List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients (O)


The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 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. Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer, Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe —as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst and the Volkssturm. 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, 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 a 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 during the final days of World War II 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.

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, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. Article 2 of the enactment mandated that the award of a higher class be preceded by the award of all preceding classes. 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, was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of 3 June 1940. 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 and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. At the end of 1944 the final grade, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944, became the final variant of the Knight's Cross authorized.

Recipients

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht kept separate Knight's Cross lists for the Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe 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 and are therefore denoted in parentheses.




NameServiceRankRole and unitDate of awardNotesImage
Luftwaffe16-LOberstleutnantCommander of Flak-Regiment 99 24 January 1943
Heer14-HHauptmannCompany chief in the II./Jäger-Regiment 25 23 March 1945*Died of wounds 20 February 1945
Heer06-HOberjägerGroup leader in the 6./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 21812 October 1943
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantPilot in the 2./Kampfgeschwader 5524 March 1943
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesZugführer in the 3./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 66710 May 1943
Heer15-HMajor of the ReservesCommander of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3425 August 1941
Luftwaffe10-LOberfähnrichObserver in the 11./Aufklärungs-Gruppe 138 August 1944
Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of Panzer-Abteilung "Feldherrnhalle"7 February 1944
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantStaffelführer of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 5223 March 1944
Waffen-SS13-WSS-ObersturmführerLeader of the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 112628 March 1945
Heer12-HLeutnantLeader of the 4./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6630 November 1943*Died of wounds 10 October 1943
+Heer20-HGeneral der InfanterieCommanding general of the XXIX. Armeekorps27 July 1941Awarded 251st Oak Leaves 7 June 1943
110th Swords 5 November 1944
+Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 34610 September 1944Awarded Oak Leaves 30 April 1945
+Heer10-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 1./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 1012 June 1943Awarded 360th Oak Leaves 30 December 1943
Heer17-HOberstCommander of the 31. Infanterie-Division18 January 1944
Heer15-HMajorCommander of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 13219 August 1944
Luftwaffe20-LGeneral der FlakartillerieCommanding general of the II. Flakkorps 5 September 1944
Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelObserver in the 4./Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever"29 October 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 5./Schützen-Regiment 424 June 1940
Heer12-HLeutnantLeader of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 6225 July 1943*Killed in action 5 July 1943
Heer16-HOberstleutnantLeader of Kampfgruppe "Oehmichen"27 December 1942
Kriegsmarine14-MKapitänleutnantCommander of 21 October 1940
Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelPilot in the 8./Kampfgeschwader 27 "Boelcke"2 June 1943
Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 21 26 March 1944
Heer14-HHauptmannChief of the 6./Artillerie-Regiment 1216 April 1944
+Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannStaffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 5120 August 1940Awarded 9th Oak Leaves 6 February 1941
3rd Swords 15 July 1941
Kriegsmarine14-MKapitänleutnantCommander of 26 March 1941
Kriegsmarine14-MKapitänleutnant of the ReservesChief of the Küstenschutzflottille "Attika"9 June 1944*Killed in aerial bombardment 22 January 1944
Heer03-HGefreiterMachine gunner in the 11./Grenadier-Regiment 18618 December 1942
+Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 7./Bau-Lehr-Regiment z.b.V. 800 "Brandenburg"30 April 1943Awarded 734th Oak Leaves 10 February 1945
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGroup leader in the 1./Pionier-Bataillon 32312 July 1943
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 9./Infanterie-Regiment 1917 March 1941
Luftwaffe09-LFeldwebelPilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 34 November 1941
Kriegsmarine13-MOberleutnant Chief of the Marinebatterie "Marcouf" 14 June 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 11./Panzer-Regiment 2527 July 1941
Heer04-HObergefreiterRichtkanonier in the 4./Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 1162 April 1943
Waffen-SS15-WSS-SturmbannführerCommander of the III./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 "Hitlerjugend"28 July 1944
?Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 24. Infanterie-Division27 October 1943
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 127 July 1941
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the I./Artillerie-Regiment 7823 August 1941
Kriegsmarine13-MOberleutnant Chief engineer on 23 April 1944
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantPilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 7719 March 1942
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 22 September 1944
Kriegsmarine13-MOberleutnant zur SeeCommander Schnellboot S-31 in the 2. Schnellbootflottille16 May 1940
Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 91111 March 1945
+Heer17-HOberstCommander of Panzer-Regiment 2041 January 1943Awarded 536th Oak Leaves 28 July 1944
142nd Swords 17 April 1945
Heer18-HGeneralmajorCommander of the 305. Infanterie-Division25 July 1942
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 7./Jäger-Regiment 385 May 1943*Died of wounds 20 March 1943
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 10./Infanterie-Regiment 26613 June 1941
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 299. Infanterie-Division23 December 1943
Luftwaffe15-LMajorGruppenkommandeur of the Fernaufklärungs-Gruppe 12219 September 1943
Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 4./Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment18 March 1942*Killed in action 10 March 1942
Heer01-HGrenadierIn the 13./Grenadier-Regiment 4533 March 1944
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannGruppenkommandeur of the II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 7723 November 1941
Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 75410 September 1944
Luftwaffe09-LFahnenjunker-FeldwebelPilot in the 7./Schlachtgeschwader 1014 January 1945
Heer06-HOberjägerGroup leader in the 1./Jäger-Regiment 565 September 1944*Killed in action 29 July 1944
+Waffen-SS16-WSS-ObersturmbannführerIa of SS-Division "Das Reich"13 September 1941Awarded Oak Leaves 6 May 1945
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantChief of the 2./Flak-Regiment 8 9 December 1942
+Heer15-HMajorCommander of the III./Füsilier-Regiment 2726 March 1944Awarded 732nd Oak Leaves 10 February 1945
Luftwaffe18-LGeneralmajorJagdfliegerführer of Luftflotte 222 August 1940
Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of Divisions-Bataillon 26026 August 1943
+Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantPilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 544 September 1941Awarded 81st Oak Leaves 12 March 1942
10th Swords 17 May 1942
+Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesLeader of a Kampfgruppe in the Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle"23 August 1944Awarded 834th Oak Leaves 15 April 1945
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannStaffelkapitän of the 13./Schlachtgeschwader 924 October 1944
Luftwaffe15-LMajorGruppenkommandeur of Aufklärungs-Gruppe 230 September 1944
Heer20-HGeneral der InfanterieCommanding general of the LII. Armeekorps25 December 1942
?Heer10-HOberwachtmeisterZugführer in the 12./Panzer-Regiment 249 May 1945
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesChief of the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 9716 November 1943
Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesLeader of the I./Jäger-Regiment 2828 October 1944
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Jäger-Regiment 5628 February 1945
Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesChief of the 1./Füsilier-Regiment 227 September 1943
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 2./Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 3228 April 1945
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Jäger-Regiment 20713 November 1942
+Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantPilot in the 9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"5 April 1942Awarded 433rd Oak Leaves 24 March 1944
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 36. Infanterie-Division 13 August 1941
Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 45410 February 1943
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGroup leader in the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 52915 May 1944
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGroup leader in the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 5296 April 1944
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 56. Infanterie-Division9 January 1942
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 9./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 91 January 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 11 10 December 1942

Citations