List of recipients of the Hanseatic Cross

Hamburg (obverse)

Bremen (obverse)

Lübeck (obverse)

The Hanseatic Crosses of World War I

The Hanseatic Cross (Hanseatenkreuz) was a decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of the cross, but the design and award criteria were similar for each. The cross was awarded for merit in war, and could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel. When awarded for bravery or combat merit, it was the three cities' equivalent of the Prussian Iron Cross.

Recipients

There were approximately 50,000 awards of the Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg, the largest Hanseatic city. The Bremen Hanseatic Cross was awarded approximately 20,000 times. Lübeck was the smallest of the Hanseatic cities, and its Hanseatic Cross was awarded approximately 8-10,000 times.

Triple holders

• Max von Boehn - Generaloberst
• Eduard von Capelle – admiral and State Secretary of the Imperial Naval Office
• Franz von Hipper – admiral and commander of the High Seas Fleet
• Prince Leopold of Bavaria
• Felix von Luckner – corvette captain and commerce raider
• Karl August Nerger – captain at sea and commerce raider
• Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
• Otto von Stülpnagel – general of infantry in World War II
• Wilhelm II, German Emperor

Two-time holders

• Ludwig Beck – (Hamburg and Bremen), colonel general in World War II
• Fedor von Bock – (Hamburg and Bremen), general field marshal in World War II
• Felix Graf von Bothmer – (Bremen and Lübeck), colonel general
• Theodor Endres – (Hamburg and Lübeck), General of Artillery in World War II
• Nikolaus von Falkenhorst – (Hamburg and Bremen), colonel general in World War II
• Wilhelm Heye – (Hamburg and Lübeck), colonel general and head of the Army Command
• Henning von Holtzendorff – (Hamburg and Bremen), grand admiral and chief of the Imperial Admiralty Staff
• Hans Howaldt – (Hamburg and Lübeck), captain at Sea and submarine commander
• Leonhard Kaupisch – (Hamburg and Bremen), General of Aviators in World War II
• Wilhelm Keitel – (Hamburg and Bremen), general field marshal in World War II
• Friedrich Koch – (Hamburg and Bremen), general of infantry in World War II
• Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb – (Hamburg and Bremen), General Field Marshal in World War II
• Hermann Meyer-Rabingen – (Hamburg and Bremen), lieutenant general in World War II
• Walther Reinhardt – (Hamburg and Bremen), major general, head of the Army Command and Prussian Minister of War
• Manfred von Richthofen – (Bremen and Lübeck), captain and fighter ace
• Helmuth von Ruckteschell – (Hamburg and Bremen), captain at sea and commerce raider
• Hans-Jürgen Stumpff – (Hamburg and Lübeck), Colonel General in World War II

Unknown version

• Hans Reese

Hamburg

• Günther Angern – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Wilhelm von Apell – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, vice admiral
• Hans-Jürgen von Arnim – colonel general in World War II
• Walter Assmann – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Paul Bader – General of Artillery in World War II
• Curt Badinski – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Hermann Bauer – Admiral and commander of Submarines
• Hans Behlendorff – General of Artillery in World War II
• Hans-Georg Benthack – major general in World War II
• Hans Berr – first lieutenant and fighter ace
• Helmuth Beukemann – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Erich Bey – rear admiral in World War II
• Bruno Bieler – General of Infantry in World War II
• Georg von Bismarck – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Fedor von Bock – General Field Marshal in World War II
• Walter von Boltenstern – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Hermann Breith – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Wilhelm Burgdorf – General of Infantry in World War II
• Carl Casper – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Wolfgang von Chamier-Glisczinski – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Friedrich Christiansen – captain at Sea and naval fighter ace, General of Aviators in World War II
• Erich-Heinrich Clößner – General of Infantry in World War II
• Ludwig Crüwell – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Karl Decker – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Paul Deichmann – General of Aviators in World War II
• Paul Drekmann – lieutenant general in World War II
• Kurt Eberhard – Major General and SS-Brigadeführer in World War II
• Johann-Heinrich Eckhardt – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Alexander von Falkenhausen – General of Infantry in World War II
• Wilhelm Falley – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Gustav Fehn – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Paul Fenn – captain at Sea in World War II
• Edgar Feuchtinger – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Wolfgang Fischer – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Hermann Flörke – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Otto-Wilhelm Förster – General of Engineers in World War II
• Walther Forstmann – submarine commander during World War II
• James Franck – First Lieutenant and physicist
• Bruno Frankewitz – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Wilhelm Frankl – Lieutenant and fighter ace
• Maximilian Fretter-Pico – General of Artillery in World War II
• Kurt Fricke – Admiral in World War II
• Werner von Fritsch – Colonel General in World War II
• Friedrich Fromm – Colonel General in World War II
• Hans Freiherr von Funck – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Curt Gallenkamp – General of Artillery in World War II
• Hermann Geyer – General of Infantry in World War II
• Werner von Gilsa – General of Infantry in World War II
• Karl von Graffen – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Horst Großmann – General of Infantry in World War II
• Curt Haase – Colonel General in World War II
• Siegfried Haenicke – General of Infantry in World War II
• Hermann von Hanneken – General of Infantry in World War II
• Erick-Oskar Hansen – General of Cavalry in World War II
• Paul von Hase – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Wilhelm Hasse – General of Infantry in World War II
• Arthur Hauffe – General of Infantry in World War II
• Gotthard Heinrici – Colonel General in World War II
• Walter Heitz – Colonel General in World War II
• Otto Herfurth – major general in World War II
• Friedrich Herrlein – General of Infantry in World War II
• Kurt Herzog – General of Artillery in World War II
• Gustav Höhne – General of Infantry in World War II
• Rudolf Holste – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Friedrich Hoßbach – General of Infantry in World War II
• Hermann Hoth – Colonel General in World War II
• Helmuth Huffmann – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Max Immelmann – First Lieutenant and fighter ace
• Hans Jordan – General of Infantry in World War II
• Max Jüttner – SA-Obergruppenführer and SA-Stabsführer
• Gerhard Kauffmann – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Georg Keppler – SS-Obergruppenführer in World War II
• Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist – General Field Marshal in World War II
• Carl-Erik Koehler – General of Cavalry in World War II
• Waldemar Kophamel – submarine commander
• Heinrich Krampf – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Hans Kreysing – General of Mountain Troops in World War II
• Georg von Küchler – General Field Marshal in World War II
• Friedrich Kühn – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Walter Kuntze – General of Engineers in World War II
• Werner Lange – Vice Admiral in World War II
• Hans Langsdorff – captain at Sea and commerce raider in World War II
• Hans Leistikow – Major General in World War II
• Joachim Lemelsen – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Theo-Helmut Lieb – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Fritz Lindemann – General of Artillery in World War II
• Max Lindig – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Walther Lucht – General of Artillery in World War II
• Günther Lütjens – admiral in World War II
• Oswald Lutz – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Friedrich Lützow – Vice Admiral in World War II
• Erich von Manstein – General Field Marshal in World War II
• Erich Marcks – General of Artillery in World War II
• Gerhard Matzky – General of Infantry in World War II, lieutenant general in the Bundeswehr
• Wilhelm Meisel – admiral in World War II
• Georg Alexander von Müller – Admiral and Chief of the Imperial Naval Cabinet
• Hermann Niehoff – General of Infantry in World War II
• Erich Petersen – General of Aviators in World War II
• Heinz Piekenbrock – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Adolf Raegener – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Heino von Rantzau – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Walther von Reichenau – General Field Marshal in World War II
• Hermann Reinecke – General of Infantry in World War II
• Ludwig von Reuter – Admiral and commander of the High Seas Fleet
• Lothar von Richthofen – first lieutenant and fighter ace
• Kurt Röpke – General of Infantry in World War II
• Curt Rothenberger – State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Justice
• Günther Rüdel – Colonel General in World War II
• Alfred Saalwächter – General Admiral in World War II
• Ferdinand Schaal – General of Armored Troops in World War II
• Hans Schmidt – General of Infantry in World War II
• Kurt Schmidt – lieutenant general in World War II
• Otto von Schrader – Admiral in World War II
• Walther Schroth – General of Infantry in World War II
• Hans von Seeckt – colonel general and head of the Army Command
• Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach – General of Artillery in World War II
• Hermann Ritter von Speck – General of Artillery in World War II
• Hans Stohwasser – Vice Admiral in World War II
• Peter Strasser – Frigate Captain and commander of Naval Zeppelins
• Ernst Thälmann – Gunner in the imperial German Artillery, later leader of the Communist Party of Germany and the Roter Frontkämpferbund
• August Thiele – Vice Admiral in World War II
• Joachim von Tresckow – Lieutenant General in World War II
• Horst Julius Freiherr Treusch von Buttlar-Brandenfels – colonel in World War II
• Walter von Unruh – General of Infantry in World War II
• Walter Warzecha – General Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine in World War II
• Paul Fritz Wiemann – NSDAP official in World War II
• Erwin von Witzleben – General Field Marshal in World War II
• Albert Wodrig – General of Artillery in World War II
• Eberhard Wolfram – Vice Admiral in World War II
• Rudolf Zürn – Colonel in World War II

Bremen

• Prince Adalbert of Prussia
• Conrad Albrecht – general admiral in World War II
• Harald Auffarth – lieutenant colonel and fighter ace
• Werner von Blomberg – General Field Marshal in World War II
• Fritz von Lossberg – General of Infantry
• Erich Lüdke – General of Infantry in World War II
• Georg Meyer – second lieutenant and fighter ace
• Hans Rose – submarine commander
• Adolf Strauss – Colonel General in World War II

Lübeck

• Paul Behncke – admiral and State Secretary of the Imperial Naval Office
• Karl von Bülow – General Field Marshal
• Kurt Dittmar – lieutenant general in World War II
• Waldemar Erfurth – General of Infantry in World War II
• Hans Feige – General of Infantry in World War II
• Hermann Frommherz – major general and fighter ace
• Eberhard Godt – Admiral in World War II
• Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord – colonel general in World War II
• Ulrich Kessler – General of Aviators in World War II
• Gustav Kieseritzky – vice admiral in World War II
• Ewald von Lochow – General of Infantry
• Curt von Morgen – General of Infantry
• Heinrich von Vietinghoff – Colonel General in World War II
• Leopold Zmajević – Austrian Sea Captain

See also

• Hanseatic Cross
• Orders, decorations, and medals of Imperial Germany