Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Luftwaffe short pattern 98k dress bayonet manufactured by Ernst Pack & Söhne of Solingen, complete with its original black painted scabbard and brown leather frog. It features a single commemorative etched blade panel with Luftwaffe themed imagery, strong nickel plating, excellent black bakelite grip plates, its red felt mortise insert, and the distinctive “Young Siegfried” maker trademark.

The K-98 dress bayonet was a dress version of the combat style, and was worn by enlisted and NCO personnel for dress and parade occasions. The bayonets were finished with a high-quality nickel plating, with stag or bakelite grip plates and black painted scabbard. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, either the nickel-plated short (20cm) or long (25cm) version. There was usually a red or green colored felt insert in the rifle slot and the bayonet was suspended from a black or brown leather frog. Some had a functional bayonet latch, while it was ornamental on some. Often they would also have a sword knot, or troddle, and the color would indicate the branch or rank.

Enlisted or NCO personnel were permitted to purchase K-98 dress bayonets with fancy etched blades. These etchings run the gamut from simple designs featuring the standard remembrance, Zur Erinnerung an meine Dienstzeit (In Memory of My Service Time), to very fancy, custom etched depictions, citing the individual's regiment, unit, and sometimes even his name. Many blade factories offered unique etch patterns. The etch work was often state of the art.

This Luftwaffe (Air Force) example is in very good condition, and has a nickel plated blade, as almost all dress bayonets do, which has a lovely commemorative etched panel. It has a nice alloy hilt, with most of the Nickel Plating intact, though there is some light wear and oxidation speckling, as shown. The mortise button and blade release are present, but do not move at present, and the red felt insert is present in the slot. The grip plates are both checkered black bakelite, and both are in excellent condition, with strong checkering and no chips or cracks. They are retained by nickel-plated slotless steel bolts and spanner nuts, not the usual rivets we see on dress bayonets.

The blade on this example is nickel-plated, and is a "knife" style blade with partial fullers and a false edge on the top of the point, which is a known pattern for the short blades. There is a bit of light runner wear and a few areas of speckled oxidation, but no major plating loss. It has not been sharpened, and still retains its blunt factory edge, with just a bit of wear, though there is just a bit of plating flaking at the very tip. The original leather blade buffer is in place, and is in very nice condition.

The Luftwaffe etched panel itself has some lovely designs, with a decorative border incorporating the German "Oak Leaves and Acorns" motif, very common to see on these bayonets. The area near the ricasso shows a biplane in flight, which looks to be in the middle of a dogfight style maneuver. In the center is a German black letter type face inscription:

This translates to "As a reminder of my service", which is a very common inscription for these dress bayonets.

The rear ricasso of the blade is stamped with the "Jung Siegfried" trademark logo of Ernst Pack & Söhne, Ritterwerk, which is in very good condition. The mark shows their trademark "Young Siegfried wielding a hammer" Logo above the company's two line address marking:-

(Logo)
E. PACK & SÖHNE
SOLINGEN

Per J. Anthony Carter's book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm used this trademark specifically on "walking out" dress bayonets for the police and army. The company mostly made daggers so there is not as much information regarding the bayonets. The company survived the war, until it was sold in the 1960s to another knife company from Solingen, and the maker mark continued to be used into the 1990s.

The scabbard is straight and dent free throughout and retains the original black enamel finish at over 95%. There is a bit of light scuffing in areas, as well as some minor age-related checking and crazing, showing that it is the original period finish. The lower ball shows some finish loss from wear, but there are not any other areas loss. The scabbard is held in a very good condition brown leather dress frog, which shows light wear to the finish, and has fully intact stitching. There is just a bit of wear to the leather around the frog stud hole.

With its Ernst Pack & Söhne “Young Siegfried” trademark, Luftwaffe themed etched panel, short knife style blade, strong nickel plating, excellent bakelite grips, surviving red felt insert, original leather blade buffer, high finish scabbard, and complete brown leather frog, this is a strong example of a Luftwaffe 98k dress bayonet. The frozen release mechanism, light hilt oxidation, minor blade speckling, runner wear, tip plating loss, scabbard checking, and frog wear are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Luftwaffe dress bayonet, Ernst Pack & Söhne, etched German blade, 98k accessory, or advanced WWII edged weapon collection.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 7 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 12 1/2“
Crossguard: 2”
Scabbard Length: 10 7/8"