Has anyone else got a dagger dated 1942?
Thanks
Dave

Not too many of those around.

I think I have sen an RZM 7/72 dated 1942.

Dave

There are several Eickhorn SAs and HJs dated 1942 that I have seen over the years. This is the last dated piece that I know of.
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria

HJ and SA/NSKK dated 1942 are not that tough to find.

SS ... Like I said, I think I have seen an M7/72

Dave

1942 is the last date that I have seen. Actually I'm surprised that they even made them that late after the Russian campaign began and that first disastrous winter in Russia. Early 1942 military production also has the high polish type of finish on weapons even as they were trying to replace combat losses. There had to be some high level decisions made and military manufacturing standards were relaxed and the production of dress items was terminated.

Dave,
I have the SS M7/72 dated 1942.
Just wondering if another 1942 example had surfaced.
Thanks
Dave

Dave,

I am not sure if I have seen another or not. The RZM marks do not stick in my mind as firmly as the early makers.

You might post a nice shot of the RZM mark for everone to see.

Best wishes
Dave

Dave,
i'll take a picture tommorow
Cheers
Dave

I think that I may have found a cutoff date for the termination of the manufacture of the dress daggers, knives, bayonets etc. While looking for a directive by Himmler regarding discontinuing the issue of the SS Honor Swords I became reacquainted with the appointment of Albert Speer as the Reich Minister of Armaments and Munitions in February of 1942.

Faced with a very difficult task Speer instituted a large number of reforms which greatly increased the flow of armaments to the troops in the field. Correlating that information to the serial numbers of early 1942 Soligen made 98K combat bayonets made to the (more or less) prewar high polish standards and to those made to the slightly later much cruder wartime standards seems to confirm the time frame as coinciding with the appointment of Speer.

Here is a picture of Dave1944's 1942 dagger

Frogprince,

It was interesting to read in Johnson's Vol II that as late as spring 1944, the SS was writing letters to damascus master craftsman Paul Müeller that they wanted blades and special orders for dignitaries.

Börse, a very interesting observation indeed. But isn’t that the same Damascus bladesmith who complained that all of his apprentices were or had been drafted and sent off for service with the Wehrmacht?? It would seem that some of the SS high command had its own set of priorities, and had lost touch with reality, even as the Waffen SS was forced to continue to expand its ranks by using foreign troops.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Fred Prinz (aka "Frogprince"),

I think that 1942 is probably when the last of the "production" blades for daggers/knives. the firms got other contracts for more needed items.

But, if one of the Nazi bigwigs showed wanted a presentation daggger made up for someone, the factory manager would shout "Zu Befehl, Mein ......", click his heels, and tell someone to make one up.

Dave