Numbered SS daggers.

[RossK]

The service record card was found in his SS Enlisted Men File. However, there were no photographs of him in there. Another resource had to be employed for that. When a person joined the NSDAP, they had duplicate file cards created with their membership information and party number. Photographs were required to be supplied by the applicant as well. Unfortunately, perhaps only about 30-40% of the cards still have the photos attached. Many were probably removed at the end of the war to hide identities. In Schieben's case, his photograph was still there. On occasion a SS party member is pictured in his uniform but this has proven to be rare. The story is that these membership file cards were captured by American forces just before they were to be pulped in a paper mill. The accounts of the who and how the records were seized and how they were organized after the war is itself interesting.

Enjoy!
Ross Kelbaugh

[RossK]

Posting the image again.

[HORYIOSHI]

hello frieds,

i want indroduce you my new dagger. number 132158 from georg urabl.

iam looking for pictures or dokuments from gerog urabl. can you help???

best regarts

[HORYIOSHI]

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[HORYIOSHI]

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[HORYIOSHI]

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[Adrian Stevenson]

It looks to be a nice honest dagger. For more info do as Raymond suggested to you and conntact John P Moore. He is a forum member.

Cheers, Ade.

[RossK]

Hi All:

Got a bit of time to share some more of the research for those of you that are interested in the process of researching the numbered daggers I had posted earlier. In the case of the dagger 139 453 belonging to Unterscharführer Felix Mesitz, the only records found on him were his NSDAP membership file card and his Race & Settlement File. Since he never became an officer, there was no SS Officer File which might have detailed his SS career. Unfortunately, none of his service personnel cards made it into his Race & Settlement File. But as part of the marriage approval application process, the SS Mann had to complete a personal questionaire (Fragebogen) which can provide some detail about their SS service. Part of this also included their Lebenslauf or personal record which is usually a handwritten autobiography. Attached here is the first page of Mesitz's Fragebogen.

Enjoy!

Ross Kelbaugh

[RossK]

Here is the second page with the rest of his Lebenslauf that details his life in regards to the NSDAP and the Allgemein SS up to July 1936. Further research would have to be done elsewhere to see if he had any Waffen SS service.

Ross Kelbaugh

[RossK]

The real kicker in regards to Mesitz was found in his Race & Settlement File as part of his Fragebogen. Marriage applicants were required to submit three photographs with their applications which included a 3/4 pose, a profile, and a full length view. These records reproduced here are from microfilm which is meant primarily for the reproduction of documents and is a substandard medium for recording photographs. The Germans also has a taste at that time for having themselves photographed against dark backgrounds. Low contrast reproduction by microfilm and dark backgrounds often render many of these photo difficult if not impossible to reproduce without having access to the originals (now in Germany). And as mentioned previously, only a small number of these portraits include the SS Mann in his uniform. In Mesitz's case, he chose to submit his three photographs with him wearing his uniform and they are all could be reproduced from the microfilm! These are among the best I have yet found that are connected to an ided numbered SS dagger belonging to a NCO/enlisted man. I also have noticed that this dagger 139 453 is for sale on a dealer's website linked here:

http://www.germaniainternational.com/ss30.html

I want to add that I have no financial interest in this dagger. I just point it out in case anyone is interested. And I hope these postings has helped some of you better interpret the research you see accompanying an identified SS dagger, as well as get a better idea about issues of rarity.

Enjoy!

Ross Kelbaugh

[Ron Weinand]

Ross's work

I think this hobby will never be able to thank Ross for the excellent research work he is doing. No one else in this hobby is devoting as much personal time to a project that can impact so many collectors in an area that is not well respected by the John Q Public.
His devotion to this effort needs to be better appreciated by those who not only gain valued information, but often profit from his efforts. All too often very little value is attached to this information and, in the future, named and identified pieces will become much more important in my opinion.
Ron Weinand

[Seiler]

I agree and support and endorse the efforts of Ross.
They are much appreciated.
Seiler

[RossK]

hallo, wow, thank you!! hafe you pictures or any dokuments from this man?

best regarts

hello frieds,

i want indroduce you my new dagger. number 132158 from georg urabl.

iam looking for pictures or dokuments from gerog urabl. can you help???

best regarts

Hi All:

Thought you might all like to see a photo of Georg Urabl. I always find it exciting to be able to connect a face with the object.

Enjoy!

Ross Kelbaugh

[RossK]

Hi All:

I wanted to thank you guys that have posted your kind remarks about my series of posts in this thread. It's encouraging to know that anyone is tuned in when you are broadcasting. I have always been most interested in knowing about the people connected to the objects that are collected. As some of might have guessed by now, the photo of Georg Urabl, SS No. 132 158, that I posted comes from his Race & Settlement Department (Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt or RuSha) File and is one of two that can be reproduced. Since he posed in his SS uniform, you now know that they are less common as well. Two out of the three of his fiancé can also be reproduced. This RuSha file is extensive and includes the standard documents concerning this SS Mann. Attached is his Fragebogen that gives a snapshot of Urable's SS career at that point. Among the things it documents is that he was born in 1912, he joined the SS in 1933 and was a Unterscharführer at this point in SS Standarte "N" (anyone know anything about them?). He had earned the both the SA and Reichs sports awards. From what I can make it, it looks like he had previously served in SS "Deutschland". His Fragebogen also includes his handwritten Lebenslauf. He also has an extensive and interesting SS Officer's File documenting his Waffen-SS service from which I will post his service personnel card later.

Enjoy!
Ross Kelbaugh

[Carson]

SS Number 210369

Hello everyone and welcome to my humble addition to this thread.

I first with to thank (or curse) Paul Hogle for turning me to the Dark Side as I never thought I would purchase an SS Dagger, let alone a numbered one.

Brief history on this one is that is was abused and neglected at the home of the Pennsylvania vet who brought it home. It had a chunk of cedar for a grip as the original grip was lost to children abuse. It was kept in the woodshed, stuck in some logs like an old used tool.

Other than the grip, eagle and roundel, all parts are original to this dagger. Not for many collectors, but PERFECT for me.

I have contacted Ross and one day hope he will locate info on my SS NCO/Mann.

So.... without further ado, my little guy is going to party with the big boys on this thread!