Aerial Cutlery Manufacturing Company-1909

Fred 'Fritz' Jaeger Jr.

The Aerial Cutlery Manufacturing Company was founded in 1909 by Fritz Jaeger Sr. in Marinette, Wisconsin with his two brothers Chris and Richard.  In 1913 they purchased some machinery from TW Phillips Manufacturing and began production. Manufacturing specialized needs during WWI they were greatly successful.

Members of their family were still in Germany producing Prussian S84/98 bayonets.


Namesake Fritz 'Fred' Jaeger Jr, born 1926 became a helper in his father's family business.  Hard economic times during the 1930's Great Depression caused them to expand their product line to include fishing tackle and barber supplies.  Imported razors from Nazideuschland for sale in the United States.

Friedrich Gustav Jaeger

 Relative Friedrich Gustav Jaeger had contacts with the US and planned to overthrow Adolf Hitler in Operation Valkyrie.  Later he was executed for that.

Fritz 'Fred' Jaeger Jr. served in the U.S. Army during World War II  (1943-1946) to prove his loyalty to the U.S. and acted as correspondence.

He returned, to learn some Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin (1950).  Drafted design sketches of bayonets and trench knives.  These looked much similar to German versions of edged weaponry and his patriotism was in question.

 Fritz Jaeger Jr. was then called up and sent to the Korean War for two years.
Fritz Jaeger, Jr. returned from the Korean War in 1952 to soon become the President of Aerial Cutlery Manufacturing Company in 1954.

 Won the 'E' award for filling government contracts to make/retrofit M1 carbine bayonets.

U.S M4 Bayonet

These were for poking communists in the Vietnam War and was a good idea to him and other Americans with german heritage.

Memories of all those shaved heads prompted Aerial Cutlery Manufacturing Company to began to distribute only barber supplies changing its name to 'Aerial Company, Inc.' in 1982 but not for hard economic times.
Fritz continued as a member of the Aerial Board of Directors after he retired in 1993 then died April 3, 2014.
Since 2010 Aerial Company, Inc. currently operates as a subsidiary of Beauty Systems Group LLC.