Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive early pattern German SA Dienstdolch, or Service Dagger, manufactured by the desirable Solingen firm of Ernst Pack & Söhne. It features solid nickel silver fittings, an attractive mahogany red wood grip, an early Nrh Gruppe marking, and an excellent blade retaining strong original factory crossgrain and darkening to the etched SA motto. The dagger is accompanied by its original early pattern scabbard with matching solid nickel silver fittings, although the steel scabbard body was repainted at some point in its service life.

The hilt fittings are solid nickel silver throughout and have developed an attractive aged patina with a somewhat orange tone, a coloration sometimes encountered on early fittings of this type. The crossguards remain in very good condition with only light wear, very little denting or scratching, and some oxidation staining. There is no lifting or flaking of a plated surface, consistent with their solid construction. The tang nut is nickel plated steel and shows some plating loss and oxidation.

The reverse of the lower crossguard is Gruppe marked:

Nrh

This identifies Niederrhein, or Lower Rhine, the SA Gruppe covering the Lower Rhine region. Gruppe markings of this type are a desirable feature of early SA daggers and are associated with the initial production period before the later standardized RZM system came into full use.

The grip is a particularly attractive example with a rich mahogany red color and medium center ridge construction. The wood shows only light wear and a few small dents, with attractive grain throughout. We do not see any chips or cracks.

The inset SA roundel remains neatly seated in the grip and retains almost all of its translucent enamel. Its nickel finish remains present beneath an aged orange toned patina similar to that seen on the crossguards.

The grip eagle is the early style with the beak pointing straight outward. It shows only minor oxidation and has developed an attractive patina. The details remain well defined, including the beak, breast and wing feathering, talons, wreath, and central hook cross.

The hilt remains tightly fitted to the blade with no noticeable wobble.

The blade is in excellent condition and retains strong factory final polish grind crossgrain on both sides, a finish known in German as Pließten. It is created by polishing the blades with large leather covered wheels using a slurry of extremely fine grit, and is nearly impossible to replicate using modern means. For advanced edged weapon collectors, the survival of this original crossgrain is an especially important feature because it indicates that the blade has not been aggressively polished or resurfaced after manufacture.

We can see some very minor oxidation staining, as well as the usual runner wear and light scuffing from cleaning, but no major condition issues. The edge is correctly unsharpened, with just a few small dents present, and the tip of the blade intact and unbent. 

The obverse carries the acid etched SA motto:

Alles für Deutschland

The etching remains crisp and well defined, with the original factory darkening still strongly retained.

On the rear of the blade, there are the etched maker name and logo of E. Pack & Söhne, which is still fully legible! It shows their trademark "Young Siegfried wielding a hammer" Logo, surrounded by:

Ernst Pack & Söhne, Ritterwerk (Knight Works) was a well-known Solingen maker that was very active during the third reich period. Solingen had been internationally renowned for centuries for its blade making industry and became known as the Klingenstadt, or “City of Blades.” Per J. Anthony Carter's book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm was founded in 1922 by Ernst pack from Pack, Ohliger & Co. GmbH. They used this trademark only on early SA and NSKK daggers, which they made a good number of. They were one of the known manufactures of the early daggers with the Röhm signature. They also manufactured various other edged weapons during the war under various trademarks. The company survived the war, until it was sold in the 1960s to another knife company from Solingen, and the maker mark continued to be used into the 1990s.

The accompanying scabbard is the correct early pattern, originally constructed with a brown finished steel body protected by clear lacquer and fitted with solid nickel silver mounts. The steel shell remains straight and dent free, but its original finish experienced substantial wear and loss during its service life and the body was subsequently repainted brown.

That later brown enamel finish has itself seen considerable wear and is now largely missing, exposing widespread oxidation on the steel shell. Traces of the earlier original brown finish remain visible beneath and around portions of the worn surface. The repaint is an important condition consideration but also reflects the long service and handling history of the scabbard.

The upper and lower scabbard fittings are solid nickel silver and retain an attractive aged finish with the same orange toned patina seen on the dagger's hilt fittings. They show no major damage. The ball at the lower chape has only minor denting.

The scabbard throat matches the character and patina of the crossguards particularly well. All of the original dome headed fitting screws remain present, and they show no obvious signs of having been turned.

For the advanced SA dagger or early Third Reich edged weapons collector, this Ernst Pack & Söhne example has an especially desirable combination of features: solid nickel silver fittings, the early Nrh Gruppe marking, an exceptionally attractive crack free wood grip, crisp SA insignia, a strong Jung Siegfried maker mark, and an excellent blade retaining substantial original factory crossgrain and motto darkening. The repainted and heavily worn scabbard body is fully disclosed, while its original solid nickel silver fittings remain particularly well matched to the dagger. Altogether this is a handsome and characterful early SA Dienstdolch from one of the better known Solingen makers.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 8 3/4"
Overall length: 13 3/4”
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 10”

The SA or Brown Shirts, were a private political formation which Adolf AH and the NSDAP used to maintain order at organized Party meetings and demonstrations. The group was formed in 1921, and grew to a huge force of nearly 3,000,000 men by the later 1930's. To instill esprit de corps, as well as create employment for the Blade City of Solingen, it was decided each SA man would carry a dagger with his Brown Shirt uniform. Huge quantities needed to be produced to accommodate the demand. The dagger initially was produced of hand-fitted nickel mounts with attractive finished wood grip and brown anodized (a bluing process) finished scabbard.

The blade was etched with the SA motto, Alles für Deutschland. Examples produced prior to 1935 were stamped with the German sector of the SA group on reverse lower crossguard. Later examples underwent standardization through the RZM ministry. These pieces were produced of cheaper plated zinc-base fittings and scabbards were simply painted brown.

The Night of the Long Knives, in June 1934, saw the wiping out of the SA’s leadership and others who had angered AH in the recent past in NSDAP Germany. After this date, the SS lead by Heinrich Himmler was to become far more powerful in NSDAP Germany. For all the power the Enabling Act gave AH, he still felt threatened by some in the NSDAP Party. He was also worried that the regular army had not given an oath of allegiance. AH knew that the army hierarchy held him in disdain as he was ‘only ‘ a corporal in their eyes. The Night of the Long Knives not only removed the SA leaders but also got AH the army’s oath that he so needed.

By the summer of 1934, the SA’s numbers had swollen to 2 million men. They were under the control of Ernst Röhm, a loyal follower of AH since the early days of the NSDAP Party. The SA had given the NSDAP’s an iron fist with which to disrupt other political parties meetings before January 1933. The SA was also used to enforce law after AH became Chancellor in January 1933. To all intents, they were the enforcers of the NSDAP Party and there is no evidence that Röhm was ever planning anything against AH. However, Röhm had made enemies within the NSDAP Party – Himmler, Goering and Goebbels were angered by the power he had gained and convinced AH that this was a threat to his position. By June 1934, the regular army hierarchy also saw the SA as a threat to their authority. The SA outnumbered the army by 1934 and Röhm had openly spoken about taking over the regular army by absorbing it into the SA. Such talk alarmed the army’s leaders.

By the summer of 1934, AH had decided that Röhm was a ‘threat’ and he made a pact with the army. If Röhm and the other SA leaders were removed, the rank and file SA men would come under the control of the army but the army would have to swear an oath of loyalty to AH. The army agreed and Röhm’s fate was sealed. On the night of June 29th – June 30th 1934, units of the SS arrested the leaders of the SA and other political opponents. Men such as Gregor Strasser, von Schleicher and von Bredow were arrested and none of them had any connection with Röhm. The arrests carried on for 2 more nights. Seventy seven men were executed on charges of treason though historians tend to think the figure is higher. The SA was brought to heel and placed under the command of the army. AH received an oath of allegiance from all those who served in the army. Röhm was shot. Others were bludgeoned to death. The first the public officially knew about the event was on July 13th 1934, when AH told the Reichstag that met in the Kroll Opera House, Berlin, that for the duration of the arrests that he and he alone was the judge in Germany and that the SS carried out his orders. From that time on the SS became a feared force in NSDAP Germany lead by Heinrich Himmler. The efficiency with which the SS had carried out its orders greatly impressed AH and Himmler was to acquire huge power within NSDAP Germany.