The Knight's Cross is a production of the firm Steinhauer & Lück, Lüdenscheid. Blackened iron core with silver frame. The frame is stamped on reverse "micro 800" silver, the suspension ring is made of silver but not stamped, complete with the original worn neck ribbon. Clearly worn piece, partially corroded, condition 2-.
Included in photocopy form are the Provisional Award Certificate for the Knight's Cross, the military service record through 1946, 2 old photocopies from the Soldbuch showing 33 registered close combat days, 3 reproduction photographs of the recipient, 2 of which bear his signature. Additionally 2 letters from Fritz Jacobeit to the collector who received the Knight's Cross from him in 1985.

Fritz Jacobeit received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on March 11, 1945 as Gefreiter in Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 22. It was presented to him on March 18, 1945 in Königsberg by Generaloberst Matzkey with simultaneous promotion to Unteroffizier for bravery in the face of the enemy. On April 15, award of the Close Combat Clasp in Gold with a total of 53 close combat days. On April 16, 1945, his 5th severe wound in Bludau near Fischhausen, East Prussia (bomb splinter above the left forehead), on April 17 transfer aboard the refugee ship "Dora Christophersen" to the military hospital in Copenhagen, from there on April 25, 1945 transfer to the naval hospital in Marne, Schleswig-Holstein. February 9, 1946 discharge from the hospital. Mr. Jacobeit lived in Oberhausen, Rheinland until his death on September 12, 1990.

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Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 from the estate of Gefreiter Fritz Jacobeit, Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 22

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross renewed the Prussian tradition of the Iron Cross, originally instituted in 1813 by King Friedrich Wilhelm III. On 1 September 1939, coinciding with the German invasion of Poland, Adolf Hitler reinstated the Iron Cross and introduced the Knight's Cross as a new intermediate grade between the Iron Cross 1st Class and the Grand Cross. It replaced older merit and bravery neck awards of the German Empire, notably the Pour le Mérite. The Knight's Cross functioned as the highest practical military decoration, as the Grand Cross was awarded only once to Hermann Göring.

The decoration was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 1 September 1939 via Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573, based on the renewal of the Iron Cross. This specific example was manufactured by Steinhauer & Lück of Lüdenscheid, one of the main authorized producers throughout the war. Steinhauer & Lück was the first firm appointed to produce the Knight's Cross and continued production through the war.

The Knight's Cross was awarded in five progressive grades: the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (basic grade, instituted 1 September 1939), the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (instituted 3 June 1940), the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (instituted 28 September 1941), the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (instituted 28 September 1941), and the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (instituted 29 December 1944, awarded only once to Hans-Ulrich Rudel).

The award was granted for extreme battlefield bravery or outstanding military leadership during World War II, regardless of rank. Prerequisites normally required prior possession of the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class, though both could be awarded concurrently. The Knight's Cross was awarded across all branches: Wehrmacht (Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe), Waffen-SS, Reichsarbeitsdienst, Volkssturm, and allied forces. Specific criteria varied: U-boat commanders could qualify for sinking 100,000 gross register tons, fighter pilots for 20 aerial victories, with criteria relaxed late in the war. Award authority rested with Adolf Hitler personally. The first presentation occurred on 30 September 1939, with the last legal presentation deadline at 23:01 CET on 8 May 1945.

The Knight's Cross represented a significant propaganda tool. Recipients were celebrated as heroes, given autograph cards, and presented as role models for German youth. The form of the cross was a cross pattée—a cross with arms narrow at the center and broader at the perimeter—featuring a blackened iron core with a silver frame. Standard production featured a frosted and polished silver frame with protective lacquer coating over the entire award. The front displayed a centrally placed raised swastika on a black background with “1939” on the lower arm. The decoration was worn as a neck order on a black-white-red ribbon.

This particular example belonged to Gefreiter Fritz Jacobeit (1 March 1916 – 12 April 1990), who was awarded the Knight's Cross on 11 March 1945 as Gefreiter and group leader in 6./Füsilier-Regiment 22, 1. Infanterie-Division. The award recognized his actions during the four-day battle of Schlossberg (commencing 13 January 1945) in East Prussia. During bitter house-to-house fighting, Jacobeit launched a counterthrust on his own initiative with a handful of men, spoiling an enemy infantry assault. He was promoted to Unteroffizier. Jacobeit also received the Close Combat Clasp in Gold on 15 April 1945 with 53 close combat days, an award granted only 631 times. He received his fifth wound on 16 April 1945 at Bludau bei Fischhausen, East Prussia, and was evacuated via the refugee ship “Dora Christophersen” to Copenhagen, then to Marinelazarett Marne. He was discharged from hospital on 9 February 1946 and lived in Oberhausen, Rheinland until his death.

After World War II, the Federal Republic of Germany prohibited wearing Nazi insignia including the swastika. On 26 July 1957, the West German government authorized replacement “denazified” Knight's Crosses with an oak leaf cluster replacing the swastika, similar to the Iron Cross of 1914 design, which WWII recipients could wear legally. These 1957 versions were issued only to veterans entitled to the wartime award; production ceased in 1986. The Knight's Cross remains one of the most recognized WWII military decorations. The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (Ordensgemeinschaft der Ritterkreuzträger) was founded in 1955 in Cologne. In 1999, German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping banned Bundeswehr contacts with the association, citing neo-Nazi and revanchist connections.