Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of a mid-war production 2nd Model Luftwaffe dagger, complete with its scabbard, portepee, and hanger. It is a fine Solingen-Produced example made by the legendary Solingen-based firm of Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie. Unlike most example that we see, the celluloid 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 has a nice slightly tapered shape, and is tightly wrapped with bullion wrapped twisted wire. It is in very good condition throughout, with just a bit of staining and wear, and a great lightly aged look.

The hilt mounts are in very good condition with a lovely lightly worn patina of age, looking to be matte oxide coated solid aluminum alloy. The pommel is very good and still shows most of the original detail. The "mobile" swas (hook crosses) on both sides are clear and show only light wear. The oak leaves around them are raised out and heavily hand enhanced. There is just a bit of wear through the oxide layer on the raised areas of the pommel.

The cross guard is also made of Aluminum, which was an "Air Age" material, which was 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 oxide coating is still very well retained, with wear through on the edges, as expected. The ferrule looks to be plated steel, and has oxidized over the years.

Wrapped around the grip and cross guard is an original aluminum bullion thread portepee (sword knot), tied in the Heer fashion, which looks to have seen long service. It has lost a lot of the bullion coating on the threads, and the slider is in rough shape. The rest of the cord is solid though, and it really adds to the piece.

The very good condition blade is mostly bright throughout, showing much of the original factory final grind cross grain. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. It is retained about 80%, with the runner wear removing some on the central flat, and there is also some past oxidation that was polished out, removing the grain. At present it shows some scattered staining on both sides. The tip is still intact, with no bending, and the edge has correctly not been sharpened.

This example was made by W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH of Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. The reverse ricasso is etched with the trademark "Knights-Head" (Ritter-helm) logo of legendary maker Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie of Solingen, over the firms initials of W K C / SOLINGEN. This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany - a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making. Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ''Kings head'' as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums and the company Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie was formed, which continued into the Weimar Period. It then rebranded as W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH, and produced many edged weapons during the NSDAP Period. The company is still in operation today.

The steel scabbard is in very good condition, dent free and straight with much of the original oxide plating intact on the pebbled fields, while the bottom narrow side shows a lot of plating loss. The hanger bands look to be zinc, and are well defined and have hand enhanced oak leaves tipped at a 45 degree angle. They still retain much of the original darkened finish, with wear on the raised areas. The throat is the wider version seen, retained by a single "cheese head" screw on the top of the scabbard.

Attached to the scabbard is a very good condition belt hanger, with functional pebbled spring clips with a great patina. The buckles and keepers are engraved with the same oak and acorn motif seen throughout the dagger. The clips are the more desirable "sliding" type, and both are marked with the "barred A" under A&S trademark, of F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a large maker of belts, buttons, and other accouterments. The fittings on the hanger are non-magnetic, so we believe they are made from solid zinc alloy, and have a great lightly oxidized finish. The straps are in very good shape, showing the bullion on the front well, and the velvet plush material on the back shows light wear. Both straps do show some degradation where they go around the hanger clip.

This really is a very nice 2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger with its original scabbard, made by a legendary maker and offered in very good condition. Complete with scabbard, hanger, and portepee, this is the full setup, ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10"
Overall length: 15 1/2”
Crossguard: 3 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 11 3/4”