3595

Historic Silver Furnished Norwegian Belt Knife, Inscribed for Presentation to U.S. Air Force General

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD
Historic Silver Furnished Norwegian Belt Knife, Inscribed for Presentation to U.S. Air Force General
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Historic Silver Furnished Norwegian Belt Knife, Inscribed for Presentation to U.S. Air Force General and Strategic Air Power Legend Curtis LeMay From Norwegian Air Force General Wilhelm Mohr

Manufactured in the "tollekniv" style, with a 4 inch long laminated blade marked "DAVID-ANDERSEN/NORWAY" on the right side, installed in a well aged silver collar with a smooth, ergonomically contoured fancy maple grip, for an overall length of 8 1/2 inches. Sheath is black leather with Sterling silver tip and throat, the latter stamped with "D-A", "925S" and "(scales)" hallmarks over "NORWAY-STERLING" on the back, and the front inscribed "CURTIS E. LEMAY/IN APPRECIATION FROM/NORWEGIAN FRIENDS/WILHELM MOHR". Born 27 June 1917, Wilhelm Mohr was a Norwegian military aviator at the outbreak of World War II, and would be one of the founders and instructors at "Little Norway", the Norwegian Government-in-Exile's aviation training camp in Canada. Later, he would be assigned to the RAF's 332 Squadron, which provided support for the Dieppe Raid, the Normandy Landings, and the Liberation of Holland. After the war, Mohr would serve as King Haakon VII's adjutant, Chief of Staff of the Air Defense Command, Chief of the Air Force and General Inspector of the Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant General, having earned an American Legion of Merit and an assortment of knighthoods. Curtis Emerson LeMay spent the years before World War II as a pursuit pilot and navigator in the Army Air Corps, and the War years as a strategic bomber commander, leading daylight precision bombing in Europe and nighttime incendiary attacks (including the Firebombing of Tokyo) in the China-Burma-India and Pacific Theaters. Following the War, LeMay served as a leading figure in the Berlin Airlift, and converted the Strategic Air Command from an assortment of left-over bombers to one of the cornerstones of America's nuclear deterrent. Later he would be made Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, where he served as an advocate for satellite technology and electronic warfare, before retiring as America's longest serving 4-star General in 1965. Included with the knife is a photocopy of an article written by a former owner of this knife, giving some history of the blade and the connections between the two Generals.

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Extremely fine, showing only the slightest handling marks overall. The silver is finely aged on both the collar and sheath fittings. A historic presentation knife, connected with one of the biggest names in military aviation.