The red cross, also known as DRK dagger, was introduced in 1938. There were two types of styles, the leader and subordinate. The front of the dagger has an oval shape with an eagle holding a cross. The back of the hand guard has the same shape but it does not have any designs on it.

The handle of the dagger is made from plastic. The front of the handle is checkered while the back is smooth and shiny. The handle is secured to the tang via two screws which goes through each handle. One side shows the screw heads (bottom-right) while the other side shows the screw tip (bottom-left).

The scabbard is painted in black enamel, it is very heavy, smooth and has a high shine. A stud was welded to its back to allow the dagger to be carried on a belt in a similar fashion as some bayonets. The tip and throat of the scabbard consisted of nickel fittings (pre-war) or plated pot metal. The tip fitting is a dome-like shape.

The blade is one of the most unique aspects of this dagger. The back of the blade is serrated and the tip is blunt. The pictures that follow provide a clear view of the characteristics of a blade.

Traces of sharpening can be seen on the blade. Unfortunately many of the GIs who brought back the daggers as souvenirs would try to use them as regular knives. Another feature of the blade is the manufacturer's brand. Although not easily visible due to the construction of the hand guard, it can be distinguished on the bottom right-hand photograph.

There are not a great deal of replicas of this type of dagger. In addition, the quality of the duplicates is largely poor.

Value (2002):	$400.00
Availability (2002):	Medium