Hitler Youth Knife with Motto

Product Description: This Hitler Youth Knife with Motto is a beautiful, top quality early piece. The blade on this one is fantastic, and is an early variant made without a reinforced ricasso. The blade shows light wear, but retains nice crossgraining and great original luster. The full “Blut und Ehre” (Blood and Honor) motto on the blade is still visible, with original darkening that fades slightly from wear towards the edge of the blade. The reverse of the blade is stamped with the early, commercial type maker logo of “Hartkopf & Co., Solingen,” a rare and desirable maker. It is also stamped “Ges. Geschützt” indicating a legally protected design. The handle is gorgeous, with no cracks or chips to the black Bakelite grips. The metal fittings on the handle retain full original finish, and the enamel HJ diamond grip emblem shows only light wear, with no enamel damage. The original leather buffer pad is intact. This Hitler Youth knife with motto is complete with its original scabbard. The scabbard retains about 85 percent of the original, glossy black enamel painted finish, with light wear towards the tip. The leather belt loop and retaining strap are sound, with no condition issues; the original “Stocko” snap on the keeper still works. Overall, this is a really nice knife. It’s in excellent condition.

Historical Description: The Hitler Youth Knife (Hitlerjugend Fahrtenmesser) was introduced in the summer of 1933, shortly after the Nazi seizure of power in Germany. It was produced by a multitude of manufacturers and could be purchased from authorized shops for a price of 4 Reichsmarks. It was used not only as a dress sidearm, but as a functional camping tool, and these were commonly sharpened by their original owners. The earliest examples bore the motto of the Hitler Youth, “Blut und Ehre!” (Blood and Honor), etched on the blade. The blades on these early knives were marked with commercial manufacturer logos. They had nickel silver handles, and anodized metal scabbards. The use of the etched motto was discontinued in August 1938. Later HJ knives had nickel plated steel handles, painted scabbards, and the maker logos were replaced with an RZM code along with the year of manufacture. There are also transitional types that still have the etched motto but have dates on the blade ricasso. Manufacture of these knives is believed to have ceased around 1942. All HJ knives have the diamond emblem of the Hitler Youth on the handle.

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