The Cross of the Iron Cross Knights (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes ), or just the Cross Knight ( Ritterkreuz ), and its variant was the highest award in the German military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knights Cross is given for various reasons and at all levels, from a senior commander to skilled leadership of his troops in a battle to a low-ranking soldier for an act of military courage. The presentation was made for members of the three branches of the military from the German text "Wehrmacht ( Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe , as well as Waffen- SS , the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD - Reich Labor Services) and < span lang = "de" title = "German text"> Volkssturm (German national militia), along with personnel from other axis powers.
The award was instituted on September 1, 1939, at the beginning of the German invasion of Poland. The higher classes, Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross, were instituted in 1940. In 1941, two higher classes of Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves were instituted: The Knight Cross with Leaves of Ek and Swords and the Knight Cross with Leaves of Ek, Swords and Diamonds. At the end of 1944, the final score, the Knight Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, was created. Over 7,000 awards were made during the war.
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Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III founded the Iron Cross at the start of the German campaign as part of the Napoleonic Wars. The design was a silver-framed cast iron cross on March 13, 1813. Iron is a material that symbolizes insubordination and reflects the spirit of the times. The Prussian state has stepped up a campaign in patriotic rhetoric to mobilize their citizens to repulse the French occupation. To finance the army, the king begged the rich Prussians to hand over their jewelry in exchange for a male iron ring or a women's brooch, each carrying a legend "Gold I gave to iron" ( Gold gab ich fÃÆ'¼r Eisen ). The award was re-established for war in 1870 and 1914.
With the outbreak of World War II on September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler in his role as commander of the German armed forces established the renewal of the Iron Cross of 1939. A new class of the Iron Cross series was introduced, the Crusaders Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, without distinction, was given to officers and soldiers, according to the National Socialist slogan: "One man, one nation, one leader".
The German Federal Archive Analysis revealed evidence for the 7161 officially awarded recipients. The Federal Archives of Germany strengthens 863 awards from Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross, along with 147 Swords and 27 Diamonds awards. Golden Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross was given only once, for Hans-Ulrich Rudel on December 29, 1944.
Maps Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Value
The legal basis for this decision was adopted in 1937 with the German law Title, Orders and Honor Marks ( Gesetz ÃÆ'¼ber Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen ) which made FÃÆ'¼hrer and President Reich the only person allowed to give orders or honor signs. Therefore, the Iron Cross re-institution is the FÃÆ'¼hrer decree, which has political implications since the Treaty of Versailles explicitly prohibited the creation of decorations, orders or military medals. The update for the first time has created a mark of honor from all over Germany.
When the war lasts an additional four years, leaders must distinguish those who have won the Knights Cross of the Cross or one of the higher classes and who continue to show goodness in battle or military success. The Knight's Cross was finally given in five classes:
- The Cross of the Holy Cross Knights
- The Knights Cross from the Iron Cross with the Leaf Ek
- The Knights Cross from the Iron Cross with Leaves and Swords
- The Knights Cross from the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
- The Knights Cross from the Iron Cross with Leaf Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds.
Knight's Cross
The Knight Cross from the Iron Cross was instituted on September 1, 1939. His appearance is very similar to the Iron Cross. The shape is a cross bar, a cross that has a narrow arm at the center and is wider on the perimeter. The most common Knight crosses produced by Steinhauer & amp; LÃÆ'¼ck in LÃÆ'¼denscheid. The Steinhauer & amp; LÃÆ'¼ck cross stamped with the number "800", showing 800 silver class, on the reverse side.
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
The Knight Cross from the Iron Cross with the Leaf Ek ( Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub ) was instituted on June 3, 1940. Before the introduction of Leaf Leaf only 124 Wehrmacht members had received the Knights Cross. Before the Yellow Case (Fall German), attacks on the Netherlands, Belgium and France, only 52 Knight's Crosses have been awarded. In May 1940, the number of presentations peaked. The time for the introduction of Ek Leaf is closely related to Case Red ( Fall Rot ), the second and the decisive phase of the Battle of France.
Like the added Knight Cross, the Leaf E buckle can be given for leadership, privileged service or personal gallantry. The Oak Leaves, such as Iron Cross 1813 and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, are not National Socialist inventions. They originally appeared in conjunction with the Golden Tail Leaf of the Red Eagle Order, which is the second highest Prussian sequence after the Black Eagle Order. The King was also given the Leaf Ek together with the Rite of Pour le MÃÆ'Â © since October 9, 1813 for valor.
Cross Knight with Oak Leaves and Swords
The Knight Cross from the Iron Cross with the Leaves of Ek and the Sword ( Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern ) was instituted one of 28 September 1941.) Leaf Oak with a Sword handle has an appearance similar to Oak Leaves clapping with the exception that a pair of crossed swords are soldered to the base of Leaf Ek.
Knight 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 founded on September 28, 1941. The buckle was drilled to receive diamonds. The first recipients are Werner MÃÆ'¶lders and Adolf Galland. Presentation Diamonds come as a set and include a more elaborate A-piece and second buckle with rhinestones for everyday wear, B-piece. The Diamonds were awarded 27 times during World War II. But three people never received a set of Diamonds. Hans-Joachim Marseille, the fourth recipient, was killed in a plane crash before the presentation. The worsening situation and the end of war prevented its presentation to Karl Mauss, the 26th recipient and Dietrich von Saucken, the 27th and final recipient.
Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
The Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, was founded on December 29, 1944. This medal is the highest level, originally intended for 12 of the soldiers who most prominent throughout the German armed forces after the war ended. Six sets of Golden Oak Leaves are produced, each made up of a piece A, made of 18 karat gold with 58 original diamond and piece B, made of 14 Karat with 68 real sapphires. One of these sets was presented to Hans-Ulrich Rudel on January 1, 1945, the remaining five sets were taken to Schloss Klessheim, where they were taken by US forces.
Nomination and approval procedure
To qualify for Knight's Cross, a soldier must already hold the 1939 Iron Cross First Class, although the Iron Cross First Class is given in conjunction with Knight's Cross in some cases. Unit commanders can also be awarded medals for the model's overall behavior as a whole. Additionally, U-boat commanders can qualify to drown 100,000 tonnes of delivery and the Luftwaffe pilot can qualify to collect 20 "points" (with a single point awarded to shoot down a single-engine plane, two points for a twin-engine aircraft and three for four-engined aircraft, with all points duplicated at night). It was issued 1939-1945, on terms gradually raised as the war progressed.
Nominations for Knight's Cross can be done at the corporate or higher level. The commander can not run. In this case, the division's aide makes recommendations. At Luftwaffe the lowest level is Geschwader and at Kriegsmarine each fleet is authorized to make a nomination. It was also possible to nominate a foreign subordinated unit. Nominations by troops must be submitted in writing and in duplicate copies. Formats and content predefined. Each nomination contains personal data, rank and unit at the time of the act, since when the army holds this position, the date of entry of military service, the military decorations given and the date of presentation, etc. For enlisted and non-commissioned soldiers, rÃÆ' Â © sumÃÆ' Â © should be submitted as well.
The nomination must be forwarded in writing by an official chain of command chain. Each intermittent administrative office or commander between the nominating unit and commander-in-chief of each of the Wehrmacht branches (commander-in-chief Heer), commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe and commander-in-chief of Kriegsmarine with their respective staff offices) should give their consent along with brief comments. In exceptional cases, as the nominated individual has suffered a severe injury or that the chain of command has been disrupted, a nomination may be filed through teleprinter communication.
Initially, the recipient of Knight's Cross, or one of the higher classes, received a short telegram informing him of the gift of the Knights Cross from the Iron Cross. After that he received VorlÃÆ'¤ufiges Besitzzeugnis (Testimony of Ownership). The awards are also recorded in recipients of the Soldbuch, Military Identification and personnel records.
September 1, 1939 to April 20, 1945
- Berlin, Germany (preliminary) -> Heertpersonalamt/Berlin (preliminary) -> Oberkommando der Wehrmacht-Department/
The Army's Branch Office was split due to the deteriorating war situation and was transferred to Marktschellenberg within 21 to 24 April 1945.
April 25, 1945 to April 30, 1945 (Hitler's death)
Administration/Marktschellenberg (preliminary decision) -> Deputy Chief Heerespersonalamt/Marktschellenberg (preliminary decision) -> Head of HPA/Berlin (preliminary decision) -> OKW-Department/Berlin (present) ->
April 30, 1945 and beyond
The approval authority of the Cross Cross of the Iron Cross became puzzling after Hitler's death on April 30, 1945. General Ernst Maisel, deputy head of the Army Personnel Office, was authorized by the President's Advisor to approve the effective Knights Cross presentation on 28 April. 1945. Maisel, on April 30, was legally approved and awarded 33 Knight's Crosses, 29 nominations denied and four suspended. Hitler's death put an end to Maisel's authority to approve the nomination. The authority to approve and make a presentation is forwarded to Hitler's successor as Staatsoberhaupt (Head of State) Karl DÃÆ'¶nitz, who holds the title of the ReichsprÃÆ'¤sident (President) and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
May 3, 1945
A teleprinter message dated May 3, 1945 was sent to the Commander-in-Chief of units still involved in combat, empowering them to make an autonomous presentation of the Knights Cross from the Iron Cross itself. The following decision-making chains are possible now:
- North sector
- Administration (initial decision) -> Head of Heerespersonalamt/Flensburg (initial decision) -> Head of OKW/Flensburg (presents) -> DÃÆ'¶nitz/Flensburg (decision)
- The Northern Commander: Ernst Busch
- Commander-in-Chief Army Commander: Carl Hilpert
- Panglima Timur Prussia: Dietrich von Saucken
- Norwegian Commander-in-Chief: Franz BÃÆ'¶hme
- Danish Supreme Commander: Georg Lindemann
- Commander of the Vistula Group Armed Forces: Kurt von Tippelskirch (army group destroyed on 3 May 1945 and removed from distribution list)
- South sector
- Group G Army Commander: Albert Kesselring
- Commander of Group E Army: Alexander LÃÆ'¶hr
- The Armed Forces Commander of the Ostmark Group: Lothar Rendulic
- Army Commander-in-Chief Group Center: Ferdinand SchÃÆ'¶rner
- Commander of the Group C Army: Heinrich von Vietinghoff (army group destroyed on May 2, 1945 and excluded from the distribution list)
DÃÆ'¶nitz-dekree
Rear Admiral Karl DÃÆ'¶nitz, as President of Germany and Hitler's successor as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has stated that "All nominations for the awarding of the Knights Cross from the Iron Cross and their higher values ​​have been received by Oberkommando der Wehrmacht - staff of the Wehrmacht high command - until capitulation becomes effectively approved, under the premise that all nominations are officially and correctly approved by the Wehrmacht nomination authority, Heer including Waffen-SS, Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe to army level field and leadership of the army group. "
This "DÃÆ'¶nitz-dekree" ( DÃÆ'¶nitz-ErlaÃÆ'Ÿ ) probably dates from May 7, 1945. Manfred DÃÆ'¶rr, author of various publications related to the Crusader Cross of the Iron Cross, asked a counselor law on this decision in 1988. Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) came to the conclusion that this decision violated the law and had no legal justification. This blanket decision is inconsistent with the law governing the devotion of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross requiring a case-by-case decision.
Recipient
The German Federal Archive Analysis revealed evidence for the 7161 officially awarded recipients. The Federal Archives of Germany strengthens 863 awards from Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross, along with 147 Swords and 27 Diamonds awards. Author Veit Scherzer concluded that any presentation of the Cross of the Iron Cross, or one of its higher classes, made until April 20, 1945 can be verified in the Federal Archives of Germany. The first echelons of the 5th Heilponealam Abteilung P 5/Registratur (Department of Army Personnel Department 5/Registry) were transferred from Zossen in Brandenburg to Traunstein in Bavaria today and the confusion over who could be considered Knight Knight the legitimate begins.
Hitler often makes presentations from Leaf Ek and his own higher value. The first presentation in 1940 and 1941 was made at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin or at Berghof near Berchtesgaden. Beginning with Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the presentation was made at FÃÆ'¼hrer "Wolf's Lair" Headquarters in East Prussia, in "Wehrwolf" near Vinnytsia in Ukraine, and at Berghof. After the July 20 plot, the presentation was only made sporadically by Hitler himself. Hitler's final presentation was made early in 1945 at Berlin's FÃÆ'¼hrerbunker. Senior commanders, such as the commander in chief Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe, and from the fall of 1944 also by Heinrich Himmler's ReichsfÃÆ'¼hrer-SS, made a presentation instead.
Cross Knight Recipient Association
The Association of Crusaders (AKCR) (German: Ordensgemeinschaft der RitterkreuztrÃÆ'¤ger des Eisernen Kreuzes e.V. (OdR) ) is a highly decorated association of warriors from both world wars. The association was founded in 1955 in Cologne by Alfred Keller, Knight of the Order Pour le MÃÆ' Â © rite and receiver of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Later, the recipient of the Pritank Gold Gold Merit Palit, or Pour le MÃÆ' Â © rite for enlisted personnel, is involved. The AKCR lists the provisions of the 7318 Knight's Crosses, as well as 882 Oak Leaves, 159 Swords, 27 Diamonds, 1 Golden Oak Leaves and 1 Grand Cross of the Iron Cross for all ranks in the three Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS branches.
In 1999, German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping outlawed contact between the Bundeswehr and the association, stating that it and many of its members shared neo-Nazi and revanchistic ideas that did not comply with the German constitution and German postwar policy.
Post-war
German Law on Titles, Orders and Honor Marks (German: Gesetz ÃÆ'¼ber Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen ) governs the use of Knight's Cross in Germany post-World War II. German law prohibited the use of the swastika, so on 26 July 1957 the West German government authorized the replacement of the Knight Cross with Oak Leaf Group at the swastika, similar to the Iron Cross of 1914, and the Iron Cross was denazified in 1957, which could be worn by World War II recipients.
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