How right you are. "Got it off a dead German" might just be true with a fighting knife or a gravity knife. As for the dress daggers, I doubt it. By the time the Americans got in the war against Germany in North Africa, dress daggers were no longer being worn as far as I can see. Maybe some officers kept theirs in their footlocker? But, back home, that sounds better than "Liberated it out of a house", "Won it in a crap game", "Found it in pile of surrendered weapons" or "Traded a ration pack for it"
Fred, "The example Dave posted is clearly an aberration." Absolutely 100% correct, but I posted it to show that aberrations do happen.
Looking at those chains, I note that "cast" is being equated with both "fake" and "post May 1945". You might well be correct, but that needs to be proved.
Dave
PS - on my "Ultra-rare, out of the woodwork, one of a kind, prototype cuff-links" there is nothing on the back except the number 194 stamped into the silver.
