The existence of the Third Reich in Germany is one of the most controversial and darkest periods of its history. Extreme militarization, total control over all spheres of social life and the functioning of the economy are just some of the many prevailing features and characteristics of the society of that time. The construction of the line of Nazi totalitarianism affected all facets of the country's life and left its tangible imprint on literally every object. Such a necessary attribute as knives did not escape a similar fate.

With the coming to power of A. Hitler in 1933, the formation of a huge number of various organizations began in Germany, the main purpose of which was to introduce and maintain the basic principles of nationalism in society. For them, the development of knife samples began, which were supposed to increase their military potential and prestige.

Knives of the Third Reich

We are talking about knives specifically as bladed weapons, because other aspects of social life were of little interest to the Nazi leadership. But at the same time, it was also a necessary attribute dress uniform, as a symbol of the unity of spirit and cohesion of the nation. The components of the uniform were clearly spelled out, and everyone who did not want to face inevitable punishment had to follow them.

Troops third reich were divided into 3 main components:

• ground army;
• air force;
• fleet.

The country's leadership was equally engaged in the improvement and modernization of all types of its troops. Taking into account the plight of Germany after the defeat in the First World War, the decline of the economy, changes were an objective necessity of the then realities.

In order to begin arming our troops and numerous party and non-party organizations, we first had to establish our own production. A. Hitler’s gaze turned, of course, to the “city of swords,” as Solingem was sometimes called. This manufacturing city had a solid history of knife production, but it was in decline due to the historical and economic situation. Already in 1933, the Fuhrer made his first order to the craftsmen, which involved the production of sabers and daggers to decorate the ceremonial uniform.

The resulting models were given to members of the SA and SS assault squads for armament.

The 1933 SA Officer's Dagger was a slightly modified formula famous model Holban hunting dagger, which was developed back in the 16th century. Its length was 37 cm. The handle was made of wood and painted over brown, which was the symbol for the SA unit. This knife was symbolically overloaded. So, in the center of the handle there was a Nazi emblem depicting an eagle holding a swastika in its hands. The upper part of the handle was equipped with the name of the unit, and in the center of the blade there was an inscription with the motto “Germany above all.”

The first dagger of SS members was issued in the same year of 1933. In its main features it repeated the previous model, with the only exception that now the color of the hilt and scabbard was painted black. After all, he was the one business card organizations. The motto on the knife blade also changed; now it was: “My honor is called loyalty.”

An interesting model belonging to the category “ knives of the third Reich", is a 1937 model German Labor Front cleaver. It was a massive weapon, the purpose of which was suitable for field work. The predominant importance of physical labor was clearly indicated by the inscription on the blade: “Labor ennobles.” Its length reached 40 cm. The handle was fastened with two screws; deer antler was chosen as the material.

Undoubtedly, the Luftwaffe officer's dagger from 1935 is worth a look. It was a straight hexagonal blade with 2 blades, made of steel. The weight of the product was 567 g. The swastika is depicted on the guard, and the handle is twisted and made of wood.

The army dagger, which was a product with a total length of 40 cm, was also popular. Its blade had a smooth surface, as a rule, without any engraving. However, at the request of the customer, it was possible to apply a certain motto or drawing. The length of the blade ranged from 25.5 to 26.5 cm. At first, the handle was made of cupronickel. However, with the progress of the war and incessant orders, it was necessary to abandon it and switch to more economical materials, such as wood and even plastic, or to combine both of these materials.

Bayonet knives of the Third Reich

Among the varieties of knives produced and used by the Third Reich, the bayonet knife stands out. Without this sample it is difficult to imagine the army equipment of the early 20th century. In the Second world war it was also in service, but its real practical application everything was reduced to zero.

Before the invention of the rifle, the bayonet was a real and very dangerous combat bladed weapon. Typologically, it resembled a small dagger, which had the ability to be attached to a long-barreled firearms. It became a deadly weapon in close combat, and should not interfere with the work of the firearm.

Many researchers and contemporaries point to the psychological role of the bayonet. Allegedly he is in conditions modern technology and weapons are needed not so much for practical purposes, but to intimidate the enemy. But those who have never smelled gunpowder should not argue with such a statement.

There were two types of bayonets:

• front doors;
• official

Front doors bayonet knives of the third reich it was necessary to wear uniform clothing during free time from service. Their hilts carried no value or interest. Their tip was sometimes made in the shape of an eagle’s head, while the handle itself could be made of plastic, metal and was often gray in color.

More attention was paid to the blade of the ceremonial bayonet. The handle and blade had a nickel or chrome coating. According to some unspoken rule, manufacturers decorated the blade with situational scenes from the life of various types of troops. For this, the etching technique was used. There were also mottos, the most frequently mentioned of which was: “In memory of the service.”

There was no single service model at that time. It was made to order depending on the preferences of the customer and the type of his activity. Therefore, its sizes and shapes can be very diverse. Even on combat example you could decorate yourself with exquisite etching, this was not prohibited by anyone. The decorated blade did not have a protective layer or polishing, since it was assigned an active role in battle.

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Cold steel played a very important role in Hitler's Germany. All external paraphernalia only emphasized the unity of the nation in the face of the tasks being solved. The German leader drew a thin line connecting the Germanic tribes during the fall of Rome, crusades medieval times and modern era through symbols close to the heart of every German. The most powerful coverage of all segments of the population was carried out, starting with the youngest school age(Hitler Youth) and ending with the Nazi party itself. There is no doubt that a beautiful dagger, bayonet or sword formed an important part of the German national concept(Einheit).

All branches of the military, party and non-party organizations had to strictly adhere to the regulations on appearance uniform, the procedure for wearing it in everyday life and during participation in hostilities. However, people are people. And each individual soldier, officer or general wanted to be not only a cog in the huge colossus of the Third Reich, but at least in a small way to show their individuality and stand out from the homogeneous mass. This desire resulted in a tendency to at least somehow diversify the appearance of personal edged weapons. And since the scabbard and hilt were usually in plain sight, there was wide scope for individual design of blades and blades.

Therefore, it is not surprising that companies producing bladed weapons offered customers entire catalogs with various options registration of personal weapons. The most common inscription was “In memory of the service” (“Zur Erinnerung an meine Dieustzeit”). However, when decorating the dagger, they were not content with only inscriptions and mottos.

Manufacturers took upon themselves the task of producing the entire unique product(to the delight of collectors and true connoisseurs of weapons) Very often, the blades and blades of daggers were engraved with images of battle scenes characteristic of different branches of the military. For example, on an army bayonet-knife of an infantryman, a scene of infantry going into attack was depicted; on an artilleryman’s blade, a scene of transporting a weapon in the field was carved position, the engineer has figures of people building a pontoon bridge.

Marks of manufacturers of edged weapons

Manufacturer's logo on the SS blade

The manufacturer stamped almost every blade. They allow you to find out the history of a bayonet or dagger. Some companies not only put one general mark on the product, but also put additional marks on the component parts.

The largest number of manufacturing companies were located in Solingen. The mark was usually applied by stamping or etching under the hilt on the flat part of the blade. The brand consists of the company name and its logo.

Some manufacturers used several varieties of their mark. For example, during the existence of the Third Reich, the company of Karl Eickhorn designated its products with four different types brands A huge number of different marks have been preserved to this day and continue to amaze both collectors and researchers and lovers of edged weapons of that era. Even experienced and seasoned researchers and collectors are still greatly amazed when they discover some new, previously unknown company. manufacturer. After all, only 44 official companies produced the entire line of SA dagger models. Therefore, you can be sure that over time a couple more manufacturing companies of bladed weapons will be discovered. When assessing whether a particular type of mark belongs to a particular company, it is necessary to take into account the production capacity of its factories during the period from 1933 to 1945 and the number of weapons it produced. Nevertheless, the absence of a mark does not mean that it is a fake. (Many companies might not put marks on their products. Everything depended on the time of production of the weapon and its manufacturer. Some forges removed their marks from daggers made during the war.) And, conversely, the presence of a mark on the dagger does not give one hundred percent confidence in the authenticity of the blade

RZM sign

RZM mark on SS blade

All daggers and knives produced specifically for the needs of party organizations such as SA, SS, NSKK and Hitler Youth underwent mandatory quality control, which was certified by the RZM (Reichszengmeistrei) mark. The Reichszengmeistrei was formed in 1934 to exercise strict supervision over the production, pricing and quality of products produced for the needs of the party. Any company engaged in the manufacture of uniforms, awards or insignia, as well as other similar products, was required to obtain official permission from the RZM and the appropriate control number. As an example, here is the decoding of one of these numbers:

RZM M7/66/42 RZM: (Nazi Control Service (Reichszengmeistrei));

M metal product;

7 : type of product of the manufacturer (in our case, edged weapons);

66 : manufacturer code (in this case, Karl Eickhorn);

42 : year of manufacture.

Unfortunately, it is currently lost full list manufacturers and suppliers of bladed weapons (Industrie und Handeishammer zu Zolingen). This happened as a result of massive bombing of the industrial areas of Solingen by Allied aircraft.
Therefore, modern collectors find individual copies containing a control number that cannot be identified precisely due to lost records and other adjustments made by the passage of time.

RZM paper label

Features of applying stamps to variousand organizations of Nazi Germany

Some organizations, such as the Nazi Party School, the Postal Service and the German Red Cross, stamped their initials directly on the hilt of the weapon. In the case of DRK, the corresponding inscription was applied with reverse side dagger in the place where, on the front side, there was an image of a German eagle clutching the emblem of the Red Cross in its talons. In contrast to this

marking method, organizations such as NSFK and DLV put their emblem at the end of the dagger sheath. In rare cases, you can see two stamped emblems of these organizations on the same sheath. The reasons for this should be sought in their history. First, as mentioned earlier, a community of DLV pilots was created. It then came under the control of the Nazi Party and was reorganized as the NSFK. Serial numbers were also used to record the number of military personnel in a particular organization

A typical example is the daggers and cutlasses of the German postal service, technical corps (TENO), party schools, as well as bayonet-knives of police units. And by the numbers stamped on the daggers of the SS, SA and the National Socialist Corps, it was possible to find out all the ins and outs of its owner.
Along with these numbers, the manufacturers themselves applied special numbers that facilitate the process of releasing the final product during assembly production. If the components of a certain type of dagger were not manufactured at one enterprise, but were dispersed in different places in the city, then they were all marked with one code so that the final assembler knew which product they belonged to. This is clearly seen in the example of daggers for diplomatic workers. Here, each part of the dagger is marked with a special two-digit code

Group affiliation

As mentioned earlier, the daggers of the SA, National Socialist Corps and SS units were marked with special symbols or numbers that determined membership in a particular group (mainly in their geographical location) Using this abbreviation it was possible to find out which one regional organization belongs to the owner of the dagger, as well as the division and army unit. The SS daggers were marked with the army group code in Roman numerals. On the Hitler Youth knife there was a number directly above the RZM control sign, which indicated the territorial affiliation of the organization of which its owner was a member.

Patent marks

Many German bladed weapons contain the abbreviation Ges. Gesh This is a shortened form of Gesetzlich Gesehutzt, which literally translates to “protected by law.” This mark was placed on the hilt of the dagger itself, or on the blade under the hilt, where the manufacturer’s mark was usually located. These innovations may also be in the way manufacturing the product, and in a special form of individual parts of the dagger, etc. This mark indicates that the company received a patent for the production of this type of product. As in modern production, the manufacturer cannot deviate from the standards introduced by the company or organization-patent holder. The company, the copyright holder, can put on the blade the symbols D R.P., which stand for Deutsches Reichs Patent and indicate its rights and that the design of this product cannot be repeated without prior agreement with another manufacturer

Mottos on blades

The motto "My honor is called fidelity" on an SS blade

All members of one or another organization of the Third Reich were required to wear the official mottos of their formations, which, as a rule, were etched on the blades of their daggers. The official and most common mottos were the following:

SA, NSKK - “Alles fur Deutschland” (“Everything for Germany”); SS - “Meine Ehre heisst Treue” (“My honor is called loyalty”); NPEA - “Mehr Sein als Scheinen” (“Be better than you are”); Labor Corps - “Arbeit adelt” (“Labor ennobles”); Hitler Jugend - "Blut und Ehre" ("Blood and Honor").

Hitler Youth knife with the motto "Blut und Ehre" - "Blood and Honor"

Runic images

Nordic runes

The Nazis wanted to force the German people to embody a nation of conquerors, like the ancient Vikings. Therefore, Hitler and the party bosses tried in every possible way to impose on German society the idea of ​​descent from the illustrious northern peoples, whose way of life was a warrior. In this regard, suffice it to say that the first model of the Luftwaffe dagger and the dagger of the senior command staff of the Hitler Youth were almost exact copies of the weapons of the inhabitants of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Like any other mass movement, symbolism played a primary role in promoting the idea of ​​Nazism. The Nazis used ancient ancient images of runes as the basis for the development of their paraphernalia. The origin of the word "rune" originates from the symbols Greek alphabet, reinterpreted by the ancient Scandinavians in their own way. Runic writing dates back to approximately 300 AD. Translated from the ancient Scandinavian language, the word “rune” means “hidden”, since rune first found its use in the role of secret writing among the Druids and Tallinn priests. Collectors of German edged weapons are interested in runes because they were included as design elements for blades and handles. For example, a runic inscription decorated the hilt of Hermann Goering’s favorite dagger. The most famous are the so-called Zig runes - runes that are also called “SS lightning”. Sigrun consists of a runic image of the letter S (this is exactly how it looks in the runic alphabet). Sigrun (or her double image) comes from an abbreviation of the German term Schutzstaffel (SS), which translates to "security squads".

17
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Edged weapons of the Third Reich

A.N.Yadlovsky
Year of manufacture: 2007
Genre: Catalog-determinant
Publisher: Harvest
Number of pages: 130
ISBN: 978-985-13-9678-4, 985-13-7285-4, 985-13-9678-8
Format: DjVu

Description: The unique catalog contains enough full information about dirks, daggers and bayonets of the Third Reich (1933-1945).
A detailed description and image of each item is supplemented here with information about marks, inscriptions on blades, as well as historical information.

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May
2009

Infantry weapons of the Third Reich. Part 6 - Wehrmacht rocket weapons

Author: S. B. Monetchikov
Year of manufacture: 2003
Genre: Reference

Number of pages: 57

Format: PDF
Description: Dynamo-reactive anti-tank grenade launchers Rocket-propelled anti-tank grenade launchers Exotic "miracle weapons" Portable anti-aircraft missile systems Infantry disposable flamethrowers

16
May
2009

Infantry weapons of the Third Reich. Part 7. Machine guns

Author: S. B. Monetchikov
Year of manufacture: 2005
Genre: Reference
Publisher: Tekhnika Youth
Number of pages: 69
Series: Infantry weapons of the Third Reich (special issue of the magazine "Weapons")
Format: PDF
Description: The history of the development of machine gun weapons in Germany in the first half of the twentieth century. Descriptions of the infantry and aviation machine guns in service and prototypes from the First World War, the interwar period and the Second World War are given.

16
May
2009

Infantry weapons of the Third Reich. Part 2 - Pistols

Author: S. B. Monetchikov
Year of manufacture: 2000
Publisher: Tekhnika Youth
Genre: Reference
Number of pages: 51
Series: Infantry weapons of the Third Reich (special issue of the magazine "Weapons")
Format: PDF
Description: System overview small arms and ammunition for it, used in the armed forces of the Third Reich. The book presents not only technical specifications of the described samples, but also the history of the development of these weapons in the context of the history of the Second World War. Along with standard samples The publication includes a description of experimental German models of small arms, as well as the main models...

15
May
2009

Infantry weapons of the Third Reich. Part 1 - Pistols

Author: S. B. Monetchikov
Year of manufacture: 2000
Publisher: Tekhnika Youth
Genre: Reference
Number of pages: 66
Series: Infantry weapons of the Third Reich (special issue of the magazine "Weapons")
Format: PDF
Description: A book about pistols of the Third Reich. Their detailed description, history creations, characteristics. Information about experimental, small-scale samples. Lots of photographs and diagrams.
Add. information: Sergei Borisovich Monetchikov - chief curator of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945, one of the leading experts on firearms.

16
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2009

Infantry weapons of the Third Reich. Part 4. Submachine guns

16
May
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Infantry weapons of the Third Reich. Part 3 - Submachine guns

16
May
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Infantry weapons of the Third Reich. Part 5 Wehrmacht anti-tank rifles

09
Mar
2008

Military mysteries of the Third Reich

Genre: Mysteries of the Third Reich
Author: Nepomnyashchiy N.N.
Publisher: Veche
Country: Russia
Year of manufacture: 2002
Number of pages: 464 ISBN: 1123-8
Description: The book tells about the most different sides and episodes of the Second World War: about the role of the occult in the life of the Third Reich and the Nazi expeditions to Tibet; about the ominous order No. 270 and penal battalions; that the USSR had its own version of the Barbarossa plan; about the secrets of Peenemünde and the secrets of Dresden treasures; about the death of the “Red Chapel”, the fates of General Paulus and Captain Marinesko... Moreover, what is especially valuable, the book presents views “from both...

02
Mar
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Cold steel (G. Lemigova, T. Evseeva, A. Rusakova)

ISBN: 978-5-98986-577-2,
Series: The most beautiful and famous
Format: PDF, Scanned pages + recognized text layer
Author: G. Lemigova, T. Evseeva, A. Rusakova
Year of manufacture: 2012
Genre: encyclopedia
Publisher: World of Encyclopedias Avanta+
Language: Russian
Number of pages: 132
Description: Chronicles of chivalry, adventure novels and even modern film epics seem inexpressive and boring if swords do not ring, blades do not sparkle, and arrows do not whistle. From time immemorial, edged weapons have been the personification of military valor and masculinity, a symbol of power and wealth, an honorary award, that...

31
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Doctor Jones against the Third Reich (Alexander Tyurin, Alexander Shchegolev)

ISBN: 978-5-699-27388-1
Format: FB2, OCR without errors
Author: Alexander Tyurin, Alexander Shchegolev
Year of manufacture: 2008
Publisher: Algorithm
Genre: Alternate history, Adventure, Fantasy
Language: Russian
Number of pages: 576
Description: His name has become a legend. He is the greatest archaeologist of all times. He is a personal enemy of Himmler and Hitler. He reveals the most secret plans of the Nazis, stops their most sinister plans... Europe is on the threshold of the Second World War. German expeditions scour all continents in search of ancient shrines, secret knowledge and magical artifacts. Sensible people...

20
Jan
2011

Solved mysteries of the Third Reich 1933-1941 (Lev Bezymensky)

Year of manufacture: 1975
Author: Lev Bezymensky
Format: mp3, 56 kbps
Genre: History, documentary
Publisher: Can't Buy Anywhere
Performer: Andrey Bukovsky
Duration: 14:52:00
Description:
From the author: On title page This book has the dates “1933-1941”. However, the reader may have noticed that the last chapter dealt with later years. But this is not a chronological shift, but rather a chronological “bridge” leading to the years of the Great Patriotic War. They are so significant for Europe and all of humanity that they cannot be separated from the prehistory of the Second World War. Operation "Grun" (for...

18
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2018

Otto Skorzeny. Chief intelligence officer of the Third Reich (Alexander Sever)

ISBN: 978-5-906861-44-3, Grandmasters of the Secret War
Format: FB2, eBook (originally computer)
Author: Alexander Sever
Year of manufacture: 2016
Genre: Biographies and memoirs; Military history
Publisher: Algorithm
Language: Russian
Number of pages: 336
Description: The enemy cannot be underestimated: they had their intelligence aces, professionals in the field of sabotage and intelligence work and in the Third Reich. Otto Skorzeny was called “the Fuhrer’s personal saboteur,” which generally corresponded to reality, since “Reich saboteur No. 1” often received assignments from Hitler himself. It was him who the Fuhrer personally selected for release and...

29
Sep
2010

Demons with swastikas. Black magicians of the Third Reich (Hans-Ulrich von Kranz)

Year of manufacture: 2009
Genre: historical literature, esoterics, military
Publisher: DIY Audiobook
Format: MP3, 160 kbps
Artist: raty
Duration: 02:30:00
Description: In his new book, Hans-Ulrich von Kranz continues to introduce readers to the results of his research into the mysterious aspects of the history of the Third Reich. What did the Nazis believe? How to explain the unlimited power over the minds and moods of the Germans that Hitler and his henchmen possessed? What dark forces, originating in the depths of the past, supported the fascist leaders? The author again draws our attention to the mysterious...

17
Jan
2011

Demons with swastikas. Black magicians of the Third Reich (Hans - Ulrich von Kranz)

Year of manufacture: 2010
Author: Hans - Ulrich von Kranz
Format: mp3, 128 kbps
Genre: History
Publisher: Can't buy it anywhere
Artist: raty
Duration: 02:30:00
Description: The Third Reich was the most terrible, cruel and inhuman dictatorship in the history of mankind. That is why its history cannot be falsified, and the successes that the Hitler clique managed to achieve cannot be downplayed. And even more so, one cannot hush up the forces and capabilities that stood behind the Nazis, even if they were not revealed and used to the fullest. After all, these could be and, most likely, really were infinitely...

16
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Edged weapons and household knives (Ustinov A.I., Portnov M.E., Natsvaladze Yu.A.)

ISBN: 5-85139-007-7
Format: DjVu, Scanned pages
Author: Ustinov A.I., Portnov M.E., Natsvaladze Yu.A.
Year of manufacture: 1994
Genre: Edged weapons
Publisher: Arsenal-press
Language: Russian
Number of pages: 173
Description: The book tells about the emergence, formation and further development edged weapons. Special attention devoted to its classification according to purpose, combat and everyday properties. The main content is presented in the form of a unique card index (description and graphic drawing) of individual samples of combat, hunting, sports and tourist, combined weapons with a short blade...