Re German Parachutist/air crew knives.
Old SS man once commented (early to mid 1970s)that he could have give away shoe spoons stamped with a supposedly nazi insignia and make a fortune on them.
The pantogragh knife seems to fall into that catagory.
I carried the wood handled marlin spiked gravity knife for a bit. It and every otherone I saw in germany rattled when colapsed and some like the one in the sale had a bit of the tip stick out the gaurd area.
I replaced it with what I was told was a later gravity knife used in nazi service but have since been told that this was a post war knife...despite having a FJ of wwII service asking to see it and commenting that it was just like the once they got begining in 1944.
It had no marlin spike, was much thinner and had black plastic scales and a bale. There was also a little door over the hole the blade dropped from atha prevented the problem the older had with the protruding blade tip. It still rattled.
I replaced that with a then german issue "green butter knife" a sheath knife of single edge that cansisted of a blade, a guard, rubber washer. one piece plastic handle (shaped something like the SA and SS dagger handle, but rounded) and a bolt and nut with a lanyard hole through it. The sheath was metal, painted green to match the plastic handle and had a stud that fitted it in a leather frog. Not as cool as either FJ knife, but a better tools and weapon and it did not rattle.
I traded the older for a nice modern switch blade that I later "loaned to someone permanantly" and the second after not carrying for a bit I left to a freind that liked it when I got my orders back to stateside.
I do not know if it still exist but Bo Randall used to keep a little museum of knives folks sent him that included a host of military issue folders and switch blades. Visiting it with him was among the highlights of a visit with him with a friend whose uncle had been Mr. Randalls first worker. Mr. Randall expressed a low opinion of most military folders he showed that day.
-Bob Hollingsworth