Hi folks! I have finaly recieved My Axt und Hauerfabrik heer and I am very pleased with it! The dagger is as early as they come with Brass everything (except the scabbard body)hangers even have brass fittings!and are the shortest I have seen!(hangers came with Russian front ribbon attached to them,very interesting and original to the piece so I,m leaving it!) 14 leaf pommel,tapered tang,and super dark slant grip.unique eagle(let me know if this crossguard looks like any other maker you have seen?)and personalised with the owners name "Hell" (meaning "light" in German)no! this isnt the devils dagger! Blade has some graying near tip front, and center and tip rear,but pretty nice overall! This dagger had 60 years of grime and dust,dirt on it and the portapee is stiff as a board!,holds its shape completly when removed! I truly believe that it has been untouched since the war!! Unfortunate that the swaz and wreath were ground partially off! Never saw one denazified like this before,about as gental as it can be done! Just part of this daggers history! As this one stayed in Germany untill now and the swaz is forbidden there,especially right after the war!! Gave the dagger a gentle cleaning with baby wipes and the detail popped right out! Everything has hand work on it,and a heavy patina.I bought this dagger out of Kiel Germany,funny should be a navy right!? I said I would share some pics when it arrived in my previous Axt posting(sorry my camera is not a good closeup taker!), so here it goes....

AAAAHHH! pics are too big,be back soon with new ones!

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just love that grip about as nice as they come

Crossguard looks like an early SMF to me with that unique head and beak. Brass? If so, it doesn't show up on the ground places on crossguard?
Denny

THANKS for replies folks! Denny, Funny how that hilt pic came out with the flash,in person you can see the yellow color! and in the personalised letters. HEAVY dagger here! Kevin.

Great dagger and really rare maker. I have a SA by that maker, but I haven't landed an army yet. Denny is right about the crossguard, it is the odd looking SMF eagle.
Phil

Phil and Denny, I have looked very close at the close up pics of the SMF crossguard in Wittmanns Heer book and have to disagree,the SMF eagle head does share this turned down looking beak but beyond that it is signifigantly different. The head shape is flat or allmost turned up a bit at the back of the head on the Axt,and turns down quite a bit on the SMF.Also the SMF has a distinct "belly" on it where the torso meats the legs that is semicircular and hangs down,where the Axt is flat along the bottom! Enough differences to mean it came out of a different mold to me! Denny,take a look at these points on your AXT and on your SMF'S and see if you agree. My Axt has hand done feathering along the wings also! Let me know what you guys think?! Kevin.

Kevin
I looked at my AXT and have to AGREE with you. The crossguard isn't an SMF as I first thought. I was working from memory and it failed me....

Head is different and it doesn't protrude above the wings as far as an SMF. My SMF wings appear to have a little more definition that the wings on my AXT. Never noticed that before. Quillen end thickness may be a tad less on my AXT than on my SMFs.

It appears to be a totally different design when one looks closely at them.

My AXT has a dark colored grip very close to the color of yours.

Got a closer shot of the trademark?
Denny

This message has been edited. Last edited by: D. J. Roach,

Nice rare dagger. LOVE that grip.

Tyrel

Pic of the crossguard on my AXT. NOT SMF....

Crossguards on my SMFs....

AXT Mark....

Thanks Tyrel! Denny, I will attempt to get better logo pic but my cheapo camera sucks at the close ups!!(my logo looks identicle to yours you posted in my first Axt posting, with kings head not horse!)Do you have a early brass based WKC heer with the slant grip?pre hatchet head? If memory serves the Axt crossguard looks quite a bit like that one if I were to compare it to any! Let me know what you think.... Kevin.

LOVE your pics Denny! LOVE to have one of those SMF's!!!! Just noticed wile gazing at your Axt that the leaves on my scabbard bands are going the opposit direction! only difference I see. Kevin.

Kevin
I do indeed have some early WKCs, about 8 or 9 of them. XGuard like this.......3rd from left.
Denny

Since I last saw Dennys Axt when I said this mark is the old Gebr Weyersberg mark I have found this, in my opinion this dagger is basically a WKC.See last paragraph, this is from John Walters book "The sword and bayonet makers of Imperial Germany".

Gary

Sorry I should have said this is a Gebruder Weyersberg, it looks from Dennys dagger that they may have bought some parts from WKC.

Gary

Just GREAT info there Gary!! And wild to see that white grip on your early WKC Denny! Wouldnt have expected that! on closer examination of your early WKC Denny,I would have to say that the AXT crossguard is still significantly different! We may have a unique crossguard here! Kevin.