Original German WWII Excellent DRK Red Cross EM/NCO Hewer with Scabbard – Deutsches Rotes Kreuz Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great example of the German Red Cross (DRK) Enlisted Man / Non-Commissioned Officer Hewer, complete with its original scabbard. The hewer has a blunt tip, and edge, as it was intended for combat medics, who would make more use of the Sawback blade, which could be used to cut wood for splints. The heavy blade could be used for chopping, similar to the U.S. Hospital corps “bolo” knives of WWI.

The hilt mounts have over 90% of the original nickel-plating still intact, with overall speckling and patination, but very little of the non-magnetic base metal alloy visible. This hewer shows little sign of use, with no dents on the softer alloy used for the hilt.

The crossguard features an oval boss on each side, with the obverse featuring an eagle with half-opened wings and a raised out mobile Swas (hook cross) on his breast. The bird clutches a “Geneva cross” in his talons. The grip plates are bakelite, with the top plate being checkered, and the bottom plate being smooth. They are retained by the original screws and steel slotted bolts, which show light oxidation. The crossguard still has the original leather buffer washer around the blade.

The blade of this hewer is the classic saw back type, and is in excellent condition.
It has no signs of sharpening, and just has a few spots of light staining, with nearly full factory cross grain. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. It has never been sharpened for use in the field. Under the cross guard the blade is marked GES. / GESCHÜTZT, for Gesetzlich Geschützt (Protected By Law), indicating that this knife was a trademarked design.

The scabbard is in very good condition, showing just a bit of age only minor finish loss. The scabbard body is a single piece of steel, with the interior throat a separate piece retained by two dome headed screws. It looks like the entire body was nickel plated, and then the center portion painted during original manufacture. It has just a few dents, and is really a great looking example. The plating is retained very well, with only light oxidation.

An excellent unissued example of a WWII DRK Hewer, complete with the original scabbard. Ready to add to your collection!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 10 1/2″
Blade Style: “Hewer” with Sawback
Overall length: 15 5/8“
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 11″

History of the German Red Cross (DRK)

The DRK, “Deutsches Rotes Kreuz” (German Red Cross), a voluntary civil assistance organization originally instituted in 1864, was officially acknowledged by the Geneva Convention in 1929. In December 1937 it gained status as a legally recognized organization by the NSDAP. As with other essential services in Third Reich Germany, it came under control of the NSDAP in late 1938 under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior’s Social Welfare Organization.