The 1957 version of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, commonly known as the de-nazified Knight's Cross, was officially authorized by the Federal Republic of Germany on July 26, 1957, allowing World War II veterans to legally wear their high military decorations on Bundeswehr uniforms or civilian attire without violating post-war laws prohibiting Nazi insignia. In place of the original 1939 version's central swastika, the 1957 pattern featured a modified design, typically an oak leaf cluster or the date "1939" in the center medallion, to remove all National Socialist symbols while preserving the cross's iconic black-and-silver form, ribbon, and overall structure. Produced primarily by firms like Souval under government contract, these replacements were not new awards but official substitutes that enabled former recipients, such as highly decorated officers like Franz Pöschl, to display their wartime honors with dignity and compliance in the democratic post-war era, symbolizing a careful balance between historical recognition and denazification.
Heinrich Götz, a highly decorated Ritterkreuzträger with Eichenlaub who rose to the rank of Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht, experienced the typical path of many senior German officers in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Captured by Allied forces in May 1945 during the final chaotic weeks of the conflict, he spent three years as a prisoner of war before his release in 1948. Returning to civilian life in Bavaria, Götz lived quietly in Oberaudorf, far from public attention, as Germany underwent denazification and reconstruction. He passed away on January 31, 1960, at the age of 64, leaving behind a legacy defined by his wartime leadership on the Eastern Front rather than any notable post-war activities or public role in the new Federal Republic.
After the war, Ritterkreuzträger Franz Pöschl, the highly decorated Oberstleutnant of the Wehrmacht who had earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for his heroic leadership during the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, successfully transitioned into the new democratic West Germany. Following his release from captivity, he initially worked as a police officer before rejoining military service in 1960 with the Bundeswehr, where his proven expertise and experience led to a distinguished career culminating in the rank of Generalleutnant. He served notably with airborne and mountain units, including command roles within the 1st Airborne Division, helping to shape the modern West German army during the Cold War era until his retirement in 1978. Pöschl passed away on 25 January 2011 in Hamburg at the age of 93, remembered as one of the rare officers who bridged the military traditions of two very different German armed forces.
After World War II, Ritterkreuzträger Wilhelm Walther, the pioneering Brandenburger commando officer who earned the Ritterkreuz for his daring capture of the Gennep bridge in May 1940, returned to civilian life in Germany and lived a long, low-profile existence until his death. Born in Dresden in 1910, the former Oberstleutnant survived the war and settled in Leimen, Baden-Württemberg, where he passed away on 25 November 2010 at the remarkable age of 100. Like many former Wehrmacht officers, Walther largely avoided public attention in the postwar decades, focusing instead on family and private matters while preserving an extensive personal collection of wartime photographs from his service with the elite Brandenburg unit. In later years, these images formed the basis of the book Brandenburger: Wartime Photographs of Wilhelm Walther, offering historians and enthusiasts a rare visual record of German special forces operations without Walther himself seeking the spotlight. His quiet longevity made him one of the last surviving Ritterkreuzträger from the early campaigns of the conflict, embodying the transition of a decorated soldier from wartime audacity to decades of peaceful retirement in the Federal Republic.
Retired General der Kavallerie Siegfried Westphal in 1962, wearing 1957 version medals. After the war, Westphal, one of the Wehrmacht's youngest generals and a key staff officer who had served as operations chief under Rommel in North Africa and later as chief of staff to Kesselring and Rundstedt, surrendered to American forces in May 1945. He was interned but released in 1947 after acting as a witness at the Nuremberg Trials, where he provided testimony without facing prosecution himself. Transitioning to civilian life, Westphal built a successful career in the steel industry as a director and manager, while also contributing to historical literature with his 1952 book 'The German Army in the West', offering insider perspectives on the Western Front campaigns. He appeared in interviews for documentaries such as 'The World at War' and remained a reflective commentator on the strategic decisions and defeats of the German military until his death in Celle, Lower Saxony, in 1982 at the age of 80.
Major Hans Endres and Oberst Walter Kopp of the Bundeswehr wearing their 1957 version medal bars. Endres received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 August 1943 as Hauptmann and Führer I.Bataillon / Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 74 / 2.Panzer-Division, while Kopp received the same medal on 9 February 1945 as Major and Führer Grenadier-Regiment 1077 / 542.Volksgrenadier-Division.
Official visit of Bundesmarine (West German Navy) to Chatham, England, 11 November 1961: Three Z class destroyers of the First Destroyer Squadron of the Federal German Navy arrived at Chatham Dockyard in the morning with a complement of 800 officers and ratings aboard. During the stay, members of the crew visited London and other places of interest and taken part in a number of navy sporting events. Photo shows the Captains of the three vessels with their senior officer at Chatham on the morning of their arrival. They are from left to right: Fregattenkapitän Dr.med. Otto Ites (Kommandant Zerstörer 2 - D171. Ritterkreuz on 28 March 1942), Fregattenkapitän Gerd Schreiber (Kommandant Zerstörer 3 - D172. Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 22 May 1942), Kapitän zur See Heinrich Hoffmann (Kommandeur 1. Zerstörergeschwader. Ritterkreuz on 7 June 1944 and Eichenlaub on 11 July 1944) - who was also a veteran of the River Plate Battle aboard the Graf Spee in 1939 - and Fregattenkapitän Werner Winter (Kommandant Zerstörer 1 - D170. Ritterkreuz on 5 June 1942).
A photo of Rudolf Sandig which he gave to Denis J. Horgan when they met in 1993. Sandig received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 May 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer and Kommandeur II.Bataillon / SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 / SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler”. After the war, Sandig, the former Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS and commander of the II Battalion of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler,” returned to civilian life in Germany. Like many of his comrades from the elite division, he successfully navigated the denazification process and lived quietly, largely out of the public eye. He resided in Weyhe, Lower Saxony, where he passed away on August 11, 1994, at the age of 82. In the postwar decades, Sandig occasionally signed photographs and documents for collectors, preserving a modest connection to his military legacy without seeking prominence or engaging in veterans’ organizations in a high-profile manner.
Retired SS-Obergruppenführer Herbert Otto Gille received the 1957 version of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwerter und Brillanten (Knight's Cross with the oak leaves, swords and diamonds) from the OdR (Ordensgemeinschaft der Ritterkreuzträger e. V.) in November 1958. Retired Generalmajor Max Lemke puts on the high order.
Source :
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Lemke,_Max
https://www.lakesidetrader.com/item.php?ID=36546
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/bundeswehr-forum/57er-ritterkreuz-765091/
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