Original German WWII Aluminum Fitted Luftwaffe Officer Sword by Carl Eickhorn with Repainted Scabbard Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is an excellent condition example of a German WWII Luftwaffe Officer’s Sword, made by the legendary Solingen-based firm of Carl Eickhorn. It features great aluminum fittings and a lovely nickel plated 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 28 1/2″ blade is fully nickel plated, and looks great, with only minor wear to the plating, showing just a few areas of runner wear and scuffing. There are no major chips or nicks in the edge on the blade, with just a few tiny dents. There is just a bit of plating loss and oxidation near the tip and the ricasso. The blade was never sharpened, correct for a dress sword. Truly an very nice example of WWII production blade from a legendary maker.

The ricasso is etched with the 1935-41 Eickhorn trademark: a seated squirrel holding a sword, with the word ORIGINAL above and Eickhorn / SOLINGEN below. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous “City of Blades” in Western Germany.

According to J. Anthony Carter’s book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this marking type was specifically used on Luftwaffe and NPEA daggers, as well as the “Feldmarschall” series of swords. The company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn, and is arguably the most famous of all Solingen makers. Not only could the family trace their history back 500 years, but they could also demonstrate involvement in the hardening and grinding industries for the same period. Truly the nobility of Solingen Edged weapon dynasties. Eickhorn edged weapons are the most desirable of all makers. The leather blade buffer at the top of the cross guard is fully present, and in very good condition.

The fittings of this sword are bright aluminum, and show only light wear and some minor scratching, possibly from storage. It does not look to have seen any major use during service. The pommel still has good crisp edges and the oak leaves on the sides are in excellent condition. The “broken sun cross” swasses on the pommel and cross guard also retain their original gold highlighting, though the pommel insignia have faded a bit. 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 wear. The grip is wrapped with double strands of plated copper bullion covered twisted wire, which has had the plating wear, now showing the copper base layer.

The non-magnetic metal scabbard of this example is mostly straight throughout, with no dents or bends that we can see. Unfortunately, the original leather covering is completely missing, except for some small portions under the aluminum fittings. The scabbard body has been painted dark Luftwaffe blue, though we do not know if this happened during the war or after. 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, though the drag has been pushed up over them slightly.

The original matching leather crescent hanger is also in place, showing a bit of cracking and also wear to the finish. This crescent hanger is equipped with a closed matching aluminum box clip.

A very nice Luftwaffe Officer’s sword by the most legendary of all Solingen makers, ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 28 3/8″
Blade Style: Double Edge w/ Partial Fuller
Overall length: 35 3/8“
Crossguard: 5 1/4″
Scabbard length: 30”