Who else deserved and missed out on an award.
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Originally Posted by Tankertrashnav
So you can see, whatever the original intention, in its WW2 form the Iron Cross was far from classless, and you can bet there were no gefreiters wearing the Knight's Cross in any of its variations.
I wish I could recall which book I was reading when I saw that ... something on tanks on the Eastern front?
(EDIT = Thank you Wiki ... "The Iron Cross 1st Class and the Iron Cross 2nd Class were awarded without regard to rank. One had to possess the 2nd Class already in order to receive the 1st Class (though in some cases both could be awarded simultaneously)."
Originally Posted by handsfree
Don't know if it's the well known one but will this do ?
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76 Gefreite decorated with the Iron Cross, according to this:
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
All ranks listed here:
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
With "Eichenlaub" (oak leaves) - lowest rank were NCOs - out of 516 ICs only 26 were given to soldiers ranking below lieutenant
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
With "Schwerter" (Swords) Only one non commissioned officer received one, Luftwaffe, after 99 kills on the eastern front...
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
With "Brillianten" (diamonds) - lowest rank lieutenant
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
All ranks listed here:
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
With "Eichenlaub" (oak leaves) - lowest rank were NCOs - out of 516 ICs only 26 were given to soldiers ranking below lieutenant
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
With "Schwerter" (Swords) Only one non commissioned officer received one, Luftwaffe, after 99 kills on the eastern front...
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
With "Brillianten" (diamonds) - lowest rank lieutenant
Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
His dudeness - I stand corrected that there were awards of the Knights Cross to lower ranks. However 76 out of just over 7,300 awarded means that almost 99% went to officers, so my general point that in WW2 at least the addition of these higher grades of the Iron Cross meant it was no longer an all ranks award, in the accepted understanding of what that term means.
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@ His dudeness ... thanks for posting those links. 
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That is one of the best comments I have seen on pprune, Beags.
Absolutely priceless.
May I suggest Beags gets an award in the next honours list for "services to humour".
Absolutely priceless.
May I suggest Beags gets an award in the next honours list for "services to humour".
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Interestingly there is an obituary today for John Gregson, an apprentice at the age of 19 swan 600 yards with an injured colleague. He was awarded a GC.
In 1977 or thereabouts I met Jack Bamford, who in 1952 became the youngest recipient of the George Cross at the age of 15, for rescuing several members of his family from a fire at their house. He was badly burned, and still carried the scars on his arms and face 25 years later.
olympus - you are correct, I was misled by the fact that she sometimes used the pseudonym Nora Baker, an extension of Ora Baker, her American mother's name, and I suspect she was known as Nora during her WAAF service.
olympus - you are correct, I was misled by the fact that she sometimes used the pseudonym Nora Baker, an extension of Ora Baker, her American mother's name, and I suspect she was known as Nora during her WAAF service.
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How about some of the BOAC pilots who operated the Swedish "ball bearing run" during WW2? Very few gongs or recognition despite a casualty rate not far off RAF ops. And no, not just in speedy Mosquitoes; much of the traffic was in Whitleys, Venturas, all by legal necessity completely unarmed.
Edit: ditto for merchant navy...vast majority, nada. Even on a convoy with disastrous loss rate - unless carrying munitions. For instance, carrying wooden rifle butts qualified crew for medals but hold full of aviation fuel stored in foil lined hardboard cases didn't!
Edit: ditto for merchant navy...vast majority, nada. Even on a convoy with disastrous loss rate - unless carrying munitions. For instance, carrying wooden rifle butts qualified crew for medals but hold full of aviation fuel stored in foil lined hardboard cases didn't!
Last edited by ShotOne; 9th Jan 2017 at 13:44.
I was once nommed for an Air Medal, but it got downgraded to an ass chewing in lieu of first award. 
Does that count?
Does that count?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
LW, indeed as I expect a few posthumous bravery awards might have merited a hats on interview had they survived.
Edit: ditto for merchant navy...vast majority, nada. Even on a convoy with disastrous loss rate - unless carrying munitions. For instance, carrying wooden rifle butts qualified crew for medals but hold full of aviation fuel stored in foil lined hardboard cases didn't!
I have only ever physically seen a few groups of WW2 medals which contained the then maximum of five campaign stars, and they were all to Merchant Navy recipients, who tended to "get around" more than their RN equivalents. I suspect that with the introduction of the Arctic Star in recent years there will a few six star Merchant Navy groups around.