105 - RAD hewer Model 1934 by Carl Julius Krebs Solingen, 1930s

RAD hewer Model 1934 by Carl Julius Krebs Solingen, 1930s Steel, metal, staghorn. RAD hewer Model 1934. Broad, single-edged blade with straight back, clipped point and fuller on both sides, the blade face with inscription. At the base of the blade the service emblem in a triangle, below it the marking “GES. GESCH.” and the upright oval maker's mark with the legend “CARL JULIUS KREBS SOLINGEN” around a crown above a monogram. The crossguard of metal, extended into a volute on one side, the pommel in bird's-head form; the grip with two screwed scales, of staghorn. Without scabbard. Condition commensurate with age, the blade heavily stained, pitted and reground. L. 37.5 cm, blade length 24.5 cm The Reich Labour Service was established as compulsory service by the Reich Labour Service Act of 26 June 1935, initially covering young men, and was essentially responsible for land-improvement and construction work. The hewer Model 1934, known among collectors simply as the RAD hewer, was the sidearm for rank and file and junior leaders; characteristic features are the broad blade modelled on the machete, the pommel in bird's-head form and the screwed grip scales. Carl Julius Krebs in Solingen was among the makers licensed by the Reichszeugmeisterei (maker's code M 7/5). The marking “Ges. Gesch.” stands for gesetzlich geschützt (legally protected).