Breakdown of rank for RK winners

[Kyle Harrington]

Whilst an anorak myself,I wonder if there are any other smitten anoraks out there who have some breakdown of RK attribution vis a vis rank.One has to accept there were elements of elitism in awards procedure, particularly for those of rank or command who were honoured without any individual acts of bravery.So how do we determine merit with regard to privates or corporals who acquired the RK ?This should be thought provoking in itself.

[Stephen Stout]

There is one person that was recommend for the RK that destroyed 7 Allied tanks in one day with a Panzerfaust.

[Dietrich Maerz]

If you group the ranks, the most RK's were given to Leutnants.

[Laurence Strong]

There is one person that was recommend for the RK that destroyed 7 Allied tanks in one day with a Panzerfaust.

Are you talking about a Frenchman by the name of Unterscharfuhrer Eugene Vanlot/Vaulot

[Stephen Stout]

Are you talking about a Frenchman by the name of Unterscharfuhrer Eugene Vanlot/Vaulot

Ya.

[Peter Wiking]

I hope i am not breaking any copyright laws here but i think this piece could be of interest.

Jacob Hoffend, RK on 07.02.1945 as NSDAP-Ortsgruppenleiter (ehrenamtl.) in K******246;ln for disposing of 1892 Blindg******228;nger bombs.

Wilhelm Sitt, RK on 07.02.1945 as F******252;hrer eines Btls. D. K******246;lner Volksturmes und Abschnittsleiter (ehrenamtl.) im Gau-Org. Amt der NSDAP-Gauleitung K******246;ln-Aachen. He disposed of several hundreds of Blindg******228;nger bombs.

Source: Veit Scherzer “Ritterkreuztr******228;ger 1939-1945” (2005).
www.feldgrau.net



Peter

[v_asseline]

What is Blindg******228;nger bombs???

[Bob Hritz]

How many Generals never heard a gunshot but were awarded the Knight's Cross?

Bob Hritz

[Peter Wiking]

What is Blindg******228;nger bombs???

Unexploded bombs.

Peter

[StefanK.]

If you group the ranks, the most RK's were given to Leutnants.

not right, Dietrich. There were a much more Hauptleute awarded the Ritterkreuz.

Lt: 517
Olt: 1138
Hptm: 1257 (rank with the most awardees)
Mjr: 651


Stefan

[leib1]

not right, Dietrich. There were a much more Hauptleute awarded the Ritterkreuz.

Lt: 517
Olt: 1138
Hptm: 1257 (rank with the most awardees)
Mjr: 651


Stefan

is that just heer or across the board.
thanks jamie

[StefanK.]

Hi Jamie,

the numbers above are the sums of all Heer, Luftwaffe and Marine recipients.


Heer would be:

Lt.: 426
Olt: 623
Hptm: 890
Mjr: 528

Regards,

Stefan

[Dietrich Maerz]

Stef,

what's your source? I did of course not compile the number on my own but rather took it from the book "Knights of the Iron Cross" by Gordon Williamson. Was he wrong?

Dietrich

[JRA]

RK's per Rank etc

I always have liked this website: http://www.twschwarzer.de/ekrk.htm.

Although the numbers are not completely up to date and sometimes not accurat, it gives a very good indication.

Best,

JRA

[Simon O.]

It has to be remembered that chance, particularly for the non-comissioned ranks of the Heer and SS, must have played a central role. Individual acts of bravery had to be witnessed by the right people, they then had to survive and actually start the process of recommendation which then had to go through all the verious levels of command and approval.

Makes you wonder how many landser deserved the knight's cross yet no one of sufficient rank or inclination was around to see it and do anything about it. As such, surely a Heer non-com RK must be 'worth' far more than that of some obscure general.
My guess is that far more deserving cases ended up with a wooden cross rather than a Knight's Cross.