Original Scarce German WWII Unissued Machine Gunner “Werkzeugmesser” Utility Tool Trench Knife by PUMA with Wooden Grips and Scabbard

Original Item: Only One Available. This is only the second time that we have had one of these very rare utility knives, and this is definitely a fantastic example! Here we have a wonderful example of a Wehrmacht Werkzeugmesser (Tool Knife), usually associated with use by machine gunner's during the war. There were several different makers, with designs that varied many regarding the grip material (wood or bakelite) and the finish on the tools (bright vs blued). The knife combines a 5 3/4-6 inch single edge knife blade, with a handle featuring four fold-out tools: a corkscrew, a flathead screwdriver, an awl tool with wire stripper hole, and a can opener with a small blade. The design of these varies slightly by maker.

Our example features a blued blade with wooden grip scales, and the rest of the metalwork is blued as well, including all of the tools. The blade retains the original leather blade buffer against the small oval cross guard, and shows very little sign of use. It still have the original factory edge, with no sign of sharpening or use, and the only issues look to be a bit of a ripple in the blade near the tip, possibly from being dropped. The original factory final polish grind cross grain is still fully visible throughout the blade. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The ricasso is marked with the PUMA / SOLINGEN trademark logo of Puma-Werk of Solingen.

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 grip scales are lovely fruit wood and in excellent condition, showing little to no damage save for some light pressure denting. The original pin near the cross guard is present, as are both rivet / pivot pins. All four tools are still present, and the springs and mechanics are still very tight, which does make the tools a bit difficult to fold out. Some of the tools show a bit of light oxidation from age and storage, with no real signs of use.

The rolled steel scabbard is in excellent condition, free of dents and with most of the original black enamel finish still retained. There is a bit of crazing and checking to the finish due to age, and also there are small scratches and chips scattered around the surface. It has a very nice belt loop / boot clip on the back, and the scabbard fits the blade very well.

It is VERY rare to find one of these that was not used extensively during the post war period, which is part of the reason they are so hard to find. These were extremely popular as bring back items, as they were quite useful in everyday life. A fantastic unissued example of a very rare German WW2 utility knife that would be nearly impossible to improve upon, ready to add to your collection!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 5 3/4"
Overall length: 10 1/4”
Crossguard: 1 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 6 3/8”