SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION
SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION
L019167 SECOND PATTERN OFFICER'S DAGGER WITH PORTEPEE & HANGERS.
(Offizierdolch mit Portepee und Dolchgehänge)BACKGROUND: In March 1933 the DLV, Deutscher Luftsport Verband, (German Air Sports Association), was established by incorporating all civilian flying clubs into the one organization. The DLV was utilized as a clandestine, civilian organization to train personnel for the future Luftwaffe, (Air-{Weapon}, Force). As a civilian organization the DLV was able to circumvent the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, which prohibited a German military air service. In February and April 1934 respectively the DLV introduced a dagger for Officer’s ranks and a knife for NCO and enlisted ranks. Later in 1934 members of the Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base), the secret military branch of the DLV, adopted both sidearms for wear. Shortly after the unveiling of the Luftwaffe in March 1935 a modified version of the DLV’s Officer’s dagger was adopted for wear by Luftwaffe Officers and EM/NCO personnel who held a valid pilot’s licence. On July 15TH 1937 a second pattern Luftwaffe dagger was introduced for wear by Officers, Senior Officer Candidates and Officials with the equivalent of Officer’s ranks and the first pattern dagger was discontinued. With the introduction of the second pattern dagger new, corresponding, dagger hangers were also established. Additional regulations of March and August 1940 respectively, extended wear of the second pattern dagger to Senior NCO’s, Senior reserve NCO’s and Officials with the equivalent of Senior NCO’s ranks. Blade side arm portepees and troddels were originally introduced in the Prussian army in 1808, and continued to be worn with the Dress uniform, as a tradition and identifying item through WWI, the Weimar Republic, (Circa 1919-1933), and on into the Third Reich, with minor modifications. The Luftwaffe version of the portepee was officially introduced on March 1ST 1935 and the design was based on the earlier, army Officer’s portepee. By 1944, with the German’s worsening war situation, the ornamental Officer’s dagger was no longer deemed to be a dress requirement and orders started to be distributed restricting it’s wear and replacing it with the much more practical, loaded pistol. The regulations discontinuing wear of the dagger and replacing it with a pistol were first issued in August 1944 for Luftwaffe personnel serving in Holland, Belgium and France followed by regulations in September 1944 concerning personnel serving in Berlin. Finally regulations of December 23RD 1944 discontinuing wear of the dagger, to be replaced with a loaded pistol, was effective for all Luftwaffe personnel. Of Note: Officers, Senior NCO’s, Senior Officer Candidates and Officials with equivalent rank/positions were responsible for purchasing their own uniform items, including some side arms and their accoutrements, (hangers and portepees), and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the Verkaufsabteilung der Luftwaffe, (Sales Department of the Air-{Weapons} Force), system. Officers, Senior NCO’s, Senior Officer Candidates and Officials with equivalent rank/positions could choose to purchase their side arms and accoutrements items from the armed forces clothing depots or privately purchase items of higher quality. As a result the Officer’s dress daggers and accoutrements were only available at specially designated retailers and could be purchased, at additional cost, with additional enhancements including pure ivory grips and an assortment of ornamental, etched blade designs on the daggers and more ornate, deluxe patterned, hangers.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The drop forged and tooled steel, cast alloy and molded bakelite, multi-piece construction dagger, including the hilt is roughly, 15 1/4", (38.7 cm), long, and features a roughly, 10 1/4", (26 cm), long, nickel/silver plated, double edged, drop forged steel construction, stiletto style blade with a flat central plane. The blade is in overall good condition with light scabbard runner marks and some light surface spotting and some of the original cross-graining is still visible. The reverse ricasso is well marked with the acid etched manufacturer’s name, location and logo consisting of a vertically oval cartouche with the manufacturer’s name and location, "Paul Weyersberg & Co. Solingen", encompassing a downward pointing broadsword, flanked by a stylized, opened top, laurel leave wreath. The reverse ricasso also has a stamped, waffen-amt, (Ordnance Office, {Armorer’s Inspection Mark}), mark that would seem to indicate a bestowed dagger, as opposed to a private purchase example. The pebbled, blackened leather washer is still intact. The dagger has a well defined, nicely detailed, cast, aluminum crossguard, ferrule and pommel all intact. The crossguard features a stylized, national eagle with downward -angled, out-stretched, wings, clutching a canted swastika in it’s talons to the obverse with a random, pebbled field to the reverse. The top edge of the crossguard has an ornate, engraved, oak-leaf and acorn pattern to each side. The cast ferrule has a repeating, embossed, diagonally angled, oak-leaf and acorn pattern. The orb shaped pommel features an embossed oak-leaf and acorn pattern encompassing a dual encircled, embossed, canted, fire gilted, swastika on a pebbled background field to both the obverse and the reverse. The fire gilted finish to both of the pommel swastikas is retained about 95%. Of Note: Typically the gilt finish to the pommel swastikas is worn off. The crossguard, ferrule and pommel all show light age tarnish which only enhance the detailing. The dagger has a molded, orangish/yellow, bakelite grip with the correct, fine, twisted, multi-strand, silver/aluminum wire wrap inset into the diagonally angled grooves. The grip is in overall good condition with light age and usage toning and a few small surface scuffs and scrapes. The dagger comes complete with it’s original, nickel/silver plated, tooled, magnetic sheet steel scabbard. The scabbard features a pebbled field to both the obverse and the reverse with smooth side panels. The scabbard has an ornate, embossed, oak-leaf pattern to both the obverse and reverse of the bottom tip. The scabbard also has dual, sweated on, aluminum alloy hanger suspension bands with an ornate, embossed, repeating oak-leaf pattern to each. The steel, hanger suspension rings are both intact. The scabbards top throat has a two, small, counter sunk, retaining screws, positioned on each, upper side edge. The scabbard shows light to moderate age and usage tarnish and some small spots of wear to the base metal. The dagger comes with a woven, silver/aluminum, portepee, consisting of an interwoven silver/aluminum cord, slide, stem, crown and ball. The slide and stem are both woven with a repeating "V" pattern while the crown is in horizontally laid, twisted, silver/aluminum braid with the ball in vertically laid, twisted, silver/aluminum braid mounted on an internal, formed base. The portepee is in overall very good condition with minor age and usage toning. Also include are nice quality, deluxe pattern, Luftwaffe officer’s dagger hangers consisting of two, machine woven, blue/grey rayon straps with a central, waffle pattern weave, flanked by fine, parallel, vertical, bright, silver/aluminum edges stripes. The straps are both roughly, 3/4", (2cm), wide, with one being roughly, 6 1/4", (15.8 cm), long and the other being roughly, 7 3/4", (19.8. cm), long. The reverse of the hanger straps are backed with a worn, protective olive green velvet. The hangers have stamped and molded alloy construction, fittings consisting of a friction, attachment clip to the top, with dual, cut-outs for securing the hanger straps. The top of the hanger straps are machine stitched to the cut-outs of the top friction clip. Both of the hanger straps also have rectangular framed, opened, pronged, buckles, strap retaining loops and spring loaded, pressure clips to the bottom ends for attaching the hangers to the scabbard hanger rings. The top attachment clip, buckles, retaining loops and the bottom attachment clip all have ornate, embossed, oak-leaf and acorn patterns. All the alloy fittings have mostly reverted to the flat matte grey of the base metal with slight hints of what appears to be a gilt wash, although in likelihood it is a discolored, protective lacquer and not indicative of General’s ranks. All three of the attachment clips are all well marked to the reverse with either the impressed or embossed initials, "DRGM", indicating, Deutsche Reichs Gebrauchs Muster, (German National Registered Design). Interestingly the reverse of the top attachment clip also has an embossed RZM logo with a single, opened bottom, circular border and additional markings consisting of, "U.E", indicating, "Uniformeffekten Erlaubnißschein, (Uniform Accessories Licence), and the manufacturer’s numerical code, "10". Of Note: It appears the combined RZM/U.E., markings were utilized circa May 1933 to March 1935 when the original controlling authority of the SA Quartermaster’s Department was converting into the RZM, Reich Zeug Meisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster). During this time period manufacturers were assigned a U.E. code numeral until March 1935 when the RZM underwent internal restructuring and began assigning specific divisional and sub-divisional manufacturers, contractual identifying letters and a revised set of numerical codes. It also appears there was some confusion amongst the manufacturers as to exactly what items fell under RZM/UE control as this example indicates, as the Luftwaffe was not under the RZM’s authority. Also Of Note: From observed examples it appears the U.E. code numerals did not correspond to the later RZM code numerals and no listing of the U.E. code numerals is currently available so it is virtually impossible to determine the actual manufacturer. The obverse hanger straps show light age and usage toning while the reverse, olive green velvet backings show light age and usage toning and chafe wear resulting in some lost nap. Nice, complete, worn example.
GRADE **** PRICE $ SOLD
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