Waffen-SS Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Holders

Knight's Cross holder SS-Obersturmführer Søren Kam

Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

                                                                                                                      

     

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of the Third Reich to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II. 457 German servicemen of the Waffen-SS, including volunteers from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Latvia, Netherlands and Norway, received the Knight's Cross (almost always through the recommendation of impressed army corps and army commanders). Of these, 411 presentations were formally made and evidence of the award is still available in the German National Archives. Left image: the Danish Knight's Cross holder SS-Obersturmführer Søren Kam served with SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 Germania of the 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking. He obtained West German citizenship in 1956. Kam is wanted in his native country in connection with the death of newspaper editor Carl Henrik Clemmensen during World War II. Kam was at the time 21 years old. In 1999, Danish Minister of Justice Frank Jensen requested an extradition of Kam. This was refused by the Federal Republic of Germany. This request was again made in 2004. In 2007, Germany again denied Kam's extradition to Denmark. Photo taken in Copenhagen while Kam was on leave during WWII in 1945. Public domain. Right image: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by Klein & Quenzer. This particular Knight's Cross was sold in October 2010 for 28000 €uros. Fair use.