List of Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds recipients
The Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds (German: Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten) was awarded to members of the Condor Legion in recognition of repeated acts above and beyond the call of duty during the Spanish Civil War.
Description and context
The Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds was instituted on 14 April 1939.[1] It was awarded in recognition of repeated acts above and beyond the call of duty.[1] It was awarded 28 times, mostly to members of the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany.[2]
The Condor Legion, upon establishment, was made up of Kampfgruppe 88 (K/88), with three squadrons of Junkers Ju 52 bombers and Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88) with three squadrons of Heinkel He 51 fighters. They were supported by the reconnaissance Aufklärungsgruppe 88 (A/88), its maritime division, the Aufklärungsgruppe See 88 (AS/88), an anti-aircraft artillery group, the Flakbteilung 88 (F/88), and a signals group, the Nachrichtenabteilung 88 (LN/88).[3] Overall command was given to Hugo Sperrle, with Alexander Holle as chief of staff. Two armoured units under the command of Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma were also operational.[4]
Recipients
| Name[5] | Rank[5] | Unit[5] | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balthasar, WilhelmWilhelm Balthasar | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 6 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Bertram, OttoOtto Bertram | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Boddem, PeterPeter Boddem | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | J/88 | Awarded posthumously after Boddem was killed in a flying accident on 20 March 1939.[5] Credited with 10 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Eberhardt, KraftKraft Eberhardt | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Awarded posthumously after Eberhardt was shot down over Madrid on 13 November 1936.[5] Credited with 7 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Ensslen, WilhelmWilhelm Ensslen | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Fehlhaber, PaulPaul Fehlhaber | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | LN/88 | Awarded posthumously after Fehlhaber was killed by artillery fire near Bilbao on 11 June 1937.[5] | — |
| Galland, AdolfAdolf Galland | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Staffel commander. |  |
| Harder, HarroHarro Harder | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 11 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Harlinghausen, MartinMartin Harlinghausen | Major (Major) | AS/88 | — | |
| Henrici, OskarOskar Henrici | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | J/88 | Awarded posthumously after Henrici was shot down over Madrid on 13 November 1936.[5] | — |
| Kessel, Hans-Detlef vonHans-Detlef von Kessel | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | A/88 | Awarded posthumously after Kessel was shot down near Llanes on 4 September 1937.[5] | — |
| Lützow, GüntherGünther Lützow | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 5 victories in Spain.[6] |  |
| Mölders, WernerWerner Mölders | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Succeeded Galland as Staffel commander in 1938. |  |
| Freiherr von Moreau, RudolfRudolf von Moreau | Hauptmann (Captain) | K/88 | Awarded posthumously after von Moreau died whilst testing a new Junkers Ju 88 in Germany on 4 April 1939.[5] | — |
| Oesau, WalterWalter Oesau | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain.[6] Awarded the Spanish Wound Badge after being injured in action.[6] | — |
| Freiherr Richthofen, Wolfram vonWolfram von Richthofen | Generalmajor (Brigadier General) | S/88 | Chief of staff of the Condor Legion between 1936 and November 1938, when he took command.[7] Also given the Medalla Militar with Diamonds.[8] | .jpg) |
| Runze, HeinzHeinz Runze | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | A/88 | Awarded posthumously after Runze was killed over Teruel on 1 January 1938.[5] | — |
| Schellmann, WolfgangWolfgang Schellmann | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 12 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Schlichting, JoachimJoachim Schlichting | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 5 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Seiler, ReinhardReinhard Seiler | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain.[6] | — |
| Sperrle, HugoHugo Sperrle | General der Flieger (General, Luftwaffe) | S/88 | Commander of the Condor Legion from November 1936 until October 1937.[9] Also given the Medalla Militar with Diamonds.[8] |  |
| Thoma, Wilhelm Ritter vonWilhelm Ritter von Thoma | Oberst (Colonel) | Panzerabteilung Imker | Given command of the Condor Legion's ground units on 23 September 1936. Led armoured units at the Battle of Madrid. Also awarded the Medalla Militar with Diamonds, the Spanish Campaign medal and the Condor Legion Tank Combat Badge.[5] |  |
| Volkmann, HelmuthHelmuth Volkmann | General der Flieger (General, Luftwaffe) | S/88 | Commander of the Condor Legion between October 1937 and November 1938.[9] Also given the Medalla Militar with Diamonds.[8] | — |
References
Citations
Sources
- Beevor, Antony (2006). The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939. London, United Kingdom: Phoenix. ISBN 978-0-7538-2165-7.
- Jurado, Carlos Caballero (2006). The Condor Legion: German troops in the Spanish Civil War. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-899-1. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- Westwell, Ian (2004). Condor Legion: The Wehrmacht's Training Ground. Spearhead. 15. Hersham, United Kingdom: Ian Allan publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-3043-5.