The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron 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 extreme gallantry. A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945. This number is based on the analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force)—as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD—Reich Labour Service) and the Volkssturm (German national militia). There were also 43 recipients in the military forces of allies of the Third Reich.

These recipients are listed in the 1986 edition of Walther-Peer Fellgiebel's book, — The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945. Fellgiebel was the former chairman and head of the order commission of the AKCR. In 1996, the second edition of this book was published with an addendum delisting 11 of these original recipients. Author Veit Scherzer has cast doubt on a further 193 of these listings. The majority of the disputed recipients had received the award in 1945, when the deteriorating situation of Germany in the final days of World War II in Europe left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process.

Listed here are the 82 Knight's Cross recipients of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS whose last name starts with "C". The recipients are initially ordered alphabetically by last name. The rank listed is the recipient's rank at the time the Knight's Cross was awarded.

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 (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) kept separate Knight's Cross lists for the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force) and 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. Of the 82 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with "C", ten were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and five presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received 51 of the medals, five went to the Kriegsmarine, 22 to the Luftwaffe, and four to the Waffen-SS.

Name Service Rank Role and unitFor an explanation of the various naming schemes used by the Luftwaffe, Heer, Kriegsmarine and Waffen-SS refer to nomenclature used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. Date of award Notes Image Heer 15-HMajor Commander of the III./Grenadier-Regiment 408 Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 220 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Deputy Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Kampfgeschwader 66 Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 424 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 6./Jagdgeschwader 5 + Heer 12-HLeutnant of the Reserves Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 Awarded 535th Oak Leaves Heer 13-HOberleutnant Leader of the 11./Artillerie-Regiment 269 Kriegsmarine 20-MAdmiral Marinegruppenbefehlshaber Ost (Naval Group Commander East) Heer 06-HUnteroffizier Panzer commander in the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 * Killed in action 26 January 1945 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 118 (motorized) Heer 12-HLeutnant of the Reserves Leader of the 9./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 14 Heer 10-HOberwachtmeister Vorgeschobener Beobachter (Artillery observer) in the 11./Artillerie-Regiment 1562 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Pilot and observer in the Fernaufklärungs-Gruppe 4 Luftwaffe 17-LOberst Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader 3 Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 15. Infanterie-Division Waffen-SS 14-WSS-Hauptsturmführer Chief of the 3./SS-Reiter-Regiment 1 Heer 18-HGeneralmajor Commander of the 13. Panzer-Division + Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 99. leichte Division Awarded 357th Oak Leaves 19 December 1943 Heer 15-HMajor Commander of the I./Infanterie-Regiment 408 Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 122. Infanterie-Division Heer 04-HObergefreiter Group leader in the 8./Grenadier-Regiment 200 (motorized) Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 16 (LL) Heer 09-HFeldwebel Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 17 Luftwaffe 16-LOberstleutnant im Generalstab Chief of the general staff of the VIII. Fliegerkorps Heer 14-HHauptmann Company chief in Bau-Bataillon 132 * Killed in action 3 March 1942 Waffen-SS 03-WSS-Sturmmann Richtschütze (gunner) in the 2./SS-Panzer-Jagd-Abteilung 3 "Totenkopf" Heer 15-HMajor Commander of the II./Panzer-Regiment 31 + Kriegsmarine 13-MOberleutnant zur See Commander of Schnellboot S-101 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille Awarded 326th Oak Leaves Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel" Luftwaffe 10-LOberfeldwebel Observer in the 6./Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor" Heer 13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves Chief of the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 530 Waffen-SS 06-WSS-Unterscharführer Group leader in the 7./SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark" Heer 15-HMajor Commander of I./Infanterie-Regiment 54 Heer 10-HOberwachtmeister Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 277 Heer 15-HMajor Commander of Heeres-Artillerie-Abteilung 774 Kriegsmarine 19-MVizeadmiral Befehlshaber der Schlachtschiffe Heer 06-HUnteroffizier Group leader in the 1./Infanterie-Regiment 305 Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 3./Pionier-Bataillon 33 Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Kampfgeschwader 100 Killed in action 20 June 1943 Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 517 Heer 12-HLeutnant Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 14.(Panzerjäger)/Grenadier-Regiment 899 + Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 6./Jagdgeschwader 77 Awarded 106th Oak Leaves Heer 14-HHauptmann Chief of the 2./Artillerie-Regiment 30 Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of Heer 04-HObergefreiter PAK (anti tank) gunner in the 16./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Gruppenkommandeur of the II.(K)/Lehrgeschwader 1 * Killed in action 29 June 1944 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Chief of the 3./Flak-Regiment 4 (motorized) Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 25. Infanterie-Division Heer 15-HMajor of the Reserves Commander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 266 Luftwaffe 18-LGeneralmajor Commander of the 9. Flieger-Division Heer 15-HMajor Commander of the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 67 Waffen-SS 16-WSS-Obersturmbannführer Commander of the SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 49 "De Ruyter" (niederländische Nr. 2) * Killed in action 29 July 1944 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 547 Heer 14-HHauptmann Leader of the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 Luftwaffe 17-LOberst Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader z.b.V. 2 Heer 10-HOberfeldwebel Shock troop leader in the 7./Infanterie-Regiment 330 + Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of the I./Infanterie-Regiment 118 (motorized) Awarded 279th Oak Leaves + Luftwaffe 17-LOberst Commander of Flak-Regiment (motorized) "General Göring" Awarded 276th Oak Leaves Heer 13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves Chief of Sturmgeschütz-Begleitkompanie 254 in the I./Grenadier-Regiment 431 Luftwaffe 12-LLeutnant Pilot in the 9.(Eis)/Kampfgeschwader 3 "Lützow" The brackets around the professor and doctor title [Prof. Dr.] denotes that the academic title was attained after the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded. Heer 14-HHauptmann Department leader of Panzer-Regiment 39 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./Flak-Regiment 64 (motorized) + Heer 13-HOberleutnant Leader of the 1./Panzer-Regiment 35 Awarded 285th Oak Leaves Luftwaffe 12-LLeutnant Leader of the 10./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Panzer-Regiment 8 im DAK Luftwaffe 15-LMajor Gruppenkommandeur of the II.(K)/Lehrgeschwader 1 Heer 15-HMajor Commander of Divisions-Füsilier-Abteilung 58 Heer 13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves Chief of the 10./Grenadier-Regiment 416 Heer 19-HGeneralleutnant Commander of the 18. Infanterie-Division (motorized) + Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Artillerie-Regiment 33 (motorized) Awarded 683rd Oak Leaves Kriegsmarine 14-MKapitänleutnant Commander of + Luftwaffe 09-LFeldwebel Pilot in the 3./Jagdgeschwader 53 Awarded 127th Oak Leaves Heer 16-HOberstleutnant Commander of Schützen-Regiment 8 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Staffelkapitän of the 5./Kampfgeschwader 30 + Heer 18-HGeneralmajor Commander of the 11. Panzer-Division Awarded 34th Oak Leaves Heer 13-HOberleutnant Chief of the 4./Infanterie-Regiment 453 Heer 10-HOberfähnrich Deputy leader of the 2./Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 260 * Killed in action 29 March 1944 Heer 17-HOberst Commander of Panzer-Regiment 39 Heer 12-HLeutnant of the Reserves Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Pionier-Bataillon 102 Luftwaffe 14-LHauptmann Staffelkapitän of the 3./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" and adjutant of the I./Schlachtgeschwader 2 Luftwaffe 13-LOberleutnant Staffelkapitän of the 6./Kampfgeschwader 2 Heer 03-HGefreiter Machine gun leader in the 2./Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Großdeutschland"

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