History

The German Wehrmacht was composed of three main branches, the Heer (Army), the Kriegsmarine (Navy), and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). The Heer and the Kriegsmarine had a long history of edged weapons dating back to the late 19th century. Conversely, there were no edged weapons used by the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte, the First World War German Air Force. The daggers worn by Luftwaffe personnel were based upon the designs pioneered by the German Air Sports Association (DLV or Deutscher Luftsportverband) and the National Socialist Flyers Corps (NSFK or Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps).

In 1933, the DLV was created as a civilian sports organization, but it secretly trained its members for future roles in the Luftwaffe. The DLV became obsolete after Hitler’s official introduction of the Luftwaffe in 1935, and it was disbanded and replaced by the National Socialist Flyers Corps (NSFK or Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps) in 1937.

The DLV edged weapons were only issued from 1934 to 1936, due to the introduction of edged weapons for the Luftwaffe in 1935. From 1935-1937, a transitional version of the DLV Officer’s dagger was manufactured and issued alongside the Luftwaffe dagger. It has a mix of DLV and Luftwaffe dagger attributes.

The daggers awarded to Luftwaffe personnel were produced in two models. The 1st model daggers were issued from 1935-1937, and the 2nd model daggers were issued from October 1, 1937, until December 1944. The 1st model daggers were only permitted for wear by Luftwaffe Officers who had attained flying status, and they are also known as Flyer’s Dagger (Fliegerdolch). The 2nd model daggers are known as Flying Officer’s Dagger (Flieger-Offizierdolch), and they were meant to be worn by all Officers, and other personnel with the equivalent rank of Officer, in the Luftwaffe. Eventually, Non-Commissioned Officers were also permitted to wear the 2nd model dagger if they held a rank with a portepee.

The 1st model dagger hanger is composed of two chain segments, with 9 links on the top chain and 14 links on the bottom chain. The upper and lower chain segments are linked by a clip. The 2nd model dagger hangers feature two straps made from blue or purple embroidered fabric with two stripes of silver bullion wire, leather, and metal buckles, clips, and a hanger bar. The buckles were decorated with oak leaf designs, and the back of the fabric features a velvet or felt covering.