In House Shipping:
In 1935, Hitler abrogated the Treaty of Versailles, and revealed the newly formed German Wehrmacht. This included the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, which had surreptitiously been rebuilt with new gliders, bombers, and fighters, as well as a cadre of young officers. The Luftwaffe cut its teeth in the Spanish Civil War, wreaking havoc against cities such as Guernica in 1937, and infamously laid waste to London during the “Blitz” from September 1940-May 1941. Beginning in 1935, Luftwaffe officers wore the distinctive 1st model dress dagger, distinguished by the “pinwheel” style swastika at the guard and pommel. These 1st model daggers were quickly replaced by a smaller, Army style design in 1937, making any surviving examples scarce today. This German WW2 Luftwaffe Officer 1st Model Dress Dagger is in Very Good Condition, with a bit of rounding to the blade tip, some light sharpening and slight nicking to the blade edges, some light scratching, scabbard wear, and small spots of pitting/patina at each side of the blade, all of the gold finish having worn away from the swastikas at the guard and pommel, some scattered tarnishing to the guard and pommel, some scattered small surface tears around the upper and lower handle, and with some scattered age wear evident. Otherwise, the dagger is in fine shape, with no other damage. Most interestingly, it features a bright 12" double edge dagger spearpoint blade with a pronounced central spine and a good amount of the original, elegant cross-graining, sports the classic “pinwheel” swastika insignia crafted in the wide flaring metal guard and disc shaped metal pommel, and is unmarked as to its maker, as were many of these wartime daggers. It boasts the traditional dark blue leather over wood “cigar” shaped grip with all of the original “triple” wire wrapping, with the outer rows being brass, and the middle rows being elegantly “twisted” metal, retains the original, matching dark blue leather “bumper” pad at the blade/guard join, and is complete with the original German WW2 Luftwaffe Officer 1st Model Dress Scabbard in Very Good Condition, with some scuffing and surface tearing to the lower left side of the leather covered body, some scattered drying to the leather covered body, most of the darkened finish having worn away from the metal throat, some of the darkened finish having worn away from the metal mount on the middle body, and with some scattered age wear evident. Otherwise, the scabbard is in fine shape, with no other damage. Most interestingly, it bears the classic dark blue leather covering on the steel body, carries the original metal throat piece with left side hanging ring, central fitting with left side hanging ring, and “ball” end tip, and exhibits the original circular looped metal “chain” hanger with a fully functional “GES. GESCH.” and “OLC” in a diamond stamped metal snap clip. The set is a fine example of a very rare, original German WW2 Luftwaffe Officer 1st Model Dress Dagger.