UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons Army, Navy, and Luftwaffe Forum How daggers were captured?

I understand that most of the Nazi daggers remaining in the US were either captured by US soldiers of KIA or captured Nazi soldiers, or sent here after changing ownership. My question is, did German soldiers wear these during battle? they must have if the US soldiers captured the daggers from KIA or POW's right?

German officers didn't wear their dress daggers into battle. The K98s may have been collected this way, but IMO dress daggers were liberated by other means. I believe a lot came from German soldiers and citizens who had to declare and submit all matter of weapons, including dress daggers to the US forces stationed in Germany at the end of the war.

I agree with Fitzer..most of the daggers you see were taken as souvenirs post end of conflict..very rarely did you see soldiers toting dress edged weapons about while still fighting.There are exceptions as seen in period photos.

Hitler youth knives were one of the more utilitarian tools that were taken into combat, and there is much anecdotal evidence of them being taken from P.O.W's.

At wars end, there were vast amounts of daggers to be had, as nearly every paramilitary organization had one.Tens of thousands of their original owners would never come back from the war to claim them in any case..

I must say that my eyes do glaze over when a dagger is claimed as being taken from a KIA..

Why would anyone even consider taking a dress dagger into combat, for what purpose? They have no practical use in the field.

Joe

Gotta have a "story"
Seiler (Yank in UK)

What I have heard from several decendants of Germans who experienced the liberation: anything of value was traded by the German women (who's men where all KIA or put in POW camps) with the "liberators" for food or for other survival purposes.

A friend of mine who's grand uncle was Generalmajor Paul Laux told me his family lost even the highest decoration of the General this way: Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub.

Best greetings,

Herman

My father's recollections were that great piles of weapons were turned into the occupation forces as a result of decrees that the civilian population could possess no weapons. He said that the population was extremely law-byding and that every conceivable weapon from the last 300 years were turned in. Our soldiers were then taken into warehouses and allowed to take their pick on what to bring/send home.

I can verify what the russian has stated. My father was in surplus weapons liquidation in Munich after he recoved from battle wounds. Specifically, he was with The First Infantry Division in 1947.
The German People were very cooperative with the Army of Occupation and turned in literally thousands of weapons - to include daggers. Weapons of any real military use were sent to former Axis occuppied countries like Greece to assist in rebuilding their forces.

The best Nazi daggers are the ones often shown on ecrap, the ones that were captured in battle and still have blood on the blades

Nolan

A great couple of articles from the archives of Time Magazine, giving glimpses of how this hobby was born....

"His mother had fixed pot roast and brown gravy, hot rolls and pie. His father talked, all the time eying Horn curiously, until Horn finally opened his bulging barracks bag and hauled out his souvenirs�Luger pistols, German helmets, Nazi medals. The old man was an expert glazier. The stuff fascinated him. Horn was dead tired, but he sat and talked to his father until early morning."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,801631,00.html


"Army headquarters in Tokyo put the souvenir business on a bargain-basement basis last week. In the lobby of the Dai Iti Hotel was a conspicuous sign: "War trophies will, be issued here�men must be assigned to GHQ�one sword per man." Somebody with a high regard for accuracy had crossed out the words "men" and had substituted "officers."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,776314,00.html

I�ve collected 3rd Reich for nearly 50 years now:
1.Only genuine Teno Leader dolch I ever was associated with was in Dallas in the mid 60�s, It was returned by the vet after he spied it on top of a doorjamb as he was checking out a house for �hostiles�. He stuck in his musette bag. He always wanted an SS dagger so an accommodation was made and he got an SS �33 plus boot and the Teno changed hands.
2.A vet in Dallas had 10 dolches in a large picture frame in his den. An SA, couple of Armys, Lufts, an SS, RAD leader � you get the picture. His story was that several troops in his company had been getting in trouble with the local German populace �checking out� the local housing for �contraband� (loot) during occupation. The company commander sent him into the town where the guns, daggers, swords were required to be turned in and he was instructed to bring back a musette bag full, �enough for the whole company�. The Co. Commander told the troops at lunch that there was a war souvenir for each of them on one of the tables. When they finished lunch, go get one, and NOBODY better be getting trouble with the locals from now on. The vet I knew simply brought back the daggers that were left on the table��(Probably the �chains� were picked out first � gulp!)
3.Have talked to many vets who were candid that they found daggers in desk drawers etc.
4.Several vet's told me stories about daggers, swords etc. being piled up in the town square and then having a tank run back and forth across them.
5.Best story was from a vet who was associated with the liberation of Brest and the German Naval base. He had a Naval dolch that he found in a locked room. When U-Boots went to sea, much of the crews� property was locked up for them in anticipation of their return from sea. He said they raided several of these locked rooms and rummaged through the contents, which were largely clothes and personal effects. That�s where he found the dolch and hangers. (he still has them too, dang it!)

quote:

I must say that my eyes do glaze over when a dagger is claimed as being taken from a KIA..

There are several photo clips of japanese pilots entering their planes with their samuari swords

I was referring more to German daggers, but yes, the Japanese did take their edged weapons along for the ride..

Of course, unless taken off the man when he landed, most of the souvenirs would be non existent in a shoot down situation..