Description
Relatively scarce early War National Socialist Motor Corps (Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps, NSKK) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that officially existed from May 1931 to 1945. The group was a successor organization to the older National Socialist Automobile Corps (NSAK), which had existed since April 1930.
The NSKK served as a training organization, mainly instructing members in the operation and maintenance of high-performance motorcycles and automobiles. The NSKK was further used to transport NSDAP and SA officials/members. The NSKK also served as a roadside assistance group in the mid-1930s, comparable to the modern-day American Automobile Association or the British Automobile Association. The outbreak of World War II in Europe caused the NSKK ranks to be recruited to serve in the transport corps of various German military branches. The NSKK was the smallest of the Nazi Party organizations.
This fine dagger was manufactured by F. Herder A.S. of Solingen, Germany, circa 1933-1935 and is very well crafted when compared to later War examples. The black sheath is original and the plated nickle crossguard bears the small mark of “Mi.” The marking indicates it was carried by a member of the NSKK group from Mitte (northeast central Germany; Nuremburg). The grip is a very fine grade of wood and overall the dagger shows honest field wear and use. It was brought back from Germany in 1945 by an American soldier and kept as a trophy for over half a century before the family sold it.
