Original German WWII 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger by David Malsch

Original German WWII 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger by David Malsch-This is a genuine early-war 1st Model Luftwaffe Officer's Dagger, produced by David Malsch of Steinbach (Thüringen), one of the rarer manufacturers of Luftwaffe daggers. Introduced around 1935, this model predates the more common 2nd Model of 1937 and was intended for wear by Luftwaffe officers as part of their dress uniform.Blade:The blade is faintly etched on the ricasso with the 'David Malsch / Steinbach (Thur)' maker mark within an oval. It also bears a Luftwaffe acceptance eagle (commonly referred to as the 'stick bird') and the inspector number '5', denoting proper military acceptance. The blade shows some expected age and use, with portions of the nickel plating worn from contact with the internal scabbard runners. Despite this wear, the blade remains in very good condition, with no structural issues and a clean spear point. Leather buffer is still in place, but a little damaged from age.Scabbard:The blue Moroccan leather-wrapped scabbard is straight, tight, and structurally sound. Due to age and likely improper storage or handling over the decades, there area few minor scrapes to the leather surface. Even so, the scabbard retains a nice appearance with intact fittings. With some careful restoration, such as applying a modern equivalent of blue Moroccan leather polish, the original appearance of the leather wrap could be significantly enhanced. All scalloped scabbard fittings remain secure and undamaged.Grip & Fittings:The dagger's pommel and crossguard appear to be of nickel construction, and both are in excellent condition. The sun wheel emblems on both the pommel and crossguard are likely cast into the mounts, rather than separately applied as seen in the earliest production pieces. Most of the original gold gilding remains on the sun wheels, though a few areas show light tarnish. The mounts overall show minimal wear, indicating limited use. The wooden core grip is wrapped in matching blue Moroccan leather, which remains in very good condition. The grip is tightly bound with triple-strand nickel wire, with the central strand twisted, typical of higher-quality Luftwaffe daggers. The hilt presents very well.Hanger:The dagger is accompanied by its original aluminum chain hanger and belt clip. The clip is clearly marked 'GES. GESCH.' along with 'OLC' inside a diamond, the well-known trademark of Overhoff & Cie., Lüdenscheid, a major Third Reich hardware supplier. Both chain and clip are intact and functional.This is a solid, complete, and hard-to-find example of a 1st Model Luftwaffe Officer's Dagger by David Malsch, a scarce maker among Luftwaffe edged weapons. With its original fittings, nice blade, blue leather grip and scabbard, and marked hanger, this piece offers both historical value and strong display appeal. A fine addition to any advanced Luftwaffe or Third Reich dagger collection.