Also known as the “ME 109,” the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German WW2-era fighter that first entered production in 1935 and would ultimately serve as the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s aerial fighting force. In 1940, an E-series Messerschmitt Bf 109 was shot down near the village of Ashford in the British county of Kent by a Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire during the Battle of Britain. More than 80 years after being shot down, this ill-fated ME 109 was recovered for the purpose of having portions of its materials harvested so they could be upcycled into the latest limited edition knife from Böker Plus.
After excavating the Luftwaffe fighter, the rear plate of its steel-plated pilot’s seat and the bearing sleeve of the aircraft’s 1,000-hp Daimler V12 engine’s propeller shaft were pulled and then shipped off to Chad Nichols in Blue Springs, Mississippi. From there, the artisan Damascus steel producer carefully forged the recovered metals into a beautiful high-carbon, high-cut 80-layer Damascus blade steel. This handworked 80-layer construction has been crafted into a 3.15” blade that’s 0.14” thick.
The Messerschmitt-sourced Damascus blade construction has been paired with a titanium frame-locking handle that sees its “show side” cloaked in a top-shelf Toxic Stormscale from Fatcarbon Materials. Fitted with a matching titanium, integrated tip-up pocket clip, the titanium side of the knife also sports an elaborately integrated carbide contact surface. The knife also takes several design cues from the Messerschmitt, including a uniquely-shaped thumb-hole-style opening at the base of the blade’s spine that’s modeled after the shape of the plane’s cockpit, and a flipper tab that takes inspiration from the aircraft’s landing gear. The green, black, and yellow color scheme on the carbon handle is also a nod to the greenish-grey undercoat and yellow front fuselage that adorned thousands of Bf 109 fighters. Spanning 7.09” overall, the ME 109 Damast weighs in at only 2.33oz, too.
Available for purchase in the coming weeks, the Böker Plus ME 109 Damast Knife has been priced at $453. Produced in extremely limited numbers, this knife is also sold with an included case and a certificate of authenticity.
