Original German WWII SA Dagger by Lauterjung & Sohn PUMA-Werk with Scabbard and Hanger - RZM M7/27

Original Item: Only One Available. This very good condition mid war period produced SA Dagger has nickel-plated fittings throughout. The crossguards and tang nut are nickel plated zinc alloy, and have had a good amount of the original plating flake away, now showing wear and oxidation. We did note that in the protected area under the scabbard still retains the plating very well, so most likely the fittings were exposed to moisture over a long period of time. There is not any major chipping or dents in the fittings, just the usual effects of age.

The grip is a fine product having a fine reddish colored mahogany tone in the surfaces and having medium center ridge construction. This grip is in very good condition with great grain, and fits the crossguards well. There is some cracking near the pommel on both sides, as well as some small chips. The SA symbol button is nicely set having fully intact enameling, and the plating intact with just a bit of verdigris and oxidation as shown. The details are still there to the inlaid nickel plated eagle, including the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas (hook cross).

The blade of this example is in excellent condition, with almost 100% of the factory cross grain still visible. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There are just a few areas of light staining and speckling on the back that keep it from being complete. There are also signs of cleaning and the usual runner wear. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still quite crisp, with the factory darkening still intact.

The rear is marked with the RZM contract information:

((RZM))
M7 / 27

This marking indicates the dagger was made by RZM Dagger contractor "17" in 1938, which records show is Lauterjung & Sohn, Puma-werk (PumaWorks), located in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. This is a known producer of SS, SA, and NSKK daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after. The company was originally founded on a small scale in 1796, and later Nathanael Lauterjung officially opened a cutlery and knife making workshop in Solingen during 1855. After his death, the name was changed and registered as "Puma-Werk", to avoid confusion with the other Lauterjung-owned workshops in Solingen. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and has very good original brown enamel paint. It has just a bit of scuffing and crazing in the finish, with a few small areas where it has flaked off. The scabbard shell is equipped with fine matching nickel-plated steel mounts. These mounts are in very good condition overall, with only some plating wear through and denting on the lower ball, which is common even with steel fittings. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws. This really is a nice solid scabbard.

Attached to the hanger ring on the scabbard is a very nice later pattern belt hanger, with nickel plated steel hardware and brown finished leather. The leather is in good condition, showing a wear and wrinkling to the finish, though we do not see any cracking. The keeper loop is still present, and the leather is also has (RZM) code L2 / 338 / 41 embossed into the leather. The fully functional spring clip on the end is marked with (RZM) code M5 / 71 for Overhoff & Cie. of Lüdenscheid, whose OLC in a diamond trademark is also present. There is loss of plating on the end clip, as well as on the buckle.

The Reichszeugmeisterei, or RZM, was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 27 stands for firm Pumawerk (Lauterjung & Sohn) of Solingen.

An lovely example of a mid to late war pattern SA dagger from a desirable maker with an excellent blade, complete with scabbard and hanger. Ready to display!

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

History of the SA-

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.

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, reflecting 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.