Heer Daggers

Adopted in 1935, the German Army or "Heer" daggers remain one of the most common daggers of the period and as such, have become an iconic symbol of the the hobby. There are a variety of makers and qualities can vary drastically. Some makers made all of their parts in house, while others really are best described as "assemblers" because they didn't make anything. Some of the smaller makers we call "cottage" makers. They may have lacked the large equipment to make the parts in house, but usually their use of high grade parts, fitment process and finishes delivered and exceptional quality dagger. It is important to note that some makers had fairly crude eagles on the cross guards. This is merely a design characteristic of certain makers and should not raise alarms unless the whole dagger does not meet expectations from the maker which it is reported to be.

Like the second model Luftwaffe daggers, they can be found in two main types. The early ones have nice solid celluloid grips and on rare occasions, "glass". The early ones usually have a quality base metal with a heavy silver finish or silver plate.
Later daggers will have zinc fittings and a poor finish in most cases. They will also have a stark white thin plastic grip with either a wood and plaster fill or all plaster.