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List of Knight's Cross recipients 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)
Encyclopedia
The 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian) was formed in January 1944 from 2nd Latvian Brigade following the Waffen SS's drive for manpower in the wake of Operation Barbarossa
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
in June 1941. After a successful recruitment drive in the Reichskommissariat Ostland
(Baltic states
) for the Nazi anti-partisan brigades, Heinrich Himmler
formed Baltic legions
by late August 1942, including the Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion.
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 September 1, 1939 instituted the Iron Cross
and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. As the war progressed some of the recipients distinguished themselves further and a higher grade, the Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of June 3, 1940. In 1941 two higher grades of the Knight's Cross were instituted. The enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 of September 28, 1941 introduced the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. At the end of 1944 the last and final grade, the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of December 29, 1944 concluded the variants of the Knight's Cross.
First Class, though the Iron Cross I Class was awarded concurrently with the Knight's Cross in rare cases.
Unit commanders could also be awarded the medal for exemplary conduct by the unit as a whole.
:
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in June 1941. After a successful recruitment drive in the Reichskommissariat Ostland
Reichskommissariat Ostland
Reichskommissariat Ostland, literally "Reich Commissariat Eastland", was the civilian occupation regime established by Nazi Germany in the Baltic states and much of Belarus during World War II. It was also known as Reichskommissariat Baltenland initially...
(Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
) for the Nazi anti-partisan brigades, Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
formed Baltic legions
Ostlegionen
Ostlegionen or Osttruppen were conscripts and volunteers from the occupied eastern territories recruited into the German Army of the Third Reich during the Second World War....
by late August 1942, including the Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Legion.
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grades were based on four separate enactments
Coming into force
Coming into force or entry into force refers to the process by which legislation, regulations, treaties and other legal instruments come to have legal force and effect...
. The first enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573 of September 1, 1939 instituted the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. As the war progressed some of the recipients distinguished themselves further and a higher grade, the Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was instituted. The Oak Leaves, as they were commonly referred to, were based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 of June 3, 1940. In 1941 two higher grades of the Knight's Cross were instituted. The enactment Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 613 of September 28, 1941 introduced the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. At the end of 1944 the last and final grade, the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, based on the enactment Reichsgesetzblatt 1945 I S. 11 of December 29, 1944 concluded the variants of the Knight's Cross.
Prerequisites
To qualify for the Knight's Cross, a soldier had to already hold the 1939 Iron CrossIron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
First Class, though the Iron Cross I Class was awarded concurrently with the Knight's Cross in rare cases.
Unit commanders could also be awarded the medal for exemplary conduct by the unit as a whole.
Grades
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was divided into five grades, excluding the Grand Cross of the Iron CrossGrand Cross of the Iron Cross
The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross was a decoration intended for victorious generals of the Prussian Army and its allies. It was the highest class of the Iron Cross. Along with the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, the Grand Cross was founded on March 10, 1813, during the Napoleonic Wars. It was...
:
- Knights Cross
- Knights Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and swords
- Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
- Knights Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Knight's Cross With Oak Leaves and Swords
- Hinrich SchuldtHinrich SchuldtSS-Brigadeführer Hinrich Schuldt was a German Waffen-SS officer and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
, OberführerOberführerOberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region...
, 2. lett. SS-Freiwillige-Brigade, 25 March 1944, Killed in action 15 March 1944
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
- Bruno StreckenbachBruno StreckenbachBruno Heinrich Streckenbach held the rank of SS-Brigadeführer , when he was the head of Amt I : Administration and Personnel of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt , but eventually achieved the rank of SS-Gruppenführer both in Allgemeine-SS and Waffen-SS...
, GruppenführerGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
, 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)The 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS was an Infantry Division of the Waffen SS during World War II. It was the second Latvian division formed in January 1944, after its sister unit, the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS... - Hinrich SchuldtHinrich SchuldtSS-Brigadeführer Hinrich Schuldt was a German Waffen-SS officer and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
, StandartenführerStandartenführerStandartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
, SS-Brigade Schuldt 2 April 1943
HQ Staff
- Bruno StreckenbachBruno StreckenbachBruno Heinrich Streckenbach held the rank of SS-Brigadeführer , when he was the head of Amt I : Administration and Personnel of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt , but eventually achieved the rank of SS-Gruppenführer both in Allgemeine-SS and Waffen-SS...
, BrigadeführerBrigadeführerSS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
, 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian
Waffen Grenadier Regiment 42
- Robert GaigalsRobert GaigalsRoberts Gaigals was a Waffen-Obersturmführer in the Latvian Legion during World War II...
, Waffen ObersturmführerObersturmführerObersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
, 6 Company, 42nd Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS Voldemars Veiss - Nikolajs GaldinsNikolajs GaldinsNikolajs Galdiņš was a Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early life:Nikolajs Galdins was...
, ObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
, Commander 42nd Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS
Waffen Grenadier Regiment 43
- Voldemars ReinholdsVoldemars ReinholdsVoldermārs Reinholds was a Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.Waffen-Obersturmbannführer...
, Waffen SturmbannführerSturmbannführerSturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
, 43rd Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS Hinrich Schuldt - Karlis SensbergsKarlis SensbergsKarlis Sensbergs was a Waffen-Unterscharführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.There is not much known about...
, Waffen UnterscharführerUnterscharführerUnterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
, 43rd Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS
Waffen Grenadier Regiment 44
- Miervaldis AdamsonsMiervaldis AdamsonsMiervaldis Adamsons was a Hauptsturmführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early life:Miervaldis Adamsons...
, UntersturmführerUntersturmführerUntersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
, 6th Company, 44th Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS - Zanis AnsonsZanis AnsonsŽanis Ansons was a Latvian member of Waffen-SS, Germany's World War II fighting unit of the Schutzstaffel . He rose to the rank of Hauptscharführer and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, an award given in recognition of extreme battlefield bravery or successful military...
, Waffen HauptsturmführerHauptsturmführerHauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
, 3rd Company, 44th Waffen Panzer Grenadier Regiment der SS - Andrejs FreimanisAndrejs FreimanisAndrejs Freimanis was a Obersturmführer in the Waffen SS during World War II, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize great battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.- World War II :During World War II, he...
, Waffen ObersturmführerObersturmführerObersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
, 13 Company, 44th Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS
Waffen Fusilier Battalion 19
- Alfreds RiekstinšAlfreds RiekstinšAlfrēds Riekstiņš was a soldier of the Latvian Legion who later collaborated with British Intelligence to fight the Soviet Union.Alfrēds Riekstiņš was born in Matkule, Tukuma County, Latvia.- Occupation and war :...
, Waffen UnterscharführerUnterscharführerUnterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
, 1 Company, Waffen Füsilier Battalion
Waffen Reserve Battalion 19
- Roberts AncānsRoberts AncansRoberts Ancāns was a Obersturmführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II....
, UntersturmführerUntersturmführerUntersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
, 19th Waffen Reserve Battalion der SS - Žanis ButkusŽanis ButkusŽanis Butkus was a Latvian Hauptsturmführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. Butkus was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, Waffen HauptsturmführerHauptsturmführerHauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
, 10th Company, 19th Waffen Reserve Battalion.