Artifact Friday: Luftwaffe Dagger (Second Model)

At the beginning of World War One, the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Combat Forces) had arguably one of the best air force branches in the world. When Germany surrendered and signed the Treaty of Versailles, Germany could no longer have a standing military, which included

an air force.

Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, and one of the first things he reinstated was the military, which included reestablishing an air force or now the Luftwaffe. He placed Herman Göring as the head of this branch. Göring had previously established himself as a Luftstreitkräfte commander in the First World War, then later curried Hitler’s favor by being a devoted Nazi, ambassador, and mastermind in the exploitation of the Jews in Germany. It could be argued that Hitler would not have become the chancellor of Germany without the help of Göring. Thus, he was an obvious choice for the budding Luftwaffe.

Göring wanted to create more fighters to protect the bombers on air raids and for Germany’s defense; however, Adolf Hitler’s obsession with world domination pushed him to invest more in the bomber power. While superior in many ways, especially early in the war, the Luftwaffe became stagnant because of poor planning and the increasing destruction of aircraft plants by Allied bombing raids.

Herman Göring was known for his flamboyant and self-indulgent nature. He loved food, art, and ostentatious uniforms. Military regalia meant a lot to Goring, so he ensured that his Luftwaffe officers and NCOs had proper uniforms and insignias. This included a specialized dagger to wear with a dress uniform. One of these daggers is in our collection. This is a second model Luftwaffe dagger. It was worn with the dress uniform by officers and high-ranking NCOs (Non-

Commissioned Officers). The concept was adopted in 1937, two years prior to the invasion of Poland. The detail and intricacy of this dagger are really quite stunning. The round pommel has oak leaves encircling it with a Nazi swastika on both sides. The hilt is ivory with lines of silver carved into it. Finally, the cross guard of the dagger is an eagle clutching a Nazi swastika is the eagle that was the identifier of the type of dagger it is. The Nazis had three distinct eagle insignias. There was the Nazi party eagle which is the straight-winged bird with a Swastika and a wreath. This was also known as the Parteiadler. The eagle was then used by the Wehrmacht or Reichsadler, with the eagle looking right instead of left, but the wings and body structure are the same. Finally, there is the Luftwaffe eagle, which can be observed from the

pictures of the dagger. It is similar to the other eagles, however, the head is slightly bent over, and the wings appear to be in flight. This is a beautiful piece of military artwork that represents endurance, resiliency, and airpower.