List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients (U)
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 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, the 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 32 Knight's Cross recipients whose last name starts with "U". Scherzer has challenged the validity of one listing. 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 32 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with "U", four were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and one presentation was made posthumously. Heer members received 23 of the medals, none went to the Kriegsmarine, seven to the Luftwaffe, and two to the Waffen-SS.| Name | Service | Rank | Role and unit | Date of award | Notes | Image |
| + | Luftwaffe | Oberleutnant | Staffelkapitän of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 77 | 4 September 1941 | Awarded 80th Oak Leaves 12 March 1942 | — |
| Heer | Oberwachtmeister | Zugführer in the 1./Radfahr-Abteilung 30 | 15 January 1943 | — | — | |
| Luftwaffe | General der Flieger | Generalluftzeugmeister im OKL | 4 July 1940 | — | ||
| Luftwaffe | Generalmajor | Chief of the general staff of Luftflotte 2 | 9 June 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Hauptmann | Leader of the III./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 91 | 9 December 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Gefreiter | Driver in the 3./Artillerie-Lehr-Regiment 5 in the fortress Schneidemühl | 12 February 1945 | — | — | |
| Heer | Oberleutnant of the Reserves | Leader of the 11./Grenadier-Regiment 424 | 15 January 1943 | — | — | |
| Heer | Hauptmann | Leader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 430 | 22 January 1943 | — | — | |
| Heer | Leutnant | Adjudant of the II./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 141 | 5 November 1944 | — | — | |
| Luftwaffe | Oberfeldwebel of the Reserves | Zugführer in the 16./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 | 29 October 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Hauptmann | Commander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 43 | 26 November 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Hauptmann | Commander of schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 88 | 11 March 1945 | — | — | |
| Heer | Feldwebel | Zugführer in the 13./Grenadier-Regiment 366 | 28 October 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Oberst | Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 15 | 2 November 1943 | — | — | |
| + | Waffen-SS | SS-Sturmbannführer | Commander of SS-Pionier-Bataillon 3 "Totenkopf" | 19 February 1942 | Awarded 480th Oak Leaves 14 May 1944 | — |
| Heer | Oberstleutnant im Generalstab | Chief of the general staff Korpsgruppe "von Gottberg" | 12 August 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Unteroffizier | Group leader in the 5./Grenadier-Regiment "Feldherrnhalle" | 7 February 1945 | — | — | |
| Heer | Gefreiter | 1st machine gunner in the 9./Grenadier-Regiment 213 | 4 March 1942 | — | — | |
| Heer | Hauptmann | Chief of the 1./Schützen-Regiment 10 | 4 September 1941 | — | — | |
| Luftwaffe | Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel | Pilot in the IV./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" | 23 October 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Oberst im Generalstab | Deputy leader of the 227. Infanterie-Division | 20 March 1945 | — | — | |
| ? | Luftwaffe | Major | Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Kampfgeschwader 51 | 1 May 1945 | — | — |
| + | Heer | Oberst | Commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4 | 10 September 1943 | Awarded 515th Oak Leaves 26 June 1944 | — |
| Luftwaffe | Oberleutnant | Pilot in the 2./Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor" | 29 February 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Oberfeldwebel | Zugführer in the 2./Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 12 | 28 March 1945 | — | — | |
| + | Heer | Major | Commander of Kradschützen-Bataillon 61 | 31 December 1941 | Awarded 809th Oak Leaves 28 March 1945 | — |
| Heer | Generalmajor | Leader of the 81. Infanterie-Division | 15 September 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Major | Commander of Panzer-Abteilung 190 | 11 July 1944 | — | — | |
| Waffen-SS | SS-Hauptscharführer | Chief of the 3./SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 4 | 16 November 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Major | Commander of Panzergrenadier-Lehr-Regiment 901 | 12 August 1944* | Killed in action 25 June 1944 | — | |
| Heer | Leutnant of the Reserves | Leader of the 5./Grenadier-Regiment 944 | 23 October 1944 | — | — | |
| Heer | Oberst | Commander of Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 100 | 21 June 1941 | — | — |