History of the Luftwaffe Gravity Knife - Geschichte des Kappmessers (1936-TODAY), WW2 footage 

Check out the book I wrote, will blow your mind even more!

@@divingeagletv so you’re the one who wrote the book I saw???

@@lucas_theofficial5230 yes, was officially published in Germany last year. Trying to find a US publisher now.

I got passed down mine from my grandfather who picked it up in the war.

@@lifeaquatic1267 The greatest generation

*Patton

Heh just reading this it cut off the second line so it looked like you said "My grandpa was a tank" which I have no doubt he was. But reading on, it was still a cool little tidbit of history in and of itself. Thanks for sharing this. Cheers!

Lies

....well, now you know! Thanks for your comment and interest.

I hate to break it to you, almost everything can be used as a bottle opener

@@forcesightknight I’m sure there’s a couple of dentist with some good stories about improvised bottle openings…

@@jonsmith5124 I know those human bottle openers, thinking they're cool but really- people who can't turn a lighter or another beer bottle into an opener should stick to draft or cans. Nobody's impressed by selfmutilation and wasting beer.

@@arvedludwig3584 I have used German knives for 50 years...It is crazy that the finest knife makers have such goofy laws.. I spent a lot of time in Argentina and found some great german blades attached to incredible gaucho style knives in Tandil and Mar del Plata. My Wusthof Gran Prix chef knives I bought in 2004 are like brand new...glad I have a discontinued series. The pocket knives of today open so swiftly and with such little effort it is funny that these would be banned. But, I come from a part of the USA where we all have guns and knives and nobody is going to ever take them away.. Take care

@@arvedludwig3584 I am such a knife hound I would buy a Windmuhle...But, I am 64 and have plenty of chef knives..I was a Chef in the USA for 25+ years.. I live in Cambodia now.. I brought most of my knives with me.. I have my German and Japanese Chef knives I use every day... Thanks

Your comment hits the nail on the head. Actually even the WW2 veterans have confirmed that they did not carry the knife in the trouser pocket, when jumping but in the jacket. In the later pilot suits, they were stored in a front leg pocket to avoid injuries.

I am always using the new Swiss army knife when para-gliding which can be opened with one hand due to a hole in the blade, and usually have a membership with REGA helicopter rescue which saves 500'00 Franks in helicopter costs when caught in a tree.

Yep, know what you are talking about, been there in the late 60's, carried that thing on top of the emergency chute, split my lip once at the landing. Still have one of the newer production, just for the memories. nice but basically useless. I don't live in Germany anymore.

@@copperhammer Still a very special item symbolizing the unique Fallschirmjäger legacy and THE only item still in service since 1937. However soon they will all be gone .....

@@divingeagletv It is like so many "German engineered" items a little bit overengineered but nicely made, razor-sharp not suitable for combat. And I guess, totally overpriced by now. BTW, is it still in service in Germany ?

too many neo-nazi fucks looking for souvenirs

@@stocktonjoans I know quite a few here in Germany. Tough bastards, love watching them chase Antifa spackos off. They'd love you.

Thanks for sharing my love for this knife ! For a much better idea of the unique design, check out my video on the repair of these knives.

Thanks for your comment.

Thanks, please subscribe if you like my Videos...there will be more.

Thanks for your comment; for more detailed info on the simple design, please check out my other video "Luftwaffe Gravity Knife repair".

Actually there is so much more info available. The video only gives a brief overview. The book shown in the end is 240 pages thick and full of interesting facts solely on the development and use of these unique rescue and fighting knives. I love the chapter with the stories of the German WW2 soldiers talking about how the knife saved their lives. So many cool stories.....

@@divingeagletv impressive!

sadly, now they are illegal to own now in germany

KA-BAR.

@@Shinzon23 well said!

@@Shinzon23 Similar with the Kukri (BSI/BSA) - both have origins before their military adoptions that could be considered centuries worth of trial and adaptation. I don't mean the whole history of knives/blades but those two specific patterns; the Ka-Bar and the Kukri.

@@rickybuhl3176 kukri i consider a cultural thing, as it's been part of Nepalese history for centuries, whilst something like the KA-BAR is more a model/company thing

@@Shinzon23 Yes and no. The knife that came to be known as the "Kill a Bear" Ka-Bar was a knife that in various guises had been used by settlers and hunters. There were also changes from the initial 1898 knives to the ones issued in the military, naturally.. Ka-Bar is just a hunting knife that evolved to where it became a military issued piece of kit. Ka-Bar as a name wasn't even adopted until into the 1920s, when stories of hunters using them had surfaced, similar to the Bowie knives.. The history is much shorter because of the circumstances but it was neither new nor unique at the time - they just decided to try to sell it to the military after 'great success' selling them to the general population. Since not many were making real hunting knives en mass and from high-ish quality metal. I'd still take a Solingen blade over almost any US at the time.. It's just the one that was adopted. If you took 100 hunting knives from 1800 America, at least 20 would look very similar - there aren't many shapes for hunting and fileting knives that work in practice. And once the tip is snapped off, well - the blade is still good and we're left with the Ka-Bar style. As such, it's merely an evolution of a long line of hunting knives going back through the frontiersmen and whatever they adopted from the natives. So although not the history of the Kukri but that isn't possible either. It does however have a history that almost spans the colonization of the States up until WW2 - which is the best it can do in the circumstances and would place it as more cultural than a specific singular model, imo.

Stupid. In every kitchen are bigger knives

And the murder rate in Germany is so low. I cannot believe how stupid that is.

@@TrilobitesRTasty I think it is mentality. Ordnung!

The legislators are not stupid. You guys are to let this happen to you. ( Don't be offended ) . I looked once into some laws pertaining to gun ownership. Guess you have to be holier than thou, don't even need to apply for a permit if you ever had a parking ticket.

@@copperhammer It's true. The German people have allowed the German legislators to stop the German people from having weapons to go around murdering each other. That is so incredibly STUPID! Just look at America and our American freedoms! We Americans are free to murder tens of thousands of people every year! Hooray for America!!!! 😃

However, repair is possible! Check out my other Video to see how!

That is an awesome story, showing that the knives were actually used in close combat. In my book, there are more stories like that, which make the history of this unique weapon more vivid.

That's great lol

Oh my, I did not see that coming!

Quite expensive Camping Knife! They sell for 500-1000 Euros if all original. And you may have a rare piece which will go for more ..... happy to check out your knife, for you to know what you've got.

Wer dir das gesagt hat lügt. Oder ihr Deutschen habt viel strengere Gesetze als wir Österreicher.

Thanks, I appreciate your comment

That was truly a bad one then. The first ones were produced around 1970-1972. So possibly yours was almost 25 years old and had already seen many owners, who played with it a lot.

Yea, we traded knives with them during REFORGER. Well, it cut.

had one too , never had the problems you mentioned! Bulky but it worked well.

@@divingeagletv Maybe, I only had that one, played it once and never touched it again. :)

Could make a video on the Ibberson Gravity Knife used by British WW2 special forces. Unfortunately my knowledge on other knives is limited....

@@divingeagletv I understand. I'm glad I found your channel

Yes....try to put yourself in the shoes of a Wehrmacht soldier only being equipped with a bayonet. This knife was the shit. Please subscribe if you like my Videos.

The version with the corkscrew was never issued to anyone. It was developed by Victorinox with the intention to be used by officers but only the version with the screwdriver and blade was adopted. The SAK is used to this day by German forces as it was used in WW2. The gravity knife was only used by paratroopers while the regular infantry carried bayonets

@@sterkriger2572 the old officiel Victorinox-Wenger Soldiers knife used to have a cork-screw in the 60's then with the SIG 57 became the alumunium version without cork-screw, thats what I received in Military school, my father still had the older version with cork-screw, there were never officers version given out, Swiss soldiers had to buy lots of stuff themselves such a socks and undewear, also shirts and even speicial boots.The new Swiss soldiers knife can be opened with one hand and is especially adapted for mountaineering and para-trooper units.

What about the Mercator, thought this was popular in German service

@@fauxnews3740 very true!! Especially the lid to the tin, you can make a lethal blade with one.

Well said.

Yes, that's what I am saying in the video. To untie knots in the parachute lines. However soldiers get creative. I had one with the spike transformed into a screwdriver-like tool.

Nice....what happened to it? Sold?

@@divingeagletv my brother had it, and the police took it... : (

Absolutely !

Where did you get it? I'm looking for one.

@@pz3j Was on gunbroker. Seller had only a few. I doubt they're still there.

@@AjackLee4 thanks. I live in Poland. You'd think it would be easier here, but it's not.

Be quick....prices are going up.

Now you know, he has an expensive knife.

Apparently these knives were hanging right next to the AN-2 door, so the jump masters could cut off the jumpers in an emergency. Did a couple of jumps out of the "Bee" myself...."interesting" plane!

@@divingeagletv I've done few jump too. Plane looks straight from WW2 but they're still in use so must be good I guess.

Wow, that is new Info. Are you sure? Which version? The shorter AES 79 version or regular German Army Type 4 with green plastic scales on the handle?

" .... swiss navy knife ....." A swiss NAVY knife? ...... Oh my god, sailing down the Matterhorn?

@@BoydCooperLegend Exactly! It was issued to the commanders of the Bodensee submarine fleet in 1941. It is the most rarest of knives!

That is the so-called type 5 or LL80 (80 as for the length of the blade). Are you aware, there is a longer version as well called LL100? Eickhorn sells these to countries where these knives are still allowed...

First in Steinbach, then Leegebruch. Please subscribe to my channel. Will post more this year.

You may be talking about the Eickhorn RT 1 Rescue Knife, which is actually an offspring of the potential 5th generation German Army Gravity Knife - the LL 80. However LL 80 was never introduced to the forces.

I've got the same one but it's not Orange it's black and it's made by Imperial.

May be an American parachutists knife.

TS: It's a Camilus brand survival knife made for the US Navy since the 1960's. They are actually pretty cheaply made. The blade lock is weak. The hood is for cutting parachute shrouds. (old navy flyer).

Thanks for the advice. What do you mean with 1,5x speed? Are the scenes to long?

@@divingeagletv speech is just a little too slow but consistent

@@LeOssiTrollterrible lol your attention span is fucked due to all the tiktok snapchat fortnite porn surfing shit going on on ur mobile and computer at home in school on the bus at friends and outside 24/7. There is nothing wrong with his speech.

These knives can be fixed e.g. with 1970s/1980s parts. Check out my other Video on how to repair these knives. And I know a guy in the US who does it very well.

Not sure what you mean.

That is a good question: Other than most OTF (out the front) knives this one is not spring loaded/operated. Instead it functions simply by using the principle of Gravity. Or in other words: if you turn the front to the earth and push the lever, the blade FALLS out simply due to its weight.

Only the blueprints of the 1960s knife. However I am out of country until June 22. Stuff is at home.

@@divingeagletv Great, we will talk then.

Between 400-1200 Euros, depending on how rare and condition. Prices go up by at least 4-6% annually.

stay tuned ! I may offer some on this channel by the end of the year.

Danke

Get one now....the longer you wait, the more expensive they will get.

They are getting rare. Hard to answer this question.....

Post war type 2 knife (with wood scales) about 750 -1000 Euros (they are rarer than WW2 knives) vs. post war type 3 knife which are of a different and inferior design with black plastic scales about 150-200 Euros vs. post war type 4 knife with green plastic scales (1972 - 1984) about 200 Euros. 2021 prices for very good condition....rising annually as many disappear forever in private collections and fan community grows.

@@divingeagletv Thank you for the response, it's very informative. All the best 👍

@@divingeagletv $ 250 bucks !!!! Want mine?

The more complex, the less suitable for the Army. Simple as that!

They`re heavy enough, as it is....

The olive green type 4 model with plastic handles was phased out in 2017. Some may still be in use today but they will all very soon be gone.

@@divingeagletv ah sad

Not for the purpose of jumping. I can tell from experience. However, I replaced the knife with another knife with one hand opening mechanism after 2 years of service back in about 2000.

Alternativ einfach das dazugehörige Buch auf Deutsch kaufen. Erschienen im Wieland Verlag "Flieger-Kappmesser ".

Nein, die Messer sind leider illegal. Man könnte die Klinge entfernen und getrennt lagern. Dann wäre es legal.

@@divingeagletv okay dann werde ich es so machen da ich es nur ungern hergeben würde da es ein Familien Erbstück ist mit einer sehr bewegten Geschichte

@@sese123sese7 ich habe ein Reparaturvideo bei RU-vid eingestellt. Einfach reinschauen. Bügelniete entfernen und dann die Klinge raus....fertig.

Wo ist das Problem? Lass es einfach zuhause als Andenken. Solange Du nicht damit draussen rumläufst, kräht doch kein Hahn danach. Ich weiß, beantwortet Deine Frage nicht..

Не надо ничего ломать!!!Это память....Но и по улице не надо с ним ходить...жалко!По улице можно с кухонным ножиком ходить ...если отберут - не жалко будет.

Il est maintenant considéré comme précieux, surtout lorsqu'il est bien conservé. Mais il pourrait aussi être interdit d'en avoir en F. C'est le cas, par exemple, en Allemagne, en Grande-Bretagne et aux États-Unis.

@@BoydCooperLegend d'en avoir un.... sur soi vous voulez dire !? mais aux usa a me fait bien rire vu ce qu'ils possedent commes autres armes de n'importe quelle catégorie !!!

For sure the tank recon soldiers (Panzeraufkärer) had them. Apparently the spike was perfect to fix a jammed 20 mm cannon I was told by a friend.

Not this type though ;)