Original German WWII Early 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger by SMF with Unit Marking Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a very nice 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger made in in the late 1930s. It has plated mounts throughout all being nickel plated with blue oxide. The plating has worn in may places, showing the brass alloy base metal. The rim of the pommel shows some usage but there are no hits or problems. The sunwheel medallion is the type that is inserted, and was originally left bare brass before the blue plating. The grip is a carved wood base covered in blue Moroccan leather, though the leather is worn, so it is mostly brown now. It is triple wrapped with silver wire, the center example being twisted.

The blade of this piece is a high quality nickel-plated example, and has been personalized with a unit marking on the front side: III / Fl. 157. 222, which is the standard regimental format in use by Germany and Austria for well over a century. We unfortunately were not able to determine which unit this refers to. The blade itself is in very good condition, with only a few small nicks on the edge, and runner wear from being removed from the scabbard.

This example was produced by Solinger Metalwaren-Fabrik Stöcker & Co. GmbH, also known as SMF, who were one of the major producers of this knife during WWII. Their “Seated King” over SMF / SOLINGEN trademark is seen on the reverse base of the blade. This is a well-known maker from the famous “City of Blades” in Western Germany.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout with no dents. The Moroccan leather covering the scabbard nicely matches the grip and is in nearly perfect but for a couple of very, very minor openings along the area where the seam was made.  This scabbard has steel mount brackets, however a good amount of the original nickel plate is intact over the steel base and is nicely patinated. These mounts are retained by headless flush mounted side screws.

The attached aluminum chain has six ringlets making up the upper chain and nine on the lower. These two chains are attached to an aluminum snap clip marked OLC in a triangle and Ges Gesch., indicating that this was a trademarked design.

A very nice example of the classic 1st model Luftwaffe dagger, ready to display.