Franz-Josef Dreike, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetFranz-Josef Dreike
SS officer
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Dortmund, Free State of Prussia, Germany
About Franz-Josef Dreike
- The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of the Nazi Germany during World War II.
- The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of extreme gallantry.
- A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945.
- This number is based on the analysis and acceptance of the Order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR).
- Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force)—as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD—Reich Labour Service) and the Volkssturm (German national militia).
- There were also 43 recipients in the military forces of allies of Nazi Germany.These recipients are listed in the 1986 edition of Walther-Peer Fellgiebel's book, Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile — The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches.
- Fellgiebel was the former chairman and head of the order commission of the AKCR.
- In 1996 a second edition of this book was published with an addendum delisting 11 of these original recipients.
- Author Veit Scherzer has cast doubt on a further 193 of these listings.
- The majority of the disputed recipients had received the award in 1945, when the deteriorating situation of Germany during the final days of World War II left a number of nominations incomplete and pending in various stages of the approval process.Listed here are the 238 Knight's Cross recipients whose last name starts with "D".
- Scherzer has challenged the validity of six of these listings.
- The recipients are initially ordered alphabetically by last name.
- The rank listed is the recipient's rank at the time the Knight's Cross was awarded.
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