The following is the complete list of all 1941 awarded Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves recipients. The recipients are ordered and numbered chronologically. The rank listed is the recipient's rank at the time the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves was awarded.
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 and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[1] As the war progressed some of the recipients distinguished themselves further and a higher grade, the Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of 3 June 1940.[2] 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.[3] At the end of 1944 the last and final grade, the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944 concluded the variants of the Knight's Cross.[4]
| Number |
Name |
Service |
Rank |
Unit |
Date of award |
Notes |
| 8 |
Harlinghausen, Martin |
Luftwaffe |
Oberstleutnant |
Chef des Generalst. des X. Fliegerkorps |
01941-01-30 30 January 1941 |
|
| 9 |
Oesau, Walter |
Luftwaffe |
Hauptmann |
Gruppenkommandeur III./Jagdgeschwader 3 |
01941-02-06 6 February 1941 |
3. Swords 15 July 1941 |
| 10 |
Rommel, Erwin |
Heer |
Generalleutnant |
commander 7. Panzer-Division |
01941-03-20 20 March 1941 |
6. Swords 20 January 1942
6. Diamonds 11 March 1943 |
| 11 |
Joppien, Hermann-Friedrich |
Luftwaffe |
Hauptmann |
Gruppenkommandeur I./Jagdgeschwader 51 |
01941-04-23 23 April 1941 |
|
| 12 |
Müncheberg, Joachim |
Luftwaffe |
Oberleutnant |
Staffelkapitän 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 |
01941-05-07 7 May 1941 |
19. Swords 9 September 1942 |
| 13 |
Liebe, Heinrich |
Kriegsmarine |
Kapitänleutnant |
commander U 38 |
01941-06-10 10 June 1941 |
at the same time promoted to Korvettenkapitän |
| 14 |
Endrass, Engelbert |
Kriegsmarine |
Oberleutnant zur See |
commander U 46 |
01941-06-10 10 June 1941 |
|
| 15 |
Schultze, Herbert-Emil |
Kriegsmarine |
Kapitänleutnant |
commander U 48 |
01941-06-12 12 June 1941 |
|
| 16 |
Ihlefeld, Herbert |
Luftwaffe |
Hauptmann |
Gruppenkommandeur I./Jagdgeschwader 77 |
01941-06-27 27 June 1941 |
9. Swords 24 April 1942 |
| 17 |
Balthasar, Wilhelm |
Luftwaffe |
Hauptmann |
Geschwaderkommodore Jagdgeschwader 27 |
01941-07-02 2 July 1941 |
|
| 18 |
Schnell, Siegfried |
Luftwaffe |
Leutnant of the Reserves |
pilot in 9./Jagdgeschwader 2 |
01941-07-09 9 July 1941 |
|
| 19 |
Schmidt, Rudolf |
Heer |
General der Panzertruppe |
commander XXXIX. Armeekorps (mot.) |
01941-07-10 10 July 1941 |
|
| 20 |
Baumbach, Werner |
Luftwaffe |
Oberleutnant |
pilot in 4./Kampfgeschwader 30 |
01941-07-14 14 July 1941 |
16. Swords 17 August 1942 |
| 21 |
Dinort, Oskar |
Luftwaffe |
Oberstleutnant |
Geschwaderkommodore Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 |
01941-07-14 14 July 1941 |
|
| 22 |
Storp, Walter |
Luftwaffe |
Major |
Geschwaderkommodore Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 |
01941-07-14 14 July 1941 |
|
| 23 |
Schütze, Viktor Hermann Otto |
Kriegsmarine |
Korvettenkapitän |
commander U 103 |
01941-07-14 14 July 1941 |
|
| 24 |
Guderian, Heinz |
Heer |
Generaloberst |
commander Panzergruppe 2 |
01941-07-17 17 July 1941 |
|
| 25 |
Hoth, Hermann |
Heer |
Generaloberst |
commander Panzergruppe 3 |
01941-07-17 17 July 1941 |
35. Swords 15 September 1943 |
| 26 |
Freiherr von Richthofen, Dipl.-Ing. Wolfram |
Luftwaffe |
General der Flieger |
commander VIII. Fliegerkorps |
01941-07-17 17 July 1941 |
|
| 27 |
Lützow, Günther |
Luftwaffe |
Major |
Geschwaderkommodore Jagdgeschwader 3 |
01941-07-20 20 July 1941 |
4. Swords 11 October 1941 |
| 28 |
Priller, Josef |
Luftwaffe |
Oberleutnant |
Staffelkapitän 1./Jagdgeschwader 26 |
01941-07-20 20 July 1941 |
73. Swords 2 July 1944 |
| 29 |
Freiherr von Maltzahn, Günther |
Luftwaffe |
Major |
Geschwaderkommodore Jagdgeschwader 53 |
01941-07-24 24 July 1941 |
|
| 30 |
Niemack, Horst |
Heer |
Rittmeister |
commander Divisions Aufkl.Abt. 5 |
01941-08-10 10 August 1941 |
69. Swords 4 June 1944 |
| 31 |
Bär, Heinrich |
Luftwaffe |
Leutnant |
pilot in 1./Jagdgeschwader 51 |
01941-08-14 14 August 1941 |
7. Swords 16 February 1942 |
| 32 |
Hahn, Hans |
Luftwaffe |
Hauptmann |
Gruppenkommandeur III./Jagdgeschwader 2 |
01941-08-14 14 August 1941 |
|
| 33 |
Philipp, Hans |
Luftwaffe |
Oberleutnant |
Staffelkapitän 4./Jagdgeschwader 54 |
01941-08-24 24 August 1941 |
8. Swords 12 March 1942 |
| 34 |
Crüwell, Ludwig |
Heer |
Generalmajor |
commander 11. Panzer-Division |
01941-09-01 1 September 1941 |
|
| 35 |
Nordmann, Karl-Friedrich |
Luftwaffe |
Oberleutnant |
Staffelkapitän 12./Jagdgeschwader 51 |
01941-09-16 16 September 1941 |
|
| 36 |
Hoffmann, Heinrich* |
Luftwaffe |
Oberfeldwebel |
pilot in 12./Jagdgeschwader 51 |
01941-10-19 19 October 1941 |
Killed in action 3 October 1941 |
| 37 |
Freiherr von Lützow, Kurt-Jürgen |
Heer |
Oberst |
commander Infanterie-Regiment 89 |
01941-10-21 21 October 1941 |
|
| 38 |
Gollob, Gordon |
Luftwaffe |
Hauptmann |
Gruppenkommandeur II./Jagdgeschwader 3 |
01941-10-26 26 October 1941 |
13. Swords 23 June 1942
3. Diamonds 30 August 1942 |
| 39 |
Graf von Kageneck, Erbo |
Luftwaffe |
Oberleutnant |
Staffelkapitän 9./Jagdgeschwader 27 |
01941-10-26 26 October 1941 |
|
| 40 |
Krüder, Ernst-Felix* |
Kriegsmarine |
Kapitän zur See |
commander Hilfskreuzer "Pinguin" (HSK 5) |
01941-11-15 15 November 1941 |
Killed in action 8 May 1941 |
| 41 |
Dietrich, Josef |
Waffen-SS |
SS-Obergruppenführer |
SS-Division "LSSAH" (mot.) |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
26. Swords 14 March 1943
16. Diamonds 6 August 1944 |
| 42 |
Eberbach, Heinrich |
Heer |
Oberst |
commander 5. Panzer-Brigade |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 43 |
Scheidies, Franz |
Heer |
Oberst |
commander Infanterie-Regiment 22 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 44 |
Buchterkirch, Ernst-Georg |
Heer |
Oberleutnant |
chief of the 2./Panzer-Regiment 6 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 45 |
Rogge, Bernhard |
Kriegsmarine |
Kapitän zur See |
commander Hilfskreuzer "Atlantis" (HSK 2) |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 46 |
Peltz, Dietrich |
Luftwaffe |
Hauptmann |
Gruppenkommandeur II./Kampfgeschwader 77 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
31. Swords 23 July 1943 |
| 47 |
Schulz, Adelbert |
Heer |
Hauptmann |
1./Pz.Rgt. 25 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
33. Swords 6 August 1943
9. Diamonds 14 December 1943 |
| 48 |
Eckinger, Dr. Josef-Franz* |
Heer |
Major |
commander I./Schützen-Regiment 113 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
Killed in action 17 October 1941 |
| 49 |
Hoffmann-Schönborn, Günther |
Heer |
Major |
St.Gesch.Abt. 191 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 50 |
Eibl, Karl |
Heer |
Oberst |
Infanterie-Regiment 132 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
21. Swords 19 December 1942 |
| 51 |
Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich |
Kriegsmarine |
Kapitänleutnant |
commander U 96 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 52 |
Weiß, Otto |
Luftwaffe |
Major |
Gruppenkommandeur II./Lehrgeschwader 2 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 53 |
Freiherr von Boeselager, Georg |
Heer |
Rittmeister |
chief of the 1./Divisions-Aufklärungsabteilung 6 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
114. Swords 28 November 1944 |
| 54 |
von Seydlitz-Kurzbach, Walther |
Heer |
Generalleutnant |
commander 12. Infanterie-Division |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|
| 55 |
Harpe, Josef |
Heer |
Generalmajor |
commander 12. Panzer-Division |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
36. Swords 15 September 1943 |
| 56 |
Suhren, Reinhard |
Kriegsmarine |
Oberleutnant zur See |
commander U 564 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
18. Swords 1 September 1942 |
| 57 |
Hitschhold, Hubertus |
Luftwaffe |
Major |
Gruppenkommandeur I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 |
01941-12-31 31 December 1941 |
|