In the Summer of 1934 a limited order of daggers was placed with the firm of Carl Eickhorn in Solingen for a variation on the 1933 Pattern SS Dagger. These daggers, presented personally by SS Chief Heinrich Himmler to a group of 200 SS men, were specifically to commemorate their contributions to the success of the Night of Long Knives, the June 30th purge of the SA. Instigated on the pretense of foiling an attempt by SA Chief Ernst Rohm to overthrow the Nazi government, the SS used the "Rohm Putsch" as a blank check for murder, killing at least 83 of Hitler's enemies, both inside and outside the party. This purge was a significant event in the history of Germany and the Second World War, as it neutralized the far-left element of the Nazi Party and cemented the support of the military establishment, which felt threatened by the Stormtroopers, both of which meant Hitler had free hand in all domestic matters. Additionally, it marked the sunset of the SA as the chief paramilitary force of the party and cemented the rise of the SS to a historically infamous engine of terror. Measuring 13 3/4 inches overall, the 8 3/4 inch blade is etched "Meine Ehre heisst Treue" (My Honor is Loyalty) on the obverse, and "In Herzlicher Freundschaft (In Heartfelt Friendship) H. Himmler" on the reverse leading to the "unarmed squirrel" Eickhorn logo. Black hardwood grip with eagle inlay, SS runes and nickel finished guard and pommel, the former stamped "4" next to the blade. Includes a black finished nickel fitted sheath and a black leather hanger.