UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons Army, Navy, and Luftwaffe Forum Rare -Type 2b - Gravity Knife

Hello Guys! Want to see what you think about this gravity knife? All comments welcome! It's in my collection. Thanks, -wagner-

This is one of only 900 produced in late 1943 for "trials". -wagner-

Never seen one. Very interesting. Was SMF the only maker of these?

Strangely crude to me,No offense intended,but the upper fittings have a "Hammered" appearance.And the grip plates seem kind of crooked.It may just be the photos or heavy wear,I have never seen anything like this before.Does anyone know of examples such as this?Thanks for posting.Geoff.

Tyrel, Only SMF examples have been found.
Geoff, No offense when your right! It is crude!
I thought it was a fake. I had seen one..well...a long time ago. I still thought this can't be right cause, (I used the magic line on Myself) I never seen one like this before. Then Mack Pattarozzi, author of Luftwaffe Gravity Knife, inspected it and said
" I have ONE. Although this is mismatched, most were, this one is right. Where did you find it?"
Guys, There's one on the cover of his book. -wagner-

Quoted from "Luftwaffe Gravity Knife" by Captain Mack A. Pattarozi.
October 1943 Trials - The FKm Type IIb/b1
"Discoveries have occured over the past eight years that brings the type of FKm selected in question. These findings include three copies of SMF knives fitted with dagger blades. One must legitimately ask why a utility knife would possess such a specialized blade? The author is certain that these pieces represent prototypes manufactured specifically for field testing in the above telegram." "Such unique variations were made by SMF using a standard Type 2 pattern case. Their blade's general outline is unchanged from the standard FKm, but is double edged and radically beveled from the centerline in a classic dagger configuration." pg.66.
"That is, it seems that the Type IIb was a special order intended for a specific mission and the field trials so nicely fit such a scenario. The quantity produced (900) is sufficiently small to account for the relative rarity of the pieces observed today. So, though circumstantial at best, the facts do support a hypothesis that the Type IIb is the experimental knife." pg.69
-wagner-