Original German WWII Bakelite Handle Trench Fighting Knife by PUMA-Werk with Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fair example of the rare German WWII Bakelite Handled Trench Knife with scabbard. It is made in typical World War II “trench knife” style, with a 5 3/4 inch drop-point dagger blade and an overall length of 10 inches. The knife has contoured red bakelite grip scales, retained with three pins. The hilt has a small oval cross guard and the blade is stamped on the ricasso with the Puma trademark.

Known as the “City of Blades”, Solingen is a city in western Germany with a blade-making history going back centuries. Lauterjung & Sohn, Puma-werk (PumaWorks) is a known producer of SS, SA, and NSKK daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after, and made a full line of private purchase items during WWII. The company was originally founded on a small scale in 1796, and later Nathanael Lauterjung officially opened a cutlery and knife making workshop in Solingen during 1855. After his death, the name was changed and registered as “Puma-Werk”, to avoid confusion with the other Lauterjung-owned workshops in Solingen. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The metal scabbard doesn’t retain any of its original paint and appears gray with some light pitting across. There was originally a boot attachment bar which is now absent.

The knife itself is in fair but rough condition with a couple of chips to the blade near the bottom. It has been cleaned several times and there is a small bit of sharpening evident, with many scratches across. It still retains some of the original factory final grind crossgrain. The leather blade buffer washer is unfortunately missing.

A good example of a Bakelite-Handle PUMA Fighting knife from WWII, complete with scabbard and ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 5 5/8″
Blade Style: Single Edged Knife with Drop Point
Overall length: 9 3/4“
Crossguard: 1 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 6 ¼”