Early BDM knife - possibly...

[Garry]

In October 1933, just a few months after its official introduction, an article was published in an austrian newspaper that talked about the official HJ knife. One is pictured and it is definitely the standard knife. Anyway, the article states that it was not only boys in the Hitler Youth who carried a knife but that the girls had them too. The BDM knife is described as being manufactured in Solingen along with the HJ knives, as being lighter and narrower than the official knife and having "Blut und Ehre" engraved on the blade (the motto came from Osaf (Oberste SA-Führung)). The grip is said to have had a swas on it and the knife was carried in a leather sheath attached to a belt. This is really interesting and I certainly have never read anything about this before. The article itself was written a few months after the banning of the NSDAP in Austria and a slightly mocking tone is evident. That is worth bearing in mind but the writer does seem to have specific knowledge of the knife.

It can be definitively shown that such a knife (indeed, any knife) was never officially part of the BDM/JM uniform once the Bundestracht had been standardised in 1933 but it would seem to be the case that girls did/could wear them for a time? The question is: how widespread was the use of this knife? Not very I would think as to my knowledge such a knife has never been seen. Perhaps the article is pure propaganda but the description of the girls' knife is very detailed I must say.