re: German officer's WWII sword that I have...

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That's a Luftwaffe dress dagger. Take off the scabbard and check the base of the blade for a maker mark. They do make fakes of these but based on the pictures alone it looks authentic. Coupled with your grandpaw's story it sounds like you have a real piece.

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Manufacture of this kind of item is what Speer talks about in his book. The regime insisted on using precious metals to make such items long after it was obvious that every scrap of metal was critically needed for war materiel manufacture. Speer was never able to put Germany on an all-out war effort economy. He tried, but, his powers were gradually shaved away until he was unable to exert his personal influence enough to make it happen. Of course, this dagger is just a small example of the larger problem.