WW2 GERMAN LUFTWAFFE AIRPLANE RESCUE AXE (BERGEBEIL) WITH LOAD CARRYING BELT
HISTORY
Key Features and Identification
- Design: These axes usually feature a hardened steel head with a sharp, curved cutting blade on one side and a pick or blunt hammering point on the other.
- Insulation: Many models included a rubber-wrapped or heavily insulated handle. This design was crucial for protecting aircrew from high-voltage electrical shocks if they cut through live wiring in the wrecked plane.
- Markings: Original Luftwaffe axes often featured German military markings, such as the Waffenamt eagle stamp or a stylized "Winged A" logo, sometimes indicating a specific manufacturer like Helko.
- Condition: Due to their durable nature, these items are frequently found at crash sites 80 years later, with some surviving examples being used on historical military vehicles or in museum displays.
These tools were essential equipment for Luftwaffe bomber and transport crews. While parachutes were used for in-flight emergencies, landing impacts often mangled light aircraft structures, trapping crew members inside a burning or damaged fuselage. The Bergebeil allowed aircrew to hack an exit through the aluminum skin of the aircraft.
ITEM DESCRIPTION
This is indeed a rare find and the first time that I have come across one of these. The axe is maker marked to the German firm of Helko and is waffenampt stamped to the wooden handle. it comes with its original leather axe cover attached to a heavy leather belt that has a large steel load bearing clip attached obviously to aid in a rescue.
Please note: Henrys Military Collectables only deals products with historical value for collectors, museums and research purposes.
We do not, in any case, associate or have association with National Socialism, the Third Reich period, Political Parties and/or military organisations.If you do have any association with the above, we would like you to leave the website and we ask you not to contact us.