Decorations

Knights Cross

Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuz



Knights Cross

The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross was introduced in 1939 as an addtion to the Iron Cross family. Like the Iron Cross itself it had the year of its intruduction embodied into it.

About 7,318 of these awards were presented to members of all branches of the German armed forces. U-boat men received 144 of those.

See the history and overview of the Knights Cross

Decorations ordered by last name

See this list sorted by date


Commander and rankAgeCrewDate  U-boat Command(s) held *
Kptlt. Achilles, Albrecht +283416 Jan 1943  U-161

Kptlt. Bargsten, Klaus Heinrich313530 Apr 1943  U-563, U-521
Kptlt. Bauer, Ernst283316 Mar 1942  U-120, U-126
Kptlt. Bigalk, Gerhard +333326 Dec 1941  U-14, U-751
Kptlt. Bleichrodt, Heinrich313124 Oct 1940  U-48
Kptlt. Brandi, Albrecht283521 Jan 1943  U-617
Kptlt. Brasack, Paul2837a30 Oct 1944  U-737
Kptlt. Bülow, Otto von313020 Oct 1942  U-3, U-404

Kptlt. Clausen, Asmus Nicolai +3013 Mar 1942  U-142, U-37, U-129
Kptlt. Cremer, Peter-Erich31325 Jun 1942  U-152, U-333

Kpt. Dobratz, Kurt402223 Jan 1945  U-1232
Kptlt. Dommes, Wilhelm35312 Dec 1942  U-431

Oblt. Eick, Alfred2837a31 Mar 1944  U-510
Kptlt. Emmermann, Carl273427 Nov 1942  U-172
Oblt. Endrass, Engelbert +29345 Sep 1940  U-46

Oblt. Fenski, Horst-Arno2537b26 Nov 1943  U-34, U-410
Oblt. Fleige, Karl3818 Jul 1944  U-18
Kptlt. Folkers, Ulrich +283427 Mar 1943  U-37, U-125
Kptlt. Forstner, Siegfried Freiherr von +32309 Feb 1943  U-59, U-402
Kptlt. Franke, Rudolf Heinz283630 Nov 1943  U-148, U-262
Kptlt. Franken, Wilhelm +283530 Apr 1943  U-565
Kptlt. Frauenheim, Fritz283029 Aug 1940  U-21, U-101
Oblt. Förster, Hans-Joachim +243818 Oct 1944  U-348, U-479, U-480

Kptlt. Gelhaus, Harald273526 Mar 1943  U-143, U-107
Kptlt. Guggenberger, Friedrich263410 Dec 1941  U-28, U-81
Kptlt. Gysae, Robert303131 Dec 1941  U-98

Kptlt. Hardegen, Reinhard283323 Jan 1942  U-147, U-123
KrvKpt. Hartenstein, Werner +342817 Sep 1942  U-156
KrvKpt. Hartmann, Werner37219 May 1940  U-26, U-37
KrvKpt. Hechler, Ernst372921 Jan 1945  U-870
Kptlt. Heidtmann, Hans283412 Apr 1943  U-2, U-14, U-21, U-559
Kptlt. Hellriegel, Hans-Jürgen +26363 Feb 1944  U-140, U-96, U-543
Kptlt. Henke, Werner +333317 Dec 1942  U-515
Oblt. (R) Hess, Hans-Georg214011 Feb 1945  U-995
Kptlt. Hessler, Günter322724 Jun 1941  U-107
Kptlt. Heydemann, Günther29333 Jul 1943  U-575
Kptlt. Heyse, Ulrich363221 Jan 1943  U-128

Oblt. Ites, Otto243628 Mar 1942  U-146, U-94

Kptlt. Jahn, Gunter323130 Apr 1943  U-596
Oblt. Jenisch, Hans26337 Oct 1940  U-32

Kaeding, Walter2815 May 1944  
KrvKpt. Kals, Ernst37241 Sep 1942  U-130
Kptlt. Kelbling, Gerd283419 Aug 1943  U-593
Kptlt. Kentrat, Eitel-Friedrich352831 Dec 1941  U-8, U-74
Oblt. Koitschka, Siegfried2637a27 Jan 1944  U-7, U-616
Kptlt. Korth, Claus293229 May 1941  U-57, U-93
Kptlt. Kraus, Hans-Werner263419 Jun 1942  U-83
Kptlt. Krech, Günther283317 Sep 1942  U-558
Kptlt. Kretschmer, Otto28304 Aug 1940  U-35, U-23, U-99
Oblt. Krieg, Johann-Otto2537b8 Jul 1944  U-142, U-81
Kptlt. Kuhnke, Günter283119 Sep 1940  U-28
Kptlt. Kuppisch, Herbert +313214 May 1941  U-58, U-94

Kptlt. Lange, Hans-Günther2737a26 Aug 1944  U-711
Oblt. Lassen, Georg273510 Aug 1942  U-29, U-160
Oblt. (R) Lehmann, Hans29388 May 1945  U-997
Kptlt. Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich293126 Feb 1941  U-8, U-5, U-96
Kptlt. Lemp, Fritz-Julius +273114 Aug 1940  U-28, U-30
Kptlt. Liebe, Heinrich322714 Aug 1940  U-2, U-38
Kptlt. Lüdden, Siegfried +273611 Feb 1944  U-188
Oblt. Lüth, Wolfgang +273324 Oct 1940  U-13, U-9, U-138, U-43

Oblt. Marbach, Karl-Heinz2737a22 Jul 1944  U-101, U-29, U-28, U-953
Kptlt. Markworth, Friedrich28348 Jul 1943  U-66
Kptlt. Maus, August283421 Sep 1943  U-185
Kptlt. Mehl, Waldemar293328 Mar 1944  U-62, U-72, U-371
Kptlt. Mengersen, Ernst293318 Nov 1941  U-18, U-143, U-101
KrvKpt. Merten, Karl-Friedrich362613 Jun 1942  U-68
Kptlt. Metzler, Jost323228 Jul 1941  U-69
Kptlt. Moehle, Karl-Heinz303026 Feb 1941  U-20, U-123
Kptlt. Mohr, Johann +253427 Mar 1942  U-124
Kptlt. Müller-Stöckheim, Günther +283427 Nov 1942  U-67
Kptlt. Mützelburg, Rolf +283217 Nov 1941  U-10, U-203
Kptlt. Möhlmann, Helmut293316 Apr 1943  U-143, U-52, U-571

KrvKpt. Neitzel, Karl422327 Mar 1943  U-510

Kptlt. Oehrn, Victor332721 Oct 1940  U-14, U-37
Kptlt. Oesten, Jürgen273326 Mar 1941  U-61, U-106

Kptlt. Piening, Adolf Cornelius313013 Aug 1942  U-155
Kptlt. Poel, Gustav263621 Mar 1944  U-413
KrvKpt. Poske, Hans-Georg Friedrich38236 Nov 1942  U-504
Kptlt. Prien, Günther +313118 Oct 1939  U-47
Oblt. Pulst, Günther2637b21 Dec 1944  U-978

Kptlt. Rasch, Hermann283429 Dec 1942  U-106
Kptlt. Reche, Reinhart273417 Mar 1943  U-255
Kptlt. Rollmann, Wilhelm +332631 Jul 1940  U-34
Kptlt. Rosenbaum, Helmut +293212 Aug 1942  U-2, U-73
Kptlt. Rostin, Erwin +343228 Jun 1942  U-158
KrvKpt. Rösing, Hans Rudolf342429 Aug 1940  U-11, U-35, U-10, U-48

Oblt. Schaar, Gerd2537b1 Oct 1944  U-957
KrvKpt. Schacht, Harro +35269 Jan 1943  U-507
Kptlt. Schepke, Joachim +283024 Sep 1940  U-3, U-19, U-100
Kptlt. Schewe, Georg313223 May 1941  U-60, U-105
Kptlt. Schlippenbach, Egon Reiner Freiherr von293419 Nov 1943  U-121, U-453
Oblt. Schnee, Adalbert273430 Aug 1941  U-6, U-60, U-121, U-201
Kptlt. Schneider, Herbert +273416 Jan 1943  U-522
KrvKpt. Scholtz, Klaus332726 Dec 1941  U-108
Kptlt. Schonder, Heinrich +323419 Aug 1942  U-53, U-58, U-77
Kptlt. Schroeteler, Heinrich-Andreas29362 May 1945  U-667, U-1023
Oblt. Schroeter, Horst von2437b1 Jun 1944  U-123
Kptlt. Schuhart, Otto312916 May 1940  U-8, U-25, U-29
Kptlt. Schultze, Heinz-Otto +26349 Jul 1942  U-4, U-141, U-432
Kptlt. Schultze, Herbert30301 Mar 1940  U-2, U-48
Kptlt. Schulz, Georg-Wilhelm35324 Apr 1941  U-10, U-64, U-124
KrvKpt. Schütze, Viktor342511 Dec 1940  U-19, U-11, U-25, U-103
Oblt. Schöneboom, Dietrich +2537a20 Oct 1943  U-58, U-431
Kptlt. Seibicke, Günther +313227 Mar 1943  U-436
Oblt. Sieder, Heinz +24388 Jul 1944  U-984
Kptlt. Staats, Georg +273514 Jul 1943  U-80, U-508
KrvKpt. Stockhausen, Hans-Gerrit von +332614 Jan 1941  U-13, U-65
Kptlt. Strelow, Siegfried +313127 Oct 1942  U-435
Oblt. Stuckmann, Hermann +23X/3911 Aug 1944  U-316, U-621
Oblt. Suhren, Reinhard (IWO)24353 Nov 1940  

Kptlt. Teichert, Max-Martin + (posthumous)283419 Dec 1943  U-456
Kptlt. Thomsen, Rolf29364 Jan 1945  U-1202
KrvKpt. Thurmann, Karl +322824 Aug 1942  U-553
Kptlt. Tiesenhausen, Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von283427 Jan 1942  U-331
KrvKpt. Timm, Heinrich343217 Sep 1944  U-251, U-862
Oblt. Topp, Erich263420 Jun 1941  U-57, U-552
Oblt. Trojer, Hans-Hartwig +273624 Mar 1943  U-3, U-221

Oblt. Westphalen, Otto253823 Mar 1945  U-121, U-968
Kptlt. Winter, Werner30305 Jun 1942  U-22, U-103
Kptlt. Witt, Hans-Ludwig332917 Dec 1942  U-161, U-129
Kptlt. Witte, Helmut Friedrich273422 Oct 1942  U-159
Kptlt. Wohlfarth, Herbert253315 May 1941  U-14, U-137, U-556
Kptlt. Würdemann, Erich +293314 Mar 1943  U-506

KrvKpt. Zapp, Richard382623 Apr 1942  U-66

124 U-boat Commanders decorated with Knights Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuz) located.

Legend:
+ Indicates the Officer died in the war.
* Commands held indicates the U-boat commands held by this officer before award date. In some cases the officer had not taken command his first boat yet or was not even in the U-boat force yet.
(IWO) indicates that the officer was a First Watch Officer when he received the Knight's Cross. A rare achievement.

Engineers (LI)

Rank Name Navy start Age Date Pos. U-boat
1.Oblt.(Ing) Suhren, Gerd 1933 (26) 21/10/1940LI U-37
2. Oblt.(Ing) Zürn, Erich1925 (34) 23/04/1941 LI U-48
3. Kptlt.(Ing) Bielig, Gerhard1934 (26) 10/02/1943LIU-177
4. Lt.(Ing)Krey, Heinz +1939 (21) 04/09/1943LI U-752
5. Kptlt.(Ing) Panknin, Herbert1934 (29)04/09/1943LIU-106
6. Oblt.(Ing) Lechtenbörger,Willi+ 1934*(29) 04/09/1943LIU-847
7. Oblt.(Ing) Landfermann, Carl A. 1934* (29) 27/10/1943LIU-181
8.Kptlt.(Ing) Rohweder, Helmut 1935 (29) 14/11/1943 LIU-514
9. Kptlt.(Ing) Wessels, Johann-F. 1923 (39) 09/03/1944LIU-198
10.Oblt.(Ing) Olschewski, Georg 1928* (32) 23/04/1944 LI U-66
11. Kptlt.(Ing) Wiebe, Karl-Heinz1935 (28)22/05/1944LI U-178
12. Oblt.(Ing) König, Reinhardt1928*(35) 08/07/1944LI U-123
13.Kptlt.(Ing) Lichtenberg, Philipp 1928* (36) 31/03/1945LIU-516
14. Oblt.(Ing) Johannsen, Hans 1935* (32)31/03/1945LI U-802

Mates

1.StOstrm. Petersen, Heinrich 1919* (38) 05/11/1940 U-99
2.Ostrm. Kaeding, Walter1935*(28) 15/05/1944 U-123
3.Ostrm. Hofmann, Horst1937* (25)20/05/1944 U-672
4.StOstrm. Dammeier, Heinrich1933* (30)12/08/1944 U-270
5. OBtsMt. Mühlbauer, Rudolf (25) 10/12/1940U-123
6. OMasch. Prassdorf, Heinrich 1937* (26) 21/04/1945 U-1203
7.OStrm. Jäckel, Karl 1937* (31) 28/04/1945 U-907

* Service begins in the navy


Note: This listing is still being compiled and some recipients might be missing.

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