 1813 Iron Cross and Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, was not a National Socialist invention. They originally appeared in conjunction with the Golden Oak Leaves of the Order of the Red Eagle, which was the second-highest Prussian order after the Order of the Black Eagle. The king also awarded the Oak Leaves together with the Pour le Mérite since 9. October 1813 for gallantry.Schaulen 2003, p. 9.
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) was instituted on 15 July 1941. The Oak Leaves with Swords clasp was similar in appearance to the Oak Leaves clasp, with the exception that a pair of crossed swords was soldered to the base of the Oak Leaves.
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten) was instituted on 15 July 1941. The first recipients were Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland.Williamson, Knight's Cross with Diamonds 2006, p. 3. Presentation of the Diamonds came as a set and included the more elaborate A-piece and a second clasp with rhinestones for everyday wear, the B-piece.Maerz 2007, p. 300. The Diamonds were awarded 27 times during World War II. However, three awardees never received a set of Diamonds. Hans-Joachim Marseille, the fourth recipient, was killed in an aircraft crash before its presentation. The deteriorating situation and the end of the war prevented its presentation to Karl Mauss, the 26th recipient, and Dietrich von Saucken, the 27th and final recipient.Maerz 2007, p. 293.
Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds The Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten) was instituted on 29 December 1944. This medal was the highest level, originally intended for 12 of the most distinguished servicemen in the entire German armed forces after the war ended. Six sets of Golden Oak Leaves were manufactured, each consisting of an A-piece, made of 18-carat gold with 58 real diamonds, and a B-piece, made of 14-carat gold with 68 real sapphires. One of these sets was presented to Hans-Ulrich Rudel on 1 January 1945; the remaining five sets were taken to Schloss Klessheim, where the US forces took them.Maerz 2007, pp. 310–311.
Nomination and approval procedure Award Nomination To qualify for the Knight's Cross, a soldier had to already hold the 1939 Iron Cross First Class, though the Iron Cross First Class was awarded concurrently with the Knight's Cross in some cases. Unit commanders could also be awarded the medal for the unit's exemplary conduct 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 to 1945, with requirements gradually raised as the war progressed.
Nominations for the Knight's Cross could be made at the company level or higher. Commanders could not nominate themselves.Scherzer 2007, p. 30. In this instance, the division adjutant made the recommendation. In the Luftwaffe, the lowest level was the Geschwader and in the Kriegsmarine, the respective flotilla was authorized to make the nomination. It was also possible to nominate subordinated foreign units. The nomination had to be submitted in writing, in duplicate. The format and the content were predefined. Every nomination contained the soldier's personal data, rank, and unit at the time of the act, the date the soldier held this position, the military service entry date, previous military decorations awarded, and the date of presentation, etc. For enlisted soldiers and noncommissioned officers the résumé had to be submitted as well.Scherzer 2007, p. 31.
The nomination had to be forwarded in writing by a courier up the official command chain. Every intermittent administrative office or commander between the nominating unit and the commander-in-chief of the respective Wehrmacht branch (commander-in-chief of the Heer, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, and commander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine with their respective staff offices) had to give their approval along with a short comment. In exceptional cases, such as when the nominated individual had sustained severe injuries or when the command chain had been interrupted, a nomination could be submitted via teleprinter communication.
At first, the recipient of the Knight's Cross, or one of its higher grades, received a brief telegram informing him of the award of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Thereafter, he received a Vorläufiges Besitzzeugnis (Preliminary Testimonial of Ownership). The award was also noted in the recipient's Soldbuch (Soldier's Pay Book), his Wehrpass (Military Identification), and personnel records.Williamson 2004, pp. 5–7.
Approval authority From 1 September 1939 to Adolf Hitler's death on 30 April 1945, all Knight's Cross awards for Heer personnel were approved by Hitler, after prior approval by the head of the Heerespersonalamt and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW).Scherzer 2007, p. 50.
After 30 April 1945, amid the rapid disintegration of Germany's government and armed forces, it is unclear who had the authority to approve awards. A teleprinter message dated 3 May authorized the commanders-in-chief of those units still engaged in combat to award the Knight's Cross by themselves.Scherzer 2007, p. 63.