The Ritterkreuz, or the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, was a prestigious military award given across all three branches of the Wehrmacht during World War II. It was the higher grade of the Iron Cross medal, and was followed by the Knight’s Cross of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and, later still, the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, and the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds.

The Iron Cross was originally instated by Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III during the German Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, and versions of it were given out during the wars in 1870 and 1914 before Hitler reinstated it for the Polish Invasion in 1939. Over 7,000 of the Ritterkreuz medals were given out during WWII.