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. 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 an incredible condition early SA Dagger with a fully intact Röhm signature, and is only the second example that we have EVER had. The acid etched complete In herzlicher kameradschaft Ernst Röhm (In cordial companionship Ernst Röhm) motto remains nice and crisp, with no fading or signs of attempted removal. It is completely correct, and has been compared to other examples. This is the real deal!

The blade of this example is in near excellent condition and retains almost all of its factory final polish grind crossgrain. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is some runner wear, as well as some fading of the cross grain due to cleaning. It also looks like the edges were partially sharpened at some point, and this was then smoothed out, only affecting the very edge of the blade. The acid etched Alles für Deutschland motto is beautifully executed, and still shows almost all of the original factory darkening.

The reverse ricasso is etched with the 1933-35 trademark logo of Carl Eickhorn, Stahlwarenfabrik (steelware factory): a double oval surrounding a seated squirrel with a notched tail, with CARL EICKHORN / SOLINGEN surrounding the squirrel trademark. Per J. Anthony Carter's book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this is one of several similar trademarks used during the period, and is exactly what would have been used on early SA, NSKK, and SS daggers signed by Röhm.

This legendary company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn, and is arguably the most famous of all makers in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Not only could the family trace their history back 500 years, but they could also demonstrate involvement in the hardening and grinding industries for the same period. Truly the nobility of Solingen Edged weapon dynasties. Eickhorn edged weapons are the most desirable of all makers.

The hardwood grip has a great color, with medium center ridge construction. It does show a good amount of wear, and looks to probably have been refinished / oiled at some point, as it now displays a lovely golden color, with the grain quite dark. We can still see trades of the original red dye used, which did make the wood a bit brittle, making cracking common. There is no cracking by the cross guard, but the grip is cracked on both sides by the pommel guard. The solid nickel-silver eagle is crisp with a perfect fit, and just a bit of oxidation, showing that is is solid nickel alloy. The SA roundel also has a good fit and retains most of the translucent enamel, with intact plating.

Both guards are solid Nickel alloy, and really in great shape, displaying a lovely lightly aged patina and crisp accent grooves. The pommel nut is present, with just a bit of rounding from tightening, and the hilt is tight on the blade.

The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked Oe, a very rare marking, as it stands for Oesterreich or Österreich, the German name for Austria, which was not officially made part of NSDAP Germany until the Anschluss of 1938. They still however had SA units within the country, however they did not operate as openly as in Germany. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior, and we have never seen this particular marking on an SA or NSKK dagger before, which makes it even more interesting that it is an intact Röhm example!

The steel scabbard shell is the correct early-war style, originally made with a brown "anodized" finish on the steel, protected by a lacquer coating. This example has lost virtually all of the lacquer, with just a bit still retained next to the fittings, however it is still dent free, and a good amount of the anodizing is present on the obverse. The reverse shows less of the finish, and also has surface oxidation present in many areas. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver, and are really in very nice shape, showing only light oxidation and wear. The bottom ball is dented in just a bit, when they are often completely crushed. All four dome-headed securing screws are present and in good condition. 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 brown finished leather. The leather is in very good condition, showing minor wear and cracking to the finish, but no major tears or other damage. The nickel spring clip itself is marked with a "barred A" followed by D.R.G.M. (Deutsches Reiches Gebrauchs Musterschutz) - meaning it is a protected patented design under the Reich Government. This design was registered to the owner of the "Barred A" trademark, F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a large maker of belts, buttons, and other accoutrements.

This is a fantastic opportunity to acquire a fully intact Ernst Röhm Signature SA Dagger in wonderful condition by the most legendary of Solinsgen makers, never "sanitized" after the Night of the Long Knives! Ready to be the jewel of your German knife collection!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 8 3/4"
Overall length: 13 3/4”
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.