Original German WWII Aluminum Fitted Luftwaffe Officer Sword by SMF with Waffen Mark & Scabbard Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is an very good condition example of a German WWII Luftwaffe Officer’s Sword, made by the famous and desirable maker Solinger Metalwaren-Fabrik (SMF) of Solingen. It features great aluminum fittings and an unplated bright steel blade. This is mid-war produced example, as early war examples were silver-frosted nickel alloy. As the war continued they moved to the “air-age” aluminum material, which was felt to be more appropriate.

The blade of this example measures 30 inches, and is in very good condition. It has not been sharpened, as is correct for these swords. It is not nickel plated, unlike most that we see, and does have some light staining and oxidation, now polished out. There is also some running wear and the usual light marks from cleaning.

The reverse ricasso of this sword is marked with the SMF trademark logo, which features the etched king holding an upward pointing sword, and is known as the “Seated King”. The king is sitting on the firm initials SMF and is positioned above an arch shaped town location SOLINGEN. Solinger Metalwaren-Fabrik Stöcker & Co. GmbH, also known as SMF, were one of the major suppliers of edged weapons to the Luftwaffe during WWII. As the name implies, they were located in Solingen, the legendary “City of Blades” in Western Germany. We have had several examples of Luftwaffe swords from them previously, but this is the first with aluminum fittings. For more information, please see J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

There is also a Weimar eagle inspection stamp above the maker mark, a common Luftwaffe inspection mark, who continued to use the Weimar style eagle throughout the war. The leather blade buffer at the top of the cross guard is fully present, and in good condition.

The fittings of this sword are bright aluminum, and show light wear and some minor scratching. The pommel still has good crisp edges and the oak leaves on the sides are in excellent condition. The “broken sun cross” swass on the pommel and cross guard also retain most of their original brass highlighting, and look great. The cross guard arms are the downward sloping type being in three tiers and carved with lines to simulate feathering. These quillon arms still have good, crisp edges,& with just a bit of wear. The hilt and associated fittings are tight to the blade, with no wobbling.

The grip is a fine blue Moroccan leather covered carved wood base. This leather is in excellent condition throughout and still has its original graining in the surfaces, with some areas of very light wear. The grip is wrapped with double strands of silver coiled wire, which is in excellent condition.

The leather-covered metal scabbard of this example is mostly straight throughout. There is a dent on the reverse about 8 inches from the top, but it does not interfere with sheathing the blade. The leather covering is very good, with just a few areas of wear and scuffing. The scabbard is equipped with upper and lower matching bright aluminum mounts. These mounts are in fine condition and are retained by headless, flush mount screws which are all in place. The original matching leather crescent hanger is also in place with no signs of rot, just a bit of finish wear. This crescent hanger is equipped with a closed matching aluminum box clip.

An excellent Luftwaffe Officer’s sword by a desirable maker, that has passed the test of time with flying colors. Ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 30″
Blade Style: Double Edge w/ Partial Fuller
Overall length: 37 1/8“
Crossguard: 5 1/4″
Scabbard length: 31 1/4”