first RK awarded question

[Humberto Corado]

hello,


I was wondering if anybody knows who was the first soldier awarded with RK?
thanks for any info

cordial greetings

[Gary B]

Dear HVC,

I believe it was to paratroppers of the Eben Emal raid ion the early part of the war. I dont have my reference books with me but it was given to a gruop of the officers in the engineer unit that jumped in.

Gary B

[Darren C.R]

Hello

I read somewhere in Walter-Peer Fellgiebels book (Elite of the third Reich) that it was Hermann Goering that was awarded the first RK on 30/09/ 39 as well as being the only recipient of the Grand cross of the iron cross. Can anyone else verify this?
regards
Darren C.R

[paddywhack]

didnt someone win one in the polish camapigian(?) apart from goering! im sure it was a genaral!

[TerryG]

In his book "Knights of the Iron Cross" Gordon Williamson states that "the 1st batch of awards of the KC on 30th Sept 1939 were to high ranking officers.....the 1st ten were as follows:

Generaloberst Blaskowitz
Von Brauchitsch
Goering
Kesselring
Von Kuchler
List
Loehr
Raeder
Reichenau
Von Rundstedt.

According to the same book, the 1st award for an individual action was to Prien.

[Rich G]

My info tells me slightly more than 10:

Blaskowitz
Von Bock
Von Brauchitsch
Goring
Keitel
Kesselring
Von Kluge
Von Kuechler
List
Loehr
Raeder
von Reichenau
von Rundstedt

Rich

[Rich G]

Interesting, the last date I have is 17 June 1945 to Feller, Georg-Wolfgang. Oberleutnant z.See but I have not been able to confirm that.


However, before that, the latest is 01 June 1945 to:
Eisgruber, Karl. Oberstleutnant Geb.J.Rgt. 98
Vögtle, Helmut. Hauptmann d.Res. II./Geb.J.Rgt. 99

Rich

[Humberto Corado]

Richard,

is very interesting because who was in charge to award the RK in June of 1945 after of the disorganization caused when losing a world war? Maybe this last RK were awarded by field commanders?I think probably they never received their RK, just the provisional document.

cordial greetings

Interesting, the last date I have is 17 June 1945 to Feller, Georg-Wolfgang. Oberleutnant z.See but I have not been able to confirm that.


However, before that, the latest is 01 June 1945 to:
Eisgruber, Karl. Oberstleutnant Geb.J.Rgt. 98
Vögtle, Helmut. Hauptmann d.Res. II./Geb.J.Rgt. 99

Rich

[Rich G]

Yes, who knows? Maybe at regimental level?

Rich

[StefanK.]

the first soldier who was awarded the kc was a general (maybe von brauchitsch, but i am not sure...)

i only know that the second recipient was günther prien

[Blitz]

Oberleutnant Steinhardt and leutnant Stolz from IR 51 were the first RKträger during the assault on Warsaw.

[Blitz]

Josef Stolz

[Blitz]

And Dietrich Steinhardt

[StefanK.]

but none of them was the first one..

[Blitz]

They were BOTH the first ones.