SMGQ-0352 The Daggers and Edged Weapons of Hitler’s Germany

This is the 1970 3rd printing and today remains a staple in the library of any edged weapon collector. Due to the amount of prints available and the general knowledge approach to this work, it remains very affordable. This particular example does not have the red dust jacket and is in good used condition. There are no torn pages, notes or dog eared pages.

This volume, the first complete reference work on the edged weapons of Nazi Germany, is published only a few short years after the echo of hobnailed boots faded from the cobble stoned streets of Europe. Research and publication were accomplished at that critical time in the history of an era when live witnesses are still available to provide invaluable details and background information would otherwise be lost in obscurity with passing of time. Throughout history, German warriors have attached deep significance and honored tradition to the bearing of swords and daggers. The Teutons placed a sword in the cradle of newborn males to give them courage and when brave warriors died, their swords were placed in their graves with them. With the rise of the Third Reich much old world tradition associated with edged weapons was revived and, like their Teutonic forebears, Hitler’s elite swore their allegiance while holding one hand on the blade of a sword. In spite of the relatively short span of the Third Reich, countless millions of swords, daggers and bayonets were produced for its followers and fighters. Most of these were destroyed during the war; however, those which survived destruction will leave their mark on history. Without question, no government in history has ever created so many and such varieties of edged weapons for its defenders in such a short span of time. This book fills a vast gap in the rapidly expanding quest for knowledge of the Third Reich by both weapons enthusiasts and historians. Tons of captured German war documents were screened and World War II Berlin archives were diligently explored. The author spent extensive time in the German “City of Swords,” Solingen, obtaining firsthand, analytical information from the few surviving factory managers and craftsmen who created the pieces illustrated in this work