Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross: description, degree. Awards of the Third Reich

On September 1, 1939 , on the day of Germany's attack on Poland, the German Reich Chancellor and Führer Adolf Hitler revived the Iron Cross, a decree created by King Frederick Wilhelm. This order was the only one adopted by the Third Reich from Prussia and the previous empire. The decree introduced not only the Iron, but also the Knight's Cross - the highest degree of the previous one. This award is an important symbol of the era of Nazi Germany.

Continuity

The knighthood was not a novelty for Germany, it had many Prussian, Bavarian and Baden orders. The top rewards of the Third Reich looked similar to the usual Iron Crosses (except that it was large in size). In this case, the dimensions of the order could vary depending on the manufacturer. The knight's cross was made by Juncker, Schneinhauer, Kwenzer and Klein. Some of them made the order in size 48-48 mm., Others - 49-50 mm.

The knight's cross of the Iron Cross was made in the same way as the crosses of less prestigious degrees, but at the same time was distinguished by the best quality of elaborating individual parts (especially the side surfaces). To the reward (more precisely, its upper ray) soldered a small ear. A ring intended for a tape with a width of 45 mm was threaded into it. The Order had a characteristic frame, which was made from silver of the 800th test.

Features of rewarding

It is curious that the awarder usually wore not the Knight's Cross himself, but only his duplicate, while the original was kept in a secluded place. This was done in order not to lose and not damage the relic. Especially often copies were worn in combat conditions.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was handed in a rectangular box. Inside, it was lined with white silk, and outside is covered with black lederin. In the award-winning case, not only the cross, but also the obligatory tape, was invested. A memorable addition was the diploma made in the printing house, which was placed in an embossed folder. As a rule, the Knight's Cross was given to the owner by the commander of his compound. The ritual was held in a solemn atmosphere. The award could go to the front quite a long time, on the way passing right through a few hands. Delays in delivery were a particularly frequent event at the beginning of the war. Most of all, the pilots were waiting for their deserved reward.

"Standards"

Like all military orders of the Third Reich, the cross was awarded for certain achievements in combat. For example, the Luftwaffe pilot could receive the highest award only by gaining 20 points (they were charged for the downed enemy aircraft). Over time, the bar grew. In addition, it depended on the theater of military operations: for the Knight's Cross on the Soviet front, it was necessary to destroy twice as many cars as in air battles in the rest of Europe or North Africa.

The Navy was required to sink ships with a total displacement of 100,000 tons. In this case, commanders of submarines were almost always rewarded. For the land forces of the Third Reich the wording turned out to be more blurred ("For courage on the battlefield").

Statistics

For a few years, the Knight's Cross was awarded to 7,361 people (according to other sources 7365). Among the gentlemen there was not a single woman, but there were several dozens of foreigners who fought for the allied countries of Germany. Curious statistics of awards for titles. Most captains / captains-lieutenants (1523) and chief lieutenants (1225) received the most Knights' crosses.

The first awarding of the prestigious order took place at the end of the first month of the war, unleashed by the 3 Reich. On September 30, 13 Knights received their Knight's Crosses, who took part in the successfully completed Polish campaign. Among the gentlemen, the most notable figure was the grand-dormant Erich Raeder, commander of the German Navy. All these people were military leaders, noted for differences in leadership. With the formulation "For Bravery" the first treasured cross was received by Gunther Prin (he commanded the submarine U-47). In 1939 there were only 27 knights of the Knight's Cross, and most crosses were awarded in 1944 (2466).

Second degree

In total, the Knight's Cross had five degrees, the first of which was the Knight's Cross itself. A few months after the start of the world war in June 1940, the German leadership decided to establish an even more outstanding award, designed for the military to show special heroism. Thus appeared the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with oak leaves. This award was given only to first-class gentlemen.

Oak leaves (the symbol of difference) were fixed just above the cross, where there was a loop for the tape. The decoration was a sign made of silver. He depicted three oak leaves - the heraldic figure, which was widespread from the Middle Ages. In some cases on European coats of arms, they were depicted with acorns, but in the case of the Knight's Cross, it was decided to abandon the fruit.

Cavaliers

The first knightly cross with oak leaves awarded Eduard Ditl - Lieutenant-General, commander of the mountain rifle corps "Norway. One of the last Knights of the Order is the naval officer Adalbert von Blank. Most of all, he became famous at the final stage of the war. In 1944, Blank led the 9th security division, then took part in the evacuation of Germans from Courland. In addition, he supported the retreating land formations of the Wehrmacht. In May 1945, Blank was interned by British troops. The officer was lucky - he managed to continue his military career in Germany. He served until 1964, when he received the rank of admiral and resigned.

Third degree

In the autumn of 1941, the Knight's Cross award got another and already third degree - the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords. The decree on its establishment was signed by the Führer, the chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht, Wilhelm Keitel and the Reich Minister of the Interior, Wilhelm Frick.

The new sign consisted of identical old award of oak leaves, to which was added a pair of crossed swords. The Order was made of high quality silver jewelry. On its reverse side was the marking of the manufacturer. To the cross was attached a moire ribbon of red and white flowers. During the Second World War, the Knights of the Cross with oak leaves and swords possessed 160 people, 55 of whom served in the Luftwaffe. Only one foreigner received this award. They were the Japanese admiral and commander-in-chief of the Navy Yamamoto Isiroku.

Awards of the Aces

Lieutenant Colonel of Adolf Galland became the first owner of the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords. He commanded the 51st Fighter Squadron. Initially, the new order was awarded solely to pilots. So the third knight was Walter Oesau. It is noteworthy that he began military service in the artillery regiment. Like many other German pilots of the Second World War, Oesau first became famous in Spain, where he was a part of the famous legion "Condor". During the new campaign, he participated in the battles over France and in the Battle for England. Oesau never visited the eastern front, but destroyed many planes in the skies of the Netherlands. On May 11, 1944, he was shot down in the area of the Belgian city of Saint-Vita. On the account of Oesau 118 enemy aircraft and 430 combat sorties.

Fourth degree

The fourth degree of the Knight's Cross appeared simultaneously with the third and fifth degree (it was the Knight's Cross with oak leaves, swords and diamonds). The award was not stamped, but was produced manually by the best German masters. The silver of the 935-th test was in the hands of experienced jewelers, who at the end of their work decorated the order with a scatter of 50 small diamonds. Their total weight was almost 3 carats, and the weight of the whole sign is 28 grams. Manually made both a cross and a clip for it.

For everyday wearing, the recipient was immediately given two copies of more low-grade materials. The German Knight's cross with oak leaves, swords and diamonds received only 27 people (among them there were no foreigners).

Werner Melders

The knight-debutant of the Knight's Cross of the fourth degree became Werner Melders - fighter pilot in the rank of colonel. This ace was the son of a teacher who died during the First World War in France, so his choice of military career was predetermined since childhood. Education Mölders received in the Dresden Academy and the Sapper School of Munich.

In 1934, the career of the future order-bearer made a sharp turn - he was transferred to the Luftwaffe. The first combat experience the pilot received in the sky over Spain, where there was a civil war. Therefore, he began the Second World War, already possessing an extraordinary experience. The first victory did not take long. In September 1939, near Merzig, Mölders shot down the French Hawk fighter.

His last combat mission was in the Crimea. He crashed in November 1941 on the road to Berlin, where the funeral of another famous Luftwaffe pilot Ernst Uudet was held. The plane of Melders collapsed to the ground due to the fact that it touched the electric wiring. The pilot carried out more than 300 sorties, shooting down 115 enemy aircraft.

Fifth degree

The highest award in the Wehrmacht was the Knight's Cross with golden oak leaves, swords and diamonds. The uniqueness of this order was that for all the time of its existence it was given to only one person. It was Hans Rudel, the aviation colonel, who received the award on the first day of the new 1945. By the end of the war, he was the most effective pilot-stormtrooper. The figure of Rudel was chosen as an indicative - the highest award could not get to anybody.

Hans was born in the family of a pastor and already in his youth joined the Nazi organization. The Polish campaign he spent as a commander of a reconnaissance aircraft. Then the pilot himself asked to be transferred to a much more dangerous assault aviation. There was a period of retraining. In April 1941, Rudel was assigned to the squadron of dive bombers "Immelman". The pilot fought on the Soviet front, distinguished himself in the Leningrad and Moscow directions. In total, Rudel committed more than 2,500 sorties, destroyed about 500 tanks, 800 armored vehicles, sank dozens of landing craft and battleship "Marat". After the war, the convinced Nazi moved to Latin America, where he was remembered as an active revanchist.