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This is a very nice original working Third Reich example of the standard German parachutist / pilot and aircrew knife of the type carried by all Luftwaffe flying personnel during World War II that was the prized possession of either its original German owner or of the American GI that brought it home as a war souvenir. One of them went to a great deal of trouble to carefully polish all the metal parts of this knife about as nicely as it could possibly be done!

The blade may have been carefully sharpened after the knife left the factory and the springs are tight. The beautiful walnut handle wood is in very good condition as can be seen in our photos.

The spike is marked with the typical small eagle on one side, and the back of the trigger has the number 74 stamped on it. The heavy hammer end of the knife DOES NOT have the usual nicks and abrasions from pounding, often found on these knives. What wear there is on this knife, is almost all confined to the wooden side plates or handles, and as you can see, it is minimal.

CONDITION: Fine used condition, exactly as shown. This knife would easily rate an EXC PLUS on the big-deal dagger websites, and would be described with many useless and flowery adjectives and priced at several hundred dollars more. The blade function opens, locks open and closes positively. The trigger functions normally and the trigger release pressure is normal. The spike functions normally.

This knife was brought back to the USA by a World War II veteran and has never been to a MAX Show. It has not been cleaned-up or tricked-up in any way beyond the polishing mentioned above.

The Third Reich Weyersberg advertising shown left is for reference only.

The logo on the blade says PAUL WEYERSBERG & CO. SOLINGEN and ROSTFREI for stainless steel.

As typically attached to a lanyard and carried in a pocket the 10-1/2 ounce (300 grams) knife is just over 6 inches long, 1-1/2 inches wide and about 1 inch thick. With the blade and spike fully extended it is 13-3/4 inches long.

The knife is a standard Wehrmacht issue Fallschirmjäger / Flieger (paratrooper / flyer) single-hand Weyersberg brand Kappmesser or chopping knife (often referred to as a drop-knife or gravity knife by some collectors) showing evidence of very light use but no abuse.

These knives were issued to and carried by all those men supplied with a parachute aboard a plane in the German Luftwaffe so that they could cut or chop themselves out of perilous circumstances in combat, such as becoming entangled in parachute shroud lines, etc. The blade is about as sharpened at the Weyersberg factory in Solingen or perhaps slightly sharper.