The Army dagger was initially issued on May 4th, 1935 and was designed by Paul Casburg. It was produced in three different handle colors; white, yellow and orange. The early samples were manufactured with a white handle. The earlier daggers were produced by the Carl Eickhorn factory of Solingen.

The early production daggers had profusely silver plated over nickel for the fittings. The quality of the plating differ from one manufacturer to the other.

The dagger was worn by various ranks in the army; from officers to individuals holding the rank of field marshall. However, there was no distinction between the lower and higher rank officers.

The handle of the Army dagger was constructed from celluloiud and was painted yellow. A large Army eagle adorned the front of the handguard while the back was plain and smooth.
The looks of the dagger were complemented by wrapping a portapee around the handle. The example shown here displays typical wear marks.

The portepees are manufactured by hand by braiding and gluing material in a circular fashion. Portapees added a touch of elegance to daggers and swords and were mainly displayed in parades and formal occassions.

The hanger of the dagger was composed of several elements. All of them are illustrated in the following photographs. The clip was used to attach the hanger to the scabbard. This component was spring loaded and was adorned by leaves. The buckle was employed to change the lenght of the hanger. This component was also highly ornate. The last part was the loop. This was used to attach the hanger to the belt. This was the most simple part, consisting of a plain aluminum construction with no ornamentation whatsoever.
Also illustrated in this set of pictures is the tip of the scabbard. Often times this part would be damaged when the dagger was dropped.

Reproductions of this dagger are readily available in the market. They can be easily obtained via mail order, trade shows, antique stores, etc. This is one of the most widely reproduced dagger.