Original Item: Only One Available. Prior to his "unmasking" as a traitor, Ernst Röhm was the leader of the SA. In 1934, he distributed approximately 100,000 SA daggers with his personal inscription on the reverse blade. These daggers were to honor individuals who had served with the SA prior to December, 1931. Other than the inscription, these pieces were identical to the standard M1933 SA dagger. After the Röhm purge, the inscription was ordered to be removed. Many examples were returned to the factory for grinding. Others were simply ground in the field by whatever means were available. Examples will occasionally be encountered with remnants of the original inscription remaining on the blade, but mostly none will remain. Some blades exist with an intact inscription, exhibiting only the removal of the Röhm signature, such as this example. Very, very rarely is an example seen with a full, untouched inscription, as the holder would have surely risked a charge of treason.

This is a great looking “Lazy Man’s” Partially ground Röhm SA Dagger. The acid etched partial In herzlicher kameradschaft [Ernst Röhm] (In cordial companionship Ernst Röhm) motto remains nice and crisp. Ernst Röhm’s name has been completely removed. The removal was very well done, and this was most likely done at the factory or by a skilled cuttler, and not someone at home.

The front side of this blade is in great condition and bright, still showing the original factory final grind cross grain clearly! This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The rear of the blade also has great cross grain, which is slightly different over where the signature used to be, showing that it was expertly removed and refinished. The acid etched Alles für Deutschland motto is beautifully executed, and still shows much of the original factory darkening.

The edge of the blade still has the original factory sharpening on most of the edge, however we noted that the blade is about 1/2" shorter than these usually are. It looks like the tip of the blade must have suffered a chip or damage, and the entire front point was expertly re-profiled by a cutler or at the factory, which is why the cross-grain becomes very faint near the tip once past the etched portions.

Towards the ricasso there is the maker name and logo of C.G. Haenel, Waffen- und Fahrradfabrik AG (Weapons and Bicycle Factory), located in Suhl, Thuringia, which is clear:

Per J. Anthony Carter's book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm produced SA / NSKK daggers during the 1934-1935 period ONLY, which makes it fit perfectly into the period when the Röhm daggers were being distributed.

Both guards are solid Nickel alloy, and really in great shape, with the accent grooves still sharpening defined, and showing a lovely lightly oxidized patina. There are a few dents on the pommel guard, but no lifting at all, showing that they are definitely solid nickel. The brown hardwood grip has no chips or major damage, showing just a few tiny cracks on the obverse near the pommel guard. The solid nickel-silver eagle is crisp with a perfect fit, and just a bit of oxidation, showing that it is the correct early nickel version. The SA roundel also has a good fit and retains most of the enamel, with intact plating. The pommel nut is present, with a bit of a dent on the end but no deformation to the hexagonal portion. The hilt overall is still tight on the blade.

The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked Sa, for Sachsen (Saxony), corresponding to the historical Kingdom of Saxony, with Dresden as the major city. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior.

The steel scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the early-war style, with a brown "anodized" finish on the steel, protected by a lacquer coating. This example still has most of the lacquer intact, with some scratching and chipping. The anodized coating is still in great shape, with little sign of oxidation or wear. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver, and are really in great shape, showing only light oxidation, though the end ball is dented in, as they almost always are. All four dome-headed securing screws are present and do not show signs of having been messed with. The top mount and throat throat nicely matches the crossguards.

Attached to the hanger ring on the scabbard is a very nice early pattern belt hanger, with solid nickel hardware and dark brown leather. The leather is in good condition, showing a wear and cracking to the finish, but no tearing or other major damage. There is no maker marking we can see on the fully functional end clip.

A great opportunity to get a partial Röhm SA Dagger in wonderful condition, partly "sanitized" after the Night of the Long Knives! Ready to add to your collection and display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 8 1/4"
Overall length: 13 2/4”
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 10”

The SA or Brown Shirts, were a private political formation which Adolf AH and the NSDAP used to maintain order at organized Party meetings and demonstrations. The group was formed in 1921, and grew to a huge force of nearly 3,000,000 men by the later 1930's. To instill esprit de corps, as well as create employment for the Blade City of Solingen, it was decided each SA man would carry a dagger with his Brown Shirt uniform. Huge quantities needed to be produced to accommodate the demand. The dagger initially was produced of hand-fitted nickel mounts with attractive finished wood grip and brown anodized (a bluing process) finished scabbard.

The blade was etched with the SA motto, Alles für Deutschland. Examples produced prior to 1935 were stamped with the German sector of the SA group on reverse lower crossguard. Later examples underwent standardization through the RZM ministry. These pieces were produced of cheaper plated zinc-base fittings and scabbards were simply painted brown.

The Night of the Long Knives, in June 1934, saw the wiping out of the SA’s leadership and others who had angered AH in the recent past in NSDAP Germany. After this date, the SS lead by Heinrich Himmler was to become far more powerful in NSDAP Germany. For all the power the Enabling Act gave AH, he still felt threatened by some in the NSDAP Party. He was also worried that the regular army had not given an oath of allegiance. AH knew that the army hierarchy held him in disdain as he was ‘only ‘ a corporal in their eyes. The Night of the Long Knives not only removed the SA leaders but also got AH the army’s oath that he so needed.

By the summer of 1934, the SA’s numbers had swollen to 2 million men. They were under the control of Ernst Röhm, a loyal follower of AH since the early days of the NSDAP Party. The SA had given the NSDAP’s an iron fist with which to disrupt other political parties meetings before January 1933. The SA was also used to enforce law after AH became Chancellor in January 1933. To all intents, they were the enforcers of the NSDAP Party and there is no evidence that Röhm was ever planning anything against AH. However, Röhm had made enemies within the NSDAP Party – Himmler, Goering and Goebbels were angered by the power he had gained and convinced AH that this was a threat to his position. By June 1934, the regular army hierarchy also saw the SA as a threat to their authority. The SA outnumbered the army by 1934 and Röhm had openly spoken about taking over the regular army by absorbing it into the SA. Such talk alarmed the army’s leaders.

By the summer of 1934, AH had decided that Röhm was a ‘threat’ and he made a pact with the army. If Röhm and the other SA leaders were removed, the rank and file SA men would come under the control of the army but the army would have to swear an oath of loyalty to AH. The army agreed and Röhm’s fate was sealed. On the night of June 29th – June 30th 1934, units of the SS arrested the leaders of the SA and other political opponents. Men such as Gregor Strasser, von Schleicher and von Bredow were arrested and none of them had any connection with Röhm. The arrests carried on for 2 more nights. Seventy seven men were executed on charges of treason though historians tend to think the figure is higher. The SA was brought to heel and placed under the command of the army. AH received an oath of allegiance from all those who served in the army. Röhm was shot. Others were bludgeoned to death. The first the public officially knew about the event was on July 13th 1934, when AH told the Reichstag that met in the Kroll Opera House, Berlin, that for the duration of the arrests that he and he alone was the judge in Germany and that the SS carried out his orders. From that time on the SS became a feared force in NSDAP Germany lead by Heinrich Himmler. The efficiency with which the SS had carried out its orders greatly impressed AH and Himmler was to acquire huge power within NSDAP Germany.