My friend brought me this dagger his dad had 'libertated' in the Battle of the Bulge. Can you cats tell it's value and what unit might have used them in the Battle of the Bulge? His dad was with the 101st.
My friend brought me this dagger his dad had 'libertated' in the Battle of the Bulge. Can you cats tell it's value and what unit might have used them in the Battle of the Bulge? His dad was with the 101st.
This "dagger" is actually a RAD enlisted man's hewer. If you will notice, it does not actually have a "point".
Sorry, can't help you with the unit, but it is marked on the bolster. I have seen "cleaner" ones sell recently for about $550.-$600. This does not mean that you should clean it, leave it as it is as you will devalue it if you do.
Hope this helps,
Ralph.
Searching for anything relating to, Anton Boos, 934 Stamm. Kp. Pz. Erz. Abt. 7, 3 Kompanie, Panzer-Regiment 2, 16th Panzer-Division (My father)
It does have a point and looks like the replica of the RAD Dagger I have.
Splitting hairs a bit mate. What Ralph means is it does not taper to a tip like a 'dagger', the shape of the blade is what defines it as a hewer. It surprises me that this item would be captured from the bulge. Do you know the name of your friend's father and his unit?
here is a brief description of a RAD dagger by Thomas Wittmann....The RAD was not a military unit.....which how the dagger arrived at that battle can not be explained..or just may of showed up at the end of the war and a GI traded it for something of necessity. hard to say..but the RAD was not a military unit. below is a description of the dagger and the branch of service.
The RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst) or Reich Labor Service was instituted as a "make-work program" to help alleviate the depression of Germany in 1934. It was similar to the WPA and other programs initiated by Roosevelt in this country. Young men served a six month program of camp life, while taught the merits of drilling, digging, bridge and road building. RAD Officers and men initially wore the same edged weapon, a large Hewer with stag gripped plates. In 1938, RAD Officers wore a scaled-down hewer. It has silvered fittings with eaglehead pommel top. The crossguard features a shovel over wheat shafts, with a superimposed swastika. The weapon is fitted with white celluloid grip plates. The silvered scabbard has curled design decoration at the upper and wheat shafts at the lower. The center area features a pebbled panel. The matte-finished, Bowie-shape blade is etched with the RAD motto, Arbeit Adelt.
I am hopeful of someone who may know if the RAD was there prior to the battle in an engineering form..that would share some information. Regards Larry
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
His last name was Jennings the unit was the 101st Airborne.
Shoot me down in flames if im wrong but wasn't the RAD hewer (along with the teno) the only edged weapons designed to be used ?
They usually are found unsharpened which proves they mostly weren't used but I think they could be ?
If this is the case a soldier could have picked it up somewhere to be used as an axe.
matty
They all could be used.....as a last resort if need be. I would hate to get stuck by a Heer dagger...although not sharp but very pointy
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
You should have said that your replica looks a bit like this original!
It the RAD battalion number, having split up Germany in 13 rad Gau's, this hewer would be of the 8RAD gau:VIII, Ostmark, Frankfurt an der Oder ( early gau counting)
Later they chained it a bit and could have been the 18th hewer Of the 8th Rad battalion of Niedersachsen, Hannover.
The Bn is a normal RAD unit stamp and the region was placed in directly behind the area of the battle of the bulge.
these units where often placed under the command of the Infantry units that fought in that area.
Here another example:
Cheers Ger
Similar Threads
Bookmarks