List of Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the U - boat service The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross ( German : " Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes " ) and its variants was the highest award in the military of the Third Reich . Recipients are grouped by grades of the Knight ' s Cross . During or shortly after World War II , 145 German sailors and officers of the U - boat service as part of the " Kriegsmarine " received the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross . Among them , 29 officers received the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ( " Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub " ) , five the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords ( " Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern " ) , and two won the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds ( " Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub , Schwertern und Brillanten " ) . Of these , 144 presentations were formally made and one recipient received the award after 11 May 1945 , when " Großadmiral " Karl Dönitz ordered a cease of all promotions and illegalized all subsequent awards . The final recipient is therefore considered to have received the medal without legal authority . The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grades were based on four separate enactments . The first enactment of 1 September 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 of 3 June 1940 . In 1941 , two higher grades of the Knight ' s Cross were instituted . The enactment 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 of 29 December 1944 , became the final variant of the Knight ' s Cross authorized . The " Oberkommando der Wehrmacht " 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 " . 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 . Knight ' s Cross with Oak Leaves , Swords and Diamonds . The Knight ' s Cross with Oak Leaves , Swords and Diamonds is based on the enactment " Reichsgesetzblatt I S . 613 " of 28 September 1941 to reward those servicemen who had already been awarded the Oak Leaves with Swords to the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross . Ultimately , it would be awarded to twenty - seven German soldiers , sailors and airmen , ranging from young fighter pilots to field marshals . Two recipients were members of the U - boat arm . Knight ' s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords . The Knight ' s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords is also based on the enactment " Reichsgesetzblatt I S . 613 " of 28 September 1941 to reward those servicemen who had already been awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross . Knight ' s Cross with Oak Leaves . The Knight ' s Cross with Oak Leaves was based on the enactment " Reichsgesetzblatt I S . 849 " of 3 June 1940 . The last officially announced number for the Oak Leaves was 843 . Higher numbers are unofficial and therefore denoted in brackets . Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross is based on the enactment " Reichsgesetzblatt I S . 1573 " of 1 September 1939 " Verordnung über die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes " ( Regulation of the renewing of the Iron Cross ) . Legally disputed Knight ' s Cross recipients . " Großadmiral " Karl Dönitz ordered a cease of all promotions and awards as of 11 May 1945 . Nevertheless , a number of Knight ' s Crosses were awarded after this date and are considered " illegal " hand - outs . One sailor of the U - boat service is often listed as a recipient of the Knight ' s Cross but falls outside of the Dönitz - decree . Karl Jäckel received his Knight ' s Cross confirmation after 11 May 1945 and is therefore a " de facto " but not " de jure " recipient .