Germany, Luftwaffe. A Superb & Etched Officer’s Dress Dagger, by Emil Voos

(Luftwaffe Dolch für Offiziere). A rare and well-preserved Luftwaffe Officer’s dress dagger, measuring 42.5 cm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 26 cm-long, nickel-plated, magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip. Acid-etched onto the obverse is a central Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, flanked on each side by intricate arabesque latticework. The reverse is decorated with identical latticework which encompasses the majority of its length. Also visible on the reverse ricasso is a maker’s mark of “EMIL VOOS, SOLINGEN”, circumscribing the firm’s snake logo. It sits securely within an aluminum alloy crossguard, the obverse of which bears a raised Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, with the seam covered by an intact black leather buffer pad. The handle grip is composed of a single piece of ribbed off-white bone, with the ribbing retaining an original twisted and rolled wire cord. It completes with an aluminum alloy pommel, in the form of a double-sided wreathed mobile swastika, which screws in to maintain the dagger’s structural integrity. Wrapped around the handle is a matching portepee, consisting of a stylized silver aluminum wire acorn suspended from a cord of identical construction. The dagger is accompanied by its original scabbard, constructed of a pebbled magnetic metal shaft. Two integral oak leaf bands are set into the upper third of the shaft, each retaining a loop for the accommodation of a hanger. The throat has a functional spring catch to firmly hold the dagger in place during storage. Issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include minor running marks to the blade, excessive tightening of the pommel, and loss of finish throughout the scabbard. This upgraded Officer’s dagger featuring a bone handle and striking blade etchings remains in a near extremely fine condition.

The dagger is accompanied by a matching hanger, consisting of a functional silvered zink alloy spring clip with two loops emanating from the bottom edge. Two dark grey doeskin straps descend from the loops, each topped by a dark grey rayon tresse, in turn flanked with machine-embroidered silver aluminum wire piping. Each strap is adjusted with a silvered zink buckle, and culminates in a functional spring clip of identical construction. The uniform clip is marked with a Reichszeugmeisterei (RZM) logo and code of “U.E. 10” for an unidentified manufacturer. Measuring 27.5 cm in length, the metal fixtures demonstrates near-total loss of finish, but the hanger remains in an overall near extremely fine condition.