German paratroopers needed a knife-cutter for emergency cutting of lines.
By order of the Luftwaffe, this knife was designed by Fliegerkappmesser - FKM (flying knife-cutter) or Kappmmesser (knife-cutter). It was adopted on May 24, 1937.
Known also under other names: "Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger-Messer" (parachute knife of the Luftwaffe), "German gravity knife" (German gravity knife), "Luftwaffe gravity knife" (gravity knife Air Force Germany), "Paratrooper gravity knife" (gravitational knife parachutist , "Bundeswehr gravity knife" (gravity knife of the Bundeswehr), as well as "Bundeswehr-fallmesser" (emergency knife of the Bundeswehr) and so on. In fascist Germany, two models of this simple and effective knife were released. Model "M-1937" was produced from 1937 to 1941 in Solingen by the factories "Paul Weyersberg & Co" and "SMF" (Solinger Metallwaffenfabrik Stoecker & Co).
photo from here
