Peter-Michel, W. Das Fallmesser der Deutschen Luftwaffe. Technik und Entwicklung des Fliegerkappmessers

The Fliegerkappmesser was part of the equipment of the flying personnel of the German Air Force throughout the Second World War. It is a drop-blade knife in which the blade slides forward out of the handle by the action of gravity. All German wartime pilots used it, from fighter aces like Adolf Galland, Werner Mölders or Erich Hartmann to the thousands of unnamed pilots and crew members who served aboard German aircraft. Every paratrooper also wore one and probably used it far more often than the rest of the Luftwaffe's flying personnel. This was because the latter were only supposed to use it in case they had to rescue themselves from their aircraft by parachute, and then only if they had to use it to cut themselves loose from the parachute because the parachute lines had become entangled. For paratroopers, of course, parachuting was part of the trade, which is why they needed a jackknife far more often. This book presents the technology and development of this symbolic knife. The variants produced after 1945 for the military and the civilian market are also covered. In addition, it offers a classification in the historical context and presents some examples of comparable folding knives from other countries.