History

The SA (Sturmabteilung, storm detachment) was established in 1921 as a paramilitary protection squad of the NSDAP. The members of the SA were tasked with protecting party leaders at political rallies and meetings from the paramilitary forces of the opposing political factions. The SA was first utilised on November 4, 1921 at a meeting held in Munich’s "Hofbräuhaus" beer hall. The organisation was banned after the failed putsch in 1923 and was reactivated in February 1925.

The SA Röhm Honour Dagger was introduced on February 3rd, 1934 by SA Chief of Staff Ernst Röhm. The dagger was awarded to SA personnel who had joined the organisation prior to December 31, 1931, and were still in good standing. A total of 125,960 dedication daggers were issued.

The Röhm dagger is identical to the standard SA Service Dagger, except it features the acid-etched dedication, ‘In herzlicher Kameradschaft Ernst Röhm’ (in heartfelt comradery) on the blade. After Röhm was executed in 1934, recipients of the dagger were ordered to have the dedication ground off or the dagger exchanged for a standard service dagger. Variations of daggers with a ground off dedication exist, depending on how much was ground off. For example, some owners had the entire dedication removed, while other opted to just remove Röhm's name. Today, blades with a partial dedication are scarce, while blades that have a complete dedication preserved are even rarer.

These daggers were introduced prior to the institution of the RZM and as such, do not feature RZM markings.