List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients (X–Z)

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 Third Reich 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.^[1] A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945.^{[Note 1]} 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.^[3]

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.^[4] 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.^[5][6] 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 104 Knight's Cross recipients whose last name starts in the range of "X" to "Z".^[7] Author and historian Veit Scherzer has challenged the validity of 2 of these listings.^[8] 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 (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.^[9] 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.^[10] 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).^[11] 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.^[12]

Recipients

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.^[13] Of the 104 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts in the range of "X" to "Z", only Wolf-Dietrich Ritter und Edler von Xylander's last name starts with "X". Of these 104 recipients, eleven were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and one the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords; seven presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received seventy-four of the medals, three went to the Kriegsmarine, twenty-three to the Luftwaffe, and four to the Waffen-SS.^[7] 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 (AKCR) and are therefore denoted in parentheses.^[14]

      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.
      This along with the ? (question mark) indicates that historian Veit Scherzer has expressed doubt regarding the veracity or formal correctness of the listing.

Last name starting with "X"

Name	Service	Rank	Role and unit[Note 2]	Date of award	Notes	Image
Wolf-Dietrich Ritter und Edler von Xylander	Heer	Generalleutnant[15]	Chief of the Generalstab of HeeresGruppe Mitte[15][16]	20 February 1945*[15]	Killed in airplane crash 15 February 1945[16]	—

Last name starting with "Z"

Name	Service	Rank	Role and unit[Note 2]	Date of award	Notes	Image
Zachariae-Lingenthal, Edel-HeinrichEdel-Heinrich Zachariae-Lingenthal	Heer	Hauptmann[15]	Commander of the II./Panzer-Regiment 15[15][16]	18 September 1943[15]	—	—
Zaehr, ErichErich Zähr	Luftwaffe	Major[15]	Commander of Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 172[15][16]	23 December 1942[15]	—	—
Zahn, AlfredAlfred Zahn	Heer	Hauptmann of the Reserves[15]	Leader of the III./Grenadier-Regiment 96[15][16]	17 March 1943[15]	—	—
Zahn, Dr. rer. oec. EberhardDr. rer. oec. Eberhard Zahn+	Heer	Leutnant of the Reserves[15]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 33[15][17]	30 June 1941[15]	Awarded 204th Oak Leaves 6 March 1943[15]	—
Zahn, HilmarHilmar Zahn	Luftwaffe	Oberleutnant[18]	Chief of the 5./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1[16][18]	9 June 1944[18]	—	—
Zahn, LotharLothar Zahn	Heer	Major[18]	Commander of the III./Grenadier-Regiment 30 (motorized)[16][18]	2 October 1943[18]	—	—
Zahn, WilliWilli Zahn	Heer	Oberfeldwebel[18]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 14.(Panzer-Jäger)/Grenadier-Regiment 507[16][18]	18 July 1943*[18]	Killed in action 16 July 1943[18]	—
Zander, HelmutHelmut Zander	Heer	Oberstleutnant[18]	Commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 60[16][18]	5 April 1945[18]	—	—
Zangen, Gustav-Adolf vonGustav-Adolf von Zangen+	Heer	Oberst[18]	Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 88 and leader of the 17. Infantrie-Division[16][Note 3]	15 January 1942[18]	Awarded 647th Oak Leaves 5 November 1944[18]
Zapf, AlbertAlbert Zapf	Heer	Oberleutnant[18]	Leader of the III./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 129[16][18]	23 February 1944[18]	—	—
Zapp, Robert-RichardRobert-Richard Zapp	Kriegsmarine	Korvettenkapitän[18]	Commander of U-66[16][18]	23 April 1942[18]	—	—
Zastrow, MaxMax Zastrow	Heer	Gefreiter[18]	Machine gunner in the 2./Pionier-Bataillon 81[18][19]	6 March 1944[18]	—	—
Zauner, FranzFranz Zauner	Luftwaffe	Major[Note 4]	Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Kampfgeschwader 54[18][19]	5 February 1944[18]	—	—
Zebhauser, PaulPaul Zebhauser	Luftwaffe	Oberfeldwebel[18]	Pilot in the 16./Transportgeschwader 1[18][19]	18 November 1944[18]	—	—
Zecherle, KonradKonrad Zecherle	Heer	Leutnant of the Reserves[18]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 90[18][20]	10 May 1943[18]	—	—
Zehender, AugustAugust Zehender+	Waffen-SS	SS-Obersturmbannführer[18]	Commander of the SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 1 "Florian Geyer"[20][Note 5]	10 March 1943[18]	Awarded 722nd Oak Leaves 1 February 1945[18]
Zehnder, EugenEugen Zehnder	Heer	Oberjäger[21]	Group leader in the 1./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13[19][21]	7 March 1943[21]	—	—
Zeidler, MarkusMarkus Zeidler	Luftwaffe	Major[21]	Commander of Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 600[19][21]	9 May 1942[21]	—	—
Zeiher, RobertRobert Zeiher	Heer	Hauptmann of the Reserves[21]	Leader of the 1./SS-Grenadier-Regiment "Radolfzell"[20][Note 6]	16 January 1945[21]	—	—
Zeitzler, KurtKurt Zeitzler	Heer	Oberst im Generalstab (in the General Staff)[21]	Chief of the general staff of the Panzer-Gruppe 1[19][21]	18 May 1941[21]	—
Zejdlik, FranzFranz Zejdlik	Heer	Major[21]	Commander of Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 51[19][21]	4 October 1942[21]	—	—
Zeller, ErnstErnst Zeller	Heer	Oberleutnant of the Reserves[21]	Leader of the 3./Artillerie-Regiment 114[19][21]	16 November 1943[21]	—	—
Zeller, KonradKonrad Zeller+	Heer	Hauptmann of the Reserves[21]	Commander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 380[19][21]	5 January 1944[21]	Awarded 495th Oak Leaves 9 June 1944[21]	—
Zeller, WillyWilly Zeller	Heer	Leutnant[Note 7]	Leader of the 9./Grenadier-Regiment 380[19][21]	7 February 1944[21]	—	—
Zellner, JohannJohann Zellner	Luftwaffe	Feldwebel[21]	Pilot in the 3./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77[19][21]	20 July 1944[21]	—	—
Zellner, KarlKarl Zellner	Luftwaffe	Feldwebel[21]	Pilot in the 1./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77[19][21]	29 February 1944*[21]	Killed in flying accident 13 September 1943[21]	—
Zellot, WalterWalter Zellot	Luftwaffe	Leutnant[21]	Pilot in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53[19][21]	3 September 1942[21]	—	—
Zempel, FriedrichFriedrich Zempel	Heer	Leutnant of the Reserves[21]	Leader of the 3./Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon (A.A.) 112[19][21]	4 May 1944[21]	—	—
Zemsky, JohannJohann Zemsky+	Luftwaffe	Hauptmann[22]	Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1[19][22]	4 February 1942[22]	Awarded 117th Oak Leaves 3 September 1942[22]	—
Zenker, FranzFranz Zenker	Heer	Hauptmann[22]	Commander of the Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 12[19][Note 8]	10 September 1944[22]	—	—
Zepf, GottfriedGottfried Zepf	Heer	Oberfeldwebel[22]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 3./Panzer-Regiment 36[19][22]	26 November 1944[22]	—	—
Zepner, AloisAlois Zepner	Heer	Hauptmann[22]	Leader of the III./Jäger-Regiment 38[19][22]	10 September 1944[22]	—	—
Zepper, ErichErich Zepper	Waffen-SS	SS-Hauptscharführer[22]	Deputy leader of the 2./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10 "Westland"[23][Note 9]	2 December 1943[22]	—	—
Zernin, ErichErich Zernin	Heer	Oberleutnant[22]	Leader of the 5./Panzer-Regiment 11[22][23]	13 September 1943*[22]	Killed in action 13 August 1943[22][23]	—
Zerth, JakobJakob Zerth	Heer	Gefreiter[22]	Deputy group leader in the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 467[22][23]	21 April 1944[22]	—	—
Zettler, RudolfRudolf Zettler	Heer	Hauptmann[22]	Commander of the Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 667[22][23]	18 October 1943[22]	—	—
Zickwolff, FriedrichFriedrich Zickwolff	Heer	Generalleutnant[22]	Commander of the 113. Infanterie-Division[22][23]	2 June 1942[22]	—	—
Zieger, GünterGünter Zieger	Heer	Oberleutnant[22]	Chief of the 2./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 600[22][23]	8 February 1944[22]	—	—
Ziegler, ArthurArthur Ziegler	Heer	Oberleutnant[22]	Regiment adjutant in Grenadier-Regiment 974[24][Note 10]	23 August 1944[22]	—	—
Ziegler, Gerhard-GeorgGerhard-Georg Ziegler	Heer	Oberstleutnant of the Reserves[25]	Leader of Grenadier-Regiment 353[23][25]	12 February 1944[25]	—	—
Ziegler, HeinzHeinz Ziegler	Heer	Generalleutnant[25]	Leader of a Kampfgruppe in the Stab of Heeresgruppe Afrika[24][Note 11]	16 April 1943[25]	—	—
Ziegler, JoachimJoachim Ziegler+	Waffen-SS	SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS[25]	Commander of the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland"[23][25]	5 September 1944[25]	Awarded (848th) Oak Leaves 28 April 1945[25]	—
Ziegler, KarlKarl Ziegler	Heer	Major[25]	Commander of the III./Jäger-Regiment 207[23][25]	8 April 1943[25]	—	—
Ziegler, WernerWerner Ziegler+	Heer	Leutnant[25]	Leader of the 2./Infanterie-Regiment 186[23][25]	31 December 1941[25]	Awarded 121st Oak Leaves 8 September 1942 102nd Swords 23 October 1944[25]	—
Ziehr, LeonhardLeonhard Ziehr	Luftwaffe	Oberfeldwebel[25]	Pilot in the 13./Transportgeschwader 1[23][25]	16 December 1944[25]	—	—
Ziemann, AlfredAlfred Ziemann	Heer	Oberleutnant[25]	Chief of the 1./schwere Panzer-Jagd-Abteilung 93[23][25]	9 January 1944[25]	—	—
Ziemer, ErnstErnst Ziemer+	Heer	Oberfeldwebel[25]	Zugführer (platoon leader) of 15./Infanterie-Regiment 94[24][Note 12]	14 December 1941[25]	Awarded 317th Oak Leaves 2 November 1943[25]	—
Zierach, OttoOtto Zierach	Luftwaffe	Oberleutnant[Note 13]	Glider pilot in the Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Abteilung "Koch"[23][Note 13]	15 May 1940[25]	At the same time promoted to Hauptmann[23]	—
Zierhofer, KarlKarl Zierhofer	Heer	Gefreiter[25]	Machine gunner in the 1./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 126[23][25]	4 October 1944[25]	—	—
Zilger, ErwinErwin Zilger	Heer	Hauptmann[25]	Chief of the 1./Panzer-Jagd-Abteilung 186[23][25]	4 August 1943[25]	—	—
Zillich, KarlKarl Zillich	Luftwaffe	Oberleutnant[26]	Observer in the Stab of II./Kampfgeschwader 27 "Boelcke"[23][26]	20 July 1944*[26]	Died from wounds on 14 April 1944[23]	—
Zillies, Karl-HeinzKarl-Heinz Zillies	Heer	Leutnant of the Reserves[26]	Leader of the 10./Grenadier-Regiment 8 (motorized)[26][27]	11 December 1944[26]	—	—
Zillmann, ErichErich Zillmann	Heer	Stabswachtmeister[26]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 3./Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 245[26][27]	8 August 1944[26]	—	—
Zimmer, KarlKarl Zimmer	Heer	Oberleutnant[26]	Deputy leader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 105[27][Note 14]	18 February 1945[26]	—	—
Zimmer, RichardRichard Zimmer	Heer	Generalleutnant[26]	Commander 17. Infanterie-Division[26][27]	16 October 1944[26]	—	—
Zimmermann, ErnstErnst Zimmermann	Heer	Hauptmann[26]	Commander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 105[26][27]	21 May 1943[26]	—	—
Zimmermann, FritzFritz Zimmermann	Luftwaffe	Hauptmann[26]	Commander of the I.(gem.)/Flaksturm-Regiment 241 (motorized)[26][27]	8 August 1944*[26]	Died from wounds on 7 June 1944[27]	—
Zimmermann, HansHans Zimmermann	Heer	Hauptmann[26]	Chief of the 8./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26[26][27]	22 January 1943[26]	—	—
Zimmermann, HerbertHerbert Zimmermann	Heer	Hauptmann[26]	Leader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 225[26][27]	12 January 1945*[26]	Killed in action 29 October 1944[26]	—
Zimmermann, HerbertHerbert Zimmermann	Heer	Hauptmann[26]	Chief of the 1./Panzer-Regiment 36[26][27]	5 April 1945[26]	—	—
Zimmermann, HermannHermann Zimmermann	Heer	Major[26]	Commander of the II./Schützen-Regiment 3[26][27]	4 September 1940[26]	—	—
Zimmermann, JacobJacob Zimmermann[Note 15]	Heer	Major[28]	Leader of the Grenadier-Regiment 509[27][28]	1 February 1945[28]	—	—
Zimmermann, JakobJakob Zimmermann	Heer	Hauptmann[28]	Commander of the I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10[27][28]	31 July 1943[28]	—	—
Zimmermann, ManfredManfred Zimmermann	Heer	Hauptmann of the Reserves[Note 16]	Leader of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 199 "List"[27][28]	14 May 1944[28]	—	—
Zimmermann, OskarOskar Zimmermann	Luftwaffe	Leutnant[28]	Pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"[27][Note 17]	29 October 1944[Note 17]	—	—
Zimmermann, OttoOtto Zimmermann	Heer	Feldwebel[28]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 4.(MG)/Grenadier-Regiment 504[27][Note 18]	26 March 1944[28]	—	—
Zimmermann, RobertRobert Zimmermann	Luftwaffe	Hauptmann[28]	Commander of the I./Flak-Regiment 29 (motorized)[27][Note 19]	1 April 1945[28]	—	—
Zimmermann, WalterWalter Zimmermann	Heer	Oberwachtmeister[28]	Vorgeschobener Beobachter (forward observer) in the 12./Artillerie-Regiment 205[27][28]	10 February 1945[28]	—	—
Zimmermann, WillyWilly Zimmermann	Heer	Feldwebel[28]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 80[27][28]	23 October 1944[28]	—	—
Zingel, AugustAugust Zingel	Waffen-SS	SS-Unterscharführer[28]	Shock troops leader in the Kampfgruppe "Krauth" n the 15./Totenkopf-Infanterie-Regiment 1[27][28]	4 October 1942[28]	—	—
Zinsser, LudwigLudwig Zinsser	Heer	Oberleutnant of the Reserves[28]	Leader of the 8./Artillerie-Regiment 148[27][28]	16 November 1944[28]	—	—
Zintl, [Dr.] Franz[Dr.] Franz Zintl[Note 20]	Heer	Oberleutnant[28]	Leader of the I./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 206[27]	6 July 1942[28]	—	—
Zipfel, KunoKuno Zipfel	Heer	Feldwebel[28]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Jäger-Regiment 56[27][28]	10 September 1944[28]	—	—
Zipfel, WillibaldWillibald Zipfel	Luftwaffe	Feldwebel[29]	Radio operator in the 3./Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"[27][29]	6 December 1944[29]	—	—
Ziran, CarlCarl Ziran	Heer	Unteroffizier[29]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 461[27][29]	29 November 1944[29]	—	—
Zischka, WilhelmWilhelm Zischka	Heer	Wachtmeister[29]	Vorgeschobener Beobachter (forward observer) in the 6./Artillerie-Regiment 41 (motorized)[27][29]	23 October 1944[29]	—	—
Zitzen, KurtKurt Zitzen	Heer	Oberleutnant of the Reserves[29]	Chief of the 2./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 177[29][30]	4 August 1943[29]	—	—
Zmugg, AloisAlois Zmugg	Heer	Unteroffizier[29]	In the 3./Schützen-Regiment 114[29][30]	18 October 1941[29]	—	—
Zobel, HorstHorst Zobel	Heer	Hauptmann[29]	Commander of the Panzer-Abteilung in the Panzer-Division "Müncheberg"[30][Note 21]	14 April 1945[29]	—	—
Zoellner, HeinzHeinz Zöllner	Luftwaffe	Hauptmann[29]	Staffelkapitän of the 6./Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor"[29][30]	5 April 1944[29]	—	—
Zoll, ErhardErhard Zoll	Heer	Hauptmann of the Reserves[29]	Chief of the 14.(Panzerjäger)/Grenadier-Regiment 437[30][Note 22]	18 January 1945[29]	—	—
Zonewitz, GerhardGerhard Zonewitz	Heer	Oberleutnant[29]	Chief of the 2./Infanterie-Regiment 151[29][30]	4 December 1941[29]	—	—
Zoppoth, GerhardGerhard Zoppoth?[Note 23]	Heer	Leutnant	Leader of the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 732[30]	9 May 1945	—	—
Zorn, EduardEduard Zorn+	Heer	Oberst im Generalstab (in the General Staff)[29]	Leader of the 189. Infanterie-Division[29][30]	25 December 1944[29]	Awarded 739th Oak Leaves 16 February 1945[29]	—
Zorn, GerhardGerhard Zorn	Heer	Major[29]	Commander of Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 159[29][30]	28 March 1945[29]	—	—
Zorn, HansHans Zorn+	Heer	Generalmajor[31]	Commander of the 20. Infanterie-Division (motorized)[30][31]	27 July 1941[31]	Awarded 291st Oak Leaves 3 September 1943[31]	—
Zorner, PaulPaul Zorner+	Luftwaffe	Hauptmann[31]	Staffelkapitän of the 8./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3[30][31]	9 June 1944[31]	Awarded 588th Oak Leaves 17 September 1944[31]	—
Zubrod, HeinrichHeinrich Zubrod	Heer	Leutnant of the Reserves[31]	Company leader in the Grenadier-Regiment 1213[30][31]	18 January 1945[31]	—	—
Zuehlsdorff, HermannHermann Zühlsdorff	Heer	Oberfeldwebel[31]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./Infanterie-Regiment 94[30][31]	9 January 1942[31]	—	—
Zuern, ErichErich Zürn	Kriegsmarine	Oberleutnant (Ing.)[31]	Chief engineer on U-48[30][31]	23 April 1941[31]	—	—
Zuern, RudolfRudolf Zürn	Heer	Major[31]	Commander of the II./Infanterie-Regiment 65[30][31]	16 June 1940[31]	—	—
Zuerner, HermannHermann Zürner	Heer	Oberleutnant of the Reserves[31]	Leader of the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10[30][31]	28 December 1944[31]	—	—
Zugehör, GünterGünter Zugehör	Heer	Hauptmann[31]	Commander of the II./Artillerie-Regiment 19 (motorized)[30][31]	12 September 1941[31]	—	—
Zumfelde, HugoHugo Zumfelde	Heer	Hauptmann of the Reserves[31]	Commander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 546[30][31]	9 December 1944[31]	—	—
Zurin, AlfredAlfred Zurin?[Note 24]	Heer	Leutnant	Leader of the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 189[30]	9 May 1945	—	—
Zurmöhle, WalterWalter Zurmöhle	Luftwaffe	Oberleutnant of the Reserves[31]	Chief of the 1./Pionier-Bataillon 6 (L)[30][31]	5 April 1944[31]	—	—
Zweigart, Eugen-LudwigEugen-Ludwig Zweigart	Luftwaffe	Oberfeldwebel[31]	Pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 54[30][31]	22 January 1943[31]	—	—
Zwer, FranzFranz Zwer	Heer	Oberfeldwebel[32]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 530[30][Note 25]	6 April 1944[32]	—	—
Zwernemann, JosefJosef Zwernemann+	Luftwaffe	Oberfeldwebel[32]	Pilot in 7./Jagdgeschwader 52[32][33]	23 June 1942[32]	Awarded 141st Oak Leaves 31 October 1942[32]	—
Zwesken, RudiRudi Zwesken	Luftwaffe	Oberfeldwebel[32]	Pilot in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 300[32][33]	21 March 1945[32]	—	—
Zwickenpflug, HansHans Zwickenpflug	Heer	Major[32]	Commander of the II./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 100[32][33]	5 April 1945[32]	—	—
Zwipf, HeinrichHeinrich Zwipf	Luftwaffe	Hauptmann[32]	Staffelkapitän of the 3./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77[32][33]	31 December 1943[32]	—	—
Zymalkowski, FelixFelix Zymalkowski	Kriegsmarine	Korvettenkapitän[32]	Chief of the 8. Schnellbootflottille[32][33]	10 April 1945[32]	—	—

Notes

1. Großadmiral and President of Germany Karl Dönitz, Hitler's successor as Head of State (Staatsoberhaupt) and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, had ordered the cessation of all promotions and awards as of 11 May 1945 (Dönitz-decree). Consequently the last Knight's Cross awarded to Oberleutnant zur See of the Reserves Georg-Wolfgang Feller on 17 June 1945 must therefore be considered a de facto but not de jure hand-out.^[2]
2. For an explanation of the various naming schemes used by the Luftwaffe, Heer, Kriegsmarine and Waffen-SS refer to nomenclature used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.
3. According to Scherzer as commander of Infanterie-Regiment 88.^[18]
4. According to Scherzer as Hauptmann.^[18]
5. According to Scherzer as commander of the SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 2.^[18]
6. According to Scherzer as leader of the 1./SS-Regiment "Radolfzell", mobilized part of the SS-Unterführer Schule "Radolfzell" (189. Infanterie-Division).^[21]
7. According to Scherzer as Leutnant of the Reserves.^[21]
8. According to Scherzer as commander of the Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 12 (L).^[22]
9. According to Scherzer as leader of the 2./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10 "Westland".^[22]
10. According to Scherzer as adjutant in Grenadier-Regiment 974.^[22]
11. According to Scherzer in the Stab of the 5. Panzer-Armee and leader of a Kampfgruppe.^[25]
12. According to Scherzer as Zugführer (platoon leader) of 15.(Radfahr)/Infanterie-Regiment 94.^[25]
13. According to Scherzer as Oberleutnant of the Reserves and Ia (operations officer) of the Luftlande-Sturm-Abteilung "Koch".^[25]
14. According to Scherzer as leader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 105.^[26]
15. According to Scherzer name is spelled Jakob Zimmermann.^[28]
16. According to Scherzer as Hauptmann.^[28]
17. According to Scherzer on 24 October 1944 as Staffelführer in the III./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet".^[28]
18. According to Scherzer as Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 4./Grenadier-Regiment 504.^[28]
19. According to Scherzer as commander of the I./Flak-Regiment 29.^[28]
20. The brackets around the doctor title [Dr.] denotes that the academic title was attained after the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded.
21. According to Scherzer as commander of Panzer-Abteilung "Müncheberg".^[29]
22. According to Scherzer as 14./Grenadier-Regiment 437.^[29]
23. Gerhard Zoppoth's nomination was submitted to the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 15 April 1945. Major Joachim Domaschk approved the nomination on 16 April 1945. The book of "Verliehene Ritterkreuze" (Awarded Knight Crosses) contains an entry under Nr. 5142 "Knight's Cross yes" and another entry "deferred". The nomination was forwarded to General Wilhelm Burgdorf in Berlin for approval by the Führer. The file contains no further evidence of the approval or presentation of the award. The registry containing the approved or rejected nominations or deferred nominations contains his file card. According to the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) the award was presented in accordance with the Dönitz-decree. This is illegal according to the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) and lacks legal justification. The presentation date was assigned by Fellgiebel. Zoppoth is a member of the AKCR.^[8]
24. Alfred Zurin's nomination was submitted to the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 16 April 1945. Major Joachim Domaschk approved the nomination on 17 April 1945 and forwarded to Wilhelm Burgdorf in Berlin as a HPA nomination carrying the id Nr. 5076 on 18 April. Neither the registry of contemporary nominations, nor the book "Verliehene Ritterkreuze" (Awarded Knight Crosses), nor the original nominations contains any evidence of the approval or of the presentation of the award. The nomination remained unprocessed at the end of the war. According to the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) the award was presented in accordance with the Dönitz-decree. This is illegal according to the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) and lacks legal justification. The presentation date was assigned by Fellgiebel.^[8]
25. According to Scherzer as Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 53.^[32]

References

Citations

1. Williamson and Bujeiro 2004, pp. 3–4.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 4.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 113–460, 483, 485–487, 492, 494, 498–499, 501, 503, 509.
4. Scherzer 2007, pp. 117–186.
5. "Stimmen zum Buch "Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945" von Veit Scherzer" (PDF). Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag (in German). Retrieved 10 December 2012.
6. Scherzer 2007, cover.
7. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 455–460.
8. Scherzer 2007, p. 186.
9. "Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 1573; 1 September 1939" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
10. "Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 849; 3 June 1940" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
11. "Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 613; 28 September 1941" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
12. "Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11; 29 December 1944" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
13. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 112.
14. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 102–111.
15. Scherzer 2007, p. 801.
16. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 455.
17. Fellgiebel pp. 455, 509.
18. Scherzer 2007, p. 802.
19. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 456.
20. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 456, 509.
21. Scherzer 2007, p. 803.
22. Scherzer 2007, p. 804.
23. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 457.
24. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 457, 509.
25. Scherzer 2007, p. 805.
26. Scherzer 2007, p. 806.
27. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 458.
28. Scherzer 2007, p. 807.
29. Scherzer 2007, p. 808.
30. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 459.
31. Scherzer 2007, p. 809.
32. Scherzer 2007, p. 810.
33. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 460.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). 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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Williamson, Gordon; Bujeiro, Ramiro (2004). Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves Recipients 1939–40. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-641-6.

Further reading

• Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
• Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knights of the Reich. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation History. ISBN 978-0-88740-580-8.

External links

• "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2011.
• "Das Bundesarchiv". Military Archive – Freiburg im Breisgau. Retrieved 2 January 2011.