List of Knight's Cross recipients 7th SS Volunteer Gebirgs Division Prinz Eugen
| Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by Nazi Germany | |
| Type | Neck order |
| Eligibility | Military personnel |
| Awarded for | Awarded to holders of the Iron Cross to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership |
| Campaign | World War II |
| Status | Obsolete |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1 September 1939 |
| First awarded | 30 September 1939 |
| Last awarded | 11 May 1945 / 17 June 1945[a] |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Grand Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Next (lower) | Iron Cross 1st Class |
 Insignia of 7th SS Volunteer Grbirgs Division Prinz Eugen | |
The 7th SS Volunteer Gebirgs Division Prinz Eugen was a German volunteer Waffen-SS Mountain division. It saw action in the Balkans against Tito's Partisan Army and against the advancing Red Army. The division was named after the famous Austrian general Prince Eugene of Savoy who fought the Turks at Vienna, conquered Belgrade and expelled them from Hungary.
The Prinz Eugen was formed from Volksdeutsche personnel from Croatia, Serbia, Hungary and Romania. Its initial composition was of an all-volunteer force until conscription began later in the war. It surrendered on 11 May 1945 to Bulgarian forces.[1]
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 [2] of September 1, 1939 instituted the Iron Cross and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 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 [3] of June 3, 1940. In 1941 two higher grades of the Knight's Cross were instituted. The enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 [4] of September 28, 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 last and final grade, the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 [5] of December 29, 1944 concluded the variants of the Knight's Cross.
Prerequisites
To qualify for the Knight's Cross, a soldier had to already hold the 1939 Iron Cross First Class, though the Iron Cross I Class was awarded concurrently with the Knight's Cross in rare cases. Unit commanders could also be awarded the medal for exemplary conduct by the unit as a whole.
Grades
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was divided into five grades, excluding the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross:
- Knights Cross
- Knights Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and swords
- Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
- Knights Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Knight's Cross with Swords
- Otto Kumm, 17.03.1945 SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der W-SS Commander 7th SS Volunteer Gebirgsjäger Division Prinz Eugen [6]
Knight’s Cross
HQ staff
- Artur Phleps, 04.07.1943 SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der W-SS, Commander SS Volunteer Gebirgsjäger Division Prinz Eugen [6]
SS Gebirgsjäger Regiment 1
- Heinrich Petersen, 13.11.1943, SS-Obersturmbannführer, Commander 1st SS Geb Jäg Rgt Prinz Eugen [6]
SS Gebirgsjäger Regiment 2
- Bernhard Dietsche, 17.07.1943 SS-Sturmbannführer Commander II./2nd SS Geb Jäg Rgt [6]
SS Gebirgsjäger Regiment 14
- Franz Josef Krombholz, 28.03.1945 SS-Hauptsturmführer d.R. Commander III./14th SS Geb Jäg Rgt [6]
SS Gebirgs Reconnaissance Battalion 7
- Eggert Neumann, 03.11.1944 SS-Sturmbannführer d.R. Commander 7th SS-Geb Recce Btn Prinz Eugen [6]
SS Sturmgeschütz Battalion 1007
- Harry Paletta, 26.11.1944 SS-Obersturmführer Commander 1007th SS Stug Btn Prinz Eugen [6]
Footnotes
- ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica
- ↑ @ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 1573; 1 September 1939
- ↑ @ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 849; 3 June 1940
- ↑ @ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 613; 28 September 1941
- ↑ @ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11; 29 December 1944
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "axishistory".
References
- 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.
- Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.