This saber was a gift to Fritz Klingenberg from his father upon his promotion to SS-Untersturmführer on April 20, 1935. Fritz Klingenberg belonged to the 1st Officer Training Course at the SS-Junkerschule Tölz.
The saber is a deluxe production by Alcoso Solingen, circa 1935. This saber model was designed by Alcoso exclusively for the SS-Verfügungstruppe and is depicted in their sales catalog as Model No. 113. Nickel-silver hilt, the lion's head with red glass eyes, the guard with oak leaf decoration. The quillon block in unusual teardrop form, decorated with crossed lances and sabers. Reverse with oval medallion for engraving. The blade with fuller of genuine Damascus steel in finest quality, probably by Carl Wester. On the obverse with raised dedication “Meinem Sohn Fritz Klingenberg zur Beförderung zum SS-Untersturmführer am 20.4.1935” (To my son Fritz Klingenberg on his promotion to SS-Untersturmführer on 20.4.1935). Reverse with raised motto “Meine Ehre heißt Treue” (My Honor is Loyalty), below the quillon block with the early Alcoso maker's mark “A C S”. The black original finish of the steel scabbard preserved to over 95%. Complete with attached portepee for SS officers in black. Only lightly worn, in particularly fine condition. Accompanied by an original photo postcard of the bearer.
Extremely rare, as a presentation saber with Damascus blade to a well-known Knight's Cross recipient of the Waffen-SS certainly unique!

SS-Standartenführer Fritz Klingenberg (1912-1945) entered the SS-Verfügungstruppe in April 1934. Belonging to the “Leibstandarte,” he was assigned to the 1st course at the new SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, which he completed with promotion to Untersturmführer on April 20, 1935. With the beginning of the Polish Campaign in 1939, Klingenberg became orderly officer to SS-Gruppenführer Paul Hausser as SS-Hauptsturmführer. On August 1, 1940, Klingenberg received command of the 15th (Motorcycle Rifle) Company/“Der Führer.” From February 22, 1941, company commander 2./Motorcycle Rifle Battalion “Das Reich.” During the Balkans Campaign, Klingenberg with only 11 soldiers captured Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on April 11, 1941. For this impressive action carried out with extreme audacity, as well as the capture of more than 1,000 men, Fritz Klingenberg as Hauptsturmführer and commander of the 2nd Motorcycle Rifle Company of SS-Motorcycle Rifle Battalion “Das Reich” received the Knight's Cross on May 14, 1941. On March 15, 1944, Klingenberg received command of the Junkerschule Bad Tölz; he was thus the only graduate of this school who was later permitted to command it. On December 21, 1944, promotion to SS-Standartenführer. On January 12, 1945, he was given command of the 17th Panzergrenadier Division “Götz von Berlichingen.” Klingenberg fell on March 22, 1945, near Herxheim/Rheinpfalz.

307800

SS-Verfügungstruppe Lion's Head Saber from the Estate of Knight's Cross Recipient SS-Standartenführer Fritz Klingenberg

This magnificent SS-Verfügungstruppe lion head saber represents a remarkable testament to the early military history of the armed SS formations while simultaneously documenting the tragic biography of its bearer, Fritz Klingenberg, one of the most renowned officers of the later Waffen-SS. Presented as a gift from his father upon his promotion to SS-Untersturmführer on 20 April 1935, this saber marks a decisive turning point in Klingenberg's military career.

The SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) was formed on 24 September 1934 from a merger of various Nazi paramilitary formations. Established as an armed, barracked unit of the SS, it was the predecessor organization of the later Waffen-SS. On 17 August 1938, Hitler decreed that the SS-VT was neither part of the Ordnungspolizei nor the Wehrmacht, but military-trained men at the disposal of the Führer. From its formation in September 1934, the SS-Verfügungstruppe grew to approximately 23,000 men by summer 1939. By 1940, these military SS units had become the nucleus of the Waffen-SS.

The saber was manufactured by the renowned Solingen firm Alcoso, founded in 1865 and specialized in steel goods production. In 1935, the company received the RZM code M7/66 for production of political daggers. The Jewish owners, brothers Carl Gustav and Dr. Alexander Coppel, were forced out in 1936 when the firm was “Aryanized.” Carl Gustav Coppel committed suicide in Solingen in 1941, and Dr. Alexander Coppel was arrested in 1942 and sent to Theresienstadt, where he died on 5 August 1942. The factory itself was destroyed by Allied bombers in November 1944.

This luxury execution from circa 1935 features a nickel silver hilt with lion head pommel fitted with red glass eyes. The crossguard is decorated with oak leaf motifs, while the languet takes an unusual teardrop form decorated with crossed lances and sabers. An oval medallion on the reverse side provides space for engraving. The Damascus steel blade bears a raised inscription on the obverse reading “Meinem Sohn Fritz Klingenberg zur Beförderung zum SS-Untersturmführer am 20.4.1935” and on the reverse the SS motto “Meine Ehre heißt Treue,” along with the early Alcoso maker's mark “A C S.”

Such sabers were worn exclusively by officers of the SS-Verfügungstruppe from approximately 1934 and served as part of full dress uniform at ceremonial occasions, parades, oath-taking ceremonies, and official events. They had no practical combat significance but were purely representational status symbols. Initially, from circa 1934, SS-VT personnel utilized altered army officer sabers with components modified from gold to silver finish. In mid-1936, distinctive swords known as SS-Ehrendegen were designed and produced exclusively for SS-VT, Police, and Fire Officers. Bestowal of SS swords was discontinued by regulations on 26 June 1942, and further wearing was prohibited in August 1943 except for ceremonial occasions.

Fritz Paul Heinrich Otto Klingenberg (17 December 1912 – 23 March 1945) joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe in April 1934. As a member of the Leibstandarte, he was assigned to the first officer course at the new SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, graduating with promotion to Untersturmführer on 20 April 1935. During the 1939 Polish campaign, he served as SS-Hauptsturmführer and ordnance officer to SS-Gruppenführer Paul Hausser. On 1 August 1940, he received command of the 15th (Motorcycle) Company “Der Führer,” and from 22 February 1941 served as company commander of 2./Motorcycle Battalion “Das Reich.”

During the Balkans campaign, Klingenberg captured Belgrade with only six to eleven soldiers on 11-12 April 1941 through an audacious bluff, causing the city to surrender. For this act and the capture of more than 1,000 men, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 May 1941. On 15 March 1944, he received command of SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, making him the only graduate of that school to later command it. He was promoted to SS-Standartenführer on 21 December 1944. On 12 January 1945, he was given command of the 17th SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Götz von Berlichingen.” Klingenberg was killed in action on 23 March 1945 during a tank battle near Herxheim in the Rhineland-Palatinate. He is buried at the German War Cemetery in Andilly, France.

After 1945, SS edged weapons and equipment were largely confiscated and destroyed as part of the denazification process. Surviving examples entered private ownership as war trophies or became museum pieces. Today such objects serve as important sources for historical research, documenting the material culture of the Nazi regime. They are testimonies of a criminal organization and murderous regime, while simultaneously documenting craft traditions, military hierarchies, and the symbolic politics of totalitarian rule.