An exceptional original Luftwaffe General’s Sword M1938 by Carl Eickhorn, Solingen, complete with its fire-gilt hilt, orange General officer grip, etched Hermann Göring presentation blade, black leather-covered scabbard and an exceptionally rare silver-and-blue Luftwaffe General officer portepee.
The straight presentation blade carries the traditional gilt and blued dedication “In dankbarer Anerkennung”, together with the Hermann Göring Luftwaffe presentation inscription. A separately applied silver-coloured Luftwaffe eagle decorates the richly gilt folding guard.
Most importantly, the surviving portepee uses a broad flat silver-metallic weave with Luftwaffe-blue longitudinal stripes. This construction is dramatically scarcer than the narrower braided silver knots normally encountered on documented General swords.
A museum-standard Luftwaffe General officer ensemble and one of the most prestigious Third Reich edged weapons produced by Eickhorn.
€ 27.500
1 in stock
This magnificent Luftwaffe General’s Sword M1938 represents the special ceremonial sword produced for Luftwaffe officers holding General rank.
Carl Eickhorn manufactured the recognised General officer pattern at Solingen.
Unlike an ordinary Luftwaffe sword, this model features extensive hand-finished gilding, a specially constructed folding guard and an elaborate presentation blade.
Moreover, the sword was associated with the prestige system surrounding Hermann Göring and senior Luftwaffe leadership.
Documented examples belonging to General officers confirm the fundamental construction of the present piece.
The blade carries the manufacturer’s designation:
Carl Eickhorn was one of Germany’s foremost military edged-weapon manufacturers.
During the Third Reich period, the Solingen company produced numerous regulation and prestige weapons.
However, Luftwaffe General swords occupied a completely different level from ordinary production.
Their construction required extensive finishing, elaborate blade etching and expensive gilt fittings.
Documented Eickhorn General swords belonging to men such as Walther von Axthelm and Albert Kesselring confirm these high manufacturing standards.
The orange spiral grip identifies this sword with the later General officer configuration generally described as the Model 1938.
Its characteristic features include:
Weitze documents the second pattern as the later form used from approximately 1938 onward.
The hilt retains exceptionally attractive gilt finish.
Raised floral decoration extends over the knuckle bow, guard shells and pommel.
Meanwhile, finely stippled backgrounds create depth and contrast.
Protected surfaces retain particularly strong gold colour.
Exposed sections have naturally softened with age.
This variation creates exactly the type of patina expected on a genuine period fire-gilt General officer sword.
The front folding guard carries a separately applied Luftwaffe eagle.
Its silver-coloured finish contrasts strongly against the gilt guard.
Detailed wing feathers remain clearly defined.
Likewise, the swastika remains prominent beneath the eagle.
Documented Eickhorn General swords use the same separate eagle construction, with the device attached independently to the guard rather than simply formed as part of the casting.
Rich orange composition forms the grip.
Broad spiral sections create the classic Model 1938 profile.
Fine twisted metallic wire follows each groove.
Although slight period marks remain visible, the grip survives particularly well.
Its warm orange colour also provides a striking contrast with the gold hilt and silver-blue portepee.
The blade separates this sword immediately from an ordinary dress weapon.
Extensive etched decoration covers both sides.
Dark blued panels provide a background for gilt inscriptions.
One side carries:
translated as:
The opposite side follows the recognised Hermann Göring presentation format associated with these General officer swords.
Weitze documents the later inscription as:
on comparable Eickhorn Model 1938 examples.
The dedication occupies only part of the blade decoration.
Highly detailed ornamental panels extend beyond the inscription.
Scrollwork, geometric motifs and floral elements frame the central presentation areas.
Gold lettering contrasts dramatically against the darkened ground.
Despite its age, the blade retains exceptionally strong visual definition.
Consequently, it remains one of the major attractions of the sword.
The portepee is one of the most important features of this particular sword.
Its construction is dramatically different from the normal silver officer knots commonly encountered on Luftwaffe swords.
Instead, this example uses a broad flat woven strap.
The principal material is silver metallic textile.
Multiple narrow Luftwaffe-blue longitudinal stripes run through the weave.
The strap terminates in a large, tightly constructed General officer tassel.
Its construction is both visually impressive and exceptionally uncommon.
The portepee displays:
Published Luftwaffe General swords more commonly appear with a much narrower braided silver knot.
Therefore, the present broad silver-and-blue pattern deserves to be treated as an important collector item in its own right.
Its survival with the General sword materially increases the completeness and desirability of the ensemble.
The distinction is easy to see when comparing documented General swords.
The Walther von Axthelm example retains an original portepee, yet its style belongs to the more familiar narrow braided family.
Likewise, Albert Kesselring’s extraordinary luxury Eickhorn sword survives with its original knot, but again the published configuration differs from this broad flat-woven silver-and-blue type.
Therefore, this ensemble offers something especially unusual.
The sword itself is already extremely rare.
Adding this extraordinary portepee moves the complete set into a significantly more desirable category.
The silver textile has naturally dulled.
Meanwhile, the blue stripes show uneven period fading.
Raised areas display lighter abrasion.
Protected areas retain darker colour.
Furthermore, the tassel has settled naturally over decades.
Its tightly wrapped bullion threads show consistent patination.
Nothing visible in the photographs suggests a recently produced synthetic knot.
For preservation purposes, the portepee should remain exactly as found.
The sword retains its original black leather-covered scabbard.
Gilt metal fittings appear at the throat and lower end.
The leather shows clear genuine age.
Surface crazing and minor finish loss remain visible.
However, the scabbard remains complete and displays extremely well with the sword.
Most importantly, its wear agrees naturally with the age visible on the hilt and fittings.
The large upper mount retains strong gold finish.
A suspension fitting allows the sword to hang correctly when worn.
Meanwhile, the lower fitting protects the scabbard tip.
Original gilding remains visible across both mounts.
Wear occurs primarily on exposed high points.
That pattern supports genuine use rather than artificial ageing.
One of the strongest reference examples is the Eickhorn General sword belonging to General der Flakartillerie Walther von Axthelm.
Its documented construction includes:
Weitze also records the sword as having been displayed with von Axthelm’s uniform at the former Eyewitness Museum in the Netherlands.
An extraordinary luxury version belonged to Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring.
That sword also came from Eickhorn.
Its construction includes precious stones, an amber grip, fire-gilt fittings, presentation blade and original portepee.
Although considerably more elaborate, the Kesselring sword proves the importance that Eickhorn General swords could achieve at the very highest level of Luftwaffe command.
Another important documented sword belonged to General Hellmuth Volkmann.
Its Eickhorn construction again includes the fire-gilt General officer hilt, silver eagle, amber-toned grip and dedicated presentation blade.
Most importantly, Weitze records the Volkmann sword as a direct Hermann Göring presentation and describes the special dedication on the blade.
That documented provenance demonstrates the special status these swords held within the senior Luftwaffe hierarchy.
The current market confirms that Luftwaffe General swords should not be priced alongside ordinary Luftwaffe officer swords.
Johnson Reference Books & Militaria currently lists an original Eickhorn Luftwaffe General’s Sword for $27,500.
Their example is described as excellent++ with strong gilding, excellent scabbard leather and original storage bag. The current description does not mention an exceptionally rare portepee comparable with the one accompanying the present sword.
A further specialist-market benchmark cited for this catalogue is approximately €27,000 for another General sword.
Accordingly, the earlier €14,995 valuation substantially undervalued this piece.
The unusual portepee deserves separate recognition.
Based on its scarcity, complex General officer construction and the difficulty of finding comparable original pieces:
Therefore, the complete sword-and-portepee combination should command more than an otherwise equivalent sword supplied without this accessory.
That point is especially important when comparing dealer prices.
Taking current specialist dealer prices, the sword’s Eickhorn construction and the rare portepee into account:
A reasonable current specialist range would be approximately:
This valuation reflects:
Direct named provenance to a specific Luftwaffe General would justify a substantially higher figure.
The sword displays a highly coherent set of period characteristics.
These include the correct:
Additionally, the overall configuration agrees closely with documented General officer swords.
The unusual portepee also shows convincing age and construction.
Therefore, the complete ensemble presents extremely strongly as an original period Luftwaffe General officer sword with an exceptionally scarce accessory.
Overall condition is very good original collector condition.
The hilt retains extensive original gilding.
Its separately applied eagle remains sharply defined.
Likewise, the orange grip remains sound.
The etched blade retains strong decoration and excellent presentation.
Some age wear appears naturally throughout.
Meanwhile, the leather scabbard shows more visible service and storage wear.
The rare portepee remains complete and exceptionally impressive.
No cleaning or restoration is recommended.
This Luftwaffe General’s Sword M1938 represents one of the most prestigious edged weapons available to an advanced Luftwaffe collector.
The General officer configuration alone is exceptionally scarce.
However, this example gains an additional level of importance through the rare portepee.
The ensemble combines:
Carl Eickhorn Solingen
Model 1938 General pattern
fire-gilt hand-finished hilt
silver applied Luftwaffe eagle
orange spiral General grip
Hermann Göring presentation blade
black leather scabbard
and
That combination makes the set particularly suitable for a high-level collection or museum display.
Item: Luftwaffe General officer presentation sword German designation: Stichdegen für Generale Model: Model 1938 Manufacturer: Carl Eickhorn Location: Solingen Maker mark: Original Eickhorn Solingen Period: Circa 1938–1944 Hilt: Fire-gilt Buntmetall Decoration: Hand-finished scroll and floral ornament Guard: Folding General officer pattern Eagle: Separately applied silver-coloured Luftwaffe eagle Grip: Orange composition Grip wire: Twisted metallic wire Blade: Straight etched and decorated presentation blade Inscription: In dankbarer Anerkennung Presentation attribution: Hermann Göring / Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe type Scabbard: Black leather covered Scabbard fittings: Gilt metal Portepee: Exceptionally rare broad silver-and-blue Luftwaffe General officer type Estimated portepee value: €2,000 Condition: Very good Rarity: Extremely rare Short ID: LW-GEN-EICK-M38-P Recommended retail price: €27,500
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original German General officer equipment
https://nordmenn-militaria.com/product/heer-general-feldbinde-original-gilt-parade-belt/
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museum-quality Third Reich edged weapons
https://nordmenn-militaria.com/
These internal links provide relevant navigation to related senior-officer material.
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documented Luftwaffe General’s Sword M1938
This documented sword confirms the principal Eickhorn construction and General officer presentation format.
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Albert Kesselring Luftwaffe General presentation sword
This luxury example demonstrates the prestige of the Eickhorn General sword family.
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Johnson Eickhorn Luftwaffe General’s Sword
https://johnsonreferencebooks.com/product/luftwaffe-generals-sword-by-eickhorn-32138/
Johnson currently lists the example at $27,500.
It is an original Carl Eickhorn Luftwaffe General’s Sword Model 1938, or Stichdegen für Generale.
The model was intended for Luftwaffe officers holding General rank and equivalent senior status.
Carl Eickhorn of Solingen manufactured the sword.
It translates as “In Grateful Recognition.”
Comparable General officer presentation swords carry Göring’s designation as commander of the Luftwaffe.
No.
The hilt is fire-gilt non-ferrous metal.
Yes.
Documented Eickhorn General swords use a separate silver-coloured eagle attached to the guard.
Its broad flat silver-metallic strap with blue woven stripes is exceptionally uncommon.
Most published Luftwaffe General swords use the more familiar narrow braided silver portepee.
The textile construction, patina, colour fading and tassel ageing all appear strongly consistent with period manufacture from the photographs.
Approximately €2,000 is a reasonable specialist valuation.
Johnson currently asks $27,500 for an Eickhorn Luftwaffe General’s Sword.
The rare General officer portepee is an important part of that valuation.
