Wehrmacht Field Cutlery set - for opinions

**avenger** · 05-10-2016, 12:04 AM

I've been watching for a fork, spoon, knife, can opener combo set. I picked one up today. It looks like it might be a nice set, but I'm not sure if it all goes together. Everything is marked "86" but the spoon, which is not marked. The fork has a moulded raised mark, the knife and can opener have stamped marks.

I was hoping to get opinions on the set, this is the first one I've handled. My concern is that the fork and spoon look to be aluminum, but the can opener/sheath and knife seem to be a different metal, probably steel. Was it typical to find these with mixed metals, or might it be a put together set from different production years that happen to be the same maker?

The only reason I can think of as to why it could still be a matching set all the while the spoon and fork would be aluminum, is to keep the weight down. The knife and can opener may be steel because they can be sharpened, which softer metals don't work for.

Thanks all for opinions!

Wehrmacht Field Cutlery set - for opinions

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 05-10-2016 12:04 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Danmark** · 05-10-2016, 12:23 AM

I agree with your logic. I have a couple of knives with stainless blades and alloy handles & forks/spoons all aluminium.
I'd say yours is NOT a put together set.

Cheers, Dan

**avenger** · 05-10-2016, 01:35 AM

Thanks Dan! I appreciate the feedback and info. I have little experience with these yet, so it's good to know more about them.

**MAP** · 05-10-2016, 01:44 AM

The three that I have (one missing a utensil) are all steel. I've never seen a mixed set before. But then again not seeing does not mean they didn't exist.

**avenger** · 05-10-2016, 01:52 AM

A guy I asked over at WAF tells me there were some makers that mixed the metals like mine. He lists these as some other makers that produced steel and aluminum sets: 06, 861, 879, 1089/2089

So, it would seem there were all steel sets, and some that were steel and aluminum.

I finally found a thread with another that has aluminum fork and spoon. This one's MM 10:

Heer spoon and nesting cutlery set - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

**Danmark** · 05-10-2016, 02:19 AM

Everyone likes the stainless ( rostfrei stamped ) versions with the dates on them - but as the photos show, they were also made in metal that DID RUST.
So why not a mix of metal & aluminium?

I have 'Sporks' in stainless, alloy and ferrous metal - but the commonest alloy ones are what we expect to see.
Sometimes I think we affix rules & guidelines to items that we really shouldn't.

Regards, Dan

**harryamb2** · 05-10-2016, 06:51 PM

I've had sets of mixed and all metal over the years.

**Neil Hever** · 05-10-2016, 09:44 PM

I'm no expert on these items but I would hazard a guess that as the war progressed, the material used changed to less "strategic" metals. If a manufacturer had a few thousand bits left over that were made of a phased out material I seriously doubt they would have been thrown out. NH