Original Item: Only One Set Available. This is an original German WWII Luftwaffe silver plated spoon set consisting of three teaspoons and one larger serving spoon, all of matching design and manufactured by Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, better known as WMF. All four pieces bear the [WMF] Patent maker mark on the reverse of the handles along with additional silver plating marks, and three retain Luftwaffe eagle property markings.

The three teaspoons each measure approximately:

5 1/2" long

with shallow bowls measuring approximately:

1 3/4" x 1 1/8"

Each teaspoon is marked on the reverse with the WMF Patent logo and an S. Beside the maker mark is:

90

within a rectangle, a traditional silver plating quantity mark indicating the amount of silver used for a standard service of flatware.

Each teaspoon also carries a number within a diamond. Two are marked:

18

while the third is marked:

21

The exact significance of these diamond numbers is known.

Two of the teaspoons retain Luftwaffe eagle markings on the reverse. The third has had the area where the eagle would have been located ground down, an apparent postwar attempt to remove or “sanitize” the insignia.

The larger serving spoon measures approximately:

8 1/2" long

with a bowl measuring approximately:

2 3/4" x 1 5/8"

It is also marked with the WMF Patent logo and S, together with:

100

in a rectangle and:

50

in a diamond.

The serving spoon retains its Luftwaffe eagle marking on the reverse.

All four spoons show honest service wear and age related tarnishing to the silver plate. The plating remains well retained overall, with no major loss except for the deliberately ground area on the sanitized teaspoon.

With their matching WMF design, silver plated construction, Luftwaffe property markings, three teaspoon and one serving spoon configuration, and surviving silvering, this is a particularly appealing Luftwaffe mess and tableware set. The tarnishing, service wear, differing plating quantity marks, unidentified diamond numbers, and ground removal of the eagle on one teaspoon are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a Luftwaffe mess equipment, officer or barracks tableware, WMF flatware, German military dining equipment, or advanced WWII personal equipment collection.

The Luftwaffe, the air force of the German military during the Third Reich, was established in 1935. Over the next 10 years, Luftwaffe troops wore a huge variety of uniforms. Enlisted men generally wore uniforms issued from military depots. Most enlisted soldiers had wool trousers and a short jacket with two internal lower pockets, called a Fliegerbluse, as well as a dressier 4-pocket tunic, the Tuchrock. Officers wore the same general uniform styles, but as officers had to supply their own uniforms, they usually wore tailor made versions. There were also myriad varieties of specialized uniforms worn by certain units or in specific situations, from the tuxedo-style “gala” formal wear uniform of the pre-war period, to the plain coveralls worn by crews of anti-aircraft cannons. There were work uniforms, tropical and summer uniforms, and camouflage clothing for airborne troops and other Luftwaffe soldiers in ground combat. Flight crews had their own specialized gear, including leather jackets and warm, electrically heated suits. Most but not all Luftwaffe uniform jackets bore the Luftwaffe emblem of a flying eagle holding a swas.