Germany's highest military award came in eight different classes. From highest to lowest:

1. Great Cross of the Iron Cross (Only one was ever awarded, to Hermann Goring).

2. Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with golden Oak Leaves and Swords and Diamonds. Only one was awarded, to Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the famed Stuka pilot who flew 2,530 combat missions and had 12 confirmed air kills while in a Stuka. The amount of air missions in combat is believed to be the greatest number of missions flown by anyone.

3. Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and Diamonds (only 27 were awarded, of which Rommel and Guderian were two of those).

4. Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (154 were awarded)

5. Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (860 were awarded).

6. Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross (about 7,500 were awarded).

7. Iron Cross, 1st Class.

8. Iron Cross, 2nd Class.