List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients (V)


The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary of Nazi Germany during World War II. The decoration 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 acceptance by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients. Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer, Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe —as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reich Labour Service, and the Volkssturm. There were also 43 foreign recipients of the award.
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, a 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 during the final days of World War II left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process.
Listed here are the 92 Knight's Cross recipients whose last name starts with "V". Scherzer has challenged the validity of five 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, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. 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, 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 and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. At the end of 1944 the final grade, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944, became the final variant of the Knight's Cross authorized.

Recipients

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht kept separate Knight's Cross lists for the Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe 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 92 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with "V", seven were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and seven presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received 68 of the medals, one went to the Kriegsmarine, 17 to the Luftwaffe, and six to the Waffen-SS.




NameServiceRankRole and unitDate of awardNotesImage
Heer17-HOberstCommander of the 2. Schützen-Brigade30 July 1940——
Waffen-SS17-WSS-OberführerLeader of 2. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Das Reich"31 March 1943——
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantPilot in the 3./Transportgeschwader 220 April 1944——
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesChief of the 4./Schützen-Regiment 11231 December 1941——
Heer03-HGefreiterReconnaissance troop leader in the 1./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 14313 June 1941——
Waffen-SS14-WSS-Hauptsturmführer of the ReservesLeader of a Kampfgruppe in SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 1526 December 1944——
Waffen-SS06-WWaffen-UnterscharführerGroup leader in the 33. SS-Freiwilligen-Division "Charlemagne" in the combat area Groß Berlin 29 April 1945——
Luftwaffe10-LFahnenjunker-OberfeldwebelPilot in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"27 July 1944——
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelShock troops leader in the 7./Infanterie-Regiment 12514 May 1941——
Heer03-HGefreiterDeputy group leader in the 3./Pionier-Bataillon 3424 October 1944——
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 2. Panzer-Division3 June 1940—
Waffen-SS17-WWaffen-StandartenführerCommander of lett. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment 489 February 1944——
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantObserver in the 5./Kampfgeschwader 5524 October 1944——
Waffen-SS13-WSS-ObersturmführerLeader of the 3./SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 "Das Reich"14 February 1945*Killed in action 7 January 1945—
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGroup leader in the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 76 28 November 1943——
Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Pionier-Bataillon 4515 August 1940——
Heer09-HFeldwebelLeader of Infanterie-Pionier-Zug/Grenadier-Regiment 4365 April 1945——
Heer12-HLeutnantLeader of the 3./Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 144 October 1944——
Heer18-HGeneralmajorLeader of Kampfgruppe 551. Volksgrenadier-Division28 February 1945——
Heer06-HUnteroffizierIn the 8./Infanterie-Regiment 60 22 February 1942——
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Infanterie-Regiment 3125 August 1942——
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantChief of the 2./leichte Flak-Abteilung 77 18 November 1944——
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannCommander of the II./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 330 September 1944——
Kriegsmarine12-MLeutnantGroup leader in the Marine-Kleinkampfmittel-Flottille 21112 August 1944Along with Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class—
Heer03-HGefreiterPaK gunner in the 14./Grenadier-Regiment 14715 June 1944*Killed on active service 4 June 1944—
Luftwaffe15-LMajorGruppenkommandeur of the II./Kampfgeschwader 2616 May 1940——
Heer06-HUnteroffizierZugführer in the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 3807 February 1944——
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 60 18 December 1942——
Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesCommander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 86616 September 1943——
Heer04-HObergefreiterGroup leader of the 7./Skijäger-Regiment 117 September 1944——
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 25821 February 1944——
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 4./Grenadier-Regiment 4220 October 1944——
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän in the II./Zerstörergeschwader 130 December 1942—
Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 45317 April 1945——
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesChief of the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 45613 January 1944——
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 46121 May 1943——
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 1./Infanterie-Regiment 87 18 October 1941——
?Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of an alarm unit at the Oder sector28 April 1945——
Heer20-HGeneral der InfanterieCommanding general of the LV. Armeekorps15 November 1941—
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän of the 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 15 February 1944*Killed in action 31 August 1943—
+ called von ScheelHeer20-HGeneral der PanzertruppeCommanding general of the XIII. Armeekorps24 June 1940Awarded 456th Oak Leaves 16 April 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 10./Grenadier-Regiment 77 January 1944——
Heer12-HLeutnantLeader of the 6./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 991 February 1945*Killed in action 12 December 1944—
+Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesDeputy leader of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 4603 December 1943Awarded 728th Oak Leaves 5 February 1945—
+Luftwaffe09-LFeldwebelPilot in the 11./Nachtjagdgeschwader 119 September 1943Awarded 465th Oak Leaves 25 April 1944
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelCompany troop leader in the 2./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 257 September 1943——
Heer04-HObergefreiterGroup leader in the 6./Jäger-Regiment 40 18 December 1944——
?Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantZugführer in the 5./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 430 April 1945——
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4026 March 1943——
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantIn Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2628 March 1945——
?Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesCommander of the II./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 991 June 1945——
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 78. Infanterie-Division11 December 1942——
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 9226 March 1944——
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer of the 6./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 9113 November 1942*Died of wounds 26 October 1942—
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesLeader of the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2526 November 1944——
+Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 101. Jäger-Division7 August 1943Awarded 475th Oak Leaves 14 May 1944—
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 7./Grenadier-Regiment 119 26 August 1943——
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 629 August 1943——
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 12./Infanerie-Regiment 784 September 1942——
Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 50514 December 1943——
Heer15-HMajor of the ReservesCommander of the II./Artillerie-Regiment 15714 January 1945——
Heer06-HUnteroffizierKradmeldestaffel in the Stab I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9324 January 1944——
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 12./Grenadier-Regiment 105416 October 1944——
Heer10-HOberschirrmeisterIn the Stabskompanie/Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10126 March 1943——
+Waffen-SS13-WSS-ObersturmführerZugführer in the 2./SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung of the SS-Verfügungs-Division4 September 1940Awarded 785th Oak Leaves 16 March 1945—
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantStaffelführer of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"25 November 1944——
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 4./Grenadier-Regiment 91517 February 1945——
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 7./Infanterie-Regiment 19 "List"14 December 1941——
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 2./Pionier-Bataillon 1825 June 1940——
?Heer18-HGeneralmajorCommander of fortress Arnswalde 28 April 1945——
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 5./Grenadier-Regiment 15429 February 1944*Killed in action 12 January 1944—
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 14./Grenadier-Regiment 3116 October 1944——
+Heer15-HMajorCommander of MG-Bataillon 29 July 1941Awarded 351st Oak Leaves 9 December 1943—
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 8. Jäger-Division26 March 1944——
Heer14-HHauptmannChief of the 7./Panzer-Regiment 617 December 1942*Died of wounds 16 December 1942—
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGun leader in the 2./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 910 May 1943——
Heer10-HOberwachtmeisterZugführer in the 1./Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 516 November 1944——
Heer14-HHauptmannChief of the Stabskompanie/Panzergrenadier-Regiment 7319 January 1943——
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesBattery officer in the 2./Artillerie-Regiment 2408 February 1943——
Luftwaffe16-LOberstleutnantGeschwaderkommodore of Zerstörergeschwader 213 October 1940——
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän of the 1./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"22 June 1941——
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 41120 April 1943——
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesChief of the 12./Infanterie-Regiment 40825 September 1942——
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 10./Infanterie-Regiment 13410 September 1942——
Luftwaffe17-LOberstCommander of Flak-Regiment 21 3 June 1944——
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 23. Panzer-Division22 August 1943——
?Heer15-HMajorCommander of Heeres-Flak-Abteilung "Brandenburg"8 May 1945——
+Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 58518 April 1943Awarded 314th Oak Leaves 28 October 1943—
Luftwaffe15-LMajorGruppenkommandeur of the II./Kampfgeschwader 515 February 1944——
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 5./Schützen-Regiment 9327 May 1942——
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän of the 4./Kampfgeschwader 2612 March 1945——
Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 923 March 1945——

Citations