Original Item: Only One Available: The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf AH. Under the direction of the infamous Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe. The SS-Ehrendolch (SS honor dagger) was introduced in 1933. Early on, members of the SS were awarded their daggers during a ceremony at the Feldherrnhalle Memorial in Munich. The annual ritual, charged with mysticism and meant to evoke the traditions of medieval Teutonic knights, was held on 9 November, the date of the unsuccessful Munich Putsch of 1923. Both officers and enlisted men wore the identical dagger until 1936. After this time, only enlisted men wore the M1933 dagger.

The SS Dagger was equipped with nickel cross guards with an ebony wood grip. The black grip contained a National eagle with swas insignia recessed in the center area and an ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) button inset at the top. On early examples the scabbard shell surface was factory blackened using a metal bluing process. The scabbard had nickel mounts. The SS blade was a polished type containing the SS motto, Meine Ehre Heisst Treue (My Honor is Loyalty). Early examples bore one of three district stampings on the lower reverse crossguard of I, II, or III. Early examples were mostly hand-fit. Production of later examples was more standardized, using cheaper, nickel-plated fittings with black painted scabbard shells. They could be held with a standard belt hanger, or a much rarer vertical hanger.

The blade on this nice mid-production dagger is in very good condition, still showing the original factory final grind cross grain throughout both sides, something we almost never see! This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is a bit of runner wear, as we often see, as well as some wear and scratching from cleaning, which has made the grain on the obverse a bit faint, while the reverse is better retained. There are just a few small areas of staining, which have been left alone to avoid any damage to the grain. The blade has not been sharpened like some were by USGI's, and still has the original factory edge and intact tip. The etched SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (My honor is loyalty) is crisp with almost all of the factory darkening present in the black letter fonts in the backgrounds. The blade shoulders meet the lower crossguard contour well.

The rear is etched with the RZM contract information:

This marking indicates the dagger was made by RZM Dagger contractor "56", which records show is the rare maker C.D. Schaaff, Stahlwarenfabrik (steel ware factory) located in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, this company was first founded in 1871, and registered in Solingen during 1887. They would go on to manufacture all manner of steel wares, including surgical tools and sugar tongs. They were mainly known to have made SA and NSKK daggers during WWII, first with their own trademark, and later with their RZM code. They however also did make a small number of SS daggers as well, and those we have seen all had the RZM code on them. We have only had a small number of items by this maker in the past, with most being SA daggers.

The Reichszeugmeisterei (National Quartermaster's Office), or RZM, was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 56 stands for C.D. Schaaff, Stahlwarenfabrik of Solingen.

The fittings of this dagger are the later plated alloy type, and both the cross guard and pommel show light damage to the plating, with both having a bit of flaking and oxidation where they meet the wood of the grip. This is quite common from contact with moisture and possibly chemicals from the wooden grip. The steel pommel nut shows more of the original plating, and shows only minor signs of turning. As these are mid-war, there is no district numeral stamped into the cross guard. We checked the inside of the fittings, and did not see any maker markings, just the usual molding marks. The hilt fittings are still tight on the tang, with no wobble.

The black wood grip on this dagger is still in very good condition, with medium center ridge construction. There is no chipping to the grip, but there are some cracks by the cross guard on both sides, as well as a crack on the rear by the pommel guard. We do not see any evidence of repairs to the grip. The black dyeing process for the grips unfortunately causes the wood to become brittle, so damage is common, even if carefully stored. We did notice that cleaning has caused the wood to fade a bit toward brown. The symbol button is positioned at about 7:00 o'clock, as it should be, and is still tightly attached. The silvered ((ᛋᛋ)) doppelte Siegrune symbol and double circles are still clear, with just a bit of oxidation around the edge and fully intact black enamel. The grip eagle is the "high-necked" type with the beak pointing slightly up, and looks to be made from nickel or nickel plated brass. It remains in good condition, showing very little wear, just a bit of light scratching and a few dents.

The scabbard shell is a solid example, completely straight and undented, with very little damage of any kind. It is the correct black enamel paint finish, with the expected crazing and checking from age. There are some chips and scrapes, which have allowed the shell to oxidize. The matching nickel plated steel scabbard mounts are in very good condition, showing just a bit of wear to the plating and oxidation. The lower ball shows just tiny bit of denting, definitely a rarity, as even the steel examples usually are bashed in. All four dome head screws are intact, and do not look to have been messed with.

This is a great chance to own a very good condition M33 SS dagger from the early wartime period by an exceedingly rare maker, complete with original scabbard! Ready to display!

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

The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was officially founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker's Party), as a Reich Hauptamt, (State Central Office), and was based on the earlier SA Quartermaster's Department. The registry was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin.

The functions of the RZM were not only to procure and distribute items to Party formations, but also to approve chosen designs and to act as a quality control supervisor to ensure items manufactured for the Party met required specification and were standardized. Starting in late 1934 items manufactured for the SS came under the quality control of the RZM and as a result were to be marked with the RZM/SS approval/acceptance mark. Shortly after this, the SS started using a separate listing of contractors, and in 1943 the Waffen-SS assumed full control over their uniform item production and no longer fell under the authority of the RZM.