List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the U-boat service
Number Name Rank Unit Date of award
5 Günther Prien Kapitänleutnant commander of U-47 20 October 1940
6 Otto Kretschmer Kapitänleutnant commander of U-99 4 November 1940
7 Joachim Schepke Kapitänleutnant commander of U-100 1 December 1940
13 Heinrich Liebe Kapitänleutnant commander of U-38 10 June 1941
14 Engelbert Endrass Oberleutnant zur See commander of U-46 10 June 1941
15 Herbert Schultze Kapitänleutnant commander of U-48 12 June 1941
23 Viktor Hermann Otto Schütze Korvettenkapitän commander of U-103 14 July 1941
51 Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock Kapitänleutnant commander of U-96 31 December 1941
56 Reinhard Suhren Oberleutnant zur See commander of U-564 31 December 1941
87 Erich Topp Kapitänleutnant commander of U-552 11 April 1942
89 Reinhard Hardegen Kapitänleutnant commander of U-123 23 April 1942
104 Rolf Mützelburg Kapitänleutnant commander of U-203 15 July 1942
105 Adalbert Schnee Kapitänleutnant commander of U-201 15 July 1942
123 Klaus Scholtz Korvettenkapitän commander of U-108 10 September 1942
125 Heinrich Bleichrodt Kapitänleutnant commander of U-109 23 September 1942
142 Wolfgang Lüth Kapitänleutnant commander of U-181 13 November 1942
147 Karl-Friedrich Merten Korvettenkapitän commander of U-68 16 November 1942
171 Friedrich Guggenberger Kapitänleutnant commander of U-81 8 January 1943
177 Johann Mohr Kapitänleutnant commander of U-124 13 January 1943
208 Georg Lassen Kapitänleutnant commander of U-160 7 March 1943
Recipients -- Knight 's Cross with Oak Leaves
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants was the highest award in the military of the Third Reich. Recipients are grouped by grades of the Knight's Cross. During or shortly after World War II, 145 German sailors and officers of the U-boat service as part of the Kriegsmarine received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Among them, 29 officers received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), five the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern), and two won the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten). Of these, 144 presentations were formally made and one recipient received the award after 11 May 1945, when Großadmiral Karl Dönitz ordered a cease of all promotions and illegalized all subsequent awards. The final recipient is therefore considered to have received the medal without legal authority.