SS-Ehrendolch / SS-Ehrendegen

The SS honor dagger or SS dagger was considered an honor weapon of the Schutzstaffel in the Third Reich.

This honor weapon was introduced in December 1933 and was modeled on the traditions in the army, air force and navy. The award ceremony took place on the occasion of the final admission of the SS men to the General SS, SS-Totenkopfverband or SS-Einsatzstruppe / Waffen-SS on November 9th.

SS applicants (relay applicants, relay junkers, relay candidates or full relay candidates) were not entitled to wear. The SS dagger was also the official side arm of the SS dress uniform for all SS members. The manufacture of these honor daggers was suspended in 1940.

The appearance and design were based on the pattern of the Swiss dagger of the 16th century. The middle of the wide, spear-shaped knife blade, 33 cm long, has a clearly defined edge. The SS motto „Meine Ehre heißt Treue“ (My honor is loyalty) is etched into the middle of the blade.

The pommel and quillons are nickel-plated; the handle is - like the scabbard - black and inside it is the NSDAP eagle and the SS symbol in silver. The metal sheath is finished in black gloss lacquer and has a silver-plated border above and below. The SS dagger was introduced in 1933 and there are 3 different types of manufacture or variants.

1933–1935: manufacturer's logo, burnished black scabbard, ebony handle, crossguard with Roman numeral (I-Munich, II-Dresden and III-Berlin)

1936–1938: manufacturer's logo or manufacturer's logo with RZM number (double identification), scabbard black burnished or lacquered, no Roman numerals on the quillons

1938–1942: Only with RZM number, scabbard painted black, handle eagle mainly made of aluminum

On June 21, 1936, another variant of the dagger was introduced, which was reserved only for those SS leaders and Unterführer who had already joined the Schutzstaffel before 1933. This dagger corresponds in every detail to that of 1933, except that the chain was formed from SS runes and skulls. In the middle of the scabbard is a silver band with swastikas.

High-ranking SS leaders received a special dagger from Reichsführer-SS Himmler, which bore the inscription "In cordial comradeship, H. Himmler". There were also numerous variants of this dagger that were handed over personally by Himmler. These gift daggers were made of high quality materials and had gold-plated inscriptions. These were and are still rarities today, as only a few were issued.

The SS honor daggers were usually worn with the black SS uniform. According to Himmler, the SS man was obliged to use the dagger physically against anyone who had violated the honor of the SS or had insulted the honor or the family of the SS member. In November 1935, Himmler issued a decree stating that “every SS man has the right and the duty to defend his honor with a weapon”.

The Ehrendegen der Reichsführer-SS, also known as the SS sword of honor or SS sword, was used in the Third Reich as a weapon of honor for the Schutzstaffel.

The SS sword of honor was introduced in 1936 on Reichsführer-SS Himmler's instructions and was modeled on the parade or ceremonial sword traditionally used in the army, air force and navy. The sword was usually worn with the parade uniform, but could also be worn with the service and dress uniform, as numerous picture documents show.

In contrast to the SS honor dagger, there were no exact rules for the award. The decisive factor, however, was exclusively Reichsführer-SS Himmler's grace. The SS sword of honor was only given to members of the Schutzstaffel from the SS Untersturmführer upwards. Graduates of the SS Junker Schools received the sword on the occasion of their successful training as SS leader and wore it for the first time when they were sworn in as SS Untersturmführer.

The sword was an indicator of whom Himmler counted among the SS's most worthy of support. With the rise of the SS rank, members of the Allgemeine SS also became more likely to become a sword holder.

By 1945 the SS-Führerkorps had 362 SS-Standartenführer (out of 621), 236 SS-Oberführer (out of 276), 88 SS-Gruppenführer (out of 96), 91 SS-Obergruppenführer (out of 92) and all four SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer received the sword of honor.

The use of the sword by leaders and sub-leaders when swearing in SS candidates was largely retained until the end of the war