Order of the Crown
Kronenorden
| The Order of the Crown was a Prussian order of chivalry. Instituted in 1861 as an award equal in rank to the Order of the Red Eagle, it could only be awarded to commissioned officers (or civilians of approximately equivalent status), but there was a medal associated with the order which could be earned by non-commissioned officers and enlisted men.
Officially the Order of the Red Eagle and the Order of the Crown were equal. Most officials did however prefer to be appointed in the senior Order of the Red Eagle. The Order of the Crown was often used as a decoration of someone who had to be rewarded while the Prussian government did not want to award the Order of the Red Eagle.
The Order had six classes:
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Grand Cross - wore the Grand Cross badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest;
- 1st Class - wore the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest;
- 2nd Class - wore the badge on a necklet, plus the star on the left chest;
- 3rd Class - wore the badge on a ribbon on the left chest;
- 4th Class - wore the badge on a ribbon on the left chest;
- Medal - wore the medal on a ribbon on the left chest.
Most awards to officers that would go on to command U-boats came before the war. These officers all received the 4th Class of the order though a few awards were of the 4th Class with Swords (Jeß, Prittwitz und Gaffron, Reinhart von Rabenau, and von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim).
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| Commander | Date | Command | | Kptlt. | Adam, Hans | prewar | |
| | Arnauld de la Perière, Lothar von | 1906 | |
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| Oblt. | Becker, Franz | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Bothmer, Thorwald von | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Canaris, Wilhelm | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Carls, Rolf | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Edeling, Karl | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Fürbringer, Gerhardt | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Georg, Carl-Siegfried Ritter von | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Gercke, Hermann | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Gerth, Erich | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Glasenapp, Alfred von | 3 Jan 1917 | U 80 |
| Oblt. | Günzel, Erich | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Götze, Alfred | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Hartmann, Richard | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Howaldt, Hans | prewar | |
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| Kptlt. | Jeß, Heinrich | prewar | |
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| Kptlt. | Klasing, Johannes | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Korte, Alfred | prewar | |
| | Krapohl, Franz | 3 Jan 1917 | |
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| Oblt. | Lepsius, Reinhold | prewar | |
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| Kptlt. | Middendorff, Heinrich | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Moraht, Robert | prewar | |
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| Ltn. | Niemer, Hans Ewald | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Paech, Georg | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Petersen, Friedrich | prewar | |
| Ltn. | Prinz, Athalwin | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Prittwitz und Gaffron, Eberhard von | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Rabenau, Helmuth von | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Rabenau, Reinhard von | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Schmidt, Georg | 1907 or earlier | |
| Oblt. | Schwieger, Walther | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Sieß, Gustav | prewar | |
| Kptlt. | Speth-Schülzburg, Rudolf von | 3 Jan 1917 | |
| Oblt. | Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim, Edgar von | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Stenzler, Heinrich | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Strackerjan, Friedrich | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Suchodoletz, Ferdinand von | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Valentiner, Max | prewar | |
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| Oblt. | Wachendorff, Siegfried | prewar | |
| Oblt. | Walther, Hans | prewar | |
| Ltn. | Werner, Wilhelm | prewar | |
42 officers decorated with Order of the Crown (Kronenorden) located.
Note: This listing is still being compiled and some recipients might be missing.