A friend acquired this recently and I'm kind of stumped as to whether it's a correct Luft Forestry Dagger or something else. I've never seen one made by anyone but Waffenlosche .Is Klass a known maker of these? I've attached some pics including one showing the Klass piece next to a Waffenlosche. Any feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Len

Several threads on this knife in the Bayonet forum. Also shown in Tom Johnson's book volume VII page 337. Typically they are marked "Waffen losche" over "Berlin" but Waffen losche was a distributor, not a maker.

Hello Len S, up to now I have never seen nor heard about a KLAAS (not Klass!) forestry knife. The well known LOESCHE ones do have the "carbine" type blade this KLAAS one has the other type bayonet blade. Also remarkable are the embellishments on the crossguard (LOESCHE does not have such). Although I personally tend to think that this is a (most probably period!) private made knife, resembling the LOESCHE one on purpose, it might be also possible that KLAAS did at least a small number of these forestry knives.
I am eager to hear what Baz69 will say about this knife.
Regards,

Hi Len
I?m at the SOS at the moment, when I return home I?ll check my references and see if I can find out anything about this, on first impressions I believe the knife to be period and almost certainly related to the Waffen Loesche knives.
Gary

Len
Well, Its an interesting knife for sure, after looking through my Klaas catalogue I believe the piece to be original to the period, the blade style and shape is typical for Klaas, they used it on there private purchase bayonets, the fact that the tang is viable leads me to believe that it was specially ordered from Klaas that way, the embellishment on the crosspiece i believe was not done at the factory but by the original owner.
It is of course similar to the Chromolit-Arthur Wingen (CHAW) Waffen Loesche knives, I'm not convinced that it was made as a rival otherwise I think we would see many more, it was more than likely ordered by an individual to his specification and for an unknown use.
Whatever it looks good next to the Waffen Loesche knife and a great addition to your collection.

Cheers
Gary

Len, Not my specialty, for sure it's a very interesting personalized variation and Thanks for Sharing. Yours looking like it most likely is in an S. 84/98 service bayonet frog is it marked on the back? Fairly recently elsewhere, there was a lengthy and IMO informative discussion regarding the Ch.A.W. version. Still being investigated, some of the things that were looked at appear to call into question the ID as a Luftwaffe Forestry Dagger. No period evidence found pointing in that direction. None. Of course it's always possible that somebody has some actual verifiable period evidence that could be brought forward - but that does not so far seem to be the case. Best Regards, Fred

Thanks for all the comments on this unusual piece fellas. I appreciate your efforts. Fred the frog is marked "Sattlerei Detting" without a date of manufacture.jj

Len

Len, Thanks for the update. I was wondering if perhaps it had the L.B.A. marking as seen on most early period Luftwaffe frogs. Best Regards, Fred