Hello,
please,my last aquisition a high quality presentation H?rster Hirschf?nger with three version trademark. Similar blade can be see on page 888 of Thomas M. Johnson's book "German Daggers of World War II".
Thank you Gary for founding out the location of the castle on both blade and clamshell : Ravensburg city.
Regards.
Frank

Frank

Any pictures, it is without doubt one of the best I have seen

Gary

Posted for Frank........

Thanks a lot Vern for your usual help.

wow, that is one beautiful dagger
Thanks for sharing.

Beauty, and I love that maker mark.

J

I believe the the presentation is part of a german folk song sang at shooting festivals in Germany.

David Friedrich Gr?ter, ca. 1780

"Schutzenlied"

Es leben alle Sch?tzen hoch
Im deutschen Vaterland!
Von biedern Sch?tzen stammen wir,
Und s?h' uns Vater Teut allhier:
Er reicht' uns froh die Hand!
Wisst Ihr, wer Deutschlands Retter war?
Ein Sch?tz, der Held Armin!
Er schlug bei hellem Morgenrot
Der R?mer Legionen tot,
Und wir sind frei durch ihn!
Zwei ganze tausend Jahre frei
Und deutsch wie vor durch ihn.
Teuts Sprache sprechen alle noch,
Drum, wer sie redet, spreche: "Hoch!
Hoch leb' der Sch?tz Armin!"
Doch mehr als Ruhm und Vaterland
Ist uns die Menschheit noch!
Den edlen Frieden geb' ihr Gott!
Wer sich erbarmet fremder Not,
Wer Mensch ist, lebe hoch!

Gary

This E. & F. Horster was my first Schutzen-Hirschfanger. In the scabbard it is 25 inches in length, 24- and one-half inches overall with blade about 19 inches and three eights in length.

This example must have been the least expensive model. The blade is etched with military motifs on both sides.

The maker's mark was possibly registered in 1914 and was probably used until about 1932.

See German knife and Sword makers, 1850-1945 by J. Anthony Carter, pages 290 to 292.

I have seen a WWI Grabendolch with this maker's mark, but this maker's mark is usually known as the 1920's mark.

I paid about $310.00 with shipping on Sep. 2, 2020. From eBay.

C. Wetzel-20609.