Having spent an all too brief time with elements of the postwar Luftwaffe I found them to be both friendly and what we would call high spirited. The Luftwaffe was a junior member of the Wehrmacht and had a high proportion of young men, and especially young pilots both officer and enlisted.

Rob mentioned a small pig. That works for me because �Wild Sau� is what some night fighter operations were known as. And I can quite easily see Luftwaffe pilots having some fun by �honoring� one of their own with a pig.

I also don�t have a problem with his comrades purchasing him a dagger as a gift.

Where "the rubber hits the road� is this:

By October 1, 1937 officers were to replace their old (1st) model daggers with the new 2nd model. The regulations were quite clear - no exceptions and in fact the wearing of the 2nd model was later extended to others.

Had it been a second model dagger it would not aroused nearly as much suspicion as to being a fake. Even better would have been a second model that was engraved because of the time constraints involved.

What we actually have in front of us is a 1st model with an etched blue and gold blade. Not something that could have been done overnight in 1938 - much less late in 1944.

Rob could have proved those who called the dagger into question wrong in a heartbeat with some period photographs. The only thing I saw was part of the dagger before it was very quickly pulled. The piece is his. If he decides to pull out of the discussion and quietly discuss the matter with Craig I don�t know if I would really blame him. He did not start the discussion. And I don�t think he anticipated what would happen when he first became a participant.

The greater loss I think is to collectors all over the world. Who will most definitely encounter not only originals, but also fakes pretending to be originals, coming out of old collections. If nothing else this discussion is a �wake up call� to collectors to exercise some independent thought. And if you lack expertise seek some expert advice. Preferably from those who have no financial or other connection to an item. FP