Original German WWII Early 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger by “Siegfried” E. Pack & Söhne with Scabbard & Hanger Chain Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a lovely service used 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger made in in the late 1930s, made by the well-known Solingen-based firm of Ernst Pack & Söhne under their “Siegfried” brand name. It has the earliest pattern fittings on the blade and steel scabbard, which nickel and aluminum alloys, which were both plated and then coated with a type of blue oxide finish. As the finish ages, it gives them a lovely patina from the degradation of the top finish, as well as the plating.

The grip on this early example is made of an aluminum frame with inlaid / pressed in alloy pieces for the “sunwheel” swas emblems. It has seen quite a bit of use and wear, which has removed most of the original oxide coating and plating, showing the base material clearly. The inlaid swas emblems are flat and not vaulted, like most of the other early examples we have seen. The grip is a carved wood base covered in blue Moroccan leather, which shows much wear to the finish, with a few tears and areas of exposed wood. The original wire wrapping has two side by side twisted pairs, unlike those we usually see. They look to be fully intact, though the plating has worn away and now the brass base metal has oxidized to a nice golden orange. The guard is the standard down swept “wing” type, with good detailing remaining, and with more “sunwheel” swas’s, though the plating is mostly missing.

The blade of this piece is carbon steel, not nickel plated like many later examples we have seen, and is in good condition, showing light staining in areas, as well as evidence of past cleaning. We can still see much of the original factory final polish cross grain in reflection throughout the blade, especially on the sides where the runners did not abrade it. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There are still some areas of staining and light oxidation, and also a few dents on the edge of the blade, including one at the very tip. The original blue leather blade buffer is still present, and in very good condition.

The rear ricasso of the blade is etched with the large “Siegfried” trademark logo of Ernst Pack & Söhne, which is in excellent condition. The mark shows their trademark “Young Siegfried wielding a hammer” Logo, surrounded by a stylized banner. The whole trademark reads:

Siegfried
ERNST PACK & SÖHNE M.B.H. WAFFENFABRIK
(Jung Siegfried Logo)
SOLINGEN
WAFFEN

Per J. Anthony Carter’s book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm used this trademark on Army Officer swords during before the war and during the early years. They mostly made daggers so there is not as much information regarding the swords. 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 steel scabbard shell is straight throughout with no dents we can see or feel. The Moroccan leather covering the scabbard is in much better condition than on the handle, as is typical due to how much less wear the scabbard would see in service. There is some denting and scratching, but no major tears or other wear. This scabbard has non magnetic nickel alloy mount brackets, with some of the original blacked silver plate intact, and a great patina. These mounts are retained by headless flush mounted side screws, however the ramp and throat fitting are missing their screws.

The attached hanger chain has nine ringlets making up the upper chain and fourteen on the lower, not counting the rings attached to the scabbard fittings. These look to be made from solid nickel alloy, or may possibly be plated, as we cannot see any change in color at the brazes. They are attached to a plated nickel snap clip with a flat steel spring, which also has had a plated steel hook attached to the bottom, used to “hitch up” the dagger.

A very nice service used example example of the classic early 1st model Luftwaffe dagger, made by a very desirable of all Solingen Maker. Complete with scabbard and hanger chain, this dagger is ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 12 1/4″
Overall length: 18”
Crossguard: 4 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 13 1/2”