This is an honor dagger of the PAI in the execution for generals, the grip scales made of ivory, with inlaid gilt medallion bearing the Italian eagle. The broad blade in fine Damascus execution. Length 30.5 cm. Complete in wooden presentation case, interior with blue velvet bed for the dagger. On the lid with hand-carved German police eagle as well as the Italian state eagle of the PAI, in the center inlaid a silver plate with dedication engraving "Generalleutnant Enno von Rintelen gewidmet von den offizieren des zweiten ausbildungslehrgangs der kolonialpolizei Rom, 12 januar 1941" (the text was obviously made by an Italian engraver, hence the “lowercase” of the nouns from the Italian orthography). The key for the lock of the case is missing, the case slightly worm-eaten on the sides (the case has been treated against woodworm). Dimensions of the case 12 x 40 cm, height 7.5 cm. Condition 2.

Enno Emil von Rintelen (* November 6, 1891 in Stettin; † August 7, 1971 in Heidelberg) was a German officer, ultimately General der Infanterie during World War II. He descended from an old Herford council family and was the son of Prussian Generalleutnant Wilhelm Rintelen, who was elevated to the Prussian nobility in 1913.

Rintelen entered the Prussian Army and became Fahnenjunker on September 18, 1910, and was promoted to Leutnant on January 27, 1912. In World War I he served in various military units at the front, lastly as Hauptmann from October 18, 1918. He received among other decorations the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class.

After the war he was taken into the Reichswehr. On December 1, 1933 he was promoted to Oberstleutnant and battalion commander, and from October 1, 1935 he was transferred as Oberst to the Wehrmacht Academy.

From October 1, 1936 Rintelen was deployed as military attaché in Rom. After the beginning of World War II, on April 20, 1940, he was additionally appointed in the rank of Generalmajor (promotion on June 1, 1939) as Plenipotentiary German General at the headquarters of the Italian Wehrmacht. On June 1, 1941 he was promoted to Generalleutnant and on July 1, 1942 already to General der Infanterie. Rintelen was transferred to the Führer Reserve on September 1, 1943. On December 31, 1944 Rintelen was retired with the award of the German Cross in Silver.

The Polizia dell'Africa Italiana (PAI) (“Police of Italian Africa”) was an Italian colonial police force existing from 1936 to 1945. It was subordinate to the Colonial Ministry in Rom and the subordinate colonial governments in Italian East Africa and Italian Libya. The establishment began in early 1937. Training took place at a central colonial police school in Tivoli near Rom. At the school in Tivoli, courses for German members of the police and the SS were also held from 1939. Approximately 400 German officers and enlisted men participated in these courses from 1940 to 1942; the German course participants received upon completion the dagger of the PAI in a special form with dedication from the commanding general "Maraffa".

415992

Fascist Italy Presentation Dagger of the PAI Polizia dell'Africa Italiana to German Generalleutnant Enno von Rintelen, 1941

This magnificent Polizia dell'Africa Italiana (PAI) presentation dagger in the general officer's version represents an extraordinary testament to military cooperation between Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. On 12 January 1941, the officers of the second training course of the Colonial Police in Rome presented this dagger to Generalleutnant Enno von Rintelen, who at that time held a key role as German liaison officer with the Italian military.

The PAI was established in December 1936 as the Corpo di Polizia Coloniale following Italy's conquest of Ethiopia and the creation of the Italian East African empire. It was renamed Polizia dell'Africa Italiana in May 1939. This colonial police force served in Italian North Africa (Libya) and Italian East Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia) and was subordinate to the Ministry of Colonies in Rome. The organization comprised 6,344 men, including 87 officers, 368 non-commissioned officers, 1,475 Italian enlisted personnel, 4,064 Eritrean askari, and 350 Somali personnel. Despite its civilian administrative structure, the PAI was organized along military lines and fulfilled duties including public security, judicial police, administrative police, and combat operations.

The PAI was founded and commanded by General Riccardo Maraffa (1890-1943), who led the force from 1936 to 1943. Maraffa enjoyed high regard for his colonial police training standards. The central police school was located in Tivoli near Rome, where courses for German police and SS personnel were also held beginning in 1939. This cooperation arose after positive reports from German consular authorities in Italian East Africa regarding the quality of PAI training. General Ritter Von Epp of the Deutsche Polizei visited the Tivoli school in 1939 and subsequently requested training courses for 180 German policemen. Between 1940 and 1942, approximately 400 German officers and enlisted men participated in these courses.

Enno Emil von Rintelen (1891-1971) came from an old Herford patrician family. His father, Prussian Generalleutnant Wilhelm Rintelen, was elevated to the Prussian nobility in 1913. Enno von Rintelen served in World War I and received the Iron Cross First and Second Class. From 1 October 1936, he was posted as Military Attaché in Rome. This position made him an ideal intermediary between the Axis powers. On 20 April 1940, he was additionally appointed as the German General at Italian Armed Forces Headquarters with the rank of Generalmajor. The presentation of this magnificent dagger took place on 12 January 1941, five months before Rintelen's promotion to Generalleutnant on 1 June 1941. He was promoted to General der Infanterie on 1 July 1942. Following Italy's armistice with the Allies, Rintelen was transferred to the Führerreserve on 1 September 1943 and retired on 31 December 1944 with the award of the German Cross in Silver.

The dagger itself demonstrates the exceptional esteem shown to this high-ranking German officer. With a blade length of 30.5 cm, it is crafted from finest damascus steel. The grip scales are made of ivory and feature an inlaid gilded medallion with the Italian eagle, the sovereign emblem of the PAI. The wooden presentation case (12 x 40 cm, height 7.5 cm) is lined inside with blue velvet. The lid features a hand-carved German police eagle and the Italian PAI sovereign eagle. In the center is inlaid a silver plaque bearing the dedication inscription, whose lowercase rendering of nouns reveals the hand of an Italian engraver applying Italian orthographic conventions.

The fate of the PAI and its protagonists was tragic. After the armistice of 8 September 1943, the PAI under General Maraffa participated in defending Rome against German occupation. Maraffa was captured by the Nazis on 23 September 1943 and died in Dachau concentration camp on 11 December 1943. Von Rintelen worked for the US Army Historical Division from 1946 to 1947 and published his memoirs “Mussolini als Bundesgenosse” in 1951. He died on 7 August 1971 in Heidelberg. This presentation dagger thus documents a brief period of military cooperation that ended in tragedy and collapse.