THE FIRST
Werner Mölders was one of the most celebrated Jagdflieger of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War and became the first fighter pilot to receive the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes. Serving initially with Jagdgeschwader 53 and later as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 “Mölders,” he achieved rapid success during the campaigns in Poland, Frankreich, and the Luftschlacht um England, earning recognition for his innovative air combat tactics and exceptional leadership. On 29 May 1940, as a Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of III./Jagdgeschwader 53, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes after attaining a remarkable number of aerial victories against Allied aircraft. Mölders later became the first member of the Wehrmacht to receive the Eichenlaub, Schwerter und Brillanten zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, reflecting his extraordinary combat record and influence on German fighter aviation doctrine. By the time of his death in an air crash near Breslau on 22 November 1941, he had achieved 115 confirmed Luftsiege and had become a legendary figure among the Jagdflieger of the Luftwaffe.
Martin Harlinghausen was the first Ritterkreuzträger (Knight's Cross recipient) from the Kampfflieger, the bomber unit of the Luftwaffe, and received the award on 4 May 1940 as a Major i.G. and Chief of staff of the X. Fliegerkorps, for the sinking of the commercial ships of over 100,000 gross register tons undertaken by him in his own combat missions, and later he served in various units including the 10. Flieger-Division, the X. Fliegerkorps, and then as Kommodore of the Kampfgeschwader 26.
The first Ritterkreuzträger from U-bootwaffe
Günther Prien, the daring commander of U-47, secured his place in history as the first member of the German U-boat arm to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) following his audacious and highly successful raid on the British naval base at Scapa Flow in October 1939. By penetrating the heavily fortified harbor and sinking the battleship HMS Royal Oak, Prien achieved a significant psychological and strategic victory for the Kriegsmarine, transforming him into a national hero and the poster child of the U-boat offensive. His promotion to the rank of Korvettenkapitän and his subsequent fame underscored the critical role of the U-bootwaffe in the early stages of World War II, marking him as one of the most iconic, albeit ultimately ill-fated, figures in the annals of submarine warfare before he and his crew vanished in the North Atlantic in March 1941.
Source :
https://www.tracesofwar.com/awards/83/ritterkreuz-des-eisernen-kreuzes.htm
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