List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords or Diamonds recipients of the Luftwaffe fighter force

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (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, 453 German day and bomber destroyer (Zerstörer) pilots, 85 night fighter pilots, including 14 crew members, were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[1] Among them, 130 pilots received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), 34 the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern), and nine won the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten).

Background

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grades were based on four separate enactments. The first enactment, Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573 of 1 September 1939 instituted the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz), the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). Article 2 of the enactment mandated that the award of a higher class be preceded by the award of all preceding classes.[2] 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 (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of 3 June 1940.[3] 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 (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten).[4] At the end of 1944 the final grade, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten), based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944, became the final variant of the Knight's Cross authorized.[5]

Recipients

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht kept separate Knight's Cross lists, one for each of the three military branches, Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (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 was applied to the higher grades of the Knight's Cross, one list per grade.[6]

Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds

The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds is based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 of 28 September 1941 to reward those servicemen who had already been awarded the Oak Leaves with Swords to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Ultimately, it would be awarded to twenty-seven German soldiers, sailors and airmen, ranging from young fighter pilots to field marshals. Nine recipients were fighter pilots.[7]

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes	Picture
1	Werner Mölders	Oberst	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51[8]	15 July 1941	—
2	Adolf Galland	Oberst	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"[8]	28 January 1942	—
3	Gordon Gollob	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77[8]	30 August 1942	—
4	Hans-Joachim Marseille	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 27[8]	3 September 1942	—
5	Hermann Graf	Oberleutnant of the Reserves	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52[8]	16 September 1942	—	—
8	Walter Nowotny	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54[9]	19 October 1943	—	—
15	Helmut Lent	Oberstleutnant	Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3[9]	31 July 1944	—
18	Erich Hartmann	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52[9]	25 August 1944	—
21	Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1[10]	16 October 1944	—	—

Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords is also based on the enactment (Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613) of 28 September 1941 to reward those servicemen who had already been awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The list is initially sorted by the chronological number assigned to the recipient.

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes	Picture
1	Adolf Galland	Oberstleutnant	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"[11]	21 June 1941	Awarded 2nd Diamonds 28 January 1942	—
2	Werner Mölders	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51[11]	22 June 1941	Awarded 1st Diamonds 15 July 1941	—
3	Walter Oesau	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 3[11]	15 July 1941[Notes 1]	—	—
4	Günther Lützow	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 3[11]	11 October 1941	—
7	Heinrich Bär	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 1./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"[11]	16 February 1942	—	—
8	Hans Philipp	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54[11]	12 March 1942	—	—
9	Herbert Ihlefeld	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 77[11]	24 April 1942	—	—
10	Max-Hellmuth Ostermann	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 54[11]	17 May 1942	—	—
11	Hermann Graf	Leutnant of the Reserves	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52[11]	19 May 1942[Notes 2]	Awarded 5th Diamonds 16 September 1942	—
12	Hans-Joachim Marseille	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 27[11]	18 June 1942	Awarded 4th Diamonds 3 September 1942	—
13	Gordon Gollob	Hauptmann	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77[14]	23 June 1942	Awarded 3rd Diamonds 30 August 1942	—
14	Leopold Steinbatz	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52[14]	23 June 1942*	Killed in action 15 June 1942[15]	—
19	Joachim Müncheberg	Hauptmann	deputy Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51[14]	9 September 1942	—	—
23	Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"[14]	23 December 1942	—	—
32	Helmut Lent	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1[16]	2 August 1943	Awarded 15th Diamonds 31 July 1944	—
34	Günther Rall	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 52[16]	12 September 1943	—
37	Walter Nowotny	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54[16]	22 September 1943	Awarded 8th Diamonds 19 October 1943	—
43	Hajo Herrmann	Oberst	Inspekteur der deutschen Luftverteidigung[17]	23 January 1944	—
44	Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2[17]	23 January 1944*	Killed in action 21 January 1944[18]
51	Egon Mayer	Oberstleutnant	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"[17]	2 March 1944*	Killed in action 2 March 1944[19]	—
52	Gerhard Barkhorn	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 52[17]	2 March 1944	—	—
54	Werner Streib	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1[17]	11 March 1944	—	—
73	Josef Priller	Oberstleutnant	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"[20]	2 July 1944	—	—
75	Erich Hartmann	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52[20]	2 July 1944	Awarded 18th Diamonds 25 August 1944	—
78	Anton Hackl	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 11[21]	9 July 1944[Notes 3]	—	—
82	Johannes Steinhoff	Oberstleutnant	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77[21]	28 July 1944	—	—
84	Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1[21]	30 July 1944	Awarded 21st Diamonds 16 October 1944	—
88	Kurt Bühligen	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"[21]	14 August 1944	—
108	Josef Wurmheller	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"[23]	24 October 1944*	Killed in action 22 June 1944[24]	—
113	Otto Kittel	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 2./Jagdgeschwader 54[23]	25 November 1944	—	—
126	Erich Rudorffer	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 54[25]	26 January 1945	—
130	Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 14./Jagdgeschwader 27[25]	1 February 1945	—	—
(144)	Werner Schröer	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"[26]	19 April 1945	—	—
(145)	Wilhelm Batz	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 52[26]	21 April 1945	—	—

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.[27]

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes	Picture
2	Werner Mölders	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51	21 September 1940	Awarded 2nd Swords 22 June 1941 1st Diamonds 15 July 1941	—
3	Adolf Galland	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"	24 September 1940	Awarded 1st Swords 21 June 1941 2nd Diamonds 28 January 1942	—
4	Helmut Wick	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	6 October 1940	—
9	Walter Oesau	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 3	6 February 1941	Awarded 3rd Swords 15 July 1941	—
11	Hermann-Friedrich Joppien	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 51	23 April 1941	—	—
12	Joachim Müncheberg	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Sclageter"	7 May 1941	Awarded 19th Swords 9 September 1942	—
16	Herbert Ihlefeld	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 77	27 June 1941	Awarded 9th Swords 24 April 1942	—
17	Wilhelm Balthasar	Hauptmann	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	2 July 1941	—	—
18	Siegfried Schnell	Leutnant of the Reserves	pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	9 July 1941	—	—
27	Günther Lützow	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 3	20 July 1941	Awarded 4th Swords 11 October 1941	—
28	Josef Priller	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 1./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"	20 July 1941	Awarded 73rd Swords 2 July 1944	—
29	Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 53	24 July 1941	—	—
31	Heinrich Bär	Leutnant	pilot in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 51	14 August 1941	Awarded 7th Swords 16 February 1942	—
32	Hans Hahn	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	14 August 1941	—	—
33	Hans Philipp	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 54	24 August 1941	Awarded 8th Swords 12 March 1942	—
35	Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 12./Jagdgeschwader 51	16 September 1941	—
36	Heinrich Hoffman	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 12./Jagdgeschwader 51	19 October 1941*	Killed in action 3 October 1941[8]	—
38	Gordon Gollob	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 3	26 October 1941	Awarded 13th Swords 23 June 1942 3rd Diamonds 30 August 1942	—
39	Erbo Graf von Kageneck	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 27	26 October 1941	—	—
70	Rolf Kaldrack	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Schnellkampfgeschwader 210	February 9, 1942*	Killed in action 3 February 1942[28]	—
79	Gerhard Köppen	Feldwebel	pilot in the 8./Jagdgeschwader 52	27 February 1942	—	—
80	Kurt Ubben	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 77	12 March 1942	—	—
81	Max-Hellmuth Ostermann	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 54	12 March 1942	Awarded 10th Swords 17 May 1942	—
82	Franz Eckerle	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54	12 March 1942*	Killed in action 14 February 1942[29]	—
83	Wolf-Dietrich Huy	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 77	17 March 1942	—	—
84	Hans Strelow	Leutnant	Staffelführer of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	24 March 1942	—	—
85	Wilhelm Spies	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the 1./Zerstörergeschwader 26	5 April 1942*	—	—
90	Wolfgang Späte	Oberleutnant of the Reserves	Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 54	23 April 1942	—	—
93	Hermann Graf	Leutnant of the Reserves	Staffelführer of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52	17 May 1942	Awarded 11th Swords 19 May 1942 5th Diamonds 16 September 1942	—
94	Adolf Dickfeld	Leutnant of the Reserves	pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 52	19 May 1942[Notes 4]	—	—
96	Leopold Steinbatz	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52	2 June 1942	Awarded 14th Swords 23 June 1942	—
97	Hans-Joachim Marseille	Oberleutnant	pilot in the 3./Jagdgeschwader 27	6 June 1942	Awarded 12th Swords 18 June 1942 4th Diamonds 3 September 1942	—
98	Helmut Lent	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2	6 June 1942	Awarded 32nd Swords 2 August 1943 15th Diamonds 31 July 1944	—
101	Friedrich Geißhardt	Oberleutnant	pilot and adjutant in the Stab of I./Jagdgeschwader 77	23 June 1942	—	—
102	Heinrich Setz	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän 4./Jagdgeschwader 77	23 June 1942	—	—
106	Erwin Clausen	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 6./Jagdgeschwader 77	23 July 1942	—	—
107	Viktor Bauer	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"	26 July 1942	—	—
108	Franz-Josef Beerenbrock	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	3 August 1942	—	—
109	Anton Hackl	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 77	7 August 1942	Awarded 78th Swords 9 July 1944	—
114	Kurt Brändle	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"	27 August 1942	—	—
115	Johannes Steinhoff	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 52	2 September 1942	Awarded 82nd Swords 28 July 1944	—
122	Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Hauptmann	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"	9 September 1942	Awarded 23rd Swords 23 December 1942	—
124	Heinz Schmidt	Leutnant	pilot in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 52	16 September 1942	—	—
126	Friedrich-Karl Müller	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 1./Jagdgeschwader 53[Notes 5]	23 September 1942	—	—
127	Wilhelm Crinius	Feldwebel	pilot in the 3./Jagdgeschwader 53	23 September 1942	—	—
128	Wolfgang Tonne	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 53	24 September 1942	—	—
130	Hans Beißwenger	Leutnant of the Reserves	pilot in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 54	3 October 1942	—	—
131	Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert	Feldwebel	pilot in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 77	7 October 1942	Awarded 130th Swords 1 February 1945	—
134	Günther Rall	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 52	26 October 1942	Awarded 34th Swords 12 September 1943	—
137	Max Stotz	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 54	30 October 1942	—	—
139	Wolfgang Schenck	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Zerstörergeschwader 1	30 October 1942	—
141	Josef Zwernemann	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 52	31 October 1942	—	—
146	Josef Wurmheller	Leutnant	pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthoffen"	13 November 1942	Awarded 108th Swords 24 October 1944	—
175	Gerhard Barkhorn	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 52	11 January 1943	Awarded 52nd Swords 2 March 1944	—
190	Reinhold Knacke	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 1./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	7 February 1943*	Killed in action 3 February 1943[34]	—
196	Paul Gildner	Oberleutnant	pilot in the 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	26 February 1943*	Killed in action 24 February 1943[34]	—
197	Werner Streib	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	26 February 1943	Awarded 54th Swords 11 March 1944
198	Ludwig Becker	Hauptmann of the Reserves	Staffelkapitän of the 12./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2	26 February 1943*	Killed in action 26 February 1943[34]	—
232	Egon Mayer	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	16 April 1943	Awarded 51st Swords 2 March 1944	—
255	Gustav Rödel	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 27	20 June 1943	—	—
263	Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2	2 August 1943	—
264	Manfred Meurer	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	2 August 1943	—
265	Heinrich Ehrler	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 5	2 August 1943	—	—
266	Theodor Weissenberger	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 5	2 August 1943	—
267	Joachim Kirschner	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"	2 August 1943	—	—
268	Werner Schröer	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 27	2 August 1943	Awarded 144th Swords 19 April 1945	—
269	Hajo Herrmann	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 300	2 August 1943	Awarded 43rd Swords 23 January 1944	—
288	Hartmann Grasser	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	31 August 1943	—	—
289	Wolf-Udo Ettel	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 27	31 August 1943*	—	—
290	Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 5	31 August 1943	Awarded 44th Swords 23 January 1944	—
293	Walter Nowotny	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 1./Jagdgeschwader 54	5 September 1943	Awarded 37th Swords 22 September 1943 8th Diamonds 20 October 1943	—
337	Dietrich Hrabak	Oberstleutnant	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 52	25 November 1943	—	—
338	Wilhelm Lemke	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"[Notes 6]	25 November 1943	—	—
364	Horst Hannig	Leutnant	Staffelführer of the 2./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	3 January 1944*	—	—
365	Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt	Leutnant	Staffelführer of the 2./Jagdgeschwader 27	3 January 1944*	—	—
413	Kurt Buehlingen	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	2 March 1944	Awarded 88th Swords 14 August 1944	—
414	Horst Ademeit	Hauptmann of the Reserves	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54	2 March 1944	—	—
415	Walter Krupinski	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 52	2 March 1944	—	—
416	August Geiger	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	2 March 1944*	—	—
417	Hans-Dieter Frank	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	2 March 1944*	—	—
418	Johannes Wiese	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 52	2 March 1944	—	—
419	Reinhard Seiler	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54	2 March 1944	—	—
420	Erich Hartmann	Leutnant	Staffelführer of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52	2 March 1944	Awarded 75th Swords 2 July 1944 18th Diamonds 25 August 1944	—
430	Hans-Joachim Jabs	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	24 March 1944	—
437	Eduard Tratt	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Zerstörergeschwader 26	26 March 1944*	—	—
444	Günther Radusch	Oberstleutnant	Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 5	6 April 1944	—	—
446	Alfred Grislawski	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 1./Jagdgeschwader 1	11 April 1944	—	—
447	Erich Rudorffer	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 54	11 April 1944	Awarded 126th Swords 26 January 1945	—
448	Emil Lang	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 54	11 April 1944	Killed in action 3 September 1944[36]
449	Otto Kittel	Leutnant	pilot in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 54	11 April 1944	Awarded 113th Swords 25 November 1944	—
450	Rudolf Schoenert	Major of the Reserves	Gruppenkommandeur of Nachtjagdgruppe 10	11 April 1944	—	—
451	Wilhelm Herget	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 4	11 April 1944	—	—
452	Anton Hafner	Leutnant	pilot in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	11 April 1944	—	—
460	Günther Schack	Leutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	20 April 1944	—	—
464	Albin Wolf	Leutnant	pilot in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 54	27 April 1944*	killed in action 2 April 1944[37]	—
465	Heinz Vinke	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 11./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	25 April 1944*	—
471	Leopold Münster	Leutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"	12 May 1944*	—	—
507	Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	24 June 1944	Awarded 84th Swords 30 July 1944 21st Diamonds 16 October 1944	—
508	Adolf Glunz	Leutnant	pilot in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"	24 June 1944	—	—
512	Herbert Huppertz	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"	24 June 1944*	—	—
526	Wilhelm Batz	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 52	20 July 1944	Awarded 145th Swords 21 April 1945	—
527	Willy Kientsch	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 6./Jagdgeschwader 27	20 July 1944*	—	—
528	Heinz Strüning	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	20 July 1944	—
529	Karl-Heinz Weber	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	20 July 1944*	—	—
530	Otto Weßling	Hauptmann of the Reserves	Staffelkapitän of the 11./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"	20 July 1944*	—	—
531	Rudolf Frank	Oberfeldwebel	pilot in the 2./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3	20 July 1944*	—	—
588	Paul Zorner	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Nachtjagdgeschwader 5	17 September 1944	—	—
616	Walter Schuck	Leutnant	pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 5	30 September 1944	—	—
653	Klaus Mietusch	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"	18 November 1944*	—
663	Georg-Peter Eder	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 6./Jagdgeschwader 1	25 November 1944	—	—
667	Gerhard Michalski	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 4	25 November 1944	—	—
697	Joachim Brendel	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	14 January 1945	—	—
713	Herbert Rollwage	Leutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 53	24 January 1945	—	—
724	Walther Dahl	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 300	1 February 1945	—	—
727	Jürgen Harder	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 11	1 February 1945	—	—
736	Herbert Schramm	Oberleutnant of the Reserves	Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 27	11 February 1945*	—	—
748	Rolf Hermichen	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 11	19 February 1945	—	—
769	Kurt Welter	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 10./Nachtjagdgeschwader 11	11 March 1945	—	—
781	Heinz Rökker	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 2./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2	12 March 1945	—	—
782	Robert Weiß	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 54	12 March 1945*	killed in action 29 December 1944[38]	—
792	Martin Becker	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 6	20 March 1945	—	—
810	Günther Josten	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"	28 March 1945	—	—
822	Gerhard Thyben	Oberleutnant	Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 54	8 April 1945	—
833	Gerhard Raht	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3	15 April 1945	—	—
836	Herbert Lütje	Major	Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 6	17 April 1945	—
837	Helmut Lipfert	Hauptmann of the Reserves	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 53	17 April 1945	—	—
838	Josef Kraft	Hauptmann	Staffelkapitän of the 12./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	17 April 1945	—	—
839	Martin Drewes	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	17 April 1945	—	—
840	Hermann Greiner	Hauptmann	Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1	17 April 1945	—	—
841	Paul Semrau	Major	Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2	17 April 1945*	Killed in action 8 February 1945[27]

Notes

According to Scherzer on 16 July 1941[12]
According to Scherzer on 18 May 1942.[13]
According to Scherzer on 12 July 1944.[22]
According to Scherzer on 18 May 1942 and not 19 May 1942 as stated by Fellgiebel[29][30]
Both Fellgiebel and Scherzer state that Friedrich-Karl Müller received the Oak Leaves while serving with 1./Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) "Udet", while Prien states that he was serving with 1./Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53). 1./JG 53 seems to be correct based upon the chronicles of JG 53 which details the chain of events leading to the awarding of Oak Leaves just 4 days after the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[31][32][33]
According to Scherzer as Staffelkapitän in the III./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet".[35]

References

Specific

Obermaier 1989, p. 14.
"Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 1573; 1 September 1939" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
"Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 849; 3 June 1940" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
"Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 613; 28 September 1941" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
"Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11; 29 December 1944" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
Fellgiebel, p.112.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 36–38.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 36.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 37.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 38.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 39.
Scherzer 2007, p. 576.
Scherzer 2007, p. 344.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 40.
Scherzer 2007, p. 720.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 41.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 42.
Scherzer 2007, p. 652.
Scherzer 2007, p. 531.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 43
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 44.
Scherzer 2007, p. 358.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 46.
Scherzer 2007, p. 800.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 47.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 48.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 58.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 59.
Scherzer 2007, p. 271.
Prien 1998, p. 429.
Scherzer 2007, p. 555.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 61.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 66.
Scherzer 2007, p. 501.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 81.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 82.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 99.

General

Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
Prien, Jochen (1998). Jagdgeschwader 53 A History of the "Pik As" Geschwader May 1942 – January 1944. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-0292-3.
Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

External links

"Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2011.
"Das Bundesarchiv". Military Archive - Freiburg im Breisgau. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2011.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[13] According to Scherzer on 16 July 1941[12]

[15] According to Scherzer on 18 May 1942.[13]

[25] According to Scherzer on 12 July 1944.[22]

[34] According to Scherzer on 18 May 1942 and not 19 May 1942 as stated by Fellgiebel[29][30]

[38] Both Fellgiebel and Scherzer state that Friedrich-Karl Müller received the Oak Leaves while serving with 1./Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) "Udet", while Prien states that he was serving with 1./Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53). 1./JG 53 seems to be correct based upon the chronicles of JG 53 which details the chain of events leading to the awarding of Oak Leaves just 4 days after the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[31][32][33]

[41] According to Scherzer as Staffelkapitän in the III./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet".[35]

[1] Obermaier 1989, p. 14.

[RGBl._I_S._1573-2] "Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 1573; 1 September 1939" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.

[RGBl._I_S._849-3] "Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 849; 3 June 1940" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.

[RGBl._I_S._613-4] "Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 613; 28 September 1941" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.

[RGBl._I_S._11-5] "Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11; 29 December 1944" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.

[6] Fellgiebel, p.112.

[7] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 36–38.

[Fellgiebel_p36-8] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 36.

[Fellgiebel_p37-9] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 37.

[10] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 38.

[Fellgiebel_p39-11] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 39.

[12] Scherzer 2007, p. 576.

[14] Scherzer 2007, p. 344.

[Fellgiebel_p40-16] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 40.

[17] Scherzer 2007, p. 720.

[Fellgiebel_p41-18] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 41.

[Fellgiebel_p42-19] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 42.

[20] Scherzer 2007, p. 652.

[21] Scherzer 2007, p. 531.

[Fellgiebel_p43-22] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 43

[Fellgiebel_p44-23] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 44.

[24] Scherzer 2007, p. 358.

[Fellgiebel_p46-26] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 46.

[27] Scherzer 2007, p. 800.

[Fellgiebel_p47-28] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 47.

[Fellgiebel_p48-29] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 48.

[Fellgiebel_2000,_p._102-30] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.

[31] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 58.

[Fellgiebel_2000,_p._59-32] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 59.

[33] Scherzer 2007, p. 271.

[35] Prien 1998, p. 429.

[36] Scherzer 2007, p. 555.

[Fellgiebel_p61-37] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 61.

[Fellgiebel_p66-39] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 66.

[Scherzer_p501-40] Scherzer 2007, p. 501.

[42] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 81.

[43] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 82.

[44] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 99.

Knight's Cross recipients

All grades	Grand Cross Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds Oak Leaves and Swords
Oak Leaves	1940–41 1942 1943 1944 1945 Foreign
Knight's Cross	A Ba–Bm Bn–Bz C D E F G Ha–Hm Hn–Hz I J Ka–Km Kn–Kz L M N O P Q R Sa–Schr Schu–Sz T U V W X–Z Foreign
Knight's Cross