German Army Dagger, Model 1935 [WKC].

Officially introduced on 4 May 1935 concurrently with the restoration of Germany’s armed forces, this model was intended for officers of the Army (Heer) and constituted an integral part of dress and walking-out uniform. The dagger was worn with the appropriate officer’s uniform and quickly became one of the principal symbols of the Wehrmacht officer corps. Its owners included officers of all branches of the land forces, including general officers, and production continued until 1942. Owing to this extended period of manufacture, the Model 1935 Army dagger became the most widely produced German officer’s dagger of the Third Reich era and today remains one of the most popular areas of collecting German edged weapons.

Manufactured by WKC (Weyersberg, Kirschbaum & Cie), one of the oldest and most prestigious arms manufacturers in Solingen, established in 1883 through the merger of two historic firms. The company was a major supplier of edged weapons to the German Army, producing army daggers and sabres of the highest quality bearing a distinctive maker’s mark. WKC products were distinguished by superb blade finishing, impeccable polishing, and precise conformity to regulation patterns, making them particularly valuable to collectors.