Alain Taugourdeau | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

This book will soon be a reference work on the subject, of interest to collectors but also to all the history buffs who here have a particularly rich subject to study. Since ancient times, the sword accompanying the knight had a very symbolic value. In the 16th Century, the sword was often accompanied by a dagger. Until the modern-day period the sword has been a weapon, then the attribute of officers in most armies in the world. Then, in the Third Reich, where emblems and symbols took on a very important role, the dagger became omnipresent, from the paramilitary, then military units, like the SA and the SS, but also civilian institutions like the Red Cross and the Forest Wardens. This profusion was unique in uniformology and has already been written about several times, but not very often in French, in which there was no exhaustive work on the subject by a competent author. With 400 documents, forty-five models are shown, the daggers belonging to the SA (copied off the 16th Century Swiss dagger), NSKK, SS, HJ (knife and dagger), Teno, RLB, Wasserschutzpolizei, the Firemen, the Postschutz, Reichsbahn-Wasserschutz-Polizei, DRK (Red Cross), RAD (work service), the inland customs, the maritime customs, diplomats, senior civil servants, Eastern Civil Servants, Foresters’ knives, DLV, NFSK of the Luftwaffe, the Heer and Marine officers, together with some other exceptional daggers.

The photos are of exceptional quality (some of them from the Hermann Historica Archives), others (from the author’s collection) show rare or precise details, explaining also these objects’ technical aspects; others are period photos showing how and with what uniforms these daggers were worn. There are also appendices. The book will be an essential reference work for a long time and a very beautifully presented book for your library.