BACKGROUND: Traditionally German Army Officer’s had worn a sabre as part of the uniform dress and this tradition was carried on through the Weimar era and on into the Third Reich. In an attempt to build morale and curry favour within the Army, Hitler introduced the dress dagger for optional wear with the walking out dress, and retained the sabre for wear on more formal occasions. The dress dagger was designed by Berlin graphic artist Paul Casberg and was officially approved for wear on May 4TH 1935 along with specifically styled dagger hangers and a new pattern portepee. Production of the dress dagger was to be discontinued as per regulations of May 27TH 1943 and further wear of the dress dagger was prohibited by order of September 5TH 1944. Additional regulations of December 23RD 1944 indicated that officer ranks were to wear a pistol in place of the dress dagger.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The dagger features a roughly, 10 1/4", (26 cm), long, drop forged, steel construction, nickel/silver plated, stiletto style blade with a flat central ridge and a full length, including the hilt, of roughly, 14 3/4", (37.6 cm). The blade is in overall very good condition with minor scabbard runners and surface spotting. The reverse ricasso is well marked with deeply acid etched manufacturers logo and script. The logo consists of the profile of a medieval style helmet with initials and location, WKC Solingen indicating manufacture by Weyersberg, Kirschbaum & Co. Waffenfabrik Solingen-Wald. The original blackened leather washer is still intact. The dagger has a nickel/silver plated, cast alloy construction crossguard, ferrule, and pommel which all show minor age tarnish and a couple of small scrapes and scuffs revealing the base alloy. The crossguard features an embossed, army style, national eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons to the obverse and a plain reverse. The ferrule and pommel both feature embossed, repeating, oak-leaf and acorn ornamentation with horizontal oak-leaves to the ferrule and vertical oak-leaves to the pommel. The dagger has a molded, "burnt orange" celluloid grip with the correct diagonally angled ribbing. The dagger comes with it’s original, tooled, magnetic sheet metal construction, nickel/silver plated, scabbard with a random pebbled pattern to both the obverse and reverse and smooth side panels. Both of the sweated on, scabbard bands with repeating, horizontally embossed, oak-leaf and acorn ornamentation and the plain, hanger suspension rings are all intact. Come with an original portepee and nice pair of hangers.