WWII German Army Fighting Knife - Union 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.

The fighting knife featured here was originally designed during WWI. It was widely employed in the trench warfare that took place during the conflict.

The design of the fighting knife is very compact. There were many variations of this knife produced during WWI and WWII. The primary difference among them were the handle construction and blade design.

The handle is made of dark brown wood. Multiple slits have been cut into the sides in order to improve griping ability. The pommel is a little larger than thre rest of the handle. It is held together by three small rivets. The crossguard is metal and has an "S" shape design.

The scabbard is made of metal. A leather belt loop strap is secured to the back section by two large rivets. The soldier carried the knife using the field belt.

The base of the blade has the name of the manufacturer (union) stamped. Just below that are the words Zells St. Bl.

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.