German RAD Hewer Dagger -
The German economy went through a depression during the early 1930's. The German government created an organization
called the RAD to boost the economy through employment generated by the inception of massive public works projects.
As a result of such effort the German infrastructure was rebuilt producing things such as the Autobahn.
It is about this time that Hitler had launched an expansion of the armed forces. Service in the military was deemed
mandatory. The RAD was employed as a means to breach the time between graduating from school to entering military
service.
Service in the RAD included military style drills such as marching, obeying orders, etc.
In 1934 a dagger was issued to be worn by all members of the RAD organization. That dagger is featured on this page.
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The information provided here constitutes an identification guide for the
Subordinate RAD Hewer. Several detailed photos and descriptions are provided
to help educate the public. A price guide is also included. That component
addresses questions regarding the value of the dagger in the collector's
market.
This information is brought to you courtesy of
MilitaryItems.com , a company
that offers a wide array of high quality military antiques and collectibles.
With over 3,000 items available for sale in the website and daily updates to
the inventory.
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The handle is made of thick sheets of stag. Very attractive construction. Two
screws are employed to secure the stag to the tang. The pommel is of rounded
shape and ends up forming a structure that mimics the beak of a bird.
The blade is marked at the base with the following: A downward pointing triangle that
has the letters RAJD, themselves arranged in a triangular pattern. The words "Ges
Gesch" are located just below the RAD marking. They indicate a trademark.
The manufacturer's logo is the last component found. It consists of two vertically
placed oval shapes, one inside the other. A space is left in between the ovals. This
is where the name of the manufacturer and the town where the dagger was produced are
placed. The name scrolled in the upper section reads "Carl Eickhorn". The name of
the town is Solingen.
The figure of a squirrell facing left is placed in the inner oval.
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The blade is of heavy duty construction. While the hewer was meant to be worn in
parades and special occassions, the construction almost suggested that it could be used
for work in the field. The blade was strong and rugged enough to hold an edge.
A blood groove is built near the spine. It does not cover the full length of the
blade. The motto "Urbeit Adelt" is written with big gothic letters.
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This edge weapon is currently being
reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be
able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The
collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing
of edge weapons. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity
of the item.
If you have an interest is seeing other edge weapons of the Third Reich, you can do so by going to our
WWII German Edge Weapons identification guide. Where
we cover blades from the Heer (Army), Navy (Kriegsmarine), Air Force (Luftwaffe) and other organizations.
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