Re: Last Ritterkreuz
 

Fellgiebel's listing of Knight's Cross recipients can't be used as reference because the author himself stated that it wasn't an official work and for this reason simply refused to discuss the about 200 disputed award cases with historians like Manfred Dörr or Veit Scherzer, the latter compiled and published a new list in 2007 that is acknowledged as reference work by the German Federal Archives and Wehrmachtauskunftstelle (WASt).

The last Knight's Cross was apparently handed out to a member of the Kriegsmarine as late as 17 June 1945, given to ObltzS Georg-Wolfgang Feller for his minesweeping work in the Baltic Sea during the evacuation of Prussia. However, Dönitz had ordered on 11 May 1945 that all promotions and awards had to cease. As one can argue no German awards could be handed out legally after the unconditional surrender of Germany anyway.

Both cases mentioned by VtwinVince are disputed, the last undisputed award of the Knight's Cross was given on 8 May 1945 to Lt Friedrich Anding of the Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung Großdeutschland.

Re: Last Ritterkreuz
 

Dear Jochen Prien,

Was your father's name Peter Prien? Oberleutnant d. R. Prien was commander of the Stabskp./2.Pz. Div. and was awarded the Knight's Cross on May,9,1945. He also had two "Tank Destruction Badges". The information I got is from "Tank Killers-History of the Tank Destruction Badge" book.
I myself is a Knight's Cross Holder fan. I also don't care if the holder is officially or unofficially awarded the high neck decoration. As long as he deserved it and lived to wear it is very good to me!
I knew there were plenty of Luftwaffe pilots that were recommended for the Knight's Cross near the end of the WWII but final approval from the higher ups wasn't available. Quite a few of them were unofficially given the neck decoration anyway.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Last Ritterkreuz
 

Gentlemen,

The Luftwaffe KG-53 bomber pilot and JG-300 day and night fighter pilot who finally was able to wear the Knight's Cross during the 1960's was named Arnold Doring. He served in the Bundesluftwaffe after World War II.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Last Ritterkreuz
 

Gentlemen,

This is an interesting topic to review.


Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Last Ritterkreuz
 

Although not an airtman but an Oberleutnant in a Panzer Division, the award date of my father's KC was 8 May 1945 as is evidenced on an official list of the last recipients of that decoration; the validity of the award has been contested by some historians a couple of years ago but not the fact of the award as such. IIRC there were several KC-awards with the date of the official last day of the war.

KR

Jochen Prien

P.S.: When I say official last day that is because my father's unit ended the war only on 11 May 1945 when they broke through the American lines somewhere in Checoslovakia in order to evade Russian captivity. The GIs offered no resistance being rather stunned by that group of several hundred Germans passing through with all their vehicles and equipment only to dissolve their unit some 5 kms further west, change to civilian clothes and head for home. My father rode back home to Hamburg on a bycicle, arriving there after several days.

Re: Last Ritterkreuz
 

Could you tell us what Panzer Division your father was in?

Re: Last Ritterkreuz
 

Dear Edward,

yes, that was the one. And you're right, the award date was 9 May 1945.

KR

Jochen Prien