Social Welfare Officers Dagger
Under Hitlers direction the German branch of the Red Cross [Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK)] was separated into two distinct branches.
The Red Cross; concerned with medicine, first-aid and nursing
and the
Social Welfare; concerned with the welfare of children, the homeless and the elderly.
The original version of this dagger was introduced in Febuary 1938 to be worn by the Social Welfare Officers, it was discontinued in 1940 but was worn by officers until the end of the war.
The dagger shows the international Red Cross symbol incorporated into the eagle and the swastika
The grip on the original dagger was plastic and coloured pale yellow to orange with 10 horizontal simulated wire cords running around the grip.
The dagger measures 13 3/8" (340mm) in its full glory.
The blade measures 8" (203mm)
