Degen is the German term for a straight saber or sword, especially of the dress sword worn with military uniform.
In the context of Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

, the Degen was a type of straight saber used by the SS from 1936 until 1945.

The Degen was first introduced in 1936 and was allegedly designed by Professor Karl Diebitsch

Karl Diebitsch

Professor Karl Diebitsch was an artist and soldier responsible for much of the Third Reich SS regalia, including the Chained SS Officer's dagger scabbard. Diebitsch worked with graphic designer Walter Heck to design the all-black SS uniform...

, an SS-Obersturmbannführer

Obersturmbannführer

Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...

, who was also Heinrich Himmler

Heinrich Himmler

Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...

’s personal referent on all art and design in the SS. The degen was originally manufactured by Eichorn. Later degens were manufactured by Paul Müller

Paul Müller

Paul Müller is the name of:*Paul Hermann Müller , Swiss chemist*Paul Müller , Swiss actor*Paul Müller , German biologist*Paul O. Müller, German physicist...

at Dachau

Dachau

Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants...

 and by Puma of Solingen

Solingen

Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...

Description

Officer pattern

It had a long thin straight blade with different blade lengths produced to accommodate for the height of the wearer. The Degen featured a "D" shaped knuckle-bow (crossguard

Crossguard

On a sword or some knives, the crossguard , also known as quillons, is a bar of metal at right angles to the blade, placed between the blade and the hilt. The crossguard stops the wielder from punching shields while swinging the weapon, thereby protecting the user's hand...

) as the handle which also featured a black ribbed wooden grip. The grip was bound with silver wire and featured an inset disk featuring the SS double lightning-bolt rune.

The scabbard

Scabbard

A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. Scabbards have been made of many materials over the millennia, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel.-Types of scabbards:...

 was painted in a black enamel and had a decorative silvered top (locket

Locket

A locket is a pendant that opens to reveal a space used for storing a photograph or other small item such as a curl of hair. Lockets are usually given to loved ones on holidays such as Valentine's Day and occasions such as Christenings, weddings and, most noticeably during the Victorian Age,...

) and bottom (chape) mounts.

Awarding

The Degen was officially awarded to selected officers of the SS-Verfügungstruppe and SS-Totenkopfverbände in recognition of special merit. It was also awarded to officers who graduated from the SS-Junkerschulen at Bad Tolz

Bad Tölz

Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...

 and Brunswick

Braunschweig

Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....

.

NCO pattern

The NCO version was similar to the officer version but the scabbard had a plain unadorned chape. The NCO version's handle also lacked the silver wire wrapping and the SS runes were moved from the handle to the hilt#Pommel cap.

SS Officers

The Degen was used by Waffen SS officers as a dress weapon and for ceremonial purposes such as the swearing in of new SS recruits. It was worn with an aluminium braid sword knot which was embellished with the SS runes in black on the stern.

Further reading

• Thomas Wittman Exploring the Dress Daggers and Swords of the German SS
• Thomas Johnson
  • Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich (Volumes I to VIII)
  • Wearing the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich, Volume I to III

External links

• www.oldswords.com - The largest online resource for antique sword/sabre collectors
• www.zlatoff.com - The gallery of Zlatoust sword/sabre manufacturers