Original German Pre-WWII Early NSKK Enlisted Man’s Dagger by Rare Maker Süddeutsche Messerfabrik – Pre 1935 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available: This Early production NSKK EM Dagger is an excellent example, and was made by the rarely seen maker Süddeutsche Messerfabrik GmbH, which operated out of Gefrees in Bayern (Bavaria). The crossguards and other fittings are solid nickel alloy, and in good condition. There are a few small dents in the cross guards, showing they are not plated, and the scabbard fittings are non-magnetic, which means they are definitely nickel. The surfaces on the guards are smooth with good crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The tang nut matches nicely and does not appear to have been out in modern times, though there is a bit of rounding on the hex portion. Also, the lower reverse guard is Gruppe stamped “Fr“, for Franken, an administrative district that surrounded Nuremberg. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior.

The grip is a fine fruit wood, red brown in color and with a vertical grain and clear center ridge. The SA symbol button is perfectly placed and the enamel and plating are in good shape. The nickel grip eagle is clean and crisp, with a great patina. The bird retains full detail through the breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas. The grip fits the guards closely, though it has shrunk a bit. There is some cracking at the pommel end of the grip.

The scabbard is straight throughout. It has a nice black paint job that was done after the NSKK order to paint the shells to differentiate themselves from the rest of the SA. The scabbard mounts are in good condition through to the lower ball which shows usage and an indentation, typical of the softer nickel alloy. All of the screws are in place. The original ring is present and in great shape, which is attached to an original belt hanger. The leather on the hanger is worn but solid, and attached to a nickel clasp.

The blade of this dagger is in excellent condition, one of the best we have seen. It is bright and has almost all of the original factory final polish striation. There are some in and out marks, and a few specks of oxidation, but it is otherwise close to mint. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is deep and crisp, and still retains much of the original factory darkening. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the crossguard contour.

The reverse of the blade is marked with an oval double ring trademark reading SÜDD. MESSERFABRIK / GEFREES, the mark of Süddeutsche Messerfabrik GmbH (South German Knife Factory). This cutlery company was based in Gefrees in Bayern (Bavaria), and has a somewhat unclear history. It was created by the merger of two companies sometime in the 1930s, but was not seen in business registries until 1938. However the Mottor Gruppe marking clearly puts this as an early Pre-WWII dagger.

A very nice early production SA dagger, complete with belt-hanger, ready to research and display!

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.