2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger with Portepee

Product Description: This 2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger is in excellent condition and extremely clean. It’s got a great blade with a lot of cross graining, and only light runner marks. The blade isn’t marked, but this one was most likely made by SMF or Eickhorn. The handle features aluminum fittings with good detail. The upper surface of the crossguard is decorated with what appears to be neatly hand-engraved oak leaves. The honey-colored celluloid grip is flawless, with tight wire wrapping. The best part of the handle is the pommel, which retains most of the original gold finish on the swastika- a very desirable and rarely encountered feature.  The scabbard is complete and intact, with a very light age patina. This 2nd model Luftwaffe dagger is complete with its original portepee, tied to the grip in its original knot. The portepee shows only slight wear. An outstanding example of the 2nd model Luftwaffe dagger, very desirable in this condition, and especially eye-catching with the gilded swastika pommel.

Historical Description:  The Luftwaffe dagger was a piece of regalia with a unique history. After WWI, Germany was prohibited from having an Air Force. In 1933, the Nazis formed the Deutscher Luftsport-Verband (DLV), which was a paramilitary aviation organization. DLV officers wore a long dagger. In 1935, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler instituted the new German armed forces, the Wehrmacht. One of the branches of the Wehrmacht was the Luftwaffe. Luftwaffe officers at this time wore what we know as the first model Luftwaffe dagger. This was a shortened version of the earlier DLV dagger. It featured a scabbard covered in blue leather, and a blue, wire-wrapped grip. The crossguard featured a round, “sunwheel” type swastika, flanked by downswept, stylized “wings.” The pommel was in the form of a vertical disc, with another, larger “sunwheel” swastika. In 1937, the Luftwaffe instituted a new dagger form, known to collectors as the second model. This new dagger was similar to that worn by officers of the German Army. The second model had a metal scabbard with impressed decoration, and no leather covering. The crossguard bore a Luftwaffe eagle, clutching a swastika. The blue grip was replaced with one that was orange, white or yellow. The various types of grips were a matter of personal preference and did not indicate branch or rank. The pommel of the new dagger featured a swastika within an oak leaves motif. The blades of these daggers were steel, and many but not all were manufacturer marked.

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