Kriegsmarine 1st model Hörster etched dagger with m38 pommel and portepee

[Combat Boots]

Hello,
Attached are some photos of my Kriegsmarine dagger. Please feel free to comment about it. Thank you, Bob

[Tomaz]

Hi Bob, nice looking KM. I like these early stamped maker marked Horster blades more than the later etched ones because Horster used the same etched maker mark post war so the stamped one is a good indication its period. The scabbard looks the generic type and the cross guard WKC which is ok for Horster as they did not manufacture there own parts. The replacement pommel is also correct for an early KM. Nice dagger thanks for showing.

[Combat Boots]

Hi Bob, nice looking KM. I like these early stamped maker marked Horster blades more than the later etched ones because Horster used the same etched maker mark post war so the stamped one is a good indication its period. The scabbard looks the generic type and the cross guard WKC which is ok for Horster as they did not manufacture there own parts. The replacement pommel is also correct for an early KM. Nice dagger thanks for showing.

Thank you for your comments Tomaz. Could you please explain what you mean by replacement pommel? I am new to collecting and I understand that Horster just made the blades and used castings supplied by other company's to complete the dagger. Do you feel that the pommel is not original to this dagger? Thank you, Bob

[rbminis]

I believe he is referring to the updating of Imperial naval daggers to fit into the TR time frame. Which I do not believe is the case here.
If you look at Imperial naval daggers, you will see some differences in the guard and pommel. Some of these were updated by changing the pommel to a TR type.
Ralph.

[Combat Boots]

Thanks for that explanation Ralph, I will look at the Imperial daggers. Bob

[Tomaz]

Hi Bob,
The replacement pommel is the name given to this version/design of the eagle pommel which was made for a quick initial changeover/conversion of existing 1st models (m29) to 2nd models (m38).
The pommel was made and distributed to various locations, even ships, to allow for a quick change of model.
The only difference between the two models was the ball pommel of the 1st model and the eagle pommel of the 2nd model so a swap of pommels was all that was needed. Some imperial navy daggers that were still being used were converted by replacing the crown pommel to the eagle but it was mostly done on the m29.
2nd model daggers manufactured after the initial set up in April 38 had the company's standard design eagle pommel or if they did not manufacture their own parts they usually used the generic pommel (but not always).
The pommel on your dagger is an Eickhorn product (they made 2 versions of the replacement pommel) and was made by them specifically for the changeover (1st model to 2nd) and it differs slightly from their standard eagle design.
To sum it up - your dagger was a 1st model (m29) with ball pommel and was converted to this 2nd model (m38) in 1938 by changing the original ball pommel with this specially designed and manufactured replacement eagle pommel.
Lots of 1st models underwent this procedure resulting in the lack of 1st models available. Some like this one received the replacement eagle pommel and others were fit with the factory standard eagle pommel probably by returning it to the original factory or ordering one.
Hope this helps.

[Combat Boots]

Thank you Tomaz for the very insightful explanation on the evolution from m29 to m38. This made understanding the terminology much clearer. Regards, Bob

[Wagriff]

Bottom line being, you've got a fine KM dagger that would fit nicely into anyone's collection! Well done!

[davejb]

Please correct me if I,m wrong but I was under the impression that all KM daggers were worn on the left as per regulations, if that is the case then the knot has been fixed wrongly as the tassel ball had to hang down without covering the dagger crossguards and the eagle had to face outwards

[Tomaz]

You are correct about the regulations Dave, it is the pommel that is facing the wrong way on this dagger, the knot is fixed on the correct side. This was often the case with replacement pommels as they were not factory fit and is often the reason some grips are cracked due to the pommel being screwed on too tightly to get it to face the front. Some officers solved this problem by putting the dagger in the scabbard the opposite way around with the release button facing outwards and reversing the knot.

Bob if it will not turn to face the front then do not force the pommel around, if you want it facing front it is best slackened off and left loose than risking cracking the grip.