Question regarding HJ knives....

[HGCollector]

How common was it for front line combat troops to carry these as part of their kit?

Thanks

[Schlange]

Not so often, HJ knife primary role was parade.
On the battlefield combat knives and bayonets has a primary role, HJ knifes was too fragile for combat.

Schlange

http://www.mojalbum.com/schlange88/albumi

[bigdavemac]

Hitler Youth knives were for the most part just that, carried by the Hitler youth very similar to a boy scout knife here in the U.S. I personally don't believe the HJ knives saw much front line action. JMO

[CWP]

Definitely not common.

[HGCollector]

So....if not on soldiers....where would a G.I. pick one of these up?

[CWP]

The same places that they picked up flags, armbands, political uniforms/headgear/insignia, signs, books, civil helmets, silverware, stamps, typewriters, and all the other millions and millions of non-field, non-combat related civil and political items they brought back:

-In houses they were quartered in in occupied towns and cities
-From stores where these items were offered for sale
-From factories where these items were made
-From warehouses and depots where these items were stored
-From Hitler Youth facilities of whatever kind where these knives may have been kept
-From piles of Nazi items turned in by civilians at the close of the war as part of Allied denazification policy.

[Ron Weinand]

Dress daggers and swords were to be turned into the city mayor's office at the time of occupation as stipulated in US Military Law at the end of the war. This is where most of these came from for the US soldiers. Many of the US veterans I buy from tell me of the piles of edged weapons, guns and cameras out side the mayor's office in all parts of Germany and, unfortunately, many were destroyed by simply running tanks over the pile. My father said he saw this many times at the end of the war during his time in Europe.

[Manalishi]

many were destroyed by simply running tanks over the pile.

Were GIs able to take as many edged weapons as they wanted from the pile prior to that, Ron?

[Ron Weinand]

It depended on the unit commander. Some didn't care and others didn't want to have them carrying something non-regulation with them. Some soldiers did what they wanted to, regardless of the orders, and smuggled them on the person or in a vehicle if they were mounted or in a unit with the ability to hide them.