Germany WW2 original late-war takedown SMF Model 2 Luftwaffe/paratrooper “gravity knife” (Fallschirmjäger-Messer); rare transitional type

Description Germany WW2 SMF Model 2 paratrooper knife, rare transitional type with logo-etched non-stainless blade. Hard-to-find late war Fallschirmjäger-Messer gravity knife in excellent overall condition, considering the age. FREE EXPEDITED SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM. Scarce late WW2 era German airborne units “Fallschirmjäger Messer” paratrooper knife in great overall condition – all original springs are intact, original blade; the knife is only slightly used; it is still in very much working order with green para cord lanyard still attached. Manufactured by SMF (Solinger Metalwaffen Fabrik) in Solingen, Germany. This exact type, as well as earlier non-takedown Model 1 types are illustrated on pages 239-242 the excellent French reference book Knives and Daggers-Bayonets Used by the German Army During 1914-1945 by Christian Mary (see the book’s scans attached). These large Fallschirmjäger-Messer knives are scarce in the original condition nowadays, but the transitional late-war Model 2 knives are nearly impossible to find. See the dedicated German gravity knives page, courtesy of Wikipedia. Also, I have a rare unused early-war SMF Model 1 non-takedown Fallschirmjäger-Messer made from high-quality stainless steel available for sale; please take a look. Developed in 1937, this type was originally issued to the German paratroopers as an emergency-assist knife which could be operated one-handed to cut entangled parachute cords, cut lines, untie paracords with the “marlin spike”, etc. Later in the war this type was issued to all Luftwaffe aircrews (WW2 German Airforce). In 1944 a number of FS knives were also issued to a Skijäger infantry regiment – “ski troops” operating in the northern Ukraine / central Belorussia forests. See a couple of rare WW2 era reference photos of German Skijägers on a winter patrol in Ukrainian’s Pripyat region in early 1944. One of the Skijägers clearly has a take-down Model 2 FS dangling off his belt (photos are for reference only and will not be included with the knife). A relatively small number of 350,000 Fallschirmjäger-Messer knives were produced in total by six different manufacturers; very few survived the war in decent condition. The knife was large enough, practical and reliable in the field; it was well-received by the airborne troops and it became a subject of envy to all the rest of the men in uniform. This is a scarce late-war SMF Model 2 specimen with all high-carbon steel (non-stainless) metal parts. This rare transitional model specimen has the logo-etched, non-blued, “white finish” blade, but it is no longer marked ROSTFREI. These transitional blades were made for a very short period and are extremely hard-to-find. But by mid-war stainless steel was becoming scarce in Germany and most of the “non-essential” wartime production had to switch to “regular” high-carbon steel. Still, it wasn’t until late in the war when SMF had finally ran out of various stainless steel parts and had switched to all-carbon steel production. Soon thereafter the Allies had bombed the Solingen factories to smithereens, effectively ending all manufacturing until the war’s end. The late-war “all-carbon steel” production Fallschirmjäger-Messers are hard to find because there weren’t many of them manufactured in the first place.  This knife is about 6-1/8″ / 15.5 cm closed; 10-1/4 / 26 cm fully opened; the blade is about 4″ / 10.2 cm long. All metal parts except for the blade are blued with about 80 to 90% of the original bluing remaining. The blade has been very gently sharpened; it is very sharp still; the tip is intact. The blade does not comes out of the handle easy and needs to be pulled out – the tolerances in the late-war production were not as tight as in the early, high-quality models. Heavy-duty unmarked marlin spike is about 3-5/8” / 9.3 cm. The bolster, blade and the frame are are correctly stamped with matching production series numbers – see photos. Original hardwood handle scales with 4 steel pins and the D-ring shackle on the pommel; braded green para cord lanyard with a belt loop on the end is still attached. Wood handle scales are in great overall condition, considering the age – no cracks or chips; just a couple of light contact marks. All springs are nice and tight; the spike holds well, original carbon steel shackle is intact – this type is rare this nice. After 80 plus years this original late-war Germany WW2 SMF Model 2 paratrooper knife is still in excellent shape, considering the age. Today most of the surviving German WW2 era Fallschirmjäger-Messer paratrooper knives are in private collections & rarely come up for sale; don’t miss your chance to add this rare late-war transitional Germany WW2 SMF Model 2 paratrooper knife to your collection! Please check out our Collectable Blades and Militaria sections for a variety of custom-made and various WW1 and WW2 combat knives. For collectible knives and edged weapons Argocoins accepts payments via credit cards, personal checks drawn from US-based accounts, certified US-based bank checks, and money orders. Take a look at the Payments section within our Terms and Conditions for mailing instructions and additional details. Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to make a credit card purchase over the phone. Follow me on Facebook @argoman400BC to keep an eye on the latest additions and promotions. FREE USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM! No international shipping for this item, sorry lads.