Original Item: Only One Available. After the end of WWII, USGI's brought home a multitude of German WWII items, including all types of knives, daggers, and other memorabilia. With occupying forces stationed there, many German companies turned to producing collector's items. The company owned by Fritz Reuss and A. Spiess, Bolte & Anschutz (B&A), had produced items during the war, including small arms, often contracting out to various locations in and outside of Germany, such as Belgium. At the end of WWII however, their business was shuttered, as were many that had profited massively from the NSDAP war machine.

Seeing an opportunity, the B&A name was brought back, and they began contacting the makers of the very popular German daggers, and bought up remaining parts that they had on hand. This included blades, handles, crossguards, etc. About the only parts they could not get were scabbards, which also had been scarce towards the end of the war. B&A then began to finish, assemble, and sell these daggers, usually in leather scabbards, to USGIs and other people working in post War Germany. However, production then ceased in 1946, as the NSDAP party and all of its symbols were banned in Germany.

These daggers are fairly easy to recognize, as they all had blades marked SOLINGEN under the B&A "Cross" logo, and GERMANY stamped off to the side. This is a textbook example of a B&A post war assembled SA Dagger. Most likely most or all of the parts are original, but they would have come from a variety of different manufacturers.

The dagger is in good condition, but does show wear. It has the standard late war style aluminum fittings, which have had all of the plating wear away. The grip actually looks to be brown bakelite, and not wood. It has the correct aluminum grip eagle and enameled SA emblem inset into it. The blade does show wear, and looks to have been re-ground at some point, probably to clean off oxidation. This has removed the original factory grain. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still present, but worn.

A good example of a Post War B&A assembled SA dagger, a great way to fill a hole in your collection without breaking the bank. Ready to display!

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

History of the SA-

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.

Prior to his "unmasking" as a traitor, Ernst Röhm was the leader of the SA. In 1934, he distributed approximately 100,000 SA daggers with his personal inscription on the reverse blade. These daggers were to honor individuals who had served with the SA prior to December, 1931. Other than the inscription, these pieces were identical to the standard M1933 SA dagger. After the Röhm purge, the inscription was ordered to be removed. Many examples were returned to the factory for grinding. Others were simply ground in the field by whatever means were available. Examples will occasionally be encountered with remnants of the original inscription remaining on the blade, but mostly none will remain. Some blades exist with an intact inscription, reflecting only the removal of the Röhm signature. Very very rarely is an example seen with a full, untouched inscription, as the holder would have surely risked a charge of treason.