Original German WWII Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Fighting Knife – Weimar Eagle 5 Marked with RB Number Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The Third Reich issued a large number of edge weapons to the military and civilian organizations. The fighting knife featured here was is a design that has been in use since WWI. It was widely employed in the trench warfare that took place during the conflict.

This genuine WWII German Luftwaffe fighting knife is held in a scabbard that is designed to clip over the edge of a boot top or belt. It could also clip onto any part of the uniform and was easy to conceal. They were used throughout both world wars by soldiers in the trenches and with this particular style being used extensively by the Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper), Waffen SS and Luftwaffe pilots.

This example is in very good condition and features a blade that is marked with a 5 inside a Weimar Eagle on the ricasso, the standard Lufwaffe marking. The blade is the standard spear-point shape, with a full edge on the bottom, and half edge on the top. The top edge was specific to Paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger), as it helped cut through the rigging should they become tangled. Regular issue knives often only had one edge. The lower edge has had post-factory sharpening, but the upper edge has not. The blade finish is quite nice, with only minor staining, and a lot of the factory grind visible. There is also a German RB Number on the blade ricasso:

R.B.NR.
0/0561/0020

German RB Numbers, or Reichsbetriebsnummer, also known as the National Business Number, were an alternative to the 3 letter codes in use late in the war. The first number 0 is the prefix for “industry”, while 0561 is the location code for Solingen, the largest and best blade producing city in Germany. From what we can tell from records, contractor 0020 is thought to be Paul Weyersberg, a well known name in Solingen. There is unfortunately not much information out there on the RB number system.

The knife has wood grips with steel rivets, which are in good condition, with no chips or major dents, and a great color. They do not have any real dents, chips, or other issues, and all three retaining rivets are solid. The clip back scabbard has the black enamel paint in great shape, with just a few chips and scratches, standard service wear.

Offered in very good condition, originals like this are always hard to find. Ready to display!