Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of an early production 2nd Model Luftwaffe dagger with a very good condition unmarked blade, complete with its scabbard, portepee, and a very nice hanger. The dagger looks to have all aluminum mountings, which may have had a gray oxide coating on them originally, which is still relatively well retained in many areas.

Unlike most example that we see, the celluloid over wood grip of this dagger still retains the original ivory color! These almost always faded to orange or darker over the years as the material degrades due to light exposure. It remains in great shape throughout, and has a nice tapered shape, still tightly wrapped with plated twisted wire. There is just a bit of wear and light staining, and not any major cracks or other damage, and the wrapping also shows some oxidation staining.

The hilt mounts are very good condition, showing light wear but also some oxidation due to age. The pommel is very good and still shows most of the original detail. The "mobile" swas (hook crosses) on both sides are clear and still the oak leaves around them are raised out and heavily hand enhanced. The pommel appears to be solid aluminum, and still retains about 50% of the oxide coating, with the rest possibly removed by cleaning. There is also some oxidation to the aluminum base metal on one side.

The crossguard is also made of Aluminum, which was an "Air Age" material, used to make most airplanes. It was considered fitting and desirable for the eagle-shaped guard to be made of this material. The front side is an eagle with a breast and talon area that is vaulted out much more so than the crossguards seen on other types of daggers. This guard shows little wear and has great feathering on the eagle. The bird, of course, flies to the left and grasps a mobile swas (hook cross) in his talons. The reverse panel is decorated with small pebbling, which is still clear. The plating is well retained except on the swas and some raised areas, which now show the bare aluminum. The ferrule looks to be plated steel, and it is still in very good condition, with the plating almost completely intact. 

The blade on this example is not nickel plated, which is common for later produced blades, and it is in very good condition. The original factory final polish cross grain is retained throughout the blade, with just a bit of runner wear on the blade flats. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The edge is correctly unsharpened, showing a few tiny nicks, and the tip looks to be intact. There is some scattered staining and oxidation throughout the blade, which we have left intact to preserve the patina.

There are no maker marks that we can see, but that is not uncommon for Luftwaffe and Army officer daggers. Outfitters often purchased unmarked blades from major makers, and would do the fitting themselves. The unique cross grain is definitive for WWII German production.

This steel scabbard is in very good condition, dent free and with much of the original plating intact. It looks to originally have been zinc plated, which has oxidized and degraded a bit over the years, exposing the underlying steel. The hanger bands are plated zinc, and are well defined with have hand enhanced oak leaves tipped at a 45 degree angle. They show light wear, with the plating partly intact, and some "white rust" around the edges of the lower fitting. The throat is the wider version seen, secured by a single "cheese head" screw on the back of the scabbard.

This really is a very nice 2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger with belt hanger & portepee, offered in very good condition and ready to display! This is the full setup!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10"
Overall length: 15 3/8”
Crossguard: 3 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 11 3/4”