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, and then would 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 is a very nice mid war example, which looks to have moderate service, with a lovely patina to the fittings and wear from cleaning and use on the blade. It is unmarked on the blade, which is the correct official pattern. Blades that have maker marks were usually retrofitted early examples, and not officially bestowed as chained daggers. The blade shows wear and cleaning, as well as some past oxidation, however it is still in relatively good condition. We can see just a few traces of the factory final polish cross grain near the cross guard. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. It does show some evidence of sharpening, as well as past oxidation that was cleaned away.

The SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (Loyalty is my Honor) is still present, however it is a bit worn, and all of the factory darkening is missing due to cleaning and oxidation.& It does show some evidence of sharpening, as well as past oxidation that was cleaned away. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour, and is solid in the grip.

The cross and pommel guards of this dagger are of mid war plated alloy construction, and still are in very good condition, with only some minor bubbling on the rear of the pommel guard. There is no real wear through on the edges, and there is just a bit of oxidation on the inner edges, where the grip contacts the guards, as moisture transfers from the wood. The dyes used on the grip can also contribute to the oxidation. The tang nut is plated steel, and still has almost all of the plating. We checked on the inside of the grips as customers often request, and there were no markings stamped on the inside, however they both have identical circular mold marks on either side of the central opening.

The ebony grip is an excellent example with a lovely color and very tight grain, and no cracking or chunks missing, which is a real rarity! Ebony is a very hard but also brittle wood, and with the stain often used to make it a solid color, it becomes even more brittle, which is why cracking is nearly ubiquitous among SS daggers. The handles were hand fit, which could over time put pressure on the wood due to the tight fit.

The symbol button is positioned at about 7:00 o'clock, and the enamel surfaces are very nice, however the plating is worn away almost completely, showing the copper base metal. The grip eagle is the "straight" type with the beak pointing straight across. It remains in relatively crisp condition, showing light wear to the bird's head, breast and wing feathering and to the talons, wreath or swas (hook cross). It looks to be made from solid nickel alloy, or nickel plated brass or zinc.

The scabbard the dagger features a black "anodized" steel shell, which is completely straight, with just few small dents. These were originally lacquered to protect the anodization, and that is still retained to a good degree on this example. Where it has worn and cracked away there is now wear and oxidation on the steel shell.

As is correct for anodized scabbard bodies, it is fitted with nickel plated alloy center ramp with screws on both sides of the scabbard. 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 good condition, showing wear and plating loss. The chape fitting has a denting and a split in the bottom ball along the seam, as well as some more advanced oxidation on the rear of the scabbard. All six retaining screws are present, and match in design on all three fittings. The fittings for the attachment of a chain are still both present and intact, showing light wear.

This is a very rare chance to own a very nice condition SS Officer's dagger, which had the chain removed at some point. 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”