Original German WWII Scarce Army Officer Nr. 7 Dove Head Sword by F. W. Höller with Monogram and Steel Scabbard

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a Scarce type of Army Dove Head Sword, made by the firm F. W. Höller of Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. They produced wide variety of different styles, much like Carl Eickhorn's "Commander Series", however they were made in far less numbers, and information on them is scarce, as are the swords. This is a F. W. Höller "Model Number 7" Dove Head sword, the first example that we have ever seen. We have been able to find one or two listings that were sold in the past, as well as some other models such as the Number 21, but in general these very rarely surface. The sword features a great nickel plated blade, and comes complete with the correct black enamel painted steel scabbard.

The hilt on this example is the classic gilt brass alloy, not the later war plated aluminum. The gilding is retained at over 80%, way more than we typically see, with only some small areas showing the raw brass. The overall design is very similar to other "Dove's Head" swords, however the ornamentation is definitely in some ways quite different. The "P" guard and grip ferrule bear lovely "High Relief" embossed German Oak Leaf and Acorn motifs, an iconic design used on all types of ceremonial items and awards.

The backstrap is one thing that really differentiates the Number 7 from other designs, as it shows high relief laurel leaf sprigs with berries, with a large open winged Reichsadler Eagle looking to the viewer's right, with the wings extending ono the grip tabs. The other thing is the design on the front langet, which shows a large "Crusader Sword" above more laurel leaves. The rear langet has a shield where a monogram could be added, and in this case the sword actually has one! The initials H and A are intertwined and stylized on the reverse, and have a lovely patina. We have only ever had a handful of army officer swords that have been initialed.

The grip of this example is a black celluloid over a carved wood base. The celluloid is still in very good condition, showing just some light wear with no cracks or chips. The grip is wrapped with a skein of 4 brass wires, the center two of which are twisted and wrapped with thin bullion wire, and the wrapping is fully intact. There is some dirt and oxidation around the wires, and they show a oxidized patina. The hilt is mostly tight to the blade, with the back strap and guard showing some minor movement.

The nickel plated blade is 33 3/4 inches long, made of high quality spring steel. The plating is in very good condition, showing some oxidation and scattered light scuffing. The edge is correctly unsharpened, but it does have some damage on the corners, probably from being rubbed against another blade or something steel. The edge is still correctly unsharpened, and does not have any dents or nicks. The original leather blade buffer is still present and in very good condition.

The reverse ricasso is maker marked (partly under the langet) with a "losenge" style trademark logo that reads F. W. HÖLLER / SOLINGEN, surrounding the trademark Höller "Thermometer" emblem. This is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, which produced many fine edged weapons. F.W. Höller, Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), located in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. During the WWII Period they manufactured many SA and NSKK daggers, both with their "thermometer" trademark and later with the RZM code M7/33. They also produced numerous 98K bayonets and other edged weapons. The firm was founded in 1866, and registered in Solingen in 1883. By 1900 ownership had passed to Emil Höller, and it continued manufacture after WWII, finally closing in 1974. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The included scabbard is in very good condition, with a straight steel body with no bends or dents we can feel or see. The black enamel paint of this scabbard is still in good shape, retained at at over 90%, showing just a bit of wear and oxidation from use and age. There is light checking and crazing throughout, only possible due to years of age, and there are a few areas of lost paint, as well as some brown paint that is stuck on one side. The scabbard still retains the original hanger ring and flat loop to hook on the belt hanger.

Overall a lovely example of an incredibly rare German Army Officer Number 7 Dove Head sword by a F. W. Höller, complete with scabbard. We have never had one of these before, and it is unlikely that we will have another any time soon. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 33 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 38 7/8“
Guard dimensions: 5" width x 5” length
Scabbard length: 34 3/8”

The German Army (German: Heer, was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht, the German armed forces, from 1935 to 1945. The Wehrmacht also included the Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). During World War II, a total of about 15 million soldiers served in the German Army, of whom about seven million became casualties. Separate from the army, the Waffen-SS (Armed SS) was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. Growing from three regiments to over 38 divisions during World War II, it served alongside the army but was never formally part of it.

Only 17 months after AH announced publicly the rearmament program, the Army reached its projected goal of 36 divisions. During the autumn of 1937, two more corps were formed. In 1938, four additional corps were formed with the inclusion of the five divisions of the Austrian Army after the Anschluss in March. During the period of its expansion by Adolf AH, the German Army continued to develop concepts pioneered during World War I, combining ground (Heer) and air (Luftwaffe) assets into combined arms teams. Coupled with operational and tactical methods such as encirclements and the "battle of annihilation", the German military managed quick victories in the two initial years of World War II, prompting the use of the word Blitzkrieg (literally lightning war, meaning lightning-fast war) for the techniques used.

The German Army entered the war with a majority of its infantry formations relying on the horse for transportation. The infantry remained foot soldiers throughout the war; artillery also remained primarily horse-drawn. The motorized formations received much attention in the world press in the opening years of the war, and were cited as the main reason for the success of the German invasions of Poland (September 1939), Norway and Denmark (April 1940), Belgium, France and Netherlands (May 1940), Yugoslavia (April 1941) and the early campaigns in the Soviet Union (June 1941). However their motorized and tank formations accounted for only 20% of the Heer's capacity at their peak strength.