The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) 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, German: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — 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 whose last name starts with "O". Scherzer has challenged the validity of two of these listings. The recipients are ordered alphabetically by last name. The rank listed is the recipient's rank at the time the Knight's Cross was awarded.
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grades were based on four separate enactments. The first enactment, German: [[Reichsgesetzblatt]] I S. 1573 of 1 September 1939 instituted the Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz), the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (German: 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.[1] 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 (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment German: Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of 3 June 1940.[2] In 1941, two higher grades of the Knight's Cross were instituted. The enactment German: Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 of 28 September 1941 introduced the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten).[3] At the end of 1944 the final grade, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten), based on the enactment German: Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944, became the final variant of the Knight's Cross authorized.[4]
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 "O", seven were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and four the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords; seven presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received 52 of the medals, six went to the Kriegsmarine, 21 to the Luftwaffe, and three to the Waffen-SS. The sequential numbers greater than 843 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves are unofficial and were assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) and are therefore denoted in parentheses.
| Name | Service | Rank | Role and unit[5] | Date of award | Notes | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luftwaffe | Oberstleutnant | Commander of Flak-Regiment 99 (motorized) | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann | Company chief in the II./Jäger-Regiment 25 (L) | Died of wounds 20 February 1945 | ||||
| Heer | Oberjäger | Group leader in the 6./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 218 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Oberleutnant | Pilot in the 2./Kampfgeschwader 55 | |||||
| Heer | Leutnant of the Reserves | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 3./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 667 | |||||
| Heer | Major of the Reserves | Commander of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 34 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Oberfähnrich | Observer in the 11.(H)/Aufklärungs-Gruppe 13 | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann | Leader of Panzer-Abteilung "Feldherrnhalle" | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Leutnant | Staffelführer of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 52 | |||||
| Waffen-SS | SS-Obersturmführer | Leader of the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 1126 | |||||
| Heer | Leutnant | Leader of the 4./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 66 | Died of wounds 10 October 1943 | ||||
| + | Heer | General der Infanterie | Commanding general of the XXIX. Armeekorps | Awarded 251st Oak Leaves 110th Swords | |||
| + | Heer | Hauptmann | Commander of schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 346 | Awarded (858th) Oak Leaves | |||
| + | Heer | Oberfeldwebel | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 101 | Awarded 360th Oak Leaves | |||
| Heer | Oberst | Commander of the 31. Infanterie-Division | |||||
| Heer | Major | Commander of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 132 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | General der Flakartillerie | Commanding general of the II. Flakkorps (motorized) | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Oberfeldwebel | Observer in the 4./Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever" | |||||
| Heer | Oberleutnant | Chief of the 5./Schützen-Regiment 4 | |||||
| Heer | Leutnant | Leader of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 62 | Killed in action 5 July 1943 | ||||
| Heer | Oberstleutnant | Leader of Kampfgruppe "Oehmichen" | |||||
| Kriegsmarine | Kapitänleutnant | Commander of | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Oberfeldwebel | Pilot in the 8./Kampfgeschwader 27 "Boelcke" | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann | Leader of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 21 (L) | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann | Chief of the 6./Artillerie-Regiment 12 | |||||
| + | Luftwaffe | Hauptmann | Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 51 | Awarded 9th Oak Leaves 3rd Swords | |||
| Kriegsmarine | Kapitänleutnant | Commander of | |||||
| Kriegsmarine | Kapitänleutnant of the Reserves | Chief of the Küstenschutzflottille "Attika" | Killed in aerial bombardment 22 January 1944 | ||||
| Heer | Gefreiter | Machine gunner in the 11./Grenadier-Regiment 186 | |||||
| + | Heer | Oberleutnant | Chief of the 7./Bau-Lehr-Regiment z.b.V. 800 "Brandenburg" | Awarded 734th Oak Leaves | |||
| Heer | Unteroffizier | Group leader in the 1./Pionier-Bataillon 323 | |||||
| Heer | Feldwebel | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 9./Infanterie-Regiment 191 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Feldwebel | Pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 | |||||
| Kriegsmarine | Oberleutnant (M.A.) | Chief of the Marinebatterie "Marcouf" (Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung 260) | |||||
| Heer | Oberleutnant | Chief of the 11./Panzer-Regiment 25 | |||||
| Heer | Obergefreiter | Richtkanonier (gunner) in the 4./Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 116 | |||||
| Waffen-SS | SS-Sturmbannführer | Commander of the III.(gepanzert)/Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 "Hitlerjugend" | |||||
| ? | Heer | Generalleutnant | Commander of the 24. Infanterie-Division | ||||
| Luftwaffe | Oberleutnant | Staffelkapitän of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 1 | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann | Commander of the I./Artillerie-Regiment 78 | |||||
| Kriegsmarine | Oberleutnant (Ing.) | Chief engineer on | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Leutnant | Pilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 77 | |||||
| Heer | Oberst | Commander of Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 2 | |||||
| Kriegsmarine | Oberleutnant zur See | Commander Schnellboot S-31 in the 2. Schnellbootflottille | |||||
| Heer | Oberstleutnant | Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 911 | |||||
| + | Heer | Oberst | Commander of Panzer-Regiment 204 | Awarded 536th Oak Leaves 142nd Swords | |||
| Heer | Generalmajor | Commander of the 305. Infanterie-Division | |||||
| Heer | Feldwebel | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 7./Jäger-Regiment 38 | Died of wounds 20 March 1943 | ||||
| Heer | Oberleutnant | Chief of the 10./Infanterie-Regiment 266 | |||||
| Generalleutnant | Commander of the 299. Infanterie-Division | ||||||
| Luftwaffe | Major | Gruppenkommandeur of the Fernaufklärungs-Gruppe 122 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Oberfeldwebel | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 4./Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment | Killed in action 10 March 1942 | ||||
| Heer | Grenadier | In the 13./Grenadier-Regiment 453 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Hauptmann | Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 | |||||
| Heer | Oberstleutnant | Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 754 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel | Pilot in the 7./Schlachtgeschwader 10 | |||||
| Heer | Oberjäger | Group leader in the 1./Jäger-Regiment 56 | Killed in action 29 July 1944 | ||||
| + | Waffen-SS | SS-Obersturmbannführer | Ia (operational officer) of SS-Division "Das Reich" | Awarded (861st) Oak Leaves | |||
| Luftwaffe | Oberleutnant | Chief of the 2./Flak-Regiment 8 (motorized) | |||||
| + | Heer | Major | Commander of the III./Füsilier-Regiment 27 | Awarded 732nd Oak Leaves | |||
| Luftwaffe | Generalmajor | Jagdfliegerführer of Luftflotte 2 | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann | Leader of Divisions-Bataillon 260 | |||||
| + | Luftwaffe | Leutnant | Pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 54 | Awarded 81st Oak Leaves 10th Swords | |||
| + | Heer | Hauptmann of the Reserves | Leader of a Kampfgruppe in the Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle" | Awarded 834th Oak Leaves | |||
| Luftwaffe | Hauptmann | Staffelkapitän of the 13.(Panzer)/Schlachtgeschwader 9 | |||||
| Luftwaffe | Major | Gruppenkommandeur of (Fern)Aufklärungs-Gruppe 2 | |||||
| Heer | General der Infanterie | Commanding general of the LII. Armeekorps | |||||
| ? | Heer | Oberwachtmeister | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 12./Panzer-Regiment 24 | ||||
| Heer | Oberleutnant of the Reserves | Chief of the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 97 | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann of the Reserves | Leader of the I./Jäger-Regiment 28 | |||||
| Heer | Oberst | Commander of Jäger-Regiment 56 | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann of the Reserves | Chief of the 1./Füsilier-Regiment 22 | |||||
| Heer | Oberleutnant | Chief of the 2./Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 32 | |||||
| Heer | Oberst | Commander of Jäger-Regiment 207 | |||||
| + | Luftwaffe | Oberleutnant | Pilot in the 9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" | Awarded 433rd Oak Leaves | |||
| Heer | Generalleutnant | Commander of the 36. Infanterie-Division (motorized) | |||||
| Heer | Hauptmann | Leader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 454 | |||||
| Heer | Unteroffizier | Group leader in the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 529 | |||||
| Heer | Unteroffizier | Group leader in the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 529 | |||||
| Heer | Generalleutnant | Commander of the 56. Infanterie-Division | |||||
| Heer | Feldwebel | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 9./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 | |||||
| Heer | Oberleutnant | Chief of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 11 (motorized) |
de:Walther-Peer Fellgiebel
. 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 . de . Friedberg, Germany . Podzun-Pallas . 978-3-7909-0284-6.