Veteran Bring Back German WWII Hitler Youth Knife by Eickhorn-This is one of the earliest HJ knives I’ve ever owned. This early HJ knife has the solid nickel fittings. The nickel silver finish is 95% in place on the hilt. The heavy bakelite, black checkered grip plates are in very good condition. These are an early version of the celluloid and are a bit stronger than the later models. The HJ diamond insignia is in very good condition. It shows a few small scuffs when looked at with the magnifying glass, but overall, this is in very good condition. The scabbard retains approx. 90% of its original black finish. There are some scuffs, but there are no dents to the scabbard. The blade is slightly loose to the grip. The tang may be damaged which causes the blade to be loose. This blade has a VERY FAINT motto, if you look very closely in the right light you can see that this blade does have the Blut und Ehre HJ motto. It has worn from time and use. The reverse of the blade has a very cool early Carl Eickhorn squirrel logo, with the Ges.Geschutz below this. This blade has never been sharpened, which as you know is not usual for these blades that were given to 14-year-old boys. This blade would clean up a bit, should you decide to do so. The brown leather retraining strap is in place and is in good condition. It is still soft and supple and not dried out. We were lucky enough to purchase this directly from the family of the US veteran who brought this home, we will supply the name of this soldier to the buyer.
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History: The Hitler Youth Knife (Hitlerjugend Fahrtenmesser) was introduced in the summer of 1933, shortly after the NSDAP 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. The manufacturing of these knives is believed to have ceased around 1942. All HJ knives have the diamond emblem of the Hitler Youth on the handle.