A Very Good, Early Maker Marked and Dated 1942, Luftwaffe Combat KnifeThe WWII Luftwaffe combat knife—known as the Luftwaffen-Kampfmesser or Stiefelmesser (boot knife)—was a close-quarters fighting knife issued to and carried by German Aircrews, Paratroop

Typically features a straight, single or double-edged steel blade, with an overall length of about 27.5 cm (11 inches) in scabbard.

Constructed with a full-tang design fitted with smooth wooden grip plates secured by three steel rivets

Scabbard made of bent sheet metal, finished originally with a factory black finish surface, usually painted or occassionaly blued, and often equipped with a heavy-duty steel spring clip on the back, or, sometimes with a leather belt frog strap with single rivet and twin stitches, depending on how it was planned to be worn by the user.

The integrated metal clip allowed the user to securely slide and anchor the sheath inside a high-length boot or attach it directly to a tunic.
Early “kampfmesser” were maker marked on their blade ricasso’s, while later issues were often left unmarked.

Blade code marked very nicely with 'hat 1942', Made by Gebr. Gafrath Solingen-Widdert.

Blade nice and bright with light surface pitting traces overall.

Code: 26348