German knife ID ?

[Beastmaster.308]

Hi all, I have this old knife that I found in my outbuilding in Normandy, France when I lived there over 10 years ago. It was in among a load of old horse tack, presumably from when the farm was worked with horses? I digress, but I recently found it again among some boxes and wondered if anyone here might know what it is? It has a military look about it with the metal scabbard? It has a flyer de lise on the handle and LINDER-MESSER SOLINGEN-GERMANY stamped on the blade. Quite a small grip/handle perhaps for a teenager?

I’d appreciate any thoughts on it

 

[angel eyes]

Hitler German youth knife?

 

[angel eyes]

I think the originals had a swastika on the handle,

 

[HonestJohn]

Think it’s an early post WW1 Solingen hunting knife.

It’s a beauty, if it was mine, I’d use it as a highland stalking knife for reds

 

[sh1kar]

Hm. Scouts symbol on the handle

 

[sh1kar]

Hm. Scouts symbol on the handle

Yep

A vintage Robert Klass Solingen scout knife with metal sheath

A vintage Robert Klass Solingen scout knife with metal sheath in Two Day Auction Including Furniture, Ceramics, Antiques, Collectables, (17 Nov 2023)

auctions.whittakerandbiggs.co.uk

 

[Karhumies]

While its known as the Hitler jugend knife it is essentially just the traditional boyscout knife. Otherwise i cant tell you mutch

 

[tozzybum]

Yep 100% boy scouts knife .Several friends had them in the late 70's .The Hitler youth and SS versions had germanic insignia on them.
All youth organisations in Germany were absorbed by Hitler youth in about 1935 ish .

 

[Beastmaster.308]

Thanks for all the feedback, I wasn’t sure if it was something wartime dated or more recent. Would anyone know what sort of time period this was from?
I’m amazed that a boy scout would have been issued such a blade, had to make do with a Swiss Army knife in my day!

 

[Karhumies]

Thanks for all the feedback, I wasn’t sure if it was something wartime dated or more recent. Would anyone know what sort of time period this was from?
I’m amazed that a boy scout would have been issued such a blade, had to make do with a Swiss Army knife in my day!

Iam amazed that there are places where boyscouts wouldnt be issued a proper blade. That includes my own birth country.... not an expert myself but based on one i came across with that same frog and profile id say 50s. Bakelite handle would all but confirm that to me

 

[Karhumies]

again, only superficial knowledge but from ones i have seen the 1910-1920s ones had horn handles and more of a clip point. the ww2 era isnt hard to ID, then it became bakelite, theb phenol, after that i have no idea.

keeping in mind that those are over the counter off the shelve ones. Nothing stopped anyone from ordering something fancy.

 

[bobo]

It’s a standard German made boy scout knife made from after WW2 and up to early 80ies.
Sold in several countries, it was also popular here in Denmark.
Used to have one myself my first knife back around 1980, i picked it myself in the shop, a great thing for a 9 year boy.

This one is for younger scouts up to age 9-10, with the large hand guard. For older scouts the large hand guard is not mandatory anymore, and the knives seem to be a little larger, many of them have bottle opener and screwdriver in the handle.
We don’t get issued scout equipment, have to buy it ourselves. Have 2 boys in the scouts, and I bought Swedish mora style scout knives for them, as they seem to be the most popular with the scouts nowadays.

 

[bobo]

Just looked it up and can say its still made, so you can buy them brand new in the scout shops.
It’s a model 1933 but if made before may 1945 it would have a very different mark on the handle.

 

[Longstrider]

Bobo has it. Nothing sinister about it, it's a Scout knife that was very popular 'in the day'.
It will be good steel properly heat treated and would take a good edge.

 

[Beastmaster.308]

Thanks for all your comments, I knew this was the place to ask!

 

[paul o']

Scouts knife at some point they removed the ZZ and put the scout badge in some to sell them without the bad feelings but a youth knife is what it is.
Got the same one some place in the collection.

 

[bobo]

It happend to be a popular design with boy scouts several places in Europe, not just Germany, in the early 30ies, and Hitleryouth chose to mass produce and issue it yes, but the design predates Hitlers time, not the other way around.
The ones from 1908-1926 section in the scout museum looks the same, the handle is just antler or wood.

We can still buy them in several versions at the scout stores, both with the and without the long hand guard:

Feststehendes Messer History Knife & Tool German Scout Knife

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