Original German WWII 1938 dated SA Dagger by Gottlieb Hammesfahr & Co. with Scabbard – RZM M.7/67/38. Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This very good condition early-war period produced SA Dienstdolch (Service Dagger) looks to be a transitional type, and still has the early pattern solid nickel silver alloy cross guard and pommel, while the other fittings are nickel plated. The guards are in very good condition throughout with all fittings having a nice lightly aged patina. There is just a bit of age to these mounts but there is no lifting anywhere, showing that they are solid and not plated. They show only light wear with just a bit of light denting and scratching, and do look to have been cleaned a bit over the years. The tang nut is nickel plated steel, and shows some light oxidation and a bit of marring from being turned without the proper tool.

The grip is a fine product having a fine mahogany tone in the surfaces and having medium center ridge construction. This grip is in very good condition with great grain, and fits the cross guards well, with just a bit of chipping near the guards, as shown. There are also some stress cracks along the grain, with one running between the pommel guard and insignia. The symbol button is nicely set having fully intact translucent enameling, and the plating intact with just a bit of verdigris and oxidation as shown. The details are still there to the inlaid early pattern nickel eagle, including the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas.

The blade of this example is in good condition, but shows overall oxidation and staining from not being properly cleaned and protected from the elements. There is a bit of peppering near the cross guard, but no major rust, and we have left the blade intact to preserve the history. In spite of the staining, it still shows the original factory final polish grind crossgrain in many areas, visible in the light. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is however still quite crisp, with the factory darkening still intact.

The rear is marked with the RZM and SS contract information:

((RZM))
M.7 / 67 / 38.

This marking indicates the dagger was made by RZM Dagger contractor “67” in 1941, which records show is a very rare maker: Gottlieb Hammesfahr & Co. AG, Nirosta-Werk, Stahlwarenfabrik und Gesenkschmiederei (Stainless Steel Factory, Steel goods factory and drop forge), in the Foche area of Solingen. This is a known producer of SA daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after. Founded in 1804 and registered with the Solingen chamber of commerce in 1875, this company is one of the largest and longest-established edged weapon producers in Solingen. While this company was known primarily as a drop forge, it also made knives and tools during the WWII period, per J. Anthony Carter’s work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and has very good original brown enamel paint. It has a bit of scuffing, as well as a lot of fine checking and crazing overall, but does not show any signs of repainting. It has bubbled up in areas, and also shows some flaking and finish loss, which has allowed the steel scabbard body to oxidize. The scabbard shell is equipped with fine matching nickel-plated steel mounts. These mounts are in very good condition overall, with only a little denting to the lower ball. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws. This really is a nice solid scabbard.

The Reichszeugmeisterei, or RZM, was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 67 stands for firm Gottlieb Hammesfahr & Co..

A very nice example of an SA dagger from a desirable maker, complete with its original scabbard. 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.