Original German WWII Heer Army Officer Dagger by WKC with Inscription & Hanger Featured in Wittmann Book Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice Army Officer’s Dagger, produced by the legendary Solingen-based firm of Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Co., a highly desirable maker of edged weapons. It comes complete with a lovely hanger for the scabbard, and a fantastic personalized engraving on the blade:

KRIEGSWEIHNACHTEN 1941 PARIS I ZUG

This roughly translates to “War Christmas 1941 Paris I Train”, so this would presumably been owned by an officer with the Paris Supply Train Unit. This exact dagger appears in Thomas T. Wittmann’s Exploring The Dress Daggers of the German Army, part of a 4 volume series regarding daggers of the Third Reich. A fantastic collector’s item that was worthy of documentation.

The pommel of this dagger is in very nice condition, showing wear around the top edge, with most of the plating still intact. The standing oak leaves and acorns are crisply detailed and have good black backgrounds. The end of the dagger has been personalized with an overlapping H W monogram, most likely the initials of the officer who owned the dagger.

The crossguard retains much silvering and has a fine patination, with some bubbling under the plating. The details throughout the characteristic WKC eagle are still present throughout the head, breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas (hook cross). The grip is a very nice caramel color, aged from the original ivory white. This grip is in very good condition, with no cracking and only some small chips out of the raised portions of the grip. The grip ferrule is in good shape, with a lovely oxidized patina.

The blade of this dagger definitely does show age, and has oxidized to a gray stained patina over most of the surface, including the area where the engraving is. We see no evidence that this engraving was anytime recently. The last inch of the blade near the cross guard is not oxidized like the rest, and does still show the original factory final grind crossgrain. The original leather blade buffer washer is present in the guard recess.

The reverse ricasso is etched with the trademark “Knights-Head” (Ritter-helm) logo of legendary maker Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie of Solingen, over the firms initials of WKC / SOLINGEN. This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany – a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making. Per J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ”Kings head” as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums and the company Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie was formed, which continued into the Weimar Period. It then rebranded as W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH, and produced many edged weapons during the NSDAP Period. The company is still in operation today.

The scabbard is a classic WKC example, and looks to originally have been bright plated, which has turned a lovely gray color over the years. This scabbard does not have any dents we can see, and it still has crisp finely grained panels. The carrying bands have an excellent pattern of overlapping oak leaves and acorns, with hand enhancing evident on each of the leaves. The throat is the narrower type seen, and is secured by two flush mount screws on the narrow sides of the scabbard.

Attached to the scabbard is a very good condition belt hanger, with functional pebbled spring clips with a great patina. The end clips are the more complex and desirable sliding type. The buckles and keepers are engraved with the same oak and acorn motif seen throughout the dagger. The hardware is marked D.R.G.M, indicating that these were registered in the German trademark office. The straps do show wear, especially on the velvet side, which has lost almost all of the fuzzy “nap” to the fabric. It has a heavy duty belt hanger clip attached, and definitely looks to have seen extensive service.

A wonderful personalized German Army Heer Dagger from a legendary maker, complete with loads of patina! We rarely see them like this!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 1/2″
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 14“
Crossguard: 2 3/4”
Scabbard Length: 11 1/8″

The German Army (Heer) first carried a dagger beginning in 1935. The weapon was worn in lieu of occasions not demanding the wearing of a more formal sword. The dagger design was quite attractive featuring silvered heavy fittings with white or colored grip. The crossguard depicted a Wehrmacht open-winged eagle clutching a wreathed swas.

The pommel depicted oak leafing around the outer circumference. The scabbard had panels of pebble designs. Later produced examples were plated with nickel, and late war-made pieces were unplated, finished in a gray color metal. These daggers are often encountered with an aluminum portepee.