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Theater Dagger?


tstetz
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Okay, guys I'm not really sure this is the best spot to post this but I'm kind of at a loss as to where to go for answers. I Googled around on militaria forums and you guys are one of teh more active ones dealing with edged weapons.

 

I think my piece is actually German, not US but it was a bring back with a WW II vet which is why I started here. I got the knife a few years back from a buddy who got it at a garage sale in North Carolina. It was in somebodies grandfather's heap but no backstory to it but it was with other items he brought back from WW II. The est of teh stuff was pieces of his US kit according to my buddy.

 

Here's what I have. It' a dagger/knife that appears to be made from either a cut down bayonet or knife. Single edged, just under 9 inches. The tip is slightly bent but I didn't want to mess with it and left it as is. The guard doesn't appear to be hand made so it *may* have been on the knife already. The handle is the interesting part. Its an aluminum handle with hand engraving in German on it. There's some floral scroll work and the letters "EM" near the hilt on one side and the following engraving on either side of the handle.

 

- "Duna Front 1916" (Russian Front)
- "Unserem Komp. Fuhrer" which translates to "Our Company Commander"

 

I was thinking initially that this was basically a German Theater dagger made during WW I. Some buddies pointed out that while cast aluminum handles were common during WW II, they hadn't really seen that during WW I. One speculated it may have been done after the war as a presentation item to a unit commander or something or even later during WW II since a lot of WW I vets also fought in WW II on the German side.

It's pretty neat but I don't collect that era, particularly not German stuff (I have some US WW I stuff) so I don't know much about it and I'm not sure what sort of value to put on it. I know trench art can vary wildly.

Any thoughts on origin or what something like this might be worth? I half expect the answer is that it is just gonna depend on the guy that wants it :D

 

Or, any leads on a more approriate spot to ask?

 


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This should be posted in the SPOILS of WAR section..

 

A moderator can move this

 

Since this is not a US edged weapon and this is a US militaria site, it will either be moved or removed.

 

Leigh

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Makes sense, sorry about the mispost.

 

If that's the most approriate area and can be moved there I'd greatly appreciate it!

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there were all sorts of cast aluminum handled bayonets during ww1 ... google "ersatz bayonet".

 

however they don't look like this.. I'm not sure exactly what this is.

 

for better answers about German items try "Wehrmacht Awards Forum".

 

-Brian

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Thanks Brian. I did see that forum when I was looking around but mostly did see awars/medal type posts so I wasn't sure if that was right either.

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Tstetz,

 

 

FWIW, I don’t believe this is a modified bayonet. In WWI the Germans took a lot of jäger (hunting) knives to war; Solingen knife manufacturers like Anton Wingen specifically sold these knives to men going to serve in the fighting fronts. The grips on these privately purchased hunting knives were usually staghorn; I believe the one on your knife may have been swapped to aluminum for engraving if it didn’t come that way. The scabbards were often similar to the one shown above. Famous American knife collector Homer Brett wrote that “in 1916 German officers and NCO’s were officially ordered not to wear swords in the field, and quite rapidly bayonets and trench knives took their place as signs of rank and position.” The date on your knife certainly matches.

 

Finally, I agree with Leigh; the post needs to be moved to the Spoils of War topic.

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The handle says "Our Company Commander"...which makes me think some of his troopers made this from a bayonet or fighting knife as a presentation gift to him....

 

 

Mark sends

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The scabbard is probably from a German Sg98. The rest appears to be a field creation. The "Duna Front"'ran along the Duna River in Latvia. There's a design on the handle that looks like the "Pillars of Gediminas" a symbol associated with the neighboring country of Lithuania. Very interesting piece!

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