Original Item: Only One Available: The SS (Schutzstaffel or 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 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of Germany eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe.

The SS Dienstdolch (service dagger), also called the SS Ehrendolch (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. After this time, only enlisted men wore the M1933 dagger, while officers and NCOs who had served 1933 and prior would receive the "Chained" version that we have here. These are quite a bit more rare and desirable than the Enlisted version.

It should be noted that as patterned, the M1936 "Chained" SS daggers did not have any maker or RZM markings on the back of the dagger, and were totally unmarked. However officers and senior NCOs who already had M33 daggers often wanted to keep their original daggers, which they often already had owned for years. They were then able to save on the cost by only purchasing the chained scabbards, which were available separately to those qualified for the honor. This is why it is not uncommon at all to see maker marked daggers in Chained scabbards.

Additionally, the chained center "ramp" and top fittings, chains, and "Wotan's knot" end clips all had several different patterns, and could be combined with either "anodized" or enameled steel shells. The bottom fittings could be solid nickel alloy or plated steel. To further complicate things, the various "Types" were produced concurrently. For more information on this please see Exploring The Dress Daggers and Swords of the German ᛋᛋ by Thomas T. Wittmann.

The SS Dagger was originally equipped with nickel crossguards with an ebony wood grip. The black grip contained a National eagle with swas insignia recessed in the center area and an SS doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) (ᛋᛋ) roundel 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 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 wonderful early SS M33 Dagger was produced by the well-known and desirable firm of Ernst Pack & Söhne of Solingen. This is a known producer of SS daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after. The owner was awarded it during the early NSDAP period, and either was an officer at the start, or later was promoted, when they were able to order scabbard with a Type I chain that it is housed in.

The rear of the dagger is marked with their trademark logo:

E. P. & S.
(Jung Siegfried Logo)
SOLINGEN

Per J. Anthony Carter's book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm used this trademark on early SS, SA, and NSKK daggers, which they made a good number of. They produced Röhm signed SA daggers, and also manufactured various other edged weapons during the war. 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 blade on this example is in very good condition, definitely well above average for what we usually see on early SS daggers such as this. It still retains the original factory final grind cross grain throughout the blade, though it is faint in some areas. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is some wear from the runners, present on virtually every German dagger blade, as well as some wear from cleaning. There is also a bit of staining near the ricasso and near the tip, possibly from water exposure. The etched SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (Loyalty is my Honor) is crisp with little wear and almost all of the factory darkening. 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 very good condition throughout, and are of the earliest solid nickel silver construction. They have smooth surfaces, good crisp edges and precise hand cut accent grooves. They have just a bit of an oxidized patina on the exterior, without any verdigris build up, and they do not show any major damage or dents. The cross guard is marked with district number I on the rear, for the First SS District. Per customer requests, we always check the inside of the guard on these daggers, and both the cross and pommel guards are marked II on the inside, along with some mold markings.

The ebony grip is a very good example showing a great color and grain, with just a relatively small chip near the cross guard on the obverse, as well as some light pressure denting. We cannot see any cracks, which is definitely rare, as the ebony wood is unfortunately brittle, and the treatment used to give it a uniform look exacerbates this. The symbol button is positioned at about 7:00 o'clock, as it should be. The silvered ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune symbol and double circles around them have a nice matching lightly oxidized patina with the nickel still intact, with a little verdigris and slightly degraded enamel. The nickel 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. There is just a bit of verdigris around it, showing that it definitely is a nickel eagle.

The scabbard the dagger features great steel shell, which is completely straight and still retains almost all of the original black enamel finish. There are a few chips, as well as a great pattern of age checking and crazing. The scabbard is fitted with a central ramp that is retained by the usual two screws seen used with Type I chains, which is non-magnetic nickel alloy, and is lower in profile than the ramps usually seen with Type II chains. This style has the three raised intertwined swas (hook cross) designs on both sides relatively shallow and smoothly executed compared to the single screw type. The chape and locket fittings are both nickel plated steel, and are in very good condition, showing just a bit of wear and plating loss, and the lower ball shows just the tiniest dent on the very bottom. All six retaining screws are present, and match in design on all three fittings.

The chain attached to the scabbard is definitely what is considered the Type I, or sometimes called the Type A. It features nickel-plated die stamped steel links, which have rectangular link inlets with squared ends. The connecting rings are also plated steel, except for the rings connecting the chain directly to the scabbard, which is not uncommon. The rings connecting to the end clip are square (Type II were tapered). Both the lower and upper chain are made up of alternating ᛋᛋ and Totenkopf (Skull) links, which do not show any darkening or "burnishing" in the centers. The first link of the upper chain is lightly stamped with the SS-Kulturzeichen proof marking, and it is the type with more deeply stamped with sharper rune angles, correct for a Type I chain. There are no casting marks on the sides of the links, confirming they are die stamped.

The nickel-plated steel Type I "Wotan's Knot" cloverleaf securing clip has a good working snap hook with the original spring. The loop of the clover leaf over the clip is the correct open type used on the Type I chains, and some markings on the spring clip can be seen in the hole. The holes in the knot are also the correct tear drop shape, not round.

This is an excellent and very rare chance to own a very good condition SS Chained Officer's dagger, made by a desirable Solingen maker. We have gone over it in depth to ensure that it is period correct. Ready to be the centerpiece of any WWII Edged weapon collection!

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