Npea leader

[Ostmaerker]

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=970031

Gentelmen, may I ask you, what you think about this dagger on e-stand?

Thenk you very much!

Ostmaerker

[Eric Von Rader]

Its a rare 100% authentic example.

[Ostmaerker]

Its a rare 100% authentic example.

Thank you very much for your opinion.

But what I wonder is: Why does a leader dagger has a number?

Ostmaerker

[Billy G]

In Ron Weinand's excellent work "Waffenleite", page 11:

"The NPEALeader's dagger was an issue item by the various schools in the NPEA School System and was the school property in most cases... some of the NPEA Leader's Daggers bear the initials of the issuing institution and some bear the initials and the issue number, depending on the individual school's own accounting system. This was determined on a school by school basis as there was no established rule for this accounting or property marking.".

At one time, I owned an early Bergsmüller chained leader dagger that had an accountability number on the nickel silver crossguards but no school initials. This dagger had previously been pictured in one of Tom Johnson's early "Collecting" series (I don't remember which volume). I've also seen enough of them to make me believe there is nothing unusual about the scenario of a numbered or lettered leader dagger. Each item, however, should be taken on its own individual merits, or lack thereof.

The dagger listed for sale looks OK to me. Maybe the student returned to the school as some sort of student leader after graduation.

[Ron Weinand]

Billy G. I couldn't have said it better.

[Billy G]

Thanks Ron. I often reread your book & find tidbits I've previously missed. A very helpful reference, particularly when considering most of today's books are coffee table tomes rather than reference items.

[Ron Weinand]

Thanks Billy G. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your kind words. You wouldn't believe the hours and hours of research I committed to this project and how little available information was available concerning the NPEA schools and the daggers of the various schools. Even still today little is know about the later schools after the first group and less is known about some of the daggers issued at the schools in the war years. Luckily, there were few hands in the pie and things were fairly standard with the companies involved.
I am still offering my Waffenleite book to members on this site for the price of $29.95 plus shipping stateside and overseas at rate.

[Ostmaerker]

Thank you all for your help

And, I of course have the book of you Ron, and I obviously have to read it again, as I forgot about some special details

Ostmaerker