I was going through some SS documents and came across a request from 1939 for a missing SS honour sword. The logo was described as a "man and a tree with the letters I V W D". Edged weapons are not my area so I was rather hoping that someone over here might be able to clarify this for me.
Thanks,
Derek

That is an odd one. The earlier SS swords are marked "Krebs" or unmarked. The later ones are marked "PMD" (backward "P") or are unmarked. There is debate about "mid-period" SS swords with other maker marks. They are sometimes seen with well-known maker marks, such as "WKC," "Eickhorn," etc. These swords are seldom seen and some, at least, are believed to be post-war police sword conversions. The description you give eludes me, but I am not that familiar with all the maker marks. The "man with a tree" does not ring a bell, but there may be such a mark. The other marks sound as if they may be unit markings and may have the owner's initial(s) in the mix. Very odd.

Thank you for your reply. The sword itself was the property of Walter Buch, so unfortunately the initials don't work and the letters don't fit with his assignments either.
Derek