Original German Early WWII SA Dagger by Rare Maker Hermann Konejung A.-G. with Repainted Scabbard & Belt Hanger Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely early pattern SA Dagger, made by the rare maker Hermann Konejung A.-G., Stahlwarenfabrik in Solingen, Germany, rated 5 out of 10 on the McSarr scale. It comes complete with the original period repainted scabbard, as well as a very nice leather belt hanger. The dagger has solid nickel silver fittings throughout, and is a really nice example. The cross guards and tang nut are in very good condition throughout with all fittings having a nice aged patina. There is a bit of oxidation by the grip, caused by the dyes used and moisture. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked He, for Hessen, a district in the west of Germany, with the principal city being Frankfurt. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior. The non-magnetic alloy pommel nut does no show any signs of turning.

The grip is a fine product having a nice dark red brown color, with a medium center ridge construction. There is some light wear and pressure denting, and there also is a hole drilled in the reverse, all the way in to the tang. We imagine this was for possibly mounting the dagger, or maybe there was some type of insignia added on the back, now removed. It did cause a bit of splitting of the wood on the reverse. The grip fits the cross guards well, and there is no real wobble to the grip we can detect. The symbol button is nicely set, and has about 50% of the translucent enamel intact, and there is some oxidation of the nickel, as well as some cracking of the wood around it. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. Most of the details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas. There is a bit of wear and verdigris, showing that is the correct solid nickel silver for an early pattern eagle.

The blade of this example is in very good condition, with the factory final polish grind cross grain retained on much of the blade, particularly on the reverse side. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There are some areas of past oxidation on the front side, some now polished away, which has made the grain a faint in areas. There is also the usual runner wear, which is impossible to avoid. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, and still retains almost all of the factory darkening!

This fine example was produced by Hermann Konejung A.-G., Stahlwarenfabrik, a rare edged weapon maker from Solingen, Germany, and the rear of the blade is etched with their trademark “Circled Spectacles” double oval logo. The rear of the dagger is marked:

HERM. KONEJUNG A.-G.
(Spectacles Logo)
SOLINGEN

According to J. Anthony Carter’s book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this company was founded in 1873by Hermann Konejung (1845-1915) and registered with Solingen authorities 17 January 1887. They originally manufactured all manner of cultery, and made many Nahkampfmesser “Close Combat Knives” during the first world war. During WWII They were known makers of SA and NSKK daggers, as well as some HJ Knives. The company survived the war, and stopped trading in 2005.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the early-war style, which was originally “anodized” brown and then lacquer coated to protect it. On this example however the lacquer and anodized coating were completely removed, and it was repainted during the WWII Period with the correct SA light brown enamel paint. It shows some chipping through to the original base level, as well as cracking around the edges, so it definitely looks to be period. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver, and have a nice patina, with some dents and scratches showing typical wear. The bottom fitting is dented in on the lower ball, typical of the softer nickel alloy. The throat nicely matches the cross guards and both screws for the bottom mount are present, while the top mount is missing one.

Attached to the hanger ring on the scabbard is a very nice early pattern belt hanger, with solid nickel hardware and brown finished leather. The leather is in good condition, showing a wear and cracking to the finish, as well as some leather tearing. The stitching on the retaining loop by the buckle has popped out. There is no maker marking we can see on the end clip.

A lovely early war SA dagger by a very rare maker, complete with the original repainted scabbard and belt hanger. Ready to display!

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

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.