Painting upon NVA cord cutter knife ... ?

[Reibert]

Hi, mates !

I do have a question regarding the final pattern NVA Kappmesser mit feststehender Klinge, (NVA Para´s cord cutter knife with fixed blade).

Received such knive with a numeral, painted upon the grip plate in red colour day´s ago.
Observed such knive´s with an numeral, painted in white colour upon on one of the grip plates in the past.

What does this numeral means ?
Is this an inventory number of a Coy, or, a platoon ? ...

Thx. in advance,
R.

[Reibert]

Usually the NVA cordcutter knive lacks any numerals and they came like this one:

[Reibert]

(Polish) NVA cord cutter knife

[Reibert]

...
Usually the NVA cordcutter knive lacks any numerals and they came like this one:

This is the, "simplified", Kappmesser of the "last version", (made in the GDR for the NVA).

[Reibert]

Here is an NVA Kappmesser / cord cutter knife "Letztes Modell" / last pattern which I received today.

The dimensions:
Total length: 257mm
Blade length: 134mm
Handle Length: 123mm
Blade thickness: 30 mm
Blade width at the handle and at the "tip": 23.5 mm
Blade width at the narrowest point: 19.5 mm

Blade ground on both sides, bi-concave appearance of the blade along the length of the grind.

The handle scales are attached by three brass pin rivets.

Dimensions handle: 23 mm - 26 mm

Length of the leather sheath (sewn and riveted): approx. 178 mm

The knife was usually attached to the top (sometimes also to the bottom) of the reserve parachute.
The knife was fastened to the reserve parachute by the cord of the reserve parachute pulled through the four eyelets of the scabbard.

In the early years, the Luftsturmregiment 40 / air assault regiment, (former: Fallschirmjägerbataillon 40), still used the Wehrmacht Luftwaffe Fliegerkappmesser M1937.
This Fallmesser / Schwerkraftmesser, ("Gravity Knife"), was later replicated in the GDR.
A rare bird !
scarce NVA Para´s "Fallmesser"

In the 1970s, the Polish Kappmesser WP-D
Poland Para´s cord-cutter-knife WPD
was introduced to the airborne troops of the NVA, which was also later copied in the DDR / GDR, (or even manufactured in Poland for the NVA of the former DDR ?), and introduced.
In the late 1980s, the last version of a fixed-blade cord cutter knive was introduced into the Air Assault Regiment of the NVA.

Although this knife is a tool, this "tool" could also be used as a "weapon" in close combat, since the cutting edge of the blade is ground "razor-sharp" on the top and bottom!

[Rakkasan187]

The number could be a "rack" number where this may have been stored in a supply room for some form of inventory accountability.

US Bayonets and other "sensitive items" would have rack numbers and when being used by the individual Soldiers they would have been secured/stored in a supply room or arms room vault.

Smitty

[Reibert]

I was told by an former member of the NVA Luftsturmregiment:

The reserve, (emergency), chute had an internal number.
The cord cutter knife was assigned the chute, (corresponding number), not to the Para !
Sometimes the number of the reserve chute was painted upon the hilt of the cord cutter knife, sometimes burnt in.
Most of such knives aren´t showin´ any numbers ...

[Reibert]

For comparison:

(Polish) NVA cord cutter knife