Red Cross DRK Hewer

Product Description: This Red Cross DRK Hewer is a really nice representative example of this edged weapon. The blade is excellent , with sharp teeth, and only normal runner marks and a few scattered marks here and there. The blade ricasso is stamped “Ges. Geschützt” which indicates a legally protected design. The handle fittings have typical age toning to the crossguard and pommel, and the DRK eagle emblem on the crossguard shows excellent detail and no noticeable wear. The grip plates have no chips or crack,s and are still held in place by the original steel screws, which have developed a somewhat dark patina from age. The original leather blade buffer is present. The scabbard of this Red Cross DRK Hewer is nice and straight, and retains more than 95 percent of the original paint, with some minor wear. The scabbard fittings are undamaged and a great match to the handle. Though intended as a practical and functional tool, this one shows no indication of ever having been used that way, and it remains in excellent condition overall.

Historical Description: The German Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz, DRK) was given organizational status by the Nazi Party in 1938. As with all official organizations, it fell under the auspices of the NSDAP; the DRK fell under the German Ministry of the Interior.  In 1938, a special and unique edged weapon, the “Hauer für Mannschaften” (known to collectors as the Red Cross EM Hewer) was introduced for enlisted personnel of the DRK. It was a blunt-pointed tool, with one cutting edge, and one saw edge on the blade spine. It was intended not only as a dress dagger for ceremonial and formal wear, but as a practical knife for preparing splints, casts and bandages.The purpose of the blunt tip was to avoid violating Geneva Convention prohibitions against medical staff carrying offensive weapons. Unlike most German blades intended for dress purposes, the Red Cross EM Hewer was not a private purchase item, but was issued from unit stocks as needed. Officers in the DRK wore a different dagger. Manufacture of the enlisted hewer ceased in 1940.

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