Original Item: Only One Available. This RLB EM Dagger definitely looks to have seen long service during WW2, and possibly afterwards. It has a lovely patina of age, showing some period repairs and refinishing, which has given it a lovely look.

The hilt mounts are the nickel-plated pot metal type. The pommel is in the characteristic derby shape with an equatorial band. The crossguard features a stubby-winged Art Deco-style eagle clutching a smooth wreath and swas. The quillons are decorated with cut lines and the ends are cut at 45 angles, presumably to impart a look of motion. The plating does show wear and flaking around the edges, particularly on the pommel fitting, which shows some corrosion. There is also some patination on the cross guard, with the plating lifting and bubbling in some areas. The hilt is still relatively tight on the blade.

The grip on these daggers is made from ebony wood, which unfortunately is prone to cracking over time. It looks like it became somewhat rough in the hand, so it was painted over with black enamel long ago, which itself has now cracked and started to flake away. Before the repaint, the original insignia broke off from the handle, leaving just the mounting pin in place, which was also painted over.

The blade of the dagger shows that it saw a fair amount of use in the past. The edge was sharpened, and it shows wear to the finish and light oxidation overall. The original factory polish grind crossgrain can however still be seen in the light in many areas, so it was not excessively buffed. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The largest amount of wear on the blade is actually over the maker logo area, which is now on the emblem side of the blade, so we believe that the handle may have been removed for repairs at some point.

This example was made by Paul Weyersberg of Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. The reverse ricasso is etched with a partial PAUL WEYERSBERG & Co. / SOLINGEN in double ovals around the firms trademark "Sword-and-Wreath" logo, which was the only marking they used during the Third Reich era. This company was one of many in Solingen owned by members of the Weyersberg family. The company survived the war, but ceased production in 1955. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The scabbard is in very good condition, showing no major denting or bends in the steel body. It was however completely repainted with new black enamel, possibly several times, resulting in a very interesting texture to the paint. There are some areas of finish chipping, which has resulted in light oxidation to the steel shell. The plated steel mounts are in good shape, with a bit of speckled patination. Attached to the scabbard is the triangular hanger retainer wire, which still a fully intact hanger strap with end clip present, marked with an OLC in a diamond trademark for Overhoff & Cie. of Lüdenscheid. The leather is somewhat dry and delicate, so it should be handled with care.

A very nice service worn example of the RLB dagger by a known maker, complete with scabbard. Ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 8 3/4"
Blade Style: Double Edged Spear Point
Overall length: 13 3/4“
Crossguard: 3 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 9 1/4"

The Reichsluftschutzbund (RLB) (National Air Raid Protection League) was an organization in NSDAP Germany in charge of air raid precautions in residential areas and among smaller businesses. The RLB was organized by Hermann Göring in 1933 as a voluntary association. Existing volunteer air raid precaution associations were forced to merge with RLB. In 1939 the RLB became a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization), while in 1944 it became an affiliated organization of the NSDAP Party. RLB was dissolved by the Allied Powers after the end of World War II. Its successor in the Federal Republic of Germany was the Bundesverband für den Selbstschutz.

The RLB was in charge of educating and training ordinary German men and women in civil defence procedures necessary for the basic level of local self-help of the civil population against air raids. The local level was formed around air raid wardens and operated in small first intervention squads. The training include fire fighting, protection against chemical weapons, communication procedures and preparation of houses and apartments against air raids.

In 1939 the RLB had about 15 million members, 820 000 volunteer functionaries (of which 280,000 women) and 75,000 local units. The membership was trained at 3,800 civil defense schools with 28,000 instructors.

- RLB was led by a Präsidium, whose president, and vice president and chief of staff, were active duty general officers of the Luftwaffe. The presidium was in itself a department immediately subordinated to the Ministry of Aviation.

- Coterminous with each Luftgaukommando (air district command) was a RLB-Gruppe (RLB-group) under a leader aided by 46 full-time staff members.

- For each Regierungsbezirk, there was a RLB-Bezirksgruppe (regional group).

- The basic organization was the RLB-Revier, one for each police precinct in the cities, or the RLB-Gemeinde-Gruppe, one for each urban or rural municipality for the rest of the country. In the case of a city with several precincts, the citywide organization was called an RLB-Ortsgruppe (local group). Several municipal groups formed an RLB-Ortskreisgruppe, one for each Landkreis. Each Ortsgruppe and Ortskreisgruppe had a leader and a staff of nine members, of which five where full-time salaried employees.

- The basic organizations had a varied number of Untergruppen (sub-groups) divided into Blocke (blocks) under Blockwarte (block wardens) which controlled and liaised with a number of Luftschutzgemeinschafte (air raid protection communities) under Luftschutzwarte (air raid wardens). Each community consisted of an apartment building or several smaller buildings, although a large apartment complex could have several communities. In addition to the warden, the community should have an assistant warden, house fire fighters, helpers and messengers as a first intervention squad. Duty in these squads were compulsory (Notdienstpflicht) for the civilian population.