List of Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross recipients ( A ) The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross ( ) and its variants were the highest awards in the military of the Third Reich during World War II . The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross 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 , 322 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 analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the Association of Knight ' s Cross Recipients ( AKCR ) . Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht — the Heer ( Army ) , Kriegsmarine ( Navy ) and Luftwaffe ( Air Force ) — as well as the Waffen - SS , the Reichsarbeitsdienst ( RAD — Reich Labour Service ) and the Volkssturm ( German national militia ) . There were also 43 recipients in the military forces of allies of the Third Reich . These recipients are listed in the 1986 edition of Walther - Peer Fellgiebel ' s book , — " 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 " . 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 and historian 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 the Third Reich during the final days of World War II left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process . Scherzer wrote his book in cooperation with the German National Archives . The book was chosen by Prof . Dr . Franz W . Seidler for the library of the Bundeswehr University Munich and Deutsche Dienststelle ( WASt ) and is considered an accepted reference there . For many years Fellgiebel ' s book was considered the main reference work on this topic and has now been succeeded by Scherzer ' s work . Listed here are the 118 Knight ' s Cross recipients of the Wehrmacht and Waffen - SS whose last name starts with " A " . Fellgiebel himself delisted one and Scherzer has challenged the validity of three more of these listings . The recipients are initially 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 , 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 Oak Leaves to the 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 . Recipients . The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht ( Supreme Command of the Armed Forces ) kept separate Knight ' s Cross lists for the Heer ( Army ) , Kriegsmarine ( Navy ) , Luftwaffe ( Air Force ) 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 118 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with " A " , nine were later awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and 11 presentations were made posthumously . Heer members received 79 of the medals , two went to the Kriegsmarine , 26 to the Luftwaffe , and 11 to the Waffen - SS .