According to an included note, this F-S knife, sheath and dog tag set were the property of Doctor Friedrich "Fritz" Febel, an Assistant Professor of health, physical education and recreation at the University of Buffalo as well as a football coach for the Buffalo Bulls (sic, not the Buffalo Bills, assistant 1936-1942, head 1952-1954). Measuring 11 1/2 inches overall with a 6 3/4 inch spear point blade with a diamond cross section and short triangular ricasso flats. The guard is blued steel in a flat oval pattern, with "(broad arrow) B2" stamped on the underside, and the hilt is darkened ribbed brass with "3" cast into the side. The brass-tipped leather sheath has had the belt hanger removed, with a dog tag wrapped around the center marked "FRIEDRICH FEBEL/36756192 T43 44 O"; this combination of markings would indicate an enlisted draftee from the Sixth Corps Area (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, parts of Missouri). Included with the dagger are two German propaganda leaflets, one titled "Nettuno ...Bloody Shit" (addressed to British troopers at the Nettuno landing site during the Battle of Anzio, implying that their American allies had left them holding the bag; a hand-written note indicates the same note with the wording reversed was dropped on American units in Anzio) and another titled "Mail Call" (framed as a U.S. POW reporting that neither Churchill or Roosevelt cared about the Atlantic Charter, and all other agreements were potentially moot), both with a general theme of "surrender now, ride out the war in a POW camp, and (for "Bloody Shit") bring a blanket and some extra underwear". A third propaganda leaflet, untranslated, features a Tojo caricature with a bloody sword, women and children haunted by a specter of death and overrun with snakes and other vermin in his wake. A pair of pictures of a man, one in civilian garb and one in a Staff Sergeant's uniform, are included, one marked on back to identifying the man as Fritz Febel. Finally, an October 1943 award document for the German Cross in Silver to an Oberst (Colonel) Ulrich Dorn. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Fine overall. The blade shows some polishing marks (particularly around the tip), and retains over 75% of the bright, strong blue finish overall. The hilt shows well aged brass patina on most of he surface, with original blackened finish in the protected areas. The sheath and tag show areas of unidentified residue, but are in generally fine condition.