WWII Third Reich Pro-German Croatian Air Force Dagger NHD Luftwaffe Ante Pavelić

Description: WWII era M-1941 Croatian Air Force Officer’s Dagger, Croatian Air Force Legion. NHD (Independent State of Croatia) Air Force Dagger. The Independent State of Croatia (Serbo-Croatian: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; German: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; Italian: Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of the Third Reich and Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, after the invasion by the Axis powers. Its territory consisted of most of modern-day Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as some parts of modern-day Serbia and Slovenia, but also excluded many Croat-populated areas in Dalmatia (until late 1943), Istria, and Međimurje regions (which today are part of Croatia). During its entire existence, the NDH was governed as a one-party state by the fascist Ustaša organization. The Ustaše was led by the Poglavnik, Ante Pavelić. The regime targeted Serbs, Jews and Roma, as well as anti-fascist or dissident Croats and Bosnian Muslims. The Independent State of Croatia was one of the most lethal regimes in the 20th century. Apparently this dagger was a present from Ante Pavelić hence the AP initials on the pommel. The Croatian Air Force Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija), or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941 during the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia. The legion fought on the Eastern Front between 1941–1943 during the Second World War. The unit was sent to Germany for training on 15 July 1941, the fighter group to Fürth near Nüremberg and the bomber group to Greifswald, before heading to the Eastern Front. Some of them also had experience in the two main types that they would operate, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Dornier Do 17, with two fighter pilots having actually shot down Luftwaffe aircraft. This silvered brass dagger features black celluloid grip with horizontal grooves Blade is approximately 25cm (10 inches) long, marked “Braca Knaus Zagreb”, double edged blade, very fine condition; un-cleaned and untouched. Scabbard is straight, no dents. Throat is marked with manufacturer’s mark: “Braca Knaus Zagreb”. (Knauss Brothers, Zagreb) Overall dagger is in excellent condition.

Price: 650 USD

Location: Budapest

End Time: 2024-11-27T21:06:25.000Z

Shipping Cost: 30 USD