The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) 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.^[1] A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945.^{[Note 1]} This number is based on the analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force)—as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD—Reich Labour Service) and the Volkssturm (German national militia). There were also 43 recipients in the military forces of allies of the Third Reich.^[3]

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 in the final days of World War II in Europe left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process.^[4]

Listed here are the 386 Knight's Cross recipients of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS whose last name starts with "L".^[5] Scherzer has challenged the validity of sixteen of these listings.^[6] 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 (Eisernes Kreuz), the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). Article 2 of the enactment mandated that the award of a higher class be preceded by the award of all preceding classes.^[7] 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 (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of 3 June 1940.^[8] 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 (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten).^[9] At the end of 1944 the final grade, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten), based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of 29 December 1944, became the final variant of the Knight's Cross authorized.^[10]

Recipients

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (L)

Service	Number of presentations	Posthumous presentations
Heer	256	18
Kriegsmarine	19	2
Luftwaffe	90	16
Waffen-SS	21	1

The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) kept separate Knight's Cross lists, one for each of the three military branches, Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force) and for the Waffen-SS (paramilitary of the Nazi Party). 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.^[11] Of the 386 awards made to servicemen whose last name starts with "L", 38 were later awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, six the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and two the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds; 37 presentations were made posthumously. Heer members received 256 of the medals; 19 went to the Kriegsmarine, 90 to the Luftwaffe, and 21 to the Waffen-SS.^[5] The sequential numbers greater than 843 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and 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 (AKCR) and are therefore denoted in parentheses.^[12]

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Fritz_Langanke
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Name	Service	Rank	Role and unit[Note 2]	Date of award	Notes	Image
Karl-Ernst Laage[Note 3]	Heer	12-HLeutnant of the Reserves[13]	Leader of the 1./Artillerie-Regiment 66[13][14]	26 November 1944[13]	—	—
Helmut Labenski	Heer	13-HOberleutnant[13]	Chief of the 1./Grenadier-Regiment 409[13][14]	9 April 1944[13]	—	—
Erich Labrenz	Heer	14-HHauptmann[13]	Commander of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 480[13][14]	31 December 1941[13]	—	—
Heinz-Oskar Laebe+	Heer	16-HOberstleutnant[Note 4]	Commander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 44[13][14]	7 March 1944[13]	Awarded (854th) Oak Leaves 29 April 1945?[Note 5]	—
Walter Lämmel[Note 6]	Heer	13-HOberleutnant[Note 6]	Leader of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 366[14][16]	17 March 1945[16]	—	—
Hanns Laengenfelder+	Heer	16-HOberstleutnant[16]	Commander of the Grenadier-Regiment 106[14][16]	21 October 1943[16]	Awarded (856th) Oak Leaves 30 April 1945[16]	—
Ehrenfried Lagois	Luftwaffe	10-LOberfeldwebel[16]	Pilot in the 5./Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"[14][Note 7]	26 March 1944[16]	—	—
Gustav Laier	Heer	14-HHauptmann of the Reserves[16]	Leader of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 528[14][16]	3 November 1944[16]	—	—
Josef Lainer	Waffen-SS	09-WSS-Oberscharführer[16]	Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Der Führer"[16][17]	8 October 1943[16]	—	—
Otto Lais	Heer	15-HMajor of the Reserves[16]	Commander of the Grenadier-Regiment 858[14][16]	30 September 1944[16]	—	—
Helmut Lambach	Heer	13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves[16]	Chief of the 11./Grenadier-Regiment 88[14][16]	6 March 1944[16]	—	—
August Lambert	Luftwaffe	12-LLeutnant[16]	Pilot in the 5./Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"[14][16]	14 May 1944[16]	—	—
Hubertus Lamey	Heer	17-HOberst[16]	Deputy leader of the 28. Jäger-Division[14][Note 8]	12 February 1944[16]	—	—
Karl Lammer	Heer	06-HUnteroffizier[16]	Group leader of the Pionierzug (pioneer platoon) of the Stabskompanie/Grenadier-Regiment 105[14][16]	13 January 1944[16]	—	—
Heinz Lammerding	Waffen-SS	17-WSS-Oberführer[18]	Commander of Panzer-Kampfgruppe "Das Reich"[14][18]	11 April 1944[18]	—
Karl Lampart	Heer	01-HGrenadier[18]	In the 5./Grenadier-Regiment 587[14][18]	14 April 1945[18]	—	—
Hermann Lampe	Heer	15-HMajor of the Reserves[18]	Deputy leader of Grenadier-Regiment 419[14][Note 9]	16 November 1943[18]	—	—
Wolfgang Lampp	Heer	15-HMajor[18]	Commander of Feldersatz-Bataillon 104[14][18]	19 December 1943*[18]	Killed in action 23 October 1943[14]	—
Herbert Lamprecht+	Heer	14-HHauptmann[18]	Deputy commander of leichte Flak-Abteilung 76 (motorized)[14][Note 10]	22 January 1943[18]	Awarded 532nd Oak Leaves 25 July 1944[18]	—
Otto Lancelle	Heer	18-HGeneralmajor[18]	Commander of the 121. Infanterie-Division[14][18]	27 July 1941*[18]	Killed in action 3 July 1941[14]	—
Hubert Lancier	Heer	06-HUnteroffizier[18]	Group leader in the 7./Grenadier-Regiment 399[18][19]	18 February 1945[18]	—	—
Dietrich von der Lancken	Heer	15-HMajor[18]	Commander of the III./Panzer-Regiment 24[18][19]	29 October 1942[Note 11]	—	—
Christian-Johannes Landau?[Note 12]	Heer	18-HGeneralmajor	Commander of the 176. Infanterie-Division[19]	9 May 1945	—	—
Gustav Landeck	Heer	12-HLeutnant of the Reserves[18]	Company leader in the Grenadier-Regiment 423[18][19]	21 September 1944[18]	—	—
Carl-August Landfermann[Note 13]	Kriegsmarine	13-MOberleutnant (Ing.) of the Reserve[18]	Chief engineer on U-181[18][19]	27 October 1943[18]	—	—
Franz Landgraf	Heer	17-HOberst[18]	Commander of the 4. Panzer-Brigade[18][19]	16 June 1940[18]	—	—
Paul Landgraf	Luftwaffe	12-LLeutnant[18]	Flakkampftruppführer (anti aircraft combat troop leader) in the I./Flak-Regiment 19 (motorized)[19][Note 14]	22 January 1943[18]	—	—
Paul Landwehr	Waffen-SS	15-WMajor of the Schupo[21]	Commander of the II./SS-Polizei-Regiment 14[19][21]	17 March 1945*[21]	Killed in action 28 February 1945[21]	—
Emil Lang+	Luftwaffe	12-LLeutnant[21]	Staffelführer of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 54[19][21]	22 November 1943[21]	Awarded 448th Oak Leaves 11 April 1944[21]	—
Friedrich Lang+	Luftwaffe	13-LOberleutnant[21]	Pilot in the 1./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"[19][Note 15]	23 November 1941[21]	Awarded 148th Oak Leaves 21 November 1942 74th Swords 2 July 1944[Note 16]	—
Georg Lang	Luftwaffe	10-LOberfeldwebel[21]	Observer in the 11.(H)/12. (Nahaufklärungs-Gruppe 15)[19][Note 17]	20 December 1944[21]	—	—
Hermann Lang	Heer	14-HRittmeister[21]	Commander of Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 68[22][Note 18]	30 September 1944[21]	—	—
Hermann Lang	Waffen-SS	06-WSS-Unterscharführer[21]	Meldestaffelführer (messenger squad leader) in the I./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 5 "Totenkopf"[19][Note 19]	23 October 1944[21]	—	—
Joachim-Friedrich Lang	Heer	17-HOberst[21]	Commander of Grenadier-Regiment 481[19][21]	4 September 1943[21]	—	—
Joseph Lang	Heer	09-HFeldwebel[21]	Shock troop leader in the 2./Pionier-Bataillon 15[19][21]	4 July 1940[21]	—	—
Ludwig Lang	Heer	13-HOberleutnant[21]	Chief of the 2./Artillerie-Regiment 7[19][21]	6 October 1944[21]	—	—
Rudolf Lang	Heer	16-HOberstleutnant[21]	Commander of Gebirgs-Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 44[19][21]	23 August 1941[21]	—	—
Fritz Langanke	Waffen-SS	10-WSS-Standartenoberjunker[21]	Zugführer (platoon leader) of the 2./SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 "Das Reich"[19][Note 20]	27 August 1944[21]	—	—
Joachim Langbehn	Luftwaffe	14-LHauptmann[23]	Staffelkapitän of the 5./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"[19][23]	24 March 1943*[23]	Killed in action 25 November 1942[19]	—
Erhard Lange	Heer	13-HOberleutnant of the Reserves[23]	Company chief in the Kampfgruppe of the Sonderkommando OKW-Abwehr II "Brandenburg"[24][Note 21]	15 January 1943[23]	—	—
Erich Lange	Heer	14-HHauptmann of the Reserves[23]	Leader of Füsilier-Bataillon 299[25][Note 22]	28 October 1944[23]	—	—