Willi,
What an excellent comparison of different period production sawbacks by WKC. The pair really make a sweet display when shown together, I think you did well with them. Finding a nicely conditioned sawback is not as easy as it once was but getting suitable accouterments can be both exasperating & expensive.
The early short model is really something, I love these early period production pieces. They really have a lot of weight to them & are almost always very solidly made. I've found despite their age, they usually hold up very well even with some postwar abuse. WKC almost always used the same hilt type that was used (made by?) Holler & Holler produced examples. I've rarely found solid, magnetic examples of this type hilt so I think you have something special here.
The early maker WKC maker mark is also really nice, I often try to surmise when blades like this were made & again when they were paired with a hilt. I have a very early Eickhorn short sawback with the single oval mark which obviously predates the 3R.i wonder how long it sat on an Eickhorn shelf only to be mated with a hilt & sold to some late Weimar/early 3R Feuerwehrmann.
The long model is also something wonderful. Being a later produced item, it appears to exhibit the elements I'm more used to seeing with WKC, plated, lighter hilt & the later Bakelite pattern. The sawteeth pattern is indeed interesting, as you noted the teeth seem quite a bit shorter than the early short model next to it. Initially I thought maybe this was a sign that it was "made" into a sawback postwar but I don't think that anymore. I also thought maybe someone ground it down (why ?) but again, it doesn't appear to be the case. It may simply be the later WKC sawback pattern. Sadly I don't have such an example to compare it to but I'll check with a friend who has quite a lot of sawbacks. He may be able to confirm my theory. Upon close inspection, the pattern looks too good to be anything but factory.
Some WKC sawbacks also had an interesting feature. The swedge feature is something usually seen only on some short model Feuerwehr bayonet blades. I've noticed that some WKC long model sawbacks also incorporated a swedge feature. S far, they are the only manufacturer I've observed to do so.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful new additions Willi.
