These recipients are listed in the 1986 edition of Walther-Peer Fellgiebel's book, Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945. Fellgiebel was the former chairman and head of the order commission of the AKCR. In 1996, the second edition of this book was published with an addendum delisting 11 of these original recipients. Author 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 Germany in the final days of World War II in Europe left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process.
Listed here are the 386 Knight's Cross recipients of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS whose last name starts with "L". Scherzer has challenged the validity of sixteen of these listings. 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. 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
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (L)
Service
Number of presentations
Posthumous presentations
Heer
256
18
Kriegsmarine
19
2
Luftwaffe
90
16
Waffen-SS
21
1
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) kept separate Knight's Cross lists, one for each of the three military branches, Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force) and for the Waffen-SS (paramilitary of the Nazi Party). 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 386 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with "L", 38 were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, six the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and two the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds; 37 presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received 256 of the medals; 19 went to the Kriegsmarine, 90 to the Luftwaffe, and 21 to the Waffen-SS. The sequential numbers greater than 843 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and 143 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords are unofficial and were assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) and are therefore denoted in parentheses.
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 author Veit Scherzer has expressed doubt regarding the veracity and formal correctness of the listing.
↑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.
↑The brackets around the professor and doctor title [Prof. Dr.] denote that the academic title was attained after the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded.
↑Christian-Johannes Landau's nomination was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 28 April 1945. MajorJoachim Domaschk approved the nomination on 6 May 1945. The book "Verliehene Ritterkreuze" (Awarded Knight Crosses) contains a note "postponed". The reason for this was that his division together with Heeresgruppe B had been annihilated in the Ruhr Pocket, and the whereabouts of its commanding officer was unknown. The nomination was therefore not processed in accordance with AHA 44 Ziff. 572 (Allgemeines Heeresamt — General Army Office). A presentation was never made. The presentation date was assigned by Walther-Peer Fellgiebel.
12345The brackets around the doctor title [Dr.] denote that the academic title was attained after the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded.
↑According to Scherzer as battery officer in the 2./Flak-Regiment 19 (motorized).
↑According to Scherzer as pilot and technical officer in the I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"
↑According to Scherzer 148th Oak Leaves on 28 November 1942.
↑According to Scherzer as observer in the Nahaufklärungsstaffel 11.(H)/12.
↑According to Scherzer as commander of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon (Aufklärungs-Abteilung) 68.
↑According to Scherzer as Meldestaffelführer (messenger squad leader) in the I./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 5 "Thule".
↑According to Scherzer as Zugführer (platoon leader) of the 2./SS-Panzer-Regiment 2.
↑According to Scherzer as chief in a Sonderkommando (special assignment commando) of the OKW, Amtsgruppe Auslandsnachrichten und Abwehr (office group foreign intelligence and defense), Abwehr-Abteilung II (2nd Defense Department).
↑According to Scherzer as leader of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon (A.A.) 299.
↑According to Scherzer as commander of the II./SS-Panzergrenader-Regiment "Theodor Eicke".
↑Oskar Laupenmühlen nomination was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 20 March 1945 as a teleprinter message. The registry containing the approved or rejected nominations or deferred nominations contains his file card. MajorJoachim Domaschk approved the nomination on 2 April 1945. The book "Verliehene Ritterkreuze" (Awarded Knight Crosses) lists him with an entry date 19 April 1945. The file contains no further evidence of the approval or presentation of the award. A presentation cannot be verified. 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 Walther-Peer Fellgiebel.
↑Author Clemens Range dates Hans Lehmann's Knight's Cross on 8 June 1945, thus after the effectiveness of the Dönitz-decree. Walther-Peer Fellgiebel, author of Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945, indicates that Lehmann received the Knight's Cross on 11 May 1945, before the Dönitz-decree prohibited the awarding of the Knight's Cross. Scherzer dates the Knight's Cross on 7 May 1945.
↑According to Scherzer as pilot in the Stab/Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen".
↑According to Scherzer as commander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 3.
↑According to Scherzer as Major (Ergänzungsoffizier—Supplementary Officer). Supplementary Officers were officers of the former army or Reichsheer, who were re-hired during the expansion of the Wehrmacht.
↑Hans Lennartz's nomination by his unit was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 13 April 1945. MajorJoachim Domaschk approved the nomination on 14 April. A Heerespersonalamt-Verleihungsvorschlag (HPA-VV—Army Staff Office Nomination Recommendation) Nr. 5083 was created and forwarded on 19 April. Wilhelm Burgdorf approved the nomination on 20 April but did not present it to Adolf Hitler. The nomination was left unfinished in Burgdorf's office in the Führerbunker at Reich Chancellery and was later taken as a souvenir by a US officer. The author Veit Scherzer received a copy of the nomination from the United States in 2007. 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 Walther-Peer Fellgiebel.
↑No evidence regarding Jacques Leroy's nomination can be found in the German Federal Archives. A presentation, as assumed by Walther-Peer Fellgiebel, by the chief of the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) Wilhelm Burgdorf, is very unlikely because the 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien was deployed in Pomerania with the Army Group Vistula in March/April 1945 and not in or near Berlin. The author was denied access to files, which could help clarify the case, of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) on the grounds of the Bundesarchivgesetz (German Archive Law). The presentation, according to Krätschmer, was confirmed by the former adjutant to the divisional commander in 1957 and divisional commander in 1973. Fellgiebel himself, in a letter dated 31 August 1976, considered this evidence as Quatsch (a hoke or nuts). Leroy was a member of the AKCR.
↑No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. According to Walther-Peer Fellgiebel the Knight's Cross was presented by SS-OberstgruppenführerSepp Dietrich, which would make it an unlawful presentation. Fellgiebel provides his sources as Hermann Buch, the former IIa (personnel administration) of the 2. SS-Division "Das Reich", and Wilhelm Kment, the adjutant of Heinrich Himmler and liaison officer to the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office). Buch had nothing to do with this presentation (note from 25 June 2004). The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking was not under the command of Dietrich in the respective timeframe. Krätschmer provides a presentation date of 25 March 1945 while von Seemen provides 25 April 1945. Fellgiebel has changed this to 6 May 1945. It has to be speculated whether Fellgiebel did this to hide the presentation among the Dietrich award. Karl-Heinz Lichte, a member of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR), did nothing to help clarify the situation. Two letters from the general manager of the AKCR had been sent to Lichte, the first on 24 July 2004 and the second on 22 August 2004.
↑According to Scherzer as commander of Flak-Regiment 104.
↑According to Scherzer as leader of Jäger-Regiment 228.
↑No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. Presumably the Knight's Cross was awarded on the same day as Desiderius Hampel's and Hans Hanke's, as stated in a letter from Krätschmer to von Seemen dated 7 August 1980. According to von Seemen the award was presented by General Maximilian de Angelis. Walther-Peer Fellgiebel accepted Karl Liecke as Knight's Cross recipient but noted in his book: "A justification for the presentation was not given". Liecke was a member of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR).
↑According to Scherzer the unit is referred to as Waffen-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment der SS 27 (kroat. Nr. 1).
↑According to Scherzer as group leader in 3./Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 93.
↑The OB Nordwest (Commander-in-chief North-West) submitted five approved nominations to the Führungsstab "A" (OKW/WFSt Oberkommando der Wehrmacht/Wehrmacht-Führungsstab leadership staff of the Army High Command) on 2 May 1945. Four of these nominations were submitted via teleprinter message, these were Friedrich Anding, Heinz Lotze, (Johann-)Nepomuk Stützle and Gustav Walle, and Friedrich Lier's nomination for the Oak Leaves via messenger. The reason for why not all five nominations had been submitted via teleprinter message is that Anding had destroyed six or more enemy tanks in close combat. The prerequisites of Führeranordnung (Führer decree) of 7 March 1945 had therefore been met and no further explanation or details were needed. Scherzer assumes that this must have been different in Lier's case and more details describing his actions including drawings had been created. This type of nomination was difficult to submit via teleprinter message and a messenger was sent. This nomination was never received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office). Lier is not listed on the list of awarded Knight's Crosses, which in some cases was also used as a nomination entry list, the four nominations are listed. Also missing is the original nomination, the teleprinter messages on the other hand have prevailed. A nomination, which was never received, cannot be judged. A presentation cannot be proven. The Order Commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) processed this case in 1975 on behalf of a relative of Lier and decided: 869th Oak Leaves yes, 8 May 1945. The sequential number and date were assigned by the AKCR. Lier was a member of the AKCR. Lier never received news about the Oak Leaves presentation before he died on 18 August 1974.
↑According to Scherzer as gun leader of a PAK in the 1./Schnelle-Abteilung 290.
↑There is no evidence of a nomination or presentation of the Knight's Cross to Enno-Erich von Limburg-Hetlingen in the German Federal Archives. The files of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) hold no record of Von Limburg-Hetlingen's case. His personal files also hold no proof. Von Seemen states as a source: "Informed by the head of OKW/PA/P5 Oberst Steuer". The family owns a copy of a written testimony from General Hans Kreysing dated 15 April 1945, which indicates that Kreysing had nominated Von Limburg-Hetlingen for the Knight's Cross in early April 1945. Von Limburg-Hetlingen had been mentioned in the daily Wehrmachtbericht (armed forces report) on 7 April 1945. The nomination for the Knight's Cross did not survive the war and its receipt cannot be verified. There is no record in the book "Verliehene Ritterkreuze" (Awarded Knight Crosses). A Heerespersonalamt-Verleihungsvorschlag (HPA-VV—Army Staff Office Nomination Recommendation) was not created. The presentation date is an assumption of the AKCR.
↑According to Scherzer as reconnaissance troop leader in the 1./Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7.
↑In absence from the proceedings, the fleeing Fritz Lindemann was deprived of all honors, ranks and orders and dishonourably discharged from the Heer on 4 August 1944, in connection with the 20 July plot, the failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He died before his case was brought before the Volksgerichtshof (People's Court).
↑According to Scherzer as leader of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 1.
↑Major Joachim Domaschk responded on 26 March 1945 to an inquiry dated 19 March 1945 of the Heeresgruppe Süd, department IIa (divisional adjutant for personnel matters of the officers): "A nomination for the Knight's Cross for Oberstleutnant im GeneralstabLindenau has not been submitted. The Knight's Cross was not awarded to him." Presumably the presentation date was assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Lindenau was a member of the AKCR.
↑No evidence regarding the presentation of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to Herbert Lindenblatt can be found in the German Federal Archives. According to Von Seemen and Walther-Peer Fellgiebel in compliance with the empowerment for autonomous presentations by Heeresgruppe E. There is no evidence in the files of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Veit Scherzer states that he has no clue on what grounds the AKCR accepted Lindenblatt.
↑According to Scherzer as chief of the 8./Grenadier-Regiment 89.
↑According to Scherzer as Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 3./Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon (A.A.) 36.
12According to Scherzer as battalion leader in Fallschirmjäger-Regiment "Hübner" [alarm unit; deployed in Arnhem] who was killed in action on 10 September 1944.
12According to Scherzer first name is "Gottfried Rudolph" and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was dated on 28 February 1945.
↑Rudolf Lippelt's nomination was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 15 April 1945. A file card in the registry for approved or rejected nominations was created. MajorJoachim Domaschk requested a statement from one of Lippelt's commanding officers in the command chain on 15 April. Major Domaschk approved the nomination on 7 May 1945 and noted: "Knight's Cross yes". There is no evidence that this nomination was further processed. 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 Walther-Peer Fellgiebel.
↑According to Scherzer Walter Lippelt never existed. The radio transmission must have been distorted and refers to HauptmannWalter Littmann.
↑Jakob Lobmeyer may have received a lawful presentation via the command chain via the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) Wilhelm Burgdorf in Berlin. Also probable is a direct presentation from Adolf Hitler. However, no evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. Veit Scherzer was denied access to files, which could help clarify the case, of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) on the grounds of the Bundesarchivgesetz (German Archive Law). The order commission of the AKCR handled this case in 1973. In the 1980s Lobmeyer also claimed and requested to have received the German Cross in Gold as well as the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. Walther-Peer Fellgiebel stated in a letter dated 17 December 1987: "Lobmeyer had never received the German Cross nor the Oak Leaves. He is already very well off that we list him under article 8 [a footnote in Fellgiebel's book] and keep things quiet, that he may have received the Knight's Cross in the timeframe 20 April to 30 April 1945." In the same letter he refers to Lobmeyer as Spinner (a wacko or crank). Ernst-Günther Krätschmer lists him with an approval date of 20 April 1945 and a presentation date of 28 April 1945. Gerhard von Seemen noted: "Presentation was made after the radio message receipt from commanding general SS-ObergruppenführerFriedrich Jeckeln of the V. SS Mountain Corps." SS-Obersturmführer Lobmeyer had been nominated for the Honor Roll in March by the Heeresgruppe Mitte. This nomination had been approved but the presentation was never made. Lobmeyer was a member of the AKCR.
↑According to Scherzer as Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 8./Grenadier-Regiment 82.
↑According to Scherzer as rifle leader in the 12./Grenadier-Regiment 67.
↑The nomination was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 25 March 1943 and was approved by the commanding general of the III. (germ.) SS-Panzerkorps. However, the approval from the commander-in-chief of the 11. Armee, Army Group Vistula and from the Reichsführer-SS is missing. The HPA created a formal nomination without a sequential number on 27 March 1945. Both nominations are retained in the National Archives. Both nominations give no information whether the nomination was approved and whether the Oak Leaves had been awarded. The nomination list of the higher grade of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves only dates the nomination entry on 25 March 1945. The Order Commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) processed this case in 1974 and decided: yes, 872nd Oak Leaves. According to the 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 sequential number "872" and date were assigned by the AKCR. Hanns-Heinrich Lohmann was a member of the AKCR.
↑According to Scherzer as gun leader in the 14./Grenadier-Regiment 507.
↑According to Scherzer as Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 4./Grenadier-Regiment 530.
↑Artur Lorfing's nomination was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) as a teleprinter message between 14 and 16 May 1945. MajorJoachim Domaschk sent a teleprinter message to the Heeresgruppe C on 16 May asking why Lorfing was being nominated three and a half months after the deed. The response indicated that apparently Lorfing had already been nominated for the first time on 23 March 1945. Major Domaschk then sent a teleprinter message back to the Heeresgruppe C asking why Lorfing had been nominated almost two months after the original nomination. Domaschk never received an answer. The HPA closed down all operations on 16 May 1945. A file card in the registry for approved or rejected nominations was created, but no presentation occurred and would have been unlawful. The presentation date was assigned by Walther-Peer Fellgiebel.
↑According to Scherzer as leader in the 10./Infanterie-Regiment 203.
↑According to Scherzer as chief in the 4./Flak-Regiment 231.
12According to Scherzer as Oberleutnant of the Reserves and observer in the Nahaufklärungsstaffel 11.(H)/Aufklärungs-Gruppe 12.
↑Dr. Heinz Lotze's Heerespersonalamt-Verleihungsvorschlag (HPA-VV—Army Staff Office Nomination Recommendation) was ready for signature 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 Walther-Peer Fellgiebel. Lotze was member of the AKCR.
↑According to Scherzer as commander of Füsilier-Bataillon (A.A.) 7.
↑According to Scherzer as leader of the 6./SS-Panzergrenader-Regiment 23 "Norge" (norwegian Nr. 1).
↑Heinrich von Lüttwitz's nomination was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office) on 28 April 1945. MajorJoachim Domaschk decided on 30 April: "Heeresgruppe B, postpone!" General Von Lüttwiz, together with the remaining forces of the Heeresgruppe B, was declared missing in action in the Ruhr Pocket on 15 April. The nomination was thus not further processed in accordance with AHA 44 Ziff. 572. The nomination list for the higher grades of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross also contains a note from 28 April 1945: "postponed". Thus a bestowal did not occur. The sequential number "157" and presentation date were assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR).
↑"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.
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer[in German] (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. ISBN978-3-7909-0284-6.
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. ISBN978-3-7909-0051-4.
Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine[The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Kriegsmarine] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN978-3-87943-355-1.
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. ISBN978-3-938845-17-2.
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