(Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern)

Date Instituted

15 July 1941

Requirements

* Awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
* Repeated acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty (or a single act if it was of great importance)

Number Awarded

160 (Heer 76, Kriegsmarine 5, Luftwaffe 54, Waffen-SS 24, Foreign 1)

Recipients

Holders of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

The holders of this award are listed on the individual unit histories as part of the Holders of high awards project.

Known makers/markings

21, L/12, L/13, L/50

SS-Gruppenführer Herbert Gille

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3 0 Germany)

Comments

Photo courtesy of Klaus

Sources used

Christopher Ailsby - World War 2 German medals and political awards
John R. Angolia - For Führer and Fatherland: Military awards of the Third Reich
David Littlejohn - Orders, decorations, medals and badges of the Third Reich

Reference material on this award

Dietrich Maerz - The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross
Stephen Thomas Previtera - The Iron Time: A History of the Iron Cross
Gordon Williamson - The Iron Cross
Gordon Williamson - The Iron Cross of 1939