Luftwaffe Dagger
Item
Title
Luftwaffe Dagger
Description
WWII German Luftwaffe 2nd Model Officers Dagger with Scabbard and Silver Portepee.
The nickel crossguard has a Luftwaffe eagle in flight clutching a swastika, extremely similar to the Luftwaffe breast eagle. The nickel pommel is spherical that originally featured a gilded (gold plated) swastika, with the rest of the pommel decorated in an oak leaf design.
The ivory coloured celluloid grip has grooves in the grip that are wrapped in twisted silver wire, which follows a spiral pattern around the grip.
The standard nickel-plated polished blade, has a steel scabbard covered in a pebbled pattern with small oak leaf and acorn accents featuring two suspension bands with rings.
The bands and the scabbard tip are decorated with oak leaf patterns like the pommel. The suspension bands would clip onto the inside of the officer's tunic, suspending the dagger at a 45-degree angle on his right side.
The dagger also has a silver coloured portepee attached above the crossguard. A portepee is a decorative, tassel which hangs from the dagger. There was a special "Luftwaffe" way of tying the portepee to the dagger.
The nickel crossguard has a Luftwaffe eagle in flight clutching a swastika, extremely similar to the Luftwaffe breast eagle. The nickel pommel is spherical that originally featured a gilded (gold plated) swastika, with the rest of the pommel decorated in an oak leaf design.
The ivory coloured celluloid grip has grooves in the grip that are wrapped in twisted silver wire, which follows a spiral pattern around the grip.
The standard nickel-plated polished blade, has a steel scabbard covered in a pebbled pattern with small oak leaf and acorn accents featuring two suspension bands with rings.
The bands and the scabbard tip are decorated with oak leaf patterns like the pommel. The suspension bands would clip onto the inside of the officer's tunic, suspending the dagger at a 45-degree angle on his right side.
The dagger also has a silver coloured portepee attached above the crossguard. A portepee is a decorative, tassel which hangs from the dagger. There was a special "Luftwaffe" way of tying the portepee to the dagger.
Date
Identifier
004.087.055
Provenance
The Second Model Luftwaffe dagger is much more common and was used throughout the war years. It was authorized for all Officers and Officer Candidates in 1937. Its overall length is 41cm, or 16.2 inches.
The crossguard had a Luftwaffe eagle in flight clutching a swastika, extremely similar to the Luftwaffe breast eagle. The nickel pommel was spherical and featured a gilded (gold plated) swastika, with the rest of the pommel decorated in an oak leaf design. Most standard models included a celluloid grip and plain, nickel blade, but ivory grips and Damascus / engraved blades were available as options, like the first model. The celluloid grips came in colors including white, yellow, and orange (like the Heer daggers). The steel scabbard, covered in a pebbled pattern with small oakleaf and acorn accents, featured two suspension bands with rings. The bands and the scabbard tip were decorated with oakleaf patterns, like the pommel. The suspension bands would clip onto the inside of the officer's tunic, suspending the dagger at a 45-degree angle on his right side.
The dagger also had a portepee attached above the crossguard. A portepee is a decorative, cloth tassel which hung from the dagger. There was even a special "Luftwaffe" way of tying the portepee to the dagger. Each branch and organization had their own style portepee, although they all resembled each other with an acorn-shaped object at the end of the cord. Some were plain, like the Luftwaffe's silver colored portepee - others had designs, like an encircled sig-runes for the Waffen-SS stitched into them.
The crossguard had a Luftwaffe eagle in flight clutching a swastika, extremely similar to the Luftwaffe breast eagle. The nickel pommel was spherical and featured a gilded (gold plated) swastika, with the rest of the pommel decorated in an oak leaf design. Most standard models included a celluloid grip and plain, nickel blade, but ivory grips and Damascus / engraved blades were available as options, like the first model. The celluloid grips came in colors including white, yellow, and orange (like the Heer daggers). The steel scabbard, covered in a pebbled pattern with small oakleaf and acorn accents, featured two suspension bands with rings. The bands and the scabbard tip were decorated with oakleaf patterns, like the pommel. The suspension bands would clip onto the inside of the officer's tunic, suspending the dagger at a 45-degree angle on his right side.
The dagger also had a portepee attached above the crossguard. A portepee is a decorative, cloth tassel which hung from the dagger. There was even a special "Luftwaffe" way of tying the portepee to the dagger. Each branch and organization had their own style portepee, although they all resembled each other with an acorn-shaped object at the end of the cord. Some were plain, like the Luftwaffe's silver colored portepee - others had designs, like an encircled sig-runes for the Waffen-SS stitched into them.