WWII German SS Totenkopf + Das Reich Panzer Divisions & Military Generals Award Lists x 4 w/ Names Knights Cross Holders

Rare original wartime era 4-Sheet German Knight’s Cross Oak Leaves & Swords Recipient List – Rommel, Wittmann, Galland, Hartmann, Waffen-SS & Luftwaffe

Offered here is an exceptionally interesting four-sheet lot of original Third reich Era German reference grouping covering pages 14 through 21, listing recipients of one of Germany’s highest wartime military decorations. The heading reads:

“Träger des Eichenlaubes mit Schwertern zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes”

which translates to:

“Recipients of the Oak Leaves with Swords to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.”

The four sheets contain a remarkable concentration of famous German commanders, fighter aces, U-boat commanders, Panzer officers, paratroopers and Waffen-SS commanders. Each entry generally gives the recipient’s name, rank, command or unit at the time of the award, and award date, with additional biographical information in numerous cases.

There are also numerous period-style handwritten pencil check marks, crosses and number markings alongside individual entries, suggesting that a previous owner was using the sheets as a working research or collecting checklist.

Importantly, the text contains postwar biographical information and references to the Bundesarchiv, so these appear to be pages from a later German military award reference work rather than wartime award documents themselves. They nevertheless make an outstanding research and display grouping because of the extraordinary number of elite units and highly decorated personalities represented.

Award Covered

The principal decoration covered is the:

Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern

This was a higher grade of the Knight’s Cross, awarded for continued exceptional battlefield leadership or military achievement after a recipient had already received the Knight’s Cross and Oak Leaves.

The pages cover approximately 159 numbered recipients, followed by an additional entry for Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

Major Luftwaffe Personalities

The Luftwaffe representation is particularly impressive and contains many of Germany’s best-known fighter and ground-attack pilots.

Among those listed are:

• Adolf Galland – commander of JG 26 “Schlageter”
• Werner Mölders – JG 51
• Walter Oesau – JG 3 and later JG 1
• Günther Lützow – JG 3
• Heinrich Bär
• Hans Philipp
• Herbert Ihlefeld
• Max-Hellmuth Ostermann
• Hermann Graf
• Hans-Joachim Marseille
• Gordon Gollob
• Leopold Steinbatz
• Werner Baumbach
• Joachim Müncheberg
• Gerhard Barkhorn
• Werner Streib
• Erich Hartmann
• Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer
• Johannes Steinhoff
• Walter Nowotny
• Josef Priller
• Erich Rudorffer
• Josef Wurmheller
• Werner Schröer
• Wilhelm Batz
• Robert Ritter von Greim

Several extremely famous flying formations are specifically mentioned, including JG 2 “Richthofen,” JG 26 “Schlageter,” JG 51 “Mölders,” JG 52, JG 54, JG 77, NJG 1 and SG 2 “Immelmann.”

Panzer & Army Commanders

The pages also contain a major concentration of Panzer and senior Army commanders.

Important names include:

• Erwin Rommel – listed as commanding Panzer Group Africa
• Hermann Hoth
• Walter Model
• Günther von Kluge
• Erich von Manstein
• Ewald von Kleist
• Hasso von Manteuffel
• Fritz Bayerlein
• Gerd von Rundstedt
• Johannes Blaskowitz
• Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Edelsheim
• Otto von Knobelsdorff
• Walther Nehring
• Hermann Hoth
• Heinrich von Lüttwitz

Panzer formations specifically represented include the:

7th Panzer Division
11th Panzer Division
16th Panzer Division
17th Panzer Division
19th Panzer Division
20th Panzer Division
24th Panzer Division
29th Panzergrenadier Division
Panzer Lehr Division

as well as numerous Panzer corps, Panzergrenadier regiments and independent armored commands.

Waffen-SS Units & Commanders

One of the strongest collecting aspects of the grouping is the large number of Waffen-SS personalities and divisions appearing throughout the pages.

Among the formations specifically mentioned are:

1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler”
Entries include officers connected with the division and its Panzer/Panzergrenadier formations.

2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich”
Listed with senior commanders including officers holding the rank of SS-Standartenführer and above.

3rd SS Panzer Division “Totenkopf”
Hermann Priess is specifically identified as commander of the division.

8th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division “Florian Geyer”
Associated with Hermann Fegelein, whose entry also records his death in Berlin in April 1945.

9th SS Panzer Division “Hohenstaufen”
Commanded in one of the listed entries by Sylvester Stadler.

11th SS Panzergrenadier Division “Nordland”
Fritz von Scholz is listed as its commander.

12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend”
Kurt Meyer appears as an SS-Standartenführer commanding the division.

7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division “Prinz Eugen”

18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division “Horst Wessel”

Other major Waffen-SS personalities visible include:

• Josef “Sepp” Dietrich
• Michael Wittmann
• Hermann Priess
• Felix Steiner
• Paul Hausser
• Wilhelm Bittrich
• Otto Weidinger
• Günther Wisliceny
• Sylvester Stadler
• Hermann Fegelein
• Fritz von Scholz
• Hans Dorr
• Otto Kumm

Michael Wittmann

A particularly desirable entry is Michael Wittmann, shown as:

SS-Obersturmführer, Chef 2./schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501

with the award date 22 June 1944.

The entry additionally notes his later position as an SS-Hauptsturmführer and commander in schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501 south of Caen, making this a particularly interesting reference entry for collectors of German armor and Normandy material.

Kriegsmarine & U-Boat Commanders

The Kriegsmarine is represented by several major U-boat commanders, including:

• Otto Kretschmer – U-99
• Erich Topp – U-552
• Reinhard Suhren – U-564
• Albrecht Brandi – U-380

These are some of the best-known German submarine commanders of the war.

Fallschirmjäger & Other Elite Formations

The grouping also includes numerous paratrooper and specialist commanders, including references to:

• 1st Fallschirmjäger Division
• 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division
• Fallschirmjäger Regiment 3
• II Fallschirmjäger Corps
• Luftwaffe night-fighter formations
• Schlachtgeschwader ground-attack units
• Panzer reconnaissance formations
• Grenadier and Panzergrenadier regiments
• Army groups and Panzer armies

Other Important Names

Other historically significant personalities appearing include Albert Kesselring, Ferdinand Schörner, Hans-Valentin Hube, Dietrich von Saucken, Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, Georg-Hans Reinhardt, Kurt Student-era Fallschirmjäger commanders, Otto Skorzeny-era Waffen-SS formations and numerous senior generals and corps commanders.

The final page even includes an unusual unnumbered entry for:

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto – identified as Japanese Fleet Commander, with reference to his death on 18 April 1943 over Kahili/East Asia and his connection with the Knight’s Cross/Oak Leaves.

Research Notes on Pages 20–21

The final page contains a particularly interesting “Anmerkungen” – Notes section discussing disputed or difficult-to-document awards.

It specifically discusses the Swords awards attributed to Werner Schröer and Wilhelm Batz, noting difficulties confirming the awards through the Bundesarchiv and referring to contemporary or later evidence.

Another section discusses Generals Hermann Niehoff, Hermann-Heinrich Behrend and Karl Decker, explaining that their awards could not be directly confirmed in Bundesarchiv records and discussing the circumstances surrounding their proposed or presumed awards during the chaotic final weeks of April 1945.

This research commentary makes the group considerably more interesting than a simple list of names.

Condition

The four sheets remain in good collectible condition with normal age and handling wear. There are numerous handwritten pencil check marks and crossed numbers beside the names, apparently made by a previous researcher or collector. Light edge wear, minor toning and handling marks are present. Please inspect all photographs carefully for exact condition.

The reverse sides are largely blank, as shown.

An outstanding reference grouping for the collector of Knight’s Cross recipients, Luftwaffe fighter aces, Panzer commanders, Waffen-SS divisions, U-boat commanders, Fallschirmjäger, military awards or German military history.

Items are exactly as shown. We combine shipping and ship every day, including Saturdays.

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