Personalized - Early SA Puma Dagger

[benpitch]

Kilian,

The story just keeps getting better!! Thanks for the added info...We all know the Nazis were best at PROPAGANDA so the pub fight cause of death is easily conceivable. Do you mind linking the german article? Hopefully I can translate, lol...

Good question on the botched etching. Since Kottmann was dead at this point, (when the etching was inscribed) maybe it came down to the soldiers or state not paying the extra money for a new dagger (Just a thought)?

But one thing I'm not understanding is why is the 2nd name,Truppführer K. Fritsch, on the blade? Was K. Fritsch Kottmann's officer who issued the inscription or award to Kottmann??

[Kilian]

Look for the date 13 Mai (May) 1928 for Kottmann. Liste von Anhangern der NSDAP, die zwischen 1923 und 1933 bei tatsachlich oder angeblich politisch motivierten Gewalttaten zu Tode kamen – Wikipedia

This Sturm no. 1 of Standarte no. 115 was named after this “martyr” Kottmann. A Sturm was something like a company of SA men.The troop leader (Truppführer) of that Sturm at a certain moment was this Karl Fritsch. The etch suggests the dagger is a gift from the men of this Sturm to their leader. So the dagger would have been owned by this Karl Fritsch.

[benpitch]

Awesome stuff Kilian! That makes sense and thanks for the link/info !!!
Here's the translated article from wiki:

"May 13, 1928 (in Pfungstadt): Heinrich Kottmann (born May 12, 1910 in Worms), SA man, typesetter; Son of a train driver. On May 12, 1928, on his way home from a National Socialist meeting in the “Goldenes Lamm” inn in Pfungstadt, Kottmann was seriously wounded by a knife stab by another National Socialist during a confrontation between workers and National Socialists. He died of his injuries the next day. In a trial for breach of the peace, five participants were each sentenced to three months in prison on April 17, 1929. The Nazi press claimed untruthfully that Kottmann had been killed by Marxists as “assassins.” [34] [35]"

I believe the bar brawl was for the person above Kottmann on the wiki page but I do like that story too lol!! Thanks again,
Ben

[Larry C]

Great thread Gents ...keep it up