The design of the RAD dagger

[Tyler Ramsey]

Were did the design of this amazing dagger come from? What was it used for? I once heard it was used for a hatchet is this true? Thanks ALLOT!!!

[George Stimson]

A hatchet -- NOT!

I don't know who designed it, but according to Angolia and Littlejohn in their book Labor Organizations of the Reich, "Contrary to propaganda of the period, the construction of the sidearm simply would not allow for any sustained or heavy blows to be struck with the blade."

[Mark S.]

The firemen had the axes.

I always thought these RAD hewers look liked they belonged in a butcher shop.

[Tyler Ramsey]

You know i was thinking , I noticed that the SS and SA daggers were basically copied off of old German hunting daggers. And I thought to myself "maybe the story is similar to the RAD hewer." so I started to look up some medieval weapons and I came across one that fits the description. The Falchion . The Falchion was a woodsman tool that was adapted for military use, in the same was many weapons were based off of tools. The Falchion was a bladed weapon that combined the Impact power of an Axe, and the control of a sword. It was used by Germany, Scotland, Italy, France, etc.

Could they have taken this weapon and simply maken it smaller and the refine it a bit?

[David C]

In "Edged Weapons of Hitler's Germany" Lumsden has it that the hewer was designed by Paul Casberg based on an old German woodcutting hatchet. There is a definite resemblance to the Falchion which as you stated was an adapted woodcutters tool.

Cheers
David.