Quick Facts
Biography
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military of the 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 (AKCR). Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force)—as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD—Reich Labour Service) and the Volkssturm (German national militia). 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 — 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]. 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 and historian 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 the Third Reich during the final days of World War II left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process. Scherzer wrote his book in cooperation with the German Federal Archives. The book was chosen by Prof. Dr. Franz W. Seidler for the library of the Bundeswehr University Munich and Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) and is considered an accepted reference there. For many years Fellgiebel's book was considered the main reference work on this topic, and it has now been succeeded by Scherzer's work.
Listed here are the 82 Knight's Cross recipients of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS whose last name starts with "C". The recipients are initially 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 (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. 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. 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). 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.
Recipients
| Service | Number of presentations | Posthumous presentations |
|---|---|---|
| Heer | 51 | 3 |
| Kriegsmarine | 5 | 0 |
| Luftwaffe | 22 | 1 |
| Waffen-SS | 4 | 1 |
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) kept separate Knight's Cross lists for the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force) 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 "C", ten were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and five presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received 51 of the medals, five went to the Kriegsmarine, 22 to the Luftwaffe, and four to the Waffen-SS.
This along with the + (plus) indicates that a higher grade of Knight's Cross was awarded as well.
This along with the * (asterisk) indicates that the Knight's Cross was awarded posthumously.
| Name | Service | Rank | Role and unit | Date of award | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canders, WernerWerner Canders | Heer | 15-HMajor | Commander of the III./Grenadier-Regiment 408 | 000000001944-04-06-00006 April 1944 | — | — |
| Canstein, Ulrich Freiherr vonUlrich Freiherr von Canstein | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 220 | 000000001944-02-12-000012 February 1944 | — | — |
| Capesius, KurtKurt Capesius | Luftwaffe | 14-LHauptmann | Deputy Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Kampfgeschwader 66 | 000000001944-11-30-000030 November 1944 | — | — |
| Cappel, WilhelmWilhelm Cappel | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 424 | 000000001944-02-23-000023 February 1944 | — | — |
| Carganico, HorstHorst Carganico | Luftwaffe | 13-LOberleutnant | Staffelkapitän of the 6./Jagdgeschwader 5 | 000000001941-09-25-000025 September 1941 | — | — |
| Carius, OttoOtto Carius+ | Heer | 12-HLeutnant of the Reserves | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 | 000000001944-05-04-00004 May 1944 | Awarded 535th Oak Leaves 000000001944-07-27-000027 July 1944 |  |
| Carl, FriedrichFriedrich Carl | Heer | 13-HOberleutnant | Leader of the 11./Artillerie-Regiment 269 | 000000001942-05-09-00009 May 1942 | — | — |
| Carls, RolfRolf Carls | Kriegsmarine | 20-MAdmiral | Marinegruppenbefehlshaber Ost (Naval Group Commander East) | 000000001940-06-14-000014 June 1940 | — | — |
| Carpaneto, AlfredoAlfredo Carpaneto | Heer | 06-HUnteroffizier | Panzer commander in the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 | 000000001945-03-28-000028 March 1945* | Killed in action 26 January 1945 | — |
| Casper, CarlCarl Casper | Heer | 17-HOberst | Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 118 (motorized) | 000000001941-09-22-000022 September 1941 | — | — |
| Castell-Castell, Prosper Graf zuProsper Graf zu Castell-Castell | Heer | 12-HLeutnant of the Reserves | Leader of the 9./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 14 | 000000001944-02-23-000023 February 1944 | — | — |
| Castka, HorstHorst Castka | Heer | 10-HOberwachtmeister | Vorgeschobener Beobachter (Artillery observer) in the 11./Artillerie-Regiment 1562 | 000000001945-03-11-000011 March 1945 | — | — |
| Celerin, AlbertAlbert Celerin | Luftwaffe | 13-LOberleutnant | Pilot and observer in the Fernaufklärungs-Gruppe 4 | 000000001944-10-10-000010 October 1944 | — | — |
| Chamier-Glisczinski, Wolfgang vonWolfgang von Chamier-Glisczinski | Luftwaffe | 17-LOberst | Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader 3 | 000000001940-10-06-00006 October 1940 | — | — |
| Chappuis, Friedrich-Wilhelm vonFriedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis | Heer | 19-HGeneralleutnant | Commander of the 15. Infanterie-Division | 000000001940-08-15-000015 August 1940 | — | — |
| Charpentier, Hans-Georg vonHans-Georg von Charpentier | Waffen-SS | 14-WSS-Hauptsturmführer | Chief of the 3./SS-Reiter-Regiment 1 | 000000001942-10-29-000029 October 1942 | — |  |
| Chevallerie, Hellmut von derHellmut von der Chevallerie | Heer | 18-HGeneralmajor | Commander of the 13. Panzer-Division | 000000001943-04-30-000030 April 1943 | — | — |
| Chevallerie, Kurt von derKurt von der Chevallerie+ | Heer | 19-HGeneralleutnant | Commander of the 99. leichte Division | 000000001941-10-23-000023 October 1941 | Awarded 357th Oak Leaves 19 December 1943 | — |
| Chevallerie, Botho von LaBotho von La Chevallerie | Heer | 15-HMajor | Commander of the I./Infanterie-Regiment 408 | 000000001941-07-24-000024 July 1941 | — | — |
| Chill, KurtKurt Chill | Heer | 19-HGeneralleutnant | Commander of the 122. Infanterie-Division | 000000001943-10-25-000025 October 1943 | — | — |
| Chmel, MaxMax Chmel | Heer | 04-HObergefreiter | Group leader in the 8./Grenadier-Regiment 200 (motorized) | 000000001944-11-18-000018 November 1944 | — | — |
| Choltitz, Dietrich vonDietrich von Choltitz | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 16 (LL) | 000000001940-05-18-000018 May 1940 | — |  |
| Chowanetz, OttoOtto Chowanetz | Heer | 09-HFeldwebel | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 17 | 000000001943-08-08-00008 August 1943 | — | — |
| Christ, TorstenTorsten Christ | Luftwaffe | 16-LOberstleutnant im Generalstab | Chief of the general staff of the VIII. Fliegerkorps | 000000001942-10-21-000021 October 1942 | — | — |
| Christel, KurtKurt Christel | Heer | 14-HHauptmann | Company chief in Bau-Bataillon 132 | 000000001942-03-04-00004 March 1942* | Killed in action 3 March 1942 | — |
| Christen, FritzFritz Christen | Waffen-SS | 03-WSS-Sturmmann | Richtschütze (gunner) in the 2./SS-Panzer-Jagd-Abteilung 3 "Totenkopf" | 000000001941-10-20-000020 October 1941 | — | — |
| Christern, HansHans Christern | Heer | 15-HMajor | Commander of the II./Panzer-Regiment 31 | 000000001941-01-31-000031 January 1941 | — | — |
| Christiansen, GeorgGeorg Christiansen+ | Kriegsmarine | 13-MOberleutnant zur See | Commander of Schnellboot S-101 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille | 000000001941-05-08-00008 May 1941 | Awarded 326th Oak Leaves 000000001943-11-13-000013 November 1943 | — |
| Christl, GeorgGeorg Christl | Luftwaffe | 14-LHauptmann | Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel" | 000000001942-03-18-000018 March 1942 | — | — |
| Christmann, KarlKarl Christmann | Luftwaffe | 10-LOberfeldwebel | Observer in the 6./Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor" | 000000001944-04-05-00005 April 1944 | — | — |
| Christofzik, KurtKurt Christofzik | Heer | 13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves | Chief of the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 530 | 000000001943-08-22-000022 August 1943 | — | — |
| Christophersen, EgonEgon Christophersen | Waffen-SS | 06-WSS-Unterscharführer | Group leader in the 7./SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 "Danmark" | 000000001944-07-11-000011 July 1944 | — | — |
| Chrobek, BrunoBruno Chrobek | Heer | 15-HMajor | Commander of I./Infanterie-Regiment 54 | 000000001940-07-04-00004 July 1940 | — | — |
| Chrzonsz, GünterGünter Chrzonsz | Heer | 10-HOberwachtmeister | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 277 | 000000001943-11-12-000012 November 1943 | — | — |
| Cierpka, WalterWalter Cierpka | Heer | 15-HMajor | Commander of Heeres-Artillerie-Abteilung 774 | 000000001945-04-05-00005 April 1945 | — | — |
| Ciliax, OttoOtto Ciliax | Kriegsmarine | 19-MVizeadmiral | Befehlshaber der Schlachtschiffe | 000000001942-03-21-000021 March 1942 | — | — |
| Cipa, OskarOskar Cipa | Heer | 06-HUnteroffizier | Group leader in the 1./Infanterie-Regiment 305 | 000000001942-11-13-000013 November 1942 | — | — |
| Cirener, WilhelmWilhelm Cirener | Heer | 13-HOberleutnant | Chief of the 3./Pionier-Bataillon 33 | 000000001940-07-13-000013 July 1940 | — | — |
| Claas, PaulPaul Claas | Luftwaffe | 15-LMajor | Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Kampfgeschwader 100 | 000000001943-03-14-000014 March 1943 | Killed in action 20 June 1943 | — |
| Claassen, RichardRichard Claassen | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 517 | 000000001943-01-29-000029 January 1943 | — | — |
| Claassen, TheoTheo Claassen | Heer | 12-HLeutnant | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 14.(Panzerjäger)/Grenadier-Regiment 899 | 000000001944-08-27-000027 August 1944 | — | — |
| Clausen, ErwinErwin Clausen+ | Luftwaffe | 13-LOberleutnant | Staffelkapitän of the 6./Jagdgeschwader 77 | 000000001942-05-19-000019 May 1942 | Awarded 106th Oak Leaves 000000001942-07-23-000023 July 1942 | — |
| Clausen, Karl-UlrichKarl-Ulrich Clausen | Heer | 14-HHauptmann | Chief of the 2./Artillerie-Regiment 30 | 000000001944-04-16-000016 April 1944 | — | — |
| Clausen, NicolaiNicolai Clausen | Kriegsmarine | 14-MKapitänleutnant | Commander of U-129 | 000000001942-03-13-000013 March 1942 | — | — |
| Clemente, ErnstErnst Clemente | Heer | 04-HObergefreiter | PAK (anti tank) gunner in the 16./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 | 000000001944-09-30-000030 September 1944 | — | — |
| Clemm von Hohenberg, Dieter-HansDieter-Hans Clemm von Hohenberg | Luftwaffe | 14-LHauptmann | Gruppenkommandeur of the II.(K)/Lehrgeschwader 1 | 000000001944-11-18-000018 November 1944* | Killed in action 29 June 1944 | — |
| Cleve, RudolfRudolf Cleve | Luftwaffe | 14-LHauptmann | Chief of the 3./Flak-Regiment 4 (motorized) | 000000001944-05-04-00004 May 1944 | — | — |
| Clossner, ErichErich Clößner | Heer | 19-HGeneralleutnant | Commander of the 25. Infanterie-Division | 000000001940-09-29-000029 September 1940 | — | — |
| Cluver, HansHans Clüver | Heer | 15-HMajor of the Reserves | Commander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 266 | 000000001944-01-22-000022 January 1944 | — | — |
| Coeler, JoachimJoachim Coeler | Luftwaffe | 18-LGeneralmajor | Commander of the 9. Flieger-Division | 000000001940-07-12-000012 July 1940 | — | — |
| Cohrs, ErwinErwin Cohrs | Heer | 15-HMajor | Commander of the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 67 | 000000001944-12-09-00009 December 1944 | — | — |
| Collani, HansHans Collani | Waffen-SS | 16-WSS-Obersturmbannführer | Commander of the SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 49 "De Ruyter" (niederländische Nr. 2) | 000000001944-08-19-000019 August 1944* | Killed in action 29 July 1944 | — |
| Colli, RobertRobert Colli | Heer | 17-HOberst | Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 547 | 000000001944-02-19-000019 February 1944 | — | — |
| Condné, JohannJohann Condné | Heer | 14-HHauptmann | Leader of the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 | 000000001945-04-05-00005 April 1945 | — | — |
| Conrad, Dipl.-Ing. GerhardDipl.-Ing. Gerhard Conrad | Luftwaffe | 17-LOberst | Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader z.b.V. 2 | 000000001940-05-24-000024 May 1940 | — | — |
| Conrad, HermannHermann Conrad | Heer | 10-HOberfeldwebel | Shock troop leader in the 7./Infanterie-Regiment 330 | 000000001941-07-09-00009 July 1941 | — | — |
| Conrady, AlexanderAlexander Conrady+ | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of the I./Infanterie-Regiment 118 (motorized) | 000000001942-10-17-000017 October 1942 | Awarded 279th Oak Leaves 000000001943-08-22-000022 August 1943 | — |
| Conrath, PaulPaul Conrath+ | Luftwaffe | 17-LOberst | Commander of Flak-Regiment (motorized) "General Göring" | 000000001941-09-04-00004 September 1941 | Awarded 276th Oak Leaves 000000001943-08-21-000021 August 1943 | — |
| Coracino, KlausKlaus Coracino | Heer | 13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves | Chief of Sturmgeschütz-Begleitkompanie 254 in the I./Grenadier-Regiment 431 | 000000001944-09-02-00002 September 1944 | — | — |
| Cordes, UdoUdo Cordes | Luftwaffe | 12-LLeutnant | Pilot in the 9.(Eis)/Kampfgeschwader 3 "Lützow" | 000000001943-06-12-000012 June 1943 | — | — |
| Corssen, Gunter[Prof. Dr.] Günter Corßen | Heer | 14-HHauptmann | Department leader of Panzer-Regiment 39 | 000000001943-02-08-00008 February 1943 | — | — |
| Corts, HelmutHelmut Corts | Luftwaffe | 13-LOberleutnant | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./Flak-Regiment 64 (motorized) | 000000001940-06-20-000020 June 1940 | — | — |
| Cossel, Hans-Detloff vonHans-Detloff von Cossel+ | Heer | 13-HOberleutnant | Leader of the 1./Panzer-Regiment 35 | 000000001941-09-08-00008 September 1941 | Awarded 285th Oak Leaves 000000001943-08-29-000029 August 1943 | — |
| Coutre, Georg leGeorg le Coutre | Luftwaffe | 12-LLeutnant | Leader of the 10./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 | 000000001945-02-07-00007 February 1945 | — | — |
| Cramer, HansHans Cramer | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of Panzer-Regiment 8 im DAK | 000000001941-06-27-000027 June 1941 | — |  |
| Cramer, HeinzHeinz Cramer | Luftwaffe | 15-LMajor | Gruppenkommandeur of the II.(K)/Lehrgeschwader 1 | 000000001940-09-18-000018 September 1940 | — | — |
| Cramm, Wilhelm-Ernst Freiherr vonWilhelm-Ernst Freiherr von Cramm | Heer | 15-HMajor | Commander of Divisions-Füsilier-Abteilung 58 | 000000001944-04-11-000011 April 1944 | — | — |
| Crantz, FriedrichFriedrich Crantz | Heer | 13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves | Chief of the 10./Grenadier-Regiment 416 | 000000001943-03-03-00003 March 1943 | — | — |
| Cranz, Friedrich-CarlFriedrich-Carl Cranz | Heer | 19-HGeneralleutnant | Commander of the 18. Infanterie-Division (motorized) | 000000001940-06-29-000029 June 1940 | — | — |
| Crasemann, EduardEduard Crasemann+ | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of Artillerie-Regiment 33 (motorized) | 000000001941-12-26-000026 December 1941 | Awarded 683rd Oak Leaves 000000001944-12-18-000018 December 1944 | — |
| Cremer, Peter-ErichPeter-Erich Cremer | Kriegsmarine | 14-MKapitänleutnant | Commander of U-333 | 000000001942-06-05-00005 June 1942 | — | — |
| Crinius, WilhelmWilhelm Crinius+ | Luftwaffe | 09-LFeldwebel | Pilot in the 3./Jagdgeschwader 53 | 000000001942-09-23-000023 September 1942 | Awarded 127th Oak Leaves 000000001942-09-23-000023 September 1942 | — |
| Crisolli, WilhelmWilhelm Crisolli | Heer | 16-HOberstleutnant | Commander of Schützen-Regiment 8 | 000000001941-07-15-000015 July 1941 | — | — |
| Cruger, ArvedArved Crüger | Luftwaffe | 14-LHauptmann | Staffelkapitän of the 5./Kampfgeschwader 30 | 000000001940-06-14-000014 June 1940 | — | — |
| Cruwell, LudwigLudwig Crüwell+ | Heer | 18-HGeneralmajor | Commander of the 11. Panzer-Division | 000000001941-05-14-000014 May 1941 | Awarded 34th Oak Leaves 000000001941-09-01-00001 September 1941 |  |
| Crusius, HeinzHeinz Crusius | Heer | 13-HOberleutnant | Chief of the 4./Infanterie-Regiment 453 | 000000001942-05-03-00003 May 1942 | — | — |
| Cullmann, KurtKurt Cullmann | Heer | 10-HOberfähnrich | Deputy leader of the 2./Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 260 | 000000001944-06-09-00009 June 1944* | Killed in action 29 March 1944 | — |
| Cuno, KurtKurt Cuno | Heer | 17-HOberst | Commander of Panzer-Regiment 39 | 000000001942-01-18-000018 January 1942 | — | — |
| Cygan, LeoLeo Cygan | Heer | 12-HLeutnant of the Reserves | Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Pionier-Bataillon 102 | 000000001944-01-05-00005 January 1944 | — | — |
| Czekay, RichardRichard Czekay | Luftwaffe | 14-LHauptmann | Staffelkapitän of the 3./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" and adjutant of the I./Schlachtgeschwader 2 | 000000001942-12-30-000030 December 1942 | — | — |
| Czernik, GerhardGerhard Czernik | Luftwaffe | 13-LOberleutnant | Staffelkapitän of the 6./Kampfgeschwader 2 | 000000001941-05-16-000016 May 1941 | — | — |
| Czorny, WilhelmWilhelm Czorny | Heer | 03-HGefreiter | Machine gun leader in the 2./Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Großdeutschland" | 000000001944-10-04-00004 October 1944 | — | — |