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


The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany 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 7,321 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 145 Knight's Cross recipients whose last name starts with "N". Fellgiebel himself delisted two and Scherzer has challenged the validity of two more 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 145 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with "N", nine were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, four the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and one the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds; eight presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received one-hundred-three of the medals, including the award given to Hitlerjunge Günther Nowak. A further three presentations were given to the Kriegsmarine, thirty-four to the Luftwaffe, and five to the Waffen-SS. The sequential numbers greater than 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 and are therefore denoted in parentheses.






NameServiceRankRole and unitDate of awardNotesImage
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannStaffelkapitän of the 6./Zerstörergeschwader 762 November 1940
Luftwaffe11-LStabsfeldwebelPilot in the III./Kampfgeschwader 7623 July 1941
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 1./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 1121 January 1944
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantChief of the 3./Flak-Regiment 61 31 December 1943
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 4604 November 1943
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 5./Grenadier-Regiment 2324 October 1944
Heer15-HMajorLeader of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 734 October 1944
Heer15-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 2./Grenadier-Regiment-Gruppe 16315 March 1944
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 13112 June 1944
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 119 28 November 1943
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantPilot and observer in the 1./Aufklärungs-Gruppe 528 April 1945
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 6./Jäger-Regiment 494 May 1944
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 45128 January 1943
Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 93730 September 1944
Heer17-HOberst im GeneralstabIa in the Panzergrenadier-Division "Großdeutschland"4 September 1943
Kriegsmarine14-MKapitänleutnantChief of the 10. Räumbootflottille11 July 1944
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 2./Infanterie-Regiment 17813 July 1940
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of Feldersatz-Bataillon 172 of the 72 Infanterie-Division12 November 1943*Killed in action 13 October 1943
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän of the 3./Sturzkampfgeschwader 322 June 1941
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGeschützführer in the 3./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 1844 January 1943
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannGruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 69 November 1944
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the I./Schützen-Regiment 5914 December 1941
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 3./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 17727 March 1942
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesChief of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 13120 January 1943*Killed in action 4 December 1942
Luftwaffe17-LOberstCommander of Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 "Hermann Göring"24 June 1944
+Heer18-HGeneralmajorCommander of the 18. Panzer-Division24 July 1941Awarded 383rd Oak Leaves 8 February 1944
124th Swords 22 January 1945
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Infanterie-Regiment 22716 February 1942
Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesLeader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 71226 December 1944
Heer09-HFeldwebelDeputy Zugführer in the Stabskompanie/schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 51927 July 1944
+Heer18-HGeneralmajorCommander of the garrison at Tarnopol4 April 1944Awarded 457th Oak Leaves 17 April 1944
Heer17-HOberst of the ReservesCommander of Armeewaffenschule of Panzer AOK 45 February 1945
Kriegsmarine15-MKorvettenkapitänCommander of 27 March 1943
+Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 4092 June 1943Awarded 576th Oak Leaves 5 September 1944
Luftwaffe06-LUnteroffizierGeschützführer in the 1./Flak-Regiment 23 4 July 1940
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 4./Grenadier-Regiment 69810 September 1944
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantObserver in the 3./Aufklärungs-Gruppe 12219 September 1942
Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelPilot in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 5224 March 1943
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 1915 July 1943
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the I./Artillerie-Regiment 29521 January 1942
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 7./Grenadier-Regiment 35 17 August 1943*Killed in action 30 July 1943
Heer11-HStabsfeldwebelZugführer in the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 17625 January 1945
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän of the 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"22 June 1941
Heer15-HMajorCommander of Ski-Jäger-Bataillon 14 October 1944
+Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 3229 February 1944Awarded 817th Oak Leaves 5 April 1945
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesZugführer in Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3729 September 1940
Heer15-HMajorLeader of a Kampfgruppe in Ploiești 5 November 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesLeader of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 1218 February 1944
Heer10-HOberfeldwebelZugführer in the 2./Kradschützen-Bataillon 403 January 1943
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Artillerie-Regiment 866 April 1944
Luftwaffe18-LGeneralmajorCommander of the 20. Flak-Division 1 August 1943
Heer17-HOberst zur Verwendung Commander of Infanterie-Regiment 19522 September 1941
Heer13-HOberleutnantLeader of the 12./Artillerie-Regiment 1216 October 1944
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGroup leader of the 8./Grenadier-Regiment 317 March 1945
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantStaffelführer in the III./Jagdgeschwader 5316 June 1942
Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelShock troops leader in the 6./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 39 June 1944
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 239. Infanterie-Division28 February 1942
Waffen-SS15-WSS-Sturmbannführer of the ReservesCommander of SS-Gebirgs-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7 "Prinz Eugen"3 November 1944
Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillon XII./99920 April 1945
Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 712. Infanterie-Division16 October 1944
Luftwaffe15-LOberstabsarztTroop doctor of the Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment21 August 1941
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantStaffelführer of the 14./Jagdgeschwader 512 March 1945
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the I./Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 10323 February 1944
Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesChief of the 8./Grenadier-Regiment 85217 September 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 1./Infanterie-Regiment 5 1 November 1941
Luftwaffe09-LFeldwebelPilot in the 16./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"9 December 1944
Heer12-HLeutnantLeader of the 6./Artillerie-Regiment 1265 April 1945*Killed in action 22 February 1945
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannStaffelkapitän of the 2./Schlachtgeschwader 117 April 1945
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 1215 September 1944
Heer17-HOberstCommander of the 8. Schützen-Brigade5 August 1940
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesChief of the 12./Grenadier-Regiment 28220 January 1944
Heer03-HGefreiterMachine gunner in the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 75514 January 1945
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 2./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 646 April 1944
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 14 June 1944
Heer12-HLeutnantZugführer in the I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2623 October 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnantLeader of the 14./Divisions-Kampfgruppe 2165 October 1944
Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantPilot and adjutand in the II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 774 May 1944
Heer15-HMajorCommander of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 2923 January 1944
Heer10-HOberfähnrichZugführer in the 1./Pionier-Bataillon 2017 March 1945
+Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 2616 June 1940Awarded 543rd Oak Leaves 8 August 1944
Waffen-SS13-WSS-ObersturmführerChief of the 8./SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 "Wiking"9 April 1944
+Heer14-HHauptmannLeader of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 68610 February 1943Awarded 491st Oak Leaves 9 June 1944
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesZugführer in the 5./Gebirgsjäger-Bataillon 9411 December 1943*Died of wounds 7 November 1943
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer of the 2./Grenadier-Regiment 2322 August 1943
Heer06-HUnteroffizier of the ReservesVorgeschobener Beobachter in the 12./Artillerie-Regiment 29028 April 1945
Heer15-HMajor of the ReservesCommander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 22330 April 1945
+Heer19-HGeneralleutnantCommander of the 371. Infanterie-Division15 June 1944Awarded 764th Oak Leaves 5 March 1945
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannGruppenkommandeur of the I./Schlachtgeschwader 7717 April 1945
Heer10-HOberwachtmeisterZugführer in the 3./Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 5817 March 1945
+Heer14-HRittmeisterCommander of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 513 July 1940Awarded 30th Oak Leaves 10 August 1941
69th Swords 4 June 1944
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 3./Pionier-Bataillon 1124 May 1944
Heer17-HOberst of the ReservesCommander of Artillerie-Regiment 21229 February 1944
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 3./Pionier-Bataillon 19630 April 1943
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGeschützführer in the 9./Artillerie-Regiment 3126 December 1944
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 8./Panzer-Regiment 3114 March 1943
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the II./Grenadier-Regiment 43118 February 1945
Heer10-HHauptfeldwebelZugführer in the Stab 3./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 33224 July 1943
Heer12-HLeutnantAide-de-camp in Grenadier-Regiment 9799 January 1945
Heer06-HUnteroffizierGeschützführer in the 14./Grenadier-Regiment 99410 February 1945
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 10513 June 1941
+Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 2./Pionier-Bataillon 2618 September 1942Awarded 241st Oak Leaves 17 May 1943
Heer15-HMajorCommander of the III./Artillerie-Regiment 2628 March 1945
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantPilot in the 15./Schnellkampfgeschwader 1026 March 1944
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesZugführer in the 1./Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 27629 January 1944*Killed in action 10 December 1943
Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelPilot in the 2./Aufklärungs-Gruppe 12321 June 1943
Heer12-HLeutnantZugführer in the Panzer-Abteilung 11823 March 1945
Heer04-HObergefreiterVorgeschobener Beobachter and radio/wireless operator in the 6./Artillerie-Regiment 1117 April 1945
Heer13-HOberleutnantLeader of the 6./Grenadier-Regiment 41730 September 1944*Killed in action 19 September 1944
Heer12-HLeutnantLeader of the 3./Grenadier-Regiment 21220 January 1943
Heer13-HOberleutnantChief of the 1./Divisions-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 16824 April 1943
+Heer12-HLeutnantZugführer of the 2./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 465 August 1940Awarded 63rd Oak Leaves 16 January 1942
+Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the II./Infanterie-Regiment 20421 January 1942Awarded 151st Oak Leaves 5 December 1942
Luftwaffe15-LMajorGruppenkommandeur of the III./Kampfgeschwader 2629 October 1943
Heer04-HObergefreiterGroup leader in the 1./Aufklärungs-Abteilung 730 November 1943
Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesLeader of the II./Panzer-Regiment 3117 September 1944
Heer18-HGeneralmajorCommander of the 96. Infanterie-Division8 June 1943
Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantPilot in the 4./Aufklärungs-Gruppe des OB der Luftwaffe22 October 1941
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannStaffelkapitän of the 2./Kampfgeschwader 3 "Lützow"5 September 1944
Luftwaffe14-LHauptmannStaffelkapitän of the 1./Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever"16 May 1941
?Heer06-HUnteroffizierGroup leader in the Stabskompanie/Grenadier-Regiment 4539 May 1945
Luftwaffe09-LFahnenjunker-FeldwebelPilot in the 2./Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"6 April 1944
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 4./Grenadier-Regiment 5074 October 1944
Heer14-HHauptmann of the ReservesCommander of the II./Infanterie-Regiment 2136 September 1942
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment "Jütland"5 April 1945
+Luftwaffe13-LOberleutnantStaffelkapitän of the 12./Jagdgeschwader 511 August 1941Awarded 35th Oak Leaves 16 September 1941
+Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantPilot in the 8./Sturzkampfgeschwader 117 September 1941Awarded 214th Oak Leaves 17 March 1943
98th Swords 17 September 1944
Kriegsmarine14-MKapitänleutnantChief of the 14. Räumbootflottille6 September 1944
Heer13-HOberleutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 1./Jäger-Regiment 8323 February 1944
Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelPilot in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 526 March 1944
Luftwaffe09-LFahnenjunker-FeldwebelPilot in the 10./Schlachtgeschwader 329 October 1944
Heer17-HOberstCommander of Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 8912 June 1944
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 9421 January 1945
Heer16-HOberstleutnantCommander of Grenadier-Regiment 123323 March 1945
Waffen-SS09-WSS-Oberscharführer of the ReservesZugführer of the 3./SS-Reiter-Regiment 1 "Florian Geyer"1 November 1943*Killed in action 13 September 1943
!Hitlerjugend00-HHitlerjungeHitlerjunge in Hindenburg 14 February 1945
Heer12-HLeutnant of the ReservesLeader of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 27310 September 1944
Waffen-SS12-WSS-Untersturmführer of the ReservesLeader of the 14./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 1 "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"14 May 1944
Heer09-HSanitätsfeldwebelIn the Stab/Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 21215 March 1944
+Luftwaffe12-LLeutnantPilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 544 September 1942Awarded 293rd Oak Leaves 4 September 1943
37th Swords 22 September 1943
8th Diamonds 19 October 1943
Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 69528 December 1944
Heer15-HMajorCommander in the Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 21810 September 1944
Heer09-HFeldwebelZugführer in the 12./Infanterie-Regiment 4104 December 1942
Luftwaffe10-LFahnenjunker-OberfeldwebelRadio operator in the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 217 April 1945
Waffen-SS06-WWaffen-UnterscharführerZugführer in the 1./SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment 46 9 April 1944
?Heer14-HHauptmannCommander of Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon in the Führer-Grenadier-Division9 April 1945
?Luftwaffe10-LOberfeldwebelPilot in Schnellkampfgeschwader 21022 March 1944

Citations