Original German WWII Bakelite Handle Trench Fighting Knife by PUMA-Werk with Scabbard - Damaged
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Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fair example of the rare German WWII Bakelite Handled Trench Knife with scabbard. It is made in typical World War II "trench knife" style, with a 5 3/4 inch drop-point dagger blade and an overall length of 10 inches. The knife has contoured red bakelite grip scales, retained with three pins. The hilt has a small oval cross guard and the blade is stamped on the ricasso with the Puma trademark. The very tip of the blade is nicked off as shown, and the scabbard is missing the interior piece.
Known as the "City of Blades", Solingen is a city in western Germany with a blade-making history going back centuries. Lauterjung & Sohn, Puma-werk (PumaWorks) is a known producer of SS, SA, and NSKK daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after, and made a full line of private purchase items during WWII. The company was originally founded on a small scale in 1796, and later Nathanael Lauterjung officially opened a cutlery and knife making workshop in Solingen during 1855. After his death, the name was changed and registered as "Puma-Werk", to avoid confusion with the other Lauterjung-owned workshops in Solingen. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.
The metal scabbard retains most of the paint, roughly 65%. The original belt/boot attachment is still intact, though it is a small bit loose. The interior piece of the scabbard is missing so the knife is difficult to resheathe.
The blade ricasso is also stamped 42 on one side and 3 on the other. The knife itself is in fair but rough condition with sharpening to the blade. It has been cleaned several times and there is a fair bit of sharpening evident, with many scratches across. It still retains some of the original factory final grind crossgrain. The leather blade buffer washer is intact.
This example is particularly noteworthy for its PUMA-Werk Solingen manufacture, reddish-brown three-pin Bakelite grip, surviving leather buffer washer, original metal scabbard with approximately 65% paint, and honest service wear. Although the chipped blade tip and incomplete scabbard are significant condition issues, the knife remains a representative wartime PUMA fighting knife with its major original components still present.
Specifications:
Blade Length: 5 5/8"
Blade Style: Single Edged Knife with Drop Point
Overall length: 9 3/4“
Crossguard: 1 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 6 ¼”
- This product is available for international shipping. Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or Germany
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
- Due to legal restrictions this item cannot be shipped to Australia, France or Germany. This is not a comprehensive list and other countries may be added in the future.
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