"Blut und Ehre!"
.....so reads the inscription on the blade of a knife I bought yesterday.
I played an hour of music with my friend Bob Sisko and some other friends up at the City Park in Weiser Wednesday afternoon during Oldtime Fiddlers week. Instead of driving home Wednesday night, we stopped in Boise for the evening so we could shop yesterday.
One of our favorite haunts in Boise is the Antique World Mall down on Overland about a block south of Orchard. Donna collects antique dolls, colored glass pieces like pickle jars, and stuff for the backyard. I collect Roy Rogers stuff, 50's stuff, etc.
Everytime we go there, we always find thing that wasn't there on a previous visit. Anyway, she bought a few things, and when I passed one of the locked glass cases, I saw a few pieces of old WORLD WAR II NAZI memorabilia. There were two of those old cloth armbands that they used to wear......you've seen 'em in the documentary films, red with the white circled inserts and the black swastikas. There were two of those in pretty good shape, (for being as old as they are). And a couple of other items as well.
But the one that got MY attention was a "Hitler Youth Knife" with a scabbard. You have to be wary of "reproductions" of World War II stuff, and while I'm not an expert here, I could tell that NONE of this stuff was "repro". This knife has "miles" on it, the old nickel plating worn off in places, and an inscription that you can still make out, "Blut und Ehre!", which meant nothing to me.
I'm not a NAZI of course, but I DO have some old German rifles & pistols, and some Japanese guns as well, and I thought this knife would make a pretty good item for my collection, so I bought it.
When I got home, I figured I'd better get on the computer and look it up, and at least HOPE I bought the genuine article.
I did.
I was able to authenticate it through the net research. These knives were given to the young members of the "Hitler Youth", as they accomplished certain tasks during their training......in a "dark sort of way", the same system that the scouts HERE earn "merit badges."
Note------I in NO WAY compare the "Youth" with the "Scouts", so don't start on me.
The Inscription "Blut und Ehre!", means "blood & honor". On the left side of the blade is a symbol of what would appear to be an old knight in armor, and the words "Anyon Winger" and "Gesgeschutzt"....which my net references also confirmed, as the original manufacturer.
These markings were never duplicated on any repro, the "Blut und Ehre" is in script, and never seen again after 1937, and the swastika badging was only on the righthand handle. The archival photos and description are exact. So it's the real deal. The crude little blade scabbard is also correct. So it'll make a nice addition to my collection.
What it represents though, is a very dark piece of history, but still, it IS a piece of history, and a warning as well.
Indoctrination of youth. Through steady NAZI propaganda, it was considered a "great honor" to serve "Der Fuhrer", to create yet another generation of the pure Aryan blood-haired, blue-eyed "master race." The kids were put in uniforms, and SCHOOLED in the dogma of the 3rd Reich. They were destined to be the "next generation" for the German Army, the "select ones" going into the feared "SS", (had the war lasted long enough, or if they had WON it).........spooky thought.....
During the war, the Hitler Youth WAS used as messengers......they were taught to set up boobytraps and anit-tank traps (and DID). Finally, as the Russians surrounded Berlin with Hitler holed-up in his bunker, the Hitler Youth was sent out there to the perimeters, where they fought to their deaths in most cases for "Der Fuhrer" and the "honor" of dying for their "Fatherland." Hitler killed himself ANYWAY, as we all know. It was a terrible waste of life.
I worry about that to a degree right here, with OUR kids. No, they aren't being put into uniforms (except for the ROTC----which is voluntary). But they ARE being politically "indoctrinated" in colleges all over this country, and it's filtering into the lower grades now as well.
Not long after Obama became President, we all SAW (excet for the Dems who pretended NOT to see), those news videos of 3rd & 4th graders, lined up on the stages of different grade schools, singing those Obama "praise songs."
No.......no........I don't think they're looking to form an "Obama Youth" or anything like that..........but when you've studied history enough, and have watched the old documentaries, seen the German kids with their snare drums and chants, "all hail Der Fuhrer"....and then you see what we ALL SAW a couple of years ago on National television, it DOES sends a slight chill up your spine, especially if you know enough about history.
Enough parents jumped on the schools for that, and we've not seen it since.......but prior to THAT, we'd never seen it at ALL in OUR COUNTRY.
So we just need to stay alert as time goes on. The hearts and minds of our children and grandchildren do NOT belong to the government, or any individual leader, and this old knife I'm looking at right now is a definite reminder of what happens when indoctrination is not taken seriously......"no harm done", or...."just some FAD they're going through right now"..........
"Paranoid?............no............just mindful. I didn't have any problems with the truck before we went to Weiser & back, these last couple of days........but that didn't stop me from CHECKING the oil, tranny fluid and radiator before we left!
These are no longer the days of "Leave it to Beaver."
We need to keep an eye on things.
- -- Posted by KH Gal on Fri, Jun 24, 2011, at 11:32 AM
- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Fri, Jun 24, 2011, at 11:55 AM
- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Fri, Jun 24, 2011, at 12:36 PM
- -- Posted by KH Gal on Fri, Jun 24, 2011, at 2:03 PM
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- -- Posted by MissouriBirdman on Sun, Jun 26, 2011, at 7:16 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Jun 26, 2011, at 8:37 PM
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- -- Posted by KH Gal on Mon, Jun 27, 2011, at 2:37 PM
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- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Mon, Jun 27, 2011, at 4:35 PM
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- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Tue, Jun 28, 2011, at 4:03 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Jun 28, 2011, at 5:50 PM
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- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Tue, Jun 28, 2011, at 6:07 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Jun 28, 2011, at 8:23 PM
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- -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Jun 28, 2011, at 10:25 PM
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- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 3:59 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 4:55 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 3:34 AM
- -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 3:48 AM
- -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 9:38 AM
- -- Posted by Pale Ale on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 12:00 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 12:25 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 1:32 PM
- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 3:19 PM
- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 3:49 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 7:07 PM
- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 7:38 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Jun 30, 2011, at 7:41 PM
- -- Posted by lamont on Fri, Jul 1, 2011, at 7:48 AM
- -- Posted by lamont on Fri, Jul 1, 2011, at 7:53 AM
- -- Posted by lamont on Fri, Jul 1, 2011, at 8:03 AM
- -- Posted by MsMarylin on Fri, Jul 1, 2011, at 9:19 AM
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