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 Dienstdolch (service 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.

This fine transitional period M33 EM/NCO Dienstsdolch service dagger was produced by a relatively rarely seen maker: F. & A. Helbig, located in Solingen. This is a known producer of SS daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after. The reverse ricasso of this fantastic dagger is maker marked with an etched oval trademark logo, which is a bit worn, but still can be read:

F. & A. HELBIG
* Gaesler *
STEINBACH (Kr. M.)

F. & A. Helbig, Messerfabrik (knife factory) in Steinbach Kreis Meiningen, was organized by Frieda & Alfred Helbig, succeeding F. & W. Helbig shortly after 1928. They prospered manufacturing daggers during the Third Reich era. They made daggers for the DLV, and made some crackle-finished Aluminum NSFK Glider Pilot's Knives. They also made many swords and daggers for the Luftwaffe, They used several trademark logos, and the lightly etched version without borders was the one usually seen on the Luftwaffe Swords. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

Below this is the RZM designation, making this a transitional example, while later examples would only have the RZM code:-

(RZM)
1153 / 38ᛋᛋ

It is daggers such as this that have allowed various SS suppliers to be identified, however unfortunately not all makers went through a transitional period on their blade markings. The markings are somewhat shallowly etched, however we have compared these with other known transitional M33 daggers by Helbig, and this is just how they were made.

The blade on this example is in truly excellent condition, still showing the original factory final grind crossgrain throughout both sides of the blade. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is little to no oxidation visible, and the edge is correctly unsharpened. There is a bit of runner wear from the scabbard, but this is really one of the best blades that we have ever seen, and would be virtually impossible to improve upon. The SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (Loyalty is my Honor) is crisp with little wear, still showing much of the original factory darkening, though as mentioned the edges are a bit unclear, a characteristic of this maker. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour, and is solid in the grip.

The crossguards of this dagger and tang nut are in good condition throughout, and are wartime nickel-plated steel construction. They have smooth surfaces, good crisp edges and precise accent grooves. They are still bright and shiny, with no signs of the plating flaking or lifting, and are really quite exceptional. As it is later production dagger, there is no district marking on the cross guard. We did attempt to take off the grip to look for markings, however only the pommel would come off, and was unmarked, while the grip and crossguard would not budge under normal handling. The end nut is plated steel as well, and has lost most of the original plating, showing just a bit of deformation from turning.

The ebony grip is a lovely example, which doesn't have any cracking or chipping we can see, definitely a rarity due to how brittle the wood can be. The color is very good, and wood grain can even be seen. The symbol button is positioned at about 7:00 o'clock, as it should be. The silvered SS symbol and double circles around them have a nice matching patina with the nickel still intact, with a little verdigris and complete enamel. The grip eagle is the "high-necked" type with the beak pointing slightly up. It remains in crisp condition, showing little wear to the bird's head, breast and wing feathering and to the talons, wreath or swas. It is made from aluminum, correct for this era of dagger.

The scabbard shell is an excellent example, still straight and dent free. It is of the later style, made with a black enamel finished steel shell and nickel plated steel hardware. The finish is very well retained on the body, with some minor checking and crazing, as well as a few small chips. It is still retained at over 95%, making it a really great example. The matching nickel-plated steel scabbard mounts are in very good condition, showing some swirl marks from cleaning but no missing finish from flaking or oxidation. The lower ball is still fully intact, and all four of the original retaining screws are present, showing little to no wear.

Attached to the scabbard is a very nice leather belt hanger, which is the wartime style with all plated steel hardware. The leather has the correct black finish, showing wear from use, and still retains the keeper loop. It is marked on the back with an SS RZM code, which reads (ᛋᛋ) 68/38 (RZM), which is still legible in the light. Unfortunately there is little to no information on the SS RZM codes, so there is not really any way to identify the maker. The plated steel belt clip is marked with marked with a "barred A" followed by D.R.G.M. (Deutsches Reiches Gebrauchs Musterschutz) - meaning it is a protected patented design under the Reich Government. This design was registered to the owner of the "Barred A" trademark, F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a large maker of belts, buttons, and other accoutrements.

A very nice transitional period SS dagger by a desirable and rare Solingen maker, complete with scabbard and SS-marked Hanger! Lots of history to this fine dagger, which is more than ready to display!

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