KNIGHTS CROSS AWARD TO LUFTWAFFE OBERLEUTNANT HANS SUMPF Knights Cross of the Iron Cross award document issued to Luftwaffe pilot Hans Sumpf 4pp. 13 1/2"" x 17"" on parchment with an integral blank front leaf ""Fuhrerhauptquartier"" [Berlin] August 20 1942. The ornately-lettered document is accomplished in India ink and gold with a hand-inked signature of Adolf Hitler at bottom. Produced at the workshop of the brilliant bookbinder and decoration designer Frieda Thiersch. Extremely light toning else very fine condition. Lacks presentation leather folder although facsimiles of the original are obtainable. Award documents for the Knights Cross are rare despite the fact that Hitler granted over 7 000 of them. A severe backlog soon developed—and in the end very few recipients of the award ever received their large award documents (or Gross-Urkunden). Hans Sumpf was an accomplished pilot who was credited with the destruction of 19 rail locomotives before being killed in action over Damyansk in March 1942. This award was granted posthumously.