SMGN-0773 Early DLV/Luftwaffe First pattern Transitional By E. Pack

A scarce treat to find! In the early days of the Luftwaffe, the DLV officers long dagger was the source of inspiration for the new Luftwaffe First Pattern Dagger. With the complaints of the DLV dagger being too long, a new dagger was made to satisfy the DLV and also roll over to the Luftwaffe, with the final design being the Luftwaffe First Pattern that we know today. These transitional daggers differ in two main ways. The scabbard leather is basically just wrapped around a paper composite scabbard, giving the scabbard a bit of a wavy look over time. The other easy to spot thing is the presence of large staple heads on the three scabbard fittings. Of Course, all fittings during this time period are nickel silver. Daggers that are Luftwaffe Amt or inspector marked are considered Luftwaffe issue, while unmarked examples are True DLV issue.

This dagger is an unmarked example. E. Pack, Although a large producer, seems to be a rare maker to find on these transitional. The dagger is also marked “118” on both the blade and the scabbard, indicating the owners DLV unit or a control number for inventory purposes. Remarkably, the leather on the scabbard is in fantastic lightly worn condition. The grip leather does have some wear down to the wood, which is very typical of daggers from this vintage. The chain and clip are nickel silver as well. The guard and pommel show plenty of wear and age but not in bad shape since the nickel silver is pretty stable over time. The blade has typical runner marks and some minor plate lifting in some spots. Not perfect, but no eye soars. A few small dings to the edge are present as well.

A nice dagger that is very tough to come by especially from this maker and in nice display and collectible condition.