Kriegsmarine pocket knife ( Real Or Fake )

[85ronnies]

AMTG i know what you mean but the dagger i have is a lot longer than the usual "jack knife" ....it's got me baffled mate

[operaman]

Does anyone think it is a Zepplin crew knife?

[Battery Command Post]

That is an absolutely standard British Army issue Clasp Knife, as issued from just before WWI up until about 1938. No doubts, no maybes, no navies, no Zeppelins...

I have no idea why the red one is marked DRGM, but the yellow one is British Army

Rob

[Walkwolf]

Did I say RN knife ? Lol - Must have been because of
that huge 'Marlin Spike' on it.........!

[Battery Command Post]

Did I say RN knife ? Lol - Must have been because of
that huge 'Marlin Spike' on it.........!

Yes you did... tut, tut

Actually, there was an old thread by Blackpowder44 that illustrated these Clasp Knives pretty well: British Army Jack Knives 1880-1979

Saves me from photographing mine etc

Rob

[85ronnies]

Cheer's Rob but it has me stumped why would Ed Wusthof have there name on a british knife the one shown in the thread is also a British maker? any suggestions
cheers Ronnie

[AMTG]

AMTG i know what you mean but the dagger i have is a lot longer than the usual "jack knife" ....it's got me baffled mate

Sorry I couldn't help, I still have a couple issued to me in the army, handy little things

[Battery Command Post]

Cheer's Rob but it has me stumped why would Ed Wusthof have there name on a british knife the one shown in the thread is also a British maker? any suggestions
cheers Ronnie

This is a confusing thread, mate, which is largely your fault for mixing the two knives up in the first post!

What I understand is that you got the 'yellow knife', but you didn't have a definite ID for it, but came across a very similar knife (the red one) being sold as a KM knife. What I'm saying is that your 'yellow' knife is a British Army issue knife of a type introduced in 1905, slightly modified in 1913 and then replaced around 1938, i.e. the 'World War I type' clasp knife. Wade & Butcher were a well known supplier of this pattern, and I am 100% sure that your knife is a nice, classic, late-manufactured example of what is often called the '6353 clasp knife' (6353/1905 was the army pattern number).

As for the KM 'red' one, I am not so sure. This type of knife was widely produced in many countries, both for military and civilian markets, and was the soldier's knife throughout the Commonwealth/Empire. I think Walkwolf probably nailed it when he said "I suspect it is likely a copy of the RN knife, made pre-war" (except he should have said "Army" not "RN"). It's a German, Solingen-made copy of the British Army Clasp Knife, whether for military or civil use I don't know. D.R.G.M. is just a German 'registered design' mark, meaning Wüsthof have the copyright on the design (which is a bit cheeky as it is a copy of a British design ), so I would say it's just a civilian German copy of a classic knife. I expect the seller is either trying to 'fluff up the price' or just making the assumption that because it has a marline spike, it must be naval. Looking at the 'red' knife very closely, it doesn't conform exactly to the British military pattern, most obviously in the shackle (the lanyard ring), which should be larger and made of copper (like the one on your 'yellow' knife').

Rob

[85ronnies]

Almost right Rob i knew what knife it was i was confused why a "british knife" was D.R.G.M marked and being sold as a "Kriegsmarine knife" but like you say about the copper ring it's different, so maybe this is why it can be a German registered design because it is slightly different and not infringing on any copyright, but thank's very much for your time and explination on the mixed up two knives
cheers Ronnie

[gerrit]

Funny thing about this post is that it keeps turning up with a 2022 reply which is not visible when i enter the thread.
Therefore i'll try it this way

Ger