Original Item: Only One Available: This is a wonderful German WWII Enlisted Man's RAD Hewer, produced by the legendary maker Carl Eickhorn of Solingen, arguably the most desirable of all makers. The hewer is in great lightly used condition, showing just a bit of wear and oxidation, and comes with a lovely enameled scabbard showing classic "checking" to the finish. Even better, it comes complete with a very rare "Bullet" style hanger, named so for the shape of the leather backing! We have only had two of these rare hangers before, as almost all were lost during or after the war.

The hewer itself is in very nice condition, with its nickel plated steel mounts showing a lovely lightly used patina. There is some plating bubbling and a tiny chip missing around the "beak" of the grip, as well as some flaking on the bottom of the cross guard, but it still presents very nicely. The crossguard has a fine, curled quillon, which is very well executed. The grip plates on this example are genuine stag, and look to be the larger earlier type. The stag shows a lovely yellowed stained color from age, which gives the antler a great, attractive appearance. Both plates are fully intact and have a great color and texture. The stag plates are retained by magnetic nickel plated steel alloy screws and spanner nuts, which are in very good shape, showing only a bit of oxidation. They do not appear to have been turned in decades.

The excellent condition blade is the heavy bolo style, being produced in a brushed matte finish, with single fuller on both sides. This blade is really one of the best we have ever seen, showing very little cleaning and just a bit of oxidation staining. The edge is still unsharpened, and the etched markings are still crisp and clear. The etched Arbeit adelt (Work Ennobles) motto on the obverse is crisp, retaining virtually all of the factory darkening. The reverse ricasso is matching etched, with the RAD triangle positioned above the abbreviation, GES. GESCH., for Gesetzlich Geschützt (Protected By Law), indicating that the hewer is a trademarked design.

Beneath this is the Carl Eickhorn 1935-41 trademark: a seated squirrel holding a sword, with the word ORIGINAL above and Eickhorn / SOLINGEN below, with the sword piercing the letter "i". Carl Eickhorn, Stahlwarenfabrik (steelware factory) is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany. As the cross guard partly obscures the marking, it was difficult to get a clear picture.

According to J. Anthony Carter's book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this early marking type was specifically used on Army Daggers as well as RAD daggers. The company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn, and is arguably the most famous of all Solingen makers. Not only could the family trace their history back 500 years, but they could also demonstrate involvement in the hardening and grinding industries for the same period. Truly the nobility of Solingen Edged weapon dynasties. Eickhorn edged weapons are the most desirable of all makers. The original leather blade buffer is in place within the deep recesses of the guard.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and has most of its original black enamel paint which is showing some age. The paint still has gloss to its surfaces, with some wear on the edges and the expected crazing from age, a sign that it is original paint, and was not repainted at some point. The scabbard mounts are steel plated with what looks to be nickel, which is still retained on both mounts, showing wear and plating loss commensurate with age.

The lower mount depicts an RAD shovel, with lined surfaces, having a contrasting, smooth mobile swas (hook cross) in the center of the spade. This spade rests between two wheat shafts. The mount is decorated along the borders with beaded circles. The same beaded circles appear on the border of the upper mount, and above these are the RAD curls. These curls are deeply stamped, having good lined backgrounds. The mounts are retained by 4 "cheesehead" screws, which are all present and in good condition.

The rare "Bullet" hanger is in good condition, showing wear from long service. It has lost the plating on the metal fittings, now showing an oxidized patina, and the spring inside the clip is missing or broken. The black patent leather components show age related deterioration, with cracking and "melting" of the finish. This happens over a long period of time, and shows that these are definitely real.

A great example of a pre-war RAD EM/NCO Hewer by the most legendary of Solingen makers, complete with a scabbard and rare "bullet" hanger. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edged Clip Point Hewer
Overall length: 13 3/4“
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 10 1/2"

The basis of the RAD, Reichsarbeitsdienst, (National Labor Service), dates back, at least, to 1929 with the formation of the AAD (Anhalt Arbeitsdienst) and the FAD-B (Freiwillingen Arbeitsdienst-Bayern). Shortly after AH’s appointment as Chancellor in Jan 1933, the NSDAP consolidated all labor organizations into the NSAD (Nationalsozialist Arbeitsdienst), a national labor service. It served as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarize the workforce and indoctrinate it with NSDAP ideology. It was the official state labor service, divided into separate sections for men and women.

On June 26 1935 the NSAD was officially re-designated RAD. Originally personnel serving with RAD wore a variety of earlier FAD/NSAD belt buckles until February 15TH 1936 when new pattern belt buckles for Officer’s and EM/NCO’s were introduced to provided uniformity in dress.