Original German WWII Bakelite Handle Trench Fighting Knife by PUMA-Werk with Scabbard

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fair example of the rare German WWII Bakelite Handled Trench Knife with scabbard. It is made in typical World War II "trench knife" style, with a 5 3/4 inch drop-point dagger blade and an overall length of 10 inches. The knife has contoured red bakelite grip scales, retained with three pins. The hilt has a small oval cross guard and the blade is stamped on the ricasso with the La GUSSTAHL / PUMA trademark.

Known as the "City of Blades", Solingen is a city in western Germany with a blade-making history going back centuries. Lauterjung & Sohn, Puma-werk (PumaWorks) is a known producer of SS, SA, and NSKK daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after, and made a full line of private purchase items during WWII. The company was originally founded on a small scale in 1796, and later Nathanael Lauterjung officially opened a cutlery and knife making workshop in Solingen during 1855. After his death, the name was changed and registered as "Puma-Werk", to avoid confusion with the other Lauterjung-owned workshops in Solingen. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The metal scabbard retains most of the paint, roughly 75%. The original belt/boot attachment is still intact, though it is a small bit loose.

The knife itself is in fair but rough condition with a couple of chips to the blade near the bottom. It has been cleaned several times and there is a fair bit of sharpening evident, with many scratches across. It still retains some of the original factory final grind crossgrain. The leather blade buffer washer is intact.

A fair example of a Bakelite-Handle PUMA Fighting knife from WWII, complete with scabbard and ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 5 5/8"
Blade Style: Single Edged Knife with Drop Point
Overall length: 9 3/4“
Crossguard: 1 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 6 ¼”