WWII GERMAN KNIFE - FIGHTING TYPE
The Third Reich issued a large number of edge weapons to the military and civilian organizations. somne of these blades were meant for combat while others were simply a status symbol. The high quality of construction and beautiful designs make these items desirable military collectibles.

It is interesting to note that while the Germans had a very large number of variations of daggers and swords the knife featured here was the only fighting knife employed by the German armed forces. The closest other blade to a fighting knife was the K98 bayonet . However, that was a bayonet and not strictly a fighting knife. On the other hand, the American armed forces had no daggers at all, very few swords but a large selection of different fighting knives.

FIGHTING KNIFE ANATOMY The German fighting knife, also known as the boot knife, was born in the trenches of WWI. but its use was extended through WWII. While the general shape remained intact, a few different variations were created. Changes primarily involved the grip where somtimes it has a checkered pattern carved into its surface. The German fighting knife was small in size because the idea was to be able to carry it on the side of the boot. Consisting of a wooden handle. Smooth construction and light brown color. The pommel section has a small wooden protrution. The crossguard was very simple. It was formed by a thin piece of metal with one side angling up a few degrees. The other side remained straight. THE SCABBARD The scabbard was originally painted black but through time most of the paint has worn off showing the metal finish. Notice that the same type of rivets are employed in the scabbard as those used to attach the grips to the tang. The scabbard came equipped with a large clip that allowed the knife to be carried on the belt or in a boot. Its design was formed of three elongated shape fingers. With the middle section being slightly lower than the rest. A checkered pattern is engraved in about 50% of each finger as it approaches the tip for the outer sections and closer to the base for the middle component. This feature was intended to provide added traction so the knife would not fall from the surface where it was holding to.

THE HANDLE
The handle of the fighting knife is amde of smooth wood and it is riveted together at three different point. One side shows protruded rounded rivets (below-left) while on the other side the rivets are flushed with the surface of the handle. The back side of the handle is flat while the front has an ondulating pattern. This was created so the fingers have a more ergonomic place to grip.

Many German edge weapons are currently reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this item. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the collectible.