In House Shipping:
The Schutzstaffel (SS) were the elite of the German Wehrmacht during WW2, with each man being chosen for his physical fitness, mental and physical toughness, fighting spirit, and ardent National Socialist ideals. As the legendary Dick Winters once said in an interview, those SS were "some hard nosed soldiers". The SS was usually deployed where the fighting was fiercest and the danger greatest, from Italy to Southern Russia, and from Normandy to Holland. With the Nazis gaining power in 1933, a dress dagger heavily steeped in Ancient Roman design was introduced for SS members to wear with their striking black dress uniform. Early on, members of the SS were awarded their daggers during a ceremony at the Feldherrnhalle Memorial in Munich. The annual ritual, charged with mysticism and meant to evoke the traditions of medieval Teutonic knights, was held on November 9, the date of Hitler’s unsuccessful “Beer Hall Putsch” of 1923. Both SS officers and enlisted men wore the identical dagger until 1936. After that time, only enlisted men wore the M-1933 dagger, while officers and NCOs who had served 1933 and prior would receive the new "Chained" version. It should be noted that as patterned, the M-1936 "Chained" SS daggers were completely devoid of maker and RZM markings. It solely carried the SS motto, “Meine Ehre heißt Treue” (translating to “My Honor Is Loyalty”), etched along the left side of the blade. It featured an ebony hardwood grip with an enameled SS emblem and the German national eagle inset at the left side. These SS M-1936 Chained Leader’s Daggers are the pinnacle of German WW2 edged weapon collecting. This German WW2 SS Officer’s Chained M-1936 Leader’s Dress Dagger is in Good Condition, with some loosening to the blade and guard system, moderate loosening to the handle and pommel system, some scattered scratching, pitting, and scabbard wear at each side of the blade, heavy scratching, surface chipping, and patina to the guard, some chipping to the wing tips of the eagle inset at the middle left side of the handle, some whitish/greenish soiling in the openings left by those missing wing tips as well as around the rest of the eagle, a small chip in the upper left enameling of the SS roundel at the lower left side of the handle, a small hairline surface crack below that roundel at the middle bottom edge of the left side of the handle, a chip in the top right edge of the right side of the handle, some scratching to the handle, some scratching, surface chipping, and spot patina to the pommel, and with some overall age wear evident. Otherwise, the dagger is in fine shape, with no other damage. Most interestingly, it features a bright 8 3/4” double edge dagger spearpoint blade with a pronounced central spine, a great amount of the original cross-graining, and the classic SS motto “Meine Ehre heißt Treue” (translating to “My Honor Is Loyalty”) crisply etched along the left side, sports the original ebony hardwood handle with the traditional German national eagle inset in inverted fashion at the middle left side and the familiar SS enameled roundel inset in inverted fashion at the lower left side, and is completely, correctly devoid of any maker or RZM markings, which is exactly as it should be for an SS M-1936 “Chained” Leader’s Dagger. It boasts the original bright nickel plated guard, pommel, and securing nut, and is complete with the original German WW2 SS Officer’s M-1936 Chained Leader’s Anodized Steel Scabbard in Very Good Condition, with some scattered scratching, finish abrading, pitting, and spot patina to the body, some scattered scratching, surface chipping, and spot patina to the metal throat and end tip, some light stripping to the screw head at the left side of the throat, and with some scattered age wear evident. Otherwise, the scabbard is in fine shape, with absolutely no dents, cracking, or other damage. Most interestingly, it bears the original, matching bright nickel plated throat and “ball” end tip, carries the correct, original “SS” rune and “skull” linked M-1936 chain hanger at the left side with elegant “burnishing” throughout, a fully functional “snap link” clink at top, and correct “SS” rune stamping on the back of one lower link, and the set is a fine example of an extremely rare, original German WW2 SS Officer’s Chained M-1936 Leader’s Dress Dagger.