KNIGHTS CROSS OF THE IRON CROSS AWARD AND FOLDER A superb rare original document awarding the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to Franz Buchner. 4pp. (bi-fold) parchment 14"" x 17"" bearing the lithographed signature of Adolf Hitler at bottom. The text of the document reads: ""In the name of the German People I award Oberleutnant Franz Buchner the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Fuhrer Headquarters 2 October 1941 The Fuhrer and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht [Signed] Adolf Hitler"". The document is intricately hand-lettered in dark brown India ink and Buchner's name is rendered in raised gold leaf. There is some slight marginal toning and a light spot otherwise in very good to fine condition. Also present is the red leather presentation folder with gilt trim the front cover bearing a large embossed gilt national eagle and swastika. The covers are detached vertically at center corners are bumped with some loss thereat and there are scuffs and moderate staining all of which should be restored. The printed name of maker ""FRIEDA THIERSCH"" remains undamaged. Franz Buchner was born on Sep. 9 1918 in Kaschau Hungary. A report from Aug. 26 1939 places Buchner on the staff of the II. Battalion Infantry-Regiment 30 and taking part in the Polish campaign. He transfers to 5.Company and is wounded in combat in France on May 24 1940. In November 1940 Buchner transfers to the combat engineer platoon of the regiment and takes part in the Russian campaign. On July 30 1941 he becomes the 5.Company commander and receives orders to block the Leningrad-Moscow rail line at Szaltzo. On Aug. 30 he takes the bridge over the river Wolchow and for the feat is awarded the Knights Cross on Oct. 2. About two months later on Nov. 27 1941 while Buchner's company is battling in the area of Tichwin grenade shrapnel kills Buchner. His remains are still missing to this day. Since all Knight's Cross documents were hand-made by only one German firm Frieda Thiersch a backlog of orders for award documents soon developed. Also it should be noted that these meticulously hand-crafted documents were all made using India ink calligraphy obviously very labor intensive even when done by the skilled and experienced calligraphers employed by Thiersch. Furthermore according to very reliable post-war research these impressive award documents were necessarily produced in ""chronological"" sequence. In other words some of the more prominent Knight's Cross recipients received their completed award documents within a matter of days or weeks following their official notification (usually telegraphically); while other recipients waited months or even years before receiving their award documents. Many recipients actually never received their large award documents or ""Gross-Urkunden""; only a very small fraction of the more than 7 000 Knight's Crosses awarded from 1939 were of this type.