Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves to the Iron Cross 1939. The Knight's Cross is a classic production by C.E. Juncker, Berlin. Blackened iron core, silver frame, reverse stamped "800" and "L/12". The Oak Leaves are manufactured by Godet, Berlin, reverse stamped "900" and "21". Complete with long tailored narrow neck ribbon. Worn piece in good condition. Also included is the Preliminary Award Document for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, as Generalleutnant and Commander of the 336th Infantry Division, awarded on January 30, 1943, issued on February 9, 1943. Large handcrafted decorative certificate with congratulations on the awarding of the Knight's Cross from the men of the headquarters guard, dated February 3, 1943 in the East. Furthermore, one page of the award list for Knight's Crosses. Preliminary Award Document for the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, as General der Artillerie and Commanding General of LXVI Army Corps, awarded on January 9, 1945, issued on January 11, 1945. - Congratulatory letter on the awarding of the Oak Leaves, from a Stabsarzt and Chief of Corps Medical Command 1/353, dated January 12, 1945.
Large medal bar with 9 decorations: Iron Cross 1914 2nd Class with attached Clasp "1939" as reduction. Medal for the Winter Battle in the East. Hamburg Hanseatic Cross 1914. Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Military Merit Order 3rd Class with War Decoration. Honor Cross for Frontline Combatants 1914-18. Wehrmacht Long Service Awards for 25 and 12 years with ribbon eagles. Spain Commemorative Medal for the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939. Also the matching field bar. General Lucht continued to wear this in US captivity and removed the appliqués with swastika.
Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords. This is the awarded piece in silver-gilt, reverse stamped "900" silver. Only lightly worn, the gilding still very well preserved. Spain Victory Star "Al Merito en Campana". German manufacture, enameled center. Worn, in good condition. Spanish Civil War decoration "Laureada Colectiva" for the region of Navarra (November 14, 1937). A collective decoration for all participants in the fighting, awarded by Franco. Metal thread hand-embroidered execution, lightly worn.
German Cross in Gold, cloth version for the field tunic. Worn, in good condition. Also the piece in metal version. General Lucht continued to wear this in US captivity and removed the swastika.
War Merit Cross 1939 1st Class with Swords. Silver-plated brass. Lightly worn.
Italy Order of the "Crown of Italy", Commander's Cross. Silver-gilt, on long neck ribbon. Worn piece, upper right decorative knot damaged. Also the large-format award certificate, issued on April 28, 1941.
German Reich identity card, issued on December 27, 1943 in Heilbronn, with very fine uniform photograph with full decorations: Knight's Cross, German Cross in Gold, Hungarian Merit Cross with Swords.
Passport with civilian photograph, issued on August 17, 1936
Furthermore, numerous telegrams and letters from before 1945 and additional ones from 1946-1948, e.g., a letter from Admiral Kwei Yun-Chin at Navy Headquarters Nanking in China dated July 2, 1946, postcards from captivity. 20 visiting cards from him and other persons in his circle.
Personal officer's stick. Riding crop of light wood with silver knob, length 66 cm. Also several photographs of General Lucht with the stick in hand, among others on a fast boat leaving the Crimea, crossing the Strait of Kerch August 1943.
Photographs:
Large framed portrait photograph (27.5 x 37cm) wearing the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, in full uniform with winter camouflage parka.
Group photograph (20 x 24.5cm) in US captivity with officers of the Historical Division in Oberursel on February 23, 1946. 57 photographs in various formats, mostly military, excellent portrait photographs with all decorations, meeting with Adolf Hitler, meeting with Generalfeldmarschall Model, other Knight's Cross recipients in attendance, etc., 12 unframed color slides (!!!) of Walter Lucht in full uniform, but still without Knight's Cross.

Walther Lucht (born February 26, 1882 in Berlin; died March 18, 1949 in Heilbronn) was finally General der Artillerie in World War II.
After 9 years of secondary education, Lucht entered the Foot Artillery Regiment "von Linger" (East Prussian) No. 1 as officer candidate in summer 1901. He was promoted to Leutnant on October 18, 1902. From 1907 to 1910 he served as battalion adjutant. On October 18, 1911 he was promoted to Oberleutnant. At that time he served in the 8th Battery. At the outbreak of World War I he was detached to the War Academy in Berlin, but immediately returned to his regiment and went to the field as battery commander. Promoted to Hauptmann on November 4, 1914, he was transferred to various general staff positions during the war and also served temporarily as battalion commander.

After the war he was taken into the Reichswehr and belonged to the 2nd (Prussian) Artillery Regiment. On October 1, 1921 he was transferred to the Reich Defense Ministry in Berlin, where he served in the Army Transport Department until 1924. Promoted to Major on December 1, 1925, he went to the 7th (Bavarian) Division in 1925, where he remained for two years until he was transferred to the staff of Group Command 1 in 1927. In 1929 he became garrison commander of Glogau and on April 1, 1930 Oberstleutnant. On March 31, 1932 he retired.

After four years of retirement, he was recalled to military service in the course of troop expansion and was at the disposal of the Chief of the General Staff of the Army. From October 1937 to summer 1939 he was artillery commander of the Legion Condor. Promoted to Oberst on June 1, 1938, he assumed command of Artillery Regiment 215 on September 1, 1939. On February 6, 1940 he was appointed Artillery Commander 40 and in this function promoted to Generalmajor on February 17, 1940. In summer of the same year he was decorated with the Clasp to the Iron Cross. After a brief interlude as "Harko" (Higher Artillery Commander) 310, Lucht was entrusted with command of the 336th Infantry Division from February 17, 1942 and was decorated with the German Cross in Gold.

On November 1, 1942 he was promoted to Generalleutnant. On January 30, 1943 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for successfully conducted defensive battles in the Don area. Appointed commander in the Strait of Kerch sector on July 22, 1943, he was promoted to General der Artillerie on October 1, 1943. On November 1, 1943 he assumed command of LXVI Army Corps. On January 9, 1945 he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross for his achievements in the Ardennes Offensive.

In early March 1945 he was reported missing in the pocket of the 15th Army, but managed to break through to friendly lines with a few hundred soldiers. In April 1945, still designated as commander of the 11th Army to be newly established in the Kassel area, he was encircled with his troops in the "Harz Fortress" at war's end and surrendered to the Americans near Blankenburg.

He was released from captivity in 1948 and died a year later in an automobile accident.

The estate is 100% associated and original in all parts, nothing was added after 1945. For this we give our lifetime guarantee of authenticity.

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Extensive estate of decorations, photographs and documents of the later Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves recipient General der Artillerie Walter Lucht

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves represents the second grade of a five-tier military decoration instituted on 1 September 1939 by Adolf Hitler through Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573. This renewal of the Prussian Iron Cross tradition, originally established in 1813 by Friedrich Wilhelm III during the Napoleonic Wars, constituted the highest practical award of Nazi Germany, with the Grand Cross awarded exclusively to Hermann Göring.

The basic grade of the Knight's Cross was awarded for extreme battlefield bravery, distinguished military leadership, or single acts of exceptional gallantry across all ranks and branches of service, including the Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, and Waffen-SS. The decoration typically required prior receipt of the Iron Cross 1st Class, though both awards were occasionally conferred simultaneously. During the war, over 7,000 Knight's Crosses were awarded, with official documentation recording 7,321 presentations.

The Oak Leaves grade was instituted on 3 June 1940 through Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849 during the Battle of France, as early Knight's Cross recipients distinguished themselves through further outstanding achievements. This addition recognized continued merit through combat bravery or military success. The total number of Oak Leaves recipients varies among sources, with the German Federal Archives substantiating 863 awards. The annual distribution reflects the intensification of the war: 7 in 1940, 50 in 1941, 111 in 1942, 192 in 1943, 328 in 1944, and 194 in 1945.

The physical construction of the Knight's Cross followed the classic cross pattée form, with arms narrow at the center broadening toward the perimeter. Standard dimensions measured approximately 48.19 mm wide by 54.12 mm high with a weight of approximately 28.79 grams. The two-piece construction consisted of a blackened iron core (magnetic) and a silver frame of 800 silver. The obverse displayed a central raised mobile swastika with the date 1939 on the lower arm, surrounded by a ribbed beaded border. The reverse bore the historical date 1813 on the lower arm.

Multiple firms manufactured the decoration, including C.E. Juncker of Berlin bearing the LDO code L/12, stamped on the suspension eye along with the silver mark 800. The Knight's Cross was worn on a 30 mm wide ribbon in black-white-red tri-color around the neck. The Oak Leaves clasp was manufactured exclusively by Gebrüder Godet & Co. of Berlin with PKZ code 21. This clasp, attached to the suspension loop above the Knight's Cross, was struck from 900 silver and featured an arrangement of three oak leaves with a center leaf superimposed on two lower leaves. Dimensions varied between Type 1 (21.5 mm x 20 mm) and Type 2 (20.3 mm x 19.4 mm). The reverse marking included the 900 stamp and the number 21.

Higher grades of the award were progressively introduced: the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 28 September 1941, the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on 15 July 1941 (with 27 recipients, including Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland as the first recipients), and finally the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on 29 December 1944, awarded uniquely to Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Approximately 150 individuals received the Oak Leaves with Swords.

Walter Lucht, born 26 February 1882 in Berlin and died 18 March 1949 in Heilbronn, exemplifies the military career of an Oak Leaves recipient. As General der Artillerie and former artillery commander of the Legion Condor (1937-1939), he received the Knight's Cross on 30 January 1943 as Generalleutnant commanding the 336. Infanterie-Division for successfully conducting defensive combat in the Don region. The Oak Leaves followed on 9 January 1945 as General der Artillerie commanding the LXVI. Armeekorps, making him the 691st recipient of this decoration, awarded for his achievements during the Ardennes Offensive.

Legal presentations of the award ended at 23:01 CET on 8 May 1945 with the German surrender. After 1945, the Federal Republic of Germany prohibited wearing Nazi insignia. On 26 July 1957, the West German government authorized a denazified replacement version with an oak leaf cluster replacing the swastika, allowing WWII veterans to wear their awards legally. Production of the 1957 version ceased in 1986. The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) maintained post-war records of the bearers of this significant military decoration.