Review from readers of "The Dress Daggers of the S.A. and the N.S.K.K." book
Of all the many German edged weaponry collectors and researchers who purchase and read this new reference by author Ralf Siegert, none will be more pleased to see the final project in print than the undersigned. After all, as I stated in the Introduction of one of my own early (1978) reference books on the subject (Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich, Volume III), …
“As time continues to heal the horrendous wounds of the tragic WWII era, German authors will, undoubtedly, pen their own versions of this fascinating subject – indeed, the story is really theirs to tell!”
However, for the past several decades the vast majority of what has been written on the subject has originated with English speaking authors residing in either the United States or the United Kingdom. It is obvious that the reluctance to cover the subject in the native German language is a direct result of the political ramifications of Hitler’s Third Reich and the dreaded symbol of the swastika and certainly not due to any lack of knowledge on the part of potential German authors. At long last and some sixty-plus years after the cessation of hostilities of World War II, a German author has stepped forward to provide the international collecting community with a welcomed tome in the German language on the subject of the ever-popular SA (Sturmabteilung) and NSKK dress daggers (Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps).
All one has to do is peruse the extensive Table of Contents to realize that this new reference is truly all-inclusive and covers the subject of the SA and NSKK Third Reich dress daggers from “A” to “Z”. German authors are known internationally for their attention to detail, and this book is certainly no exception. One of the major benefits of this new reference is the generous use of color plates and previously unpublished period photographs showing the daggers being worn.
The author has been a passionate collector for over twenty-five years.
During the past ten of those years, Herr Siegert has specialized in the collecting of Blankwaffen and has devoted the past five years to an ardent study of the SA and NSKK daggers. At one time, he had amassed over sixty (60) SA daggers in his personal collection, and his continued research and interest resulted in the development of his own internet webpage on the subject of SA and NSKK daggers, www.dienstdolch.de.
Fellow countryman, Sven Georgi, an author in his own right has contributed a chapter on the care of Third Reich daggers and the structure of a dagger collection.
It is hoped that this new reference on German Third Reich edged weaponry will open the door and will be followed by numerous other volumes penned by native speaking Germans, as, once again, “the story is really theirs to tell!”
Thomas M.Johnson
LTC (Ret) U.S.A.
Author of the 8-Volume Series entitled, Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich
www.johnsonreferencebooks.com
I received my copy today of "The Service Daggers of the S.A. and the N.S.K.K.", it is a blow, wonderfull, I am totally stocked, it is packed with a lot of full colour photos. Definitively a "Must Have" for every 3rd Reich collector
Collector from Brussels, Belgium
Received my book today and it is simply magnificient. The quality of the pictures and the depth of information is all you could ask for. A++++++
Collector from Mandeville, Louisiana
I got mine today :-) Someone said Johnson's reference is like "Ferrari" in automobile world. I must say Ralf's book is a ROLLS ROYCE.
European collector
I got mine today. First look through says very impressive. Took about 9 days to get here from Germany.
American collector and moderator of germandaggers.com
What a stunning book, a masterpiece in my personal collection
Collector from Moscow, Russia
I got it today,looks great.
Collector from Norway
Received today.... VERY NICE AND INTERESTING BOOK !!!!
Collector from Warsaw, Poland
Congrats, it's a fine book
Collector from Scotland
Congratulations. It is a fine, fine book with many wonderful pictures
Collector from Calgary
A must have, I use it to check every of my future purchases
Collector from Barcelona, Spain
Great Christmas gift idea!
Collector from Quebec, Canada
Great,that is a MUST buy.
Collector from Norway
Thank you very much, I can see how the original SA dagger should look like.
Collector from Marseille, France
I too had just received Ralfs SA book.( English Version) I am very pleased with the content.Thanks Ralf for your compilation of information and dissection of the SA/NSKK subject.It brings understanding of information, I myself have not yet seen.
Collector from Barrington,NJ
Very interesting, I've learned a lot. I feel like I was blind before.
Collector from Geneve, Switzerland
The book came very well packed, and it was sent the same day it was ordered. Great book, one of the best dagger books I have.
Collector from Le Havre, France
The book is oki . Great stuff we collectors need for upgrade the knowledge. "Tumbs Up for the book team" 157.85 US is nothing compared for all daggers we buy year by year. And......there is not so many books about the SA daggers on the marked either !Im happy with the book and all the work Ralf & the team have done for making it ready for collector world IMO.
Collector from Norway
If you do not have this book in your collection then buy it. It is worth it and is very well produced. If I did not already have the German version I would not have hesitated. You can never have enough reference data, it can save you a lot of grief and money and each publication/author approaches the subject from a different view point.
Collector from England
I got the book the packing was wondeful.The book itself was very good.I did a quick skim of it I did not read every page yet but i will.I think from what i saw it is a very good book and i say to those responsable job well done.
Collector from North Carolina, US
Just a quick note to say the book was delivered yesterday. It truly is a beautiful volume and worth every penny.The SA book I've been looking for and will recommend to others for sure.
Collector from Somerset,UK
I received Ralf's book yesterday, a fantastic work with very nice pictures and an excellent amount of informations. Congratulations to Mr. Ralf for the beautiful research job and you for this indispensable english edition. I'm very anxious to see the next Ralf's book about SS daggers.
Collector from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I received my book yesterday. I've only gotten to page 40 and I think this is the best Reference book I've ever had! The packaging of the book really impressed Me also... I recently purchased an SA Rohm Dagger and your book made it come to life. It helped me know more about my dagger than I already knew.Great book, worth every penny!
Collector from San Antonio,TX
I wanted to let you know the SA book arrived yesterday and I could not be more pleased with it! I have been involved in graphic design and presentation in various ways for forty years and I have also been a militaria collector for forty years as well. This book is truly excellent in every way. The visual presentation is superb in that it is detailed yet clear and uncluttered and has just the right amount of accompanying text. Not only are the various aspects of the daggers and accoutrements shown in a superb manner but the accompanying period photographs are superb as well. The book is well worth the price!
Collector from Severn, MD
I got the book last week. It is very well done, many wonderfull pictures (all in color) and good texts too. Great overall contribution to the hobby!