 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.