Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross series

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The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross series was Nazi Germany’s highest and most prestigious set of military valor decorations during World War II, awarded in progressively higher grades for exceptional battlefield bravery and leadership.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf military award series
order of merit
appliesToJurisdiction Nazi Germany NERFINISHED
awardedBy Adolf Hitler NERFINISHED
awardFor exceptional battlefield bravery
exceptional military leadership
awardingBody Kriegsmarine NERFINISHED
Luftwaffe NERFINISHED
Waffen-SS NERFINISHED
Wehrmacht NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin Nazi Germany
discontinuedAfter 1945
eligibility all ranks
military personnel only
gradeCount 5
hasPart Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross NERFINISHED
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds NERFINISHED
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves NERFINISHED
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords NERFINISHED
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds NERFINISHED
hierarchicalLevelAbove Iron Cross 1st Class NERFINISHED
hierarchicalLevelBelow Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1939) NERFINISHED
highestAwardedFor military valor
ideologicalContext Nazi propaganda
inception 1939
languageOfName German
legalBasis Reichsgesetzblatt 1939 I S. 1573
material iron core
silver
militaryBranch Heer NERFINISHED
Kriegsmarine NERFINISHED
Luftwaffe
Waffen-SS NERFINISHED
nativeLabel Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes NERFINISHED
notableRecipientClass U-boat commanders GENERATED
Waffen-SS officers GENERATED
army field commanders GENERATED
fighter aces GENERATED
partOf Iron Cross decorations NERFINISHED
ribbonColor black-white-red
shape Maltese cross
status discontinued
symbol oak leaves motif
swastika
timePeriod Nazi era
typeOfDecoration bravery decoration
leadership decoration
usedInConflict World War II

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross partOf Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross series