First, To start the ball rolling in response to Johnny V�s request for pictures: Posted below is an image and link from an earlier GDC discussion showing an
"Olympics Version" of the DJ knife with wide stance prongs spread outward.
Olympics DJ Thread I don't disagree that a stockpile of generic brand new early period** small hiking knives could have been acquired and issued to some element of the Hitler Youth at some point either early or late in the history of the Third Reich. Judging from the numbers seen (with and w/o emblems) it must have been a fairly large stockpile of unsold knives. However to date I haven�t seen a period catalog, photos, or documentation etc. showing them with or w/o emblems - which is one of the reasons why I imagine the topic is still in play. And as was suggested, it�s always a possibility that some small shop did conversions adding HJ emblems to some of the scabbards while leaving others untouched. ** (Reason: No RZM, utilizes an aluminum not zinc hilt)
I would really have liked to have had a chance to closely examine the veteran acquired �DJ� knives that Ron mentioned. And better yet, also had the hindsight to have them X-Rayed to see how the emblems were attached to the scabbard bodies. So much for impossibilities.
(At that time who knew what kind of discussions would spring forth regarding some seemingly small details??)
Aside from all of the other issues that come up when these knives are discussed something that has bothered me since the first time I saw one is this: A long time back I had a really tough time finding a fairly decent standard HJ knife that hadn�t seen a lot of hard use. And a lot of them had
seen really hard use. With that background and understanding of the role of the small knives as supposed to be some kind of a youth knife: What kind of an individual made the decision to mount an HJ emblem on the side of the scabbard in such an exposed location? Where it could have very easily been defaced, damaged, or knocked off the first time the scabbard hit something hard?? (Appliqu�s are not uncommon with some hilts and grips. But with scabbards it�s not something the Germans normally did.)
I don�t myself have an answer as to for who or when they were made. But in the meantime would like to see some scabbard X-Rays if possible. To see what if any patterns show up. And maybe a catalog or two. To see what the Germans called them if any such period references exist. Or perhaps even a later catalog inasmuch as �sanitized� HJ clones were still in production after the war being a continuation of an earlier product line, which could also provide a clue or place to look. Regards to All, FP