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Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

Article about: Hi Guys, I thought that I would tell the story of an SS dagger in my collection to illustrate why it pays never to give up on a research project and that time and luck and with the right hel

  1. #1

    Default Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    Hi Guys, I thought that I would tell the story of an SS dagger in my collection to illustrate why it pays never to give up on a research project and that time and luck and with the right help, things can pay off in the long run.

    I will start the story back in 1991. The local Nottingham Evening Post newspaper had a small ad from a guy selling a black Allgemine SS tunic. I called him up and arranged to visit him to look at the jacket at his home in the city. I was dissappointed to find that the jacket was stripped of all insignia and had also suffered from post war alterations. Given the price of £230, I quickly passed on it. However, I asked if he had anything else for sale? He produced a 1933 pattern SS dagger. This I was impressed with and a deal was done with me paying £350 for it. One aspect I really liked about the dagger was the fact that it was serial numbered. I had already had some sucess with researching a 1936 pattern dagger in my collection so I hoped that I would find out the history of this new dagger too.

    I wrote off to the Berlin Document Centre and in Jan of 1992 I got a reply. They had been very helpful with my previous research. I was dissappointed with their one line reply of:

    "Dear Mr Stevenson, we have recieved your recent letter. Unfortunately we are not in a position to be of assistance."

    Oh well I though, the guy must have been an NCO or enlisted man and so there must be no records available. Never mind it was worth a try and I still had a nice dagger to show for it.

    We now fast forward to December 2000. I thought that I would have another go at finding out about this dagger. With the help of several internet friends, Gerard Stezelberger and Bernie Brule and Mike Miller, a name was come up with! SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Hans Eickemeyer. The small amount of info gleaned was taken from the July 1944 SS Officers Dienstalterliste. So he was an Officer after all.... I now had the date of his last promotion, 1.4.42, and his date of birth 23.06.1908 plus his last posting as a Staff Officer in the V SS Volunteer Mountain Korps.

    I now wrote off to the Bundesarchive, but all I got was a copy of his entry in a 1987 reprinted copy of the 44 list. So sadly no new info there.

    Have a look at the pic of the serial number. The order from Himmler for SS men to apply their serial number to their dagger was a shortlived one, so not all daggers are so marked. Eickemeyer had his number very neatly engraved. This is in sharp contrast to my other dagger which was very crudely die stamped with the owners initials and serial number. Another pic shows the serial number plus the admin group marking and makers marks.

    We now move forwards again in time to this year. I once again started thinking about getting more info about Hans Eickemeyer. Various researchers on the web offer to do research into SS men. What kind of worried me was the rather elastic nature of some of the fees they charged and how thorough they would be?

    My friend Raymond G and I were chatting about SS research. He was confident that he would be able to find more info through his contacts. Raymond got in touch with a few friends of his in the research world in the hope that maybe some new info might come to light? One reply came back negative, but another reply came back to say that he had found Eickemeyer's SS file in the US Archives. As Raymond was having a load of research done in the archives he very kindly tagged my research onto his bill

    I should now mention that Raymond had employed, Mike C.

    WESTMORELAND RESEARCH

    Initially it was thought that his file was 17 pages long, but his RuSHA file also was discovered and this contained another 60 pages plus 3 photographs!
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger   Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger  

    Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger   Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger  


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  3. #2

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    OK, I know that you will want to see a photo of him, so here we are.

    As you can see in this pic he where the 1931 SA Treffen Braunsweig rally badge. I wonder if he attended this rally as this was the town of his birth and at the time he was not a member of the Party or any of it's organisations?
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger  

  4. #3

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    He applied to join the NSDAP on 27/4/33 fianlly joining the Party on 1/5/33 and held party number 2,279,711. Bear in mind the Nazi "seziure of power" came about on Jan 30th 1933.

    He joined the HJ on 2/4/33 and was a member for a short time until 8/8/34.

    The following day, 9/8/34 he was transfered in the SA. There he remained until 17/2/35. He was then made a member of the SS on the 18th Feb 1935.

    He was a married man and eventually had three children, two girls and one boy born between 1938 and 1943. It would appear that his family were evacuated from their home in Berlin in October 1944 due to bombing and were moved to Kreis Beneschau in the Protektorat. (Czech Republic)

    I will now add some more details about his SS service and awards.

    He was promoted to SS Untersturmfuhrer in 1939. For some unknown reason his records show two different dates given for this promotion? The first date is typed in as 20th April 1939; then there is a hand written entry next to this given as 9th Nov 1940. ( I think this might be explained. One could be an Allgemine SS rank where as the other is a Waffen SS rank. Differing ranks could be held I believe? Notice the two dates which held a special place in the Nazi calendar )

    He made SS Obersturmfuhrer on 10/9/1939.

    Promotion to his final rank of SS Hauptsturmfuhrer on 1/4/42.

    Moving on now to his assignments. Sadly, there is damage to the original documents and these are hard, if now not impossible to read in places...

    What can be determined is:

    20/6/39 to 1/6/39: member of the Staff of the Reichfuhrer SS

    1/6/39 Staff of the SS Personel Office.

    There are now another three entries which I cannot read. His final posting was from 1/6/44 to the Staff of V SS Mountain Korps. One note within his records show service from 22/2/40 as "Reichsheer, Waffen SS".

    Given his postings within staff assignments awards are somewhat thin on the ground. But he held:

    1931 SA Treffen badge
    SA Sports badge
    DRL Sports badge
    War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (awarded 1943)
    Olympia medal

    But he held the SS Totenkopf Ring! Also awarded the Julleuechter. He also had the SS-ZA pin serial number 81 682.

    Like all "good" SS men he followed Himmlers orders and contributed to the Lebensborn and WHW charities from his wages.

  5. #4

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    Here are two more photos of him in civilian clothes, plus a photo of his wife, all from his Rusha file.

    Also shown is a 1945 dated document from his file after a request for an update from the SS Personel Office. Here he lists his postings, a hospital stay and details of his family's evacuation. Looks like they had to move more than once due to the bombings.

    As you can see, his postings were all of an admin nature. But I guess every job in wartime is still important, as someone has to do them. The hospital stay mentions bruised ribs etc.

    Well guys, than about finishes my thread. I hope that you have enjoyed the story and that it inspires you to do some research if you can?

    Cheers, Ade.
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  6. #5

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    H Ade, fascinating read and well done for your persistance, it all paid off in the end
    Ben

  7. #6

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    Very interesting story Ade. Thanks for posting this. The link for Westmoreland is good to have also. Thanks. I may use them sometime.

    Regards, Steve

  8. #7
    OKW
    ?

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    No combat awards. What happened to him post war Ade?
    Some bit of 1. seems to refer to being responsible for 110km of railway track between Slav brod and Maglai, anti partisan? but no award for this.
    At 4. does he appear to be in charge of some sort of ambulance train come field hospital of 54 wagons/ coaches?

  9. #8

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    Hi Guys, thanks as always for the comments.

    I have drawn a blank on him so far with any post war research but this is something I need to persue more. He is not listed as KIA or missing.

    Yes, he never got any combat awards.

    Cheers, Ade.

  10. #9
    ?

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    Great history . I always wanted an SS dagger but to get one and then find the man behind it nice job.

  11. #10

    Default Re: Named and researched 1933 pattern SS dagger

    i enjoy it very much that is he kind of story i love to read now after that i am curious for knowing what he did after the war .

    Thanks Ade
    Frenchy

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