List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the U-boat service

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants was the highest award in the military of the Third Reich. Recipients are grouped by grades of the Knight's Cross. During or shortly after World War II, 145 German sailors and officers of the U-boat service as part of the Kriegsmarine received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Among them, 29 officers received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), five the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern), and two won the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten). Of these, 144 presentations were formally made and one recipient received the award after 11 May 1945, when Großadmiral Karl Dönitz ordered a cease of all promotions and illegalized all subsequent awards. The final recipient is therefore considered to have received the medal without legal authority.^[1][2]

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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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).^[5] 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

  This along with the * (asterisk), indicates that the Knight's Cross was awarded posthumously.

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. Two recipients were members of the U-boat arm.^[8]

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes
7	Lüth, WolfgangWolfgang Lüth	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-181	9 August 1943	killed on active service 13 May 1945[9]
22	Brandi, AlbrechtAlbrecht Brandi	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-967	24 November 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.

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes
5	Kretschmer, OttoOtto Kretschmer	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-99	26 December 1941
17	Topp, ErichErich Topp	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-552	17 August 1942
18	Suhren, ReinhardReinhard Suhren	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-564	1 September 1942
29	Lüth, WolfgangWolfgang Lüth	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-181	25 April 1943	Awarded 7th Diamonds on 9 August 1943
66	Brandi, AlbrechtAlbrecht Brandi	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-380	9 May 1944	Awarded 22nd Diamonds on 24 November 1944

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. Higher numbers are unofficial and therefore denoted in brackets.^[10]

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes
5	Prien, GüntherGünther Prien	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-47	20 October 1940	missing in action 7 March 1941[11]
6	Kretschmer, OttoOtto Kretschmer	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-99	4 November 1940	Awarded 5th Swords on 26 December 1941
7	Schepke, JoachimJoachim Schepke	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-100	1 December 1940	killed in action 17 March 1941[12]
13	Liebe, HeinrichHeinrich Liebe	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-38	10 June 1941
14	Endrass, EngelbertEngelbert Endrass	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-46	10 June 1941	killed in action 21 December 1941[13]
15	Schultze, HerbertHerbert Schultze	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-48	12 June 1941
23	Schuetze, Viktor Hermann OttoViktor Hermann Otto Schütze	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-103	14 July 1941
51	Lehmann-Willenbrock, HeinrichHeinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-96	31 December 1941
56	Suhren, ReinhardReinhard Suhren	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-564	31 December 1941	Awarded 18th Swords on 1 September 1942
87	Topp, ErichErich Topp	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-552	11 April 1942	Awarded 17th Swords on 17 August 1942
89	Hardegen, ReinhardReinhard Hardegen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-123	23 April 1942
104	Mützelburg, RolfRolf Mützelburg	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-203	15 July 1942	killed on active service 11 September 1942[14]
105	Schnee, AdalbertAdalbert Schnee	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-201	15 July 1942
123	Scholtz, KlausKlaus Scholtz	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-108	10 September 1942
125	Bleichrodt, HeinrichHeinrich Bleichrodt	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-109	23 September 1942
142	Lüth, WolfgangWolfgang Lüth	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-181	13 November 1942	Awarded 29th Swords on 15 April 1943 and 7th Diamonds on 9 August 1943
147	Merten, Karl-FriedrichKarl-Friedrich Merten	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-68	16 November 1942
171	Guggenberger, FriedrichFriedrich Guggenberger	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-81	8 January 1943
177	Mohr, JohannJohann Mohr	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-124	13 January 1943	killed in action 3 April 1943[15]
208	Lassen, GeorgGeorg Lassen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-160	7 March 1943
223	Dönitz, KarlKarl Dönitz	Großadmiral	commander in chief of the Kriegsmarine Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine	6 April 1943
224	Brandi, AlbrechtAlbrecht Brandi	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-617	11 April 1943	Awarded 66th Swords on 9 May 1944 and 22nd on Diamonds 24 November 1944
234	Bulow, Otto vonOtto von Bülow	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-404	26 April 1943
250	Gysae, RobertRobert Gysae	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-177	31 May 1943
256	Emmermann, CarlCarl Emmermann	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-172	4 July 1943
257	Henke, WernerWerner Henke	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-515	4 July 1943	killed as prisoner of war on 15 June 1944[16]
645	Hartmann, WernerWerner Hartmann	Kapitän zur See	leader of U-boat operations in the Mediterranean Sea, commander of U-198	5 November 1944
(852)	Thomsen, RolfRolf Thomsen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-1202	29 April 1945
(853)	Lange, Hans-GüntherHans-Günther Lange	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-711	29 April 1945

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross is based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573 of 1 September 1939 Verordnung über die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes (Regulation of the renewing of the Iron Cross).

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes
1	Prien, GüntherGünther Prien	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-47	18 October 1939	Awarded 5th Oak Leaves on 20 October 1940
2	Schultze, HerbertHerbert Schultze	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-48	1 March 1940	Awarded 15th Oak Leaves on 12 June 1941
3	Dönitz, KarlKarl Dönitz	Konteradmiral	commander in chief of U-boat operations Befehlshaber der U-Boote	21 April 1940	Awarded 223rd Oak Leaves on 6 April 1943
4	Hartmann, WernerWerner Hartmann	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-37	9 May 1940	Awarded 645th Oak Leaves on 5 November 1944
5	Schuhart, OttoOtto Schuhart	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-29	16 May 1940
6	Rollmann, WilhelmWilhelm Rollmann	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-34	31 July 1940	killed in action 5 November 1943[17]
7	Kretschmer, OttoOtto Kretschmer	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-99	4 August 1940	Awarded 6th Oak Leaves on 4 November 1940 and 5. Swords on 26 December 1941
8	Liebe, HeinrichHeinrich Liebe	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-38	14 August 1940	Awarded 13th Oak Leaves on 10 June 1941
9	Lemp, Fritz-JuliusFritz-Julius Lemp	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-30	14 August 1940	killed in action 9 May 1941[18]
10	Rösing, Hans-RudolfHans-Rudolf Rösing	Korvettenkapitän	chief of the 7. Unterseebootsflottille and commander of U-48	29 August 1940
11	Frauenheim, FritzFritz Frauenheim	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-101	29 August 1940
12	Endrass, EngelbertEngelbert Endrass	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-46	5 September 1940	Awarded 14th Oak Leaves on 10 June 1941
13	Kuhnke, GünterGünter Kuhnke	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-28	19 September 1940
14	Schepke, JoachimJoachim Schepke	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-100	24 September 1940	Awarded 7th Oak Leaves on 1 December 1940
15	Jenisch, HansHans Jenisch	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-32	7 October 1940
16	Oehrn, VictorVictor Oehrn	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-37	21 October 1940
17	Suhren, GerdGerd Suhren	Oberleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-37	21 October 1940
18	Bleichrodt, HeinrichHeinrich Bleichrodt	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-48	24 October 1940	Awarded 125th Oak Leaves on 23 September 1942
19	Luth, WolfgangWolfgang Lüth	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-138	24 October 1940	Awarded 142nd Oak Leaves 13 November 1942, 29th Swords on 15 April 1943 and 7th Diamonds on 9 August 1943
20	Suhren, ReinhardReinhard Suhren	Oberleutnant zur See	1st officer on U-48	3 November 1940	Awarded 56th Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 and 18th Swords on 1 September 1942
21	Petersen, HeinrichHeinrich Petersen	Stabsobersteuermann	watch officer and coxswain on U-99	5 November 1940
22	Schütze, ViktorViktor Schütze	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-103	11 December 1940	Awarded 23rd Oak Leaves on 14 July 1941
23	Stockhausen, Hans-Gerrit vonHans-Gerrit von Stockhausen	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-65	14 January 1941
24	Moehle, Karl-HeinzKarl-Heinz Moehle	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-123	26 February 1941
25	Lehmann-Willenbrock, HeinrichHeinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-96	26 February 1941	Awarded 51st Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941
26	Oesten, JürgenJürgen Oesten	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-106	26 March 1941
27	Schulz, Georg-WilhelmGeorg-Wilhelm Schulz	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-124	4 April 1941
28	Zurn, ErichErich Zürn	Oberleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-48	23 April 1941
29	Kuppisch, HerbertHerbert Kuppisch	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-94	14 May 1941	killed in action 27 August 1943[19]
30	Wohlfarth, HerbertHerbert Wohlfarth	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-556	15 May 1941
31	Schewe, GeorgGeorg Schewe	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-105	23 May 1941
32	Korth, ClausClaus Korth	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-93	29 May 1941
33	Topp, ErichErich Topp	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-552	20 June 1941	Awarded 87th Oak Leaves on 11 April 1942 and 17th Swords on 17 August 1942
34	Hessler, GüntherGünther Hessler	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-107	24 June 1941
35	Metzler, JostJost Metzler	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-69	28 July 1941
36	Schnee, AdalbertAdalbert Schnee	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-201	30 August 1941	Awarded 105th Oak Leaves on 15 July 1942
37	Mutzelburg, RolfRolf Mützelburg	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-203	17 November 1941	Awarded 104th Oak Leaves on 15 July 1942
38	Mengersen, ErnstErnst Mengersen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-101	18 November 1941
39	Guggenberger, FriedrichFriedrich Guggenberger	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-81	10 December 1941	Awarded 171st Oak Leaves on 8 January 1943
40	Scholtz, KlausKlaus Scholtz	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-108	26 December 1941	Awarded 123rd Oak Leaves on 10 September 1942
41	Bigalk, GerhardGerhard Bigalk	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-751	26 December 1941	killed in action 17 July 1942[20]
42	Kentrat, Eitel-FriedrichEitel-Friedrich Kentrat	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-74	31 December 1941
43	Gysae, RobertRobert Gysae	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-98	31 December 1941	Awarded 250th Oak Leaves on 31 May 1943
44	Hardegen, ReinhardReinhard Hardegen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-123	23 January 1942	Awarded 89th Oak Leaves on 23 April 1942
45	Tiesenhausen, Hans-Diedrich vonHans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-331	27 January 1942
46	Clausen, NicolaiNicolai Clausen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-129	13 March 1942	killed in action 16 May 1943[21]
47	Bauer, ErnstErnst Bauer	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-126	16 March 1942
48	Mohr, JohannJohann Mohr	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-124	27 March 1942	Awarded 177th Oak Leaves on 13 January 1943
49	Ites, OttoOtto Ites	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-94	28 March 1942
50	Zapp, Robert-RichardRobert-Richard Zapp	Korvettenkapitän	comannder of U-66	23 April 1942
51	Winter, WernerWerner Winter	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-103	5 June 1942
52	Cremer, Peter-ErichPeter-Erich Cremer	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-333	5 June 1942
53	Merten, Karl-FriedrichKarl-Friedrich Merten	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-68	13 June 1942	Awarded 147th Oak Leaves on 16 November 1942
54	Kraus, Hans-WernerHans-Werner Kraus	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-83	19 June 1942
55	Rostin, ErwinErwin Rostin	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-158	28 June 1942
56	Schultze, Heinz-OttoHeinz-Otto Schultze	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-432	9 July 1942	killed in action 25 November 1943[22]
57	Lassen, GeorgGeorg Lassen	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-160	10 August 1942	Awarded 208th Oak Leaves on 7 March 1943
58	Rosenbaum, HelmutHelmut Rosenbaum	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-73	12 August 1942
59	Piening, AdolfAdolf Piening	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-155	13 August 1942
60	Schonder, HeinrichHeinrich Schonder	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-77	19 August 1942	killed in action 28 June 1943[23]
61	Thurmann, KarlKarl Thurmann	Korvettenkapitän	comannder of U-553	24 August 1942	missing in action 28 January 1943[24]
62	Kals, ErnstErnst Kals	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-130	1 September 1942
63	Hartenstein, WernerWerner Hartenstein	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-156	17 September 1942	killed in action 8 March 1943[25]
64	Krech, GüntherGünther Krech	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-558	17 September 1942
65	Bulow, Otto vonOtto von Bülow	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-404	20 October 1942	Awarded 234th Oak Leaves on 26 April 1943
66	Witte, HelmutHelmut Witte	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-159	22 October 1942
67	Strelow, SiegfriedSiegfried Strelow	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-435	27 October 1942	killed in action 15 July 1943[26]
68	Poske, FritzFritz Poske	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-504	6 November 1942
69	Emmermann, CarlCarl Emmermann	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-172	27 November 1942	Awarded 256th Oak Leaves on 4 July 1943
70	Mueller-Stoeckheim, GuntherGünther Müller-Stöckheim	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-67	27 November 1942	killed in action 16 July 1943[27]
71	Dommes, WilhelmWilhelm Dommes	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-431	2 December 1942
72	Witt, HansHans Witt	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-129	17 December 1942
73	Henke, WernerWerner Henke	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-515	17 December 1942	Awarded 257th Oak Leaves on 4 July 1943
74	Rasch, HermannHermann Rasch	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-106	29 December 1942
75	Schacht, HarroHarro Schacht	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-507	9 January 1943	killed in action 14 January 1943[28]
76	Achilles, AlbrechtAlbrecht Achilles	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-161	16 January 1943	killed in action 27 September 1943[29]
77	Schneider, HerbertHerbert Schneider	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-522	16 January 1943	killed in action 24 February 1943[30]
78	Heyse, UlrichUlrich Heyse	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-128	21 January 1943
79	Brandi, AlbrechtAlbrecht Brandi	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-617	21 January 1943	Awarded 224th Oak Leaves on 11 April 1943, 66th Swords on 9 May 1944 and 22nd Diamonds on 24 November 1944
80	Forstner, Siegfried Freiherr vonSiegfried Freiherr von Forstner	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-402	9 February 1943	killed in action 13 October 1943^[a]
81	Bielig, GerhardGerhard Bielig	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-177	10 February 1943
82	Wuerdemann, ErichErich Würdemann	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-506	14 March 1943	killed in action 14 July 1943[31]
83	Reche, ReinhartReinhart Reche	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-255	17 March 1943
84	Trojer, Hans-HartwigHans-Hartwig Trojer	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-221	24 March 1943
85	Gelhaus, HaraldHarald Gelhaus	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-107	26 March 1943
86	Neitzel, KarlKarl Neitzel	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-510	27 March 1943
87	Seibicke, GüntherGünther Seibicke	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-436	27 March 1943	killed in action 26 May 1943[32]
88	Folkers, UlrichUlrich Folkers	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-125	27 March 1943	killed in action 6 May 1943[33]
89	Heidtmann, HansHans Heidtmann	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-559	12 April 1943
90	Mohlmann, HelmutHelmut Möhlmann	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-571	16 April 1943
91	Jahn, GunterGunter Jahn	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-596	30 April 1943
92	Franken, WilhelmWilhelm Franken	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-565	30 April 1943	killed in accident 13 January 1945[34]
93	Bargsten, KlausKlaus Bargsten	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-521	30 April 1943
94	Heydemann, GüntherGünther Heydemann	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-575	3 July 1943
95	Markworth, FriedrichFriedrich Markworth	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-66	8 July 1943
96	Staats, GeorgGeorg Staats	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-508	14 July 1943	killed in action 12 November 1943[35]
97	Kelbling, GerdGerd Kelbling	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-593	18 August 1943
98	Panknin, HerbertHerbert Panknin	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-106	4 September 1943
99	Lechtenbörger, Dipl.-Ing. WilliDipl.-Ing. Willi Lechtenbörger*	Oberleutnant (Ing.) of the Reserves	chief engineer on U-847	4 September 1943	killed in action 27 August 1943[36]
100	Krey, HeinzHeinz Krey*	Leutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-752	4 September 1943	killed in action 23 May 1943[37]
101	Maus, AugustAugust Maus	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-185	21 September 1943
102	Schöneboom, DietrichDietrich Schöneboom	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-431	20 October 1943	killed in action 23 October 1943[38]
103	Landfermann, Carl-AugustCarl-August Landfermann	Oberleutnant (Ing.) of the Reserves	chief engineer on U-181	27 October 1943
104	Rohweder, HellmutHellmut Rohweder	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-69 and U-514	14 November 1943
105	Schlippenbach, Egon-Reiner vonEgon-Reiner Freiherr von Schlippenbach	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-453	19 November 1943
106	Fenski, Horst-ArnoHorst-Arno Fenski	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-410	26 November 1943
107	Franke, HeinzHeinz Franke	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-262	30 November 1943
108	Teichert, Max-MartinMax-Martin Teichert*	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-456	19 December 1943	killed in action 12 May 1943[39]
109	Koitschka, SiegfriedSiegfried Koitschka	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-616	27 January 1944
110	Hellriegel, Hans-JürgenHans-Jürgen Hellriegel	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-543	3 February 1944	killed in action 2 July 1944[40]
111	Lüdden, SiegfriedSiegfried Lüdden	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-188	11 February 1944	killed on active service 13 January 1945[41]
112	Wessels, Johann-FriedrichJohann-Friedrich Wessels	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-198	9 March 1944
113	Poel, GustavGustav Poel	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-413	21 March 1944
114	Mehl, WaldemarWaldemar Mehl	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-371	28 March 1944
115	Eick, AlfredAlfred Eick	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-510	31 March 1944
116	Olschewski, GeorgGeorg Olschewski	Oberleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-66	23 April 1944
117	Kaeding, WalterWalter Käding	Obersteuermann	3rd watch officer and coxswain on U-123	15 May 1944
118	Hofmann, HorstHorst Hofmann	Obersteuermann	coxswain and watch officer on U-672	20 May 1944
119	Wiebe, Karl-HeinzKarl-Heinz Wiebe	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-178	22 May 1944
120	Schroeter, Horst vonHorst von Schroeter	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-123	1 June 1944
—	Krieg, Johann-OttoJohann-Otto Krieg	Oberleutnant zur See	chief of the Kleinkampfflottille 361	8 July 1944
121	König, ReinhardReinhard König	Oberleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-123	8 July 1944
122	Sieder, HeinzHeinz Sieder	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-984	8 July 1944	killed in action 20 August 1944[42]
123	Fleige, KarlKarl Fleige	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-18	18 July 1944
124	Marbach, Karl-HeinzKarl-Heinz Marbach	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-953	22 July 1944
125	Stuckmann, HermannHermann Stuckmann	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-621	11 August 1944	killed in action 23 August 1944[43]
126	Dammeier, HeinrichHeinrich Dammeier	Stabsobermaschinist	lead machinist on U-270	12 August 1944
127	Lange, Hans-GüntherHans-Günther Lange	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-711	26 August 1944	Awarded 853rd Oak Leaves on 29 April 1945
128	Timm, HeinrichHeinrich Timm	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-862	17 September 1944
129	Schaar, GerhardGerhard Schaar	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-957	1 October 1944
130	Förster, Hans-JoachimHans-Joachim Förster	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-480	18 December 1944	killed in action 24 February 1945[44]
131	Brasack, PaulPaul Brasack	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-737	30 October 1944
132	Muhlbauer, RudolfRudolf Mühlbauer	Oberbootsmannsmaat	leading seaman of the bridge (Brückenmaat) on U-123	10 December 1944
133	Pulst, GüntherGünther Pulst	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-978	21 December 1944
134	Thomsen, RolfRolf Thomsen	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-1202	4 January 1945	Awarded 852nd Oak Leaves on 29 April 1945
135	Hechler, ErnstErnst Hechler	Korvettenkapitän	commander of U-870	21 January 1945
136	Dobratz, Dr. jur. KurtDr. jur. Kurt Dobratz	Kapitän zur See	commander of U-1232	23 January 1945
137	Limbach, JohannesJohannes Limbach	Leutnant zur See	1st officer on U-181	6 February 1945
138	Hess, Hans-GeorgHans-Georg Hess	Oberleutnant zur See of the Reserves	commander of U-995	11 February 1945
139	Westphalen, OttoOtto Westphalen	Oberleutnant zur See	commander of U-968	23 March 1945
140	Lichtenberg, PhilippPhilipp Lichtenberg	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-516	31 March 1945
141	Johannsen, HansHans Johannsen	Oberleutnant (Ing.)	chief engineer on U-802	31 March 1945
142	Praßdorf, HeinrichHeinrich Praßdorf	Obermaschinist	lead machinist on U-1203	21 April 1945
143	Schroeteler, HeinrichHeinrich Schroeteler	Kapitänleutnant	commander of U-1023	2 May 1945
144	Lehmann, HansHans Lehmann	Oberleutnant zur See of the Reserves	commander of U-997	7 May 1945^[b]

Legally disputed Knight's Cross recipients

Großadmiral Karl Dönitz ordered a cease of all promotions and awards as of 11 May 1945. Nevertheless, a number of Knight's Crosses were awarded after this date and are considered "illegal" hand-outs. One sailor of the U-boat service is often listed as a recipient of the Knight's Cross but falls outside of the Dönitz-decree. Karl Jäckel received his Knight's Cross confirmation after 11 May 1945 and is therefore a de facto but not de jure recipient.^[2]

Number	Name	Rank	Unit	Date of award	Notes
144	Jäckel, KarlKarl Jäckel	Ober-Steuermann	Coxswain on U-29, U-160 and U-907	1 June 1945

References

Footnotes

• ^a Some sources indicating that von Forstner succumbed to his injuries aboard USS Card on 22 October 1943 have been found incorrect.^[45]
• ^b Author Clemens Range dates Hans Lehmann's Knight's Cross on 8 June 1945, thus after the effectiveness of the Dönitz-decree. Walther-Peer Fellgiebel, author of Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945, indicates that Lehmann received the Knight's Cross on 11 May 1945, before the Dönitz-decree prohibited the awarding of the Knight's Cross. The sequential number 317 within the Kriegsmarine, 144 within the U-boat service, associated to Lehmann's Knight's Cross is based on author Clemens Range's work Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine and Busch and Röll's book Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939-1945 - Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Historian Veit Scherzer, whose work Die Ritterkreuzträger 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 is based on the primary data from the German Federal Archives, indicates that the 7 May 1945 is the correct date.^[46][47][48]

Citations

1. Kurowski 1995, p. 7
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 4.
3. "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.
4. "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.
5. "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.
6. "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.
7. Fellgiebel 2000, p.112.
8. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 36–38.
9. Scherzer 2007, p. 518.
10. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.
11. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 201.
12. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 224.
13. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 62.
14. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 184.
15. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 180.
16. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 99.
17. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 214.
18. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 145.
19. Busch & Röll 1999, pp. 138–139.
20. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 32.
21. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 47.
22. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 237–238.
23. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 232.
24. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 257–258.
25. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 92.
26. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 252.
27. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 183.
28. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 221.
29. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 19.
30. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 229.
31. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 276.
32. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 243.
33. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 70–71.
34. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 72–73.
35. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 246–247.
36. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 382.
37. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 383.
38. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 230.
39. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 256.
40. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 98.
41. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 151.
42. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 244.
43. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 253–254.
44. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 70.
45. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 71.
46. Range 1974, p. 113.
47. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 287.
48. Scherzer 2007, p. 498.

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat Commanders of World War II. A Biographical Dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-366-8.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. 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.
• Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2.
• Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
• 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. Retrieved 2 January 2011.