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This volume, the first complete reference work on the edged weapons of Nazi Germany, is published only a few short years after the echo of hobnailed boots faded from the cobblestoned streets of Europe. Research and publication were accomplished at that critical time in the history of an era when live witnesses are still available to provide invaluable details and background information that would otherwise be lost in obscurity with the passing of time.
Throughout history, German warriors have attached deep significance and honored tradition to the bearing of swords and daggers. The Teutons placed a sword in the cradle of newborn males to give them courage and, when brave warriors died, their swords were placed in their graves with them. With the rise of the Third Reich much old world tradition associated with edged weapons was revived and, like their Teutonic forebears, Hitler's elite swore their allegiance while holding one hand on the blade of a sword.
In spite of the relatively short span of the Third Reich, countless millions of swords, daggers and bayonets were produced for its followers and fighters. Most of these were destroyed during the war; however, those which survived destruction will leave their mark on history. Without question, no government in history has ever created so many and such varieties of edged weaponsfor its defenders in such a short span of time.
This book fills a vast gap in the rapidly expanding quest for knowledge of the Third Reich by both weapons enthusiasts and historians. Tons of captured German war documents were screened and World War II Berlin archives were diligently explored. The author spent extensive time in the German ""City of Swords,"" Solingen, obtaining firsthand, analytical information from the few surviving factory managers and craftsmen who created the pieces illustrated in this work.
The extraordinary illustrations contained in this publication, many of which are published for the first time, blend with the fascinating background description of the edged weapons and the organizations that wore them to create an authoritative survey of a rapidly expanding historical field of interest. What more appropriate geographical location could have been selected for the research, writing and final publication of this book than the ever-intriguing capital of Hitler's Germany, Berlin?
The world will probably never again see bladed weapons as integrally identified with an era as they were with Nazi Germany. If mankind can avoid self-destruction, collectors centuries from now, perhaps, will still find Nazi edged weapons their most challenging field. And, if so, perhaps these relics of ""Hitler's Thousand Year Reich"" will serve their first good to mankind as a reminder of the depths of tyranny. 3042
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