Croatia, Independent State. A Navy of the Independent State of Croatia (RMNDH) Dagger by Braća Knaus of Zagreb

(Ratna Mornarica Nezavisne Države Hrvatske = RMNDH). Dagger incorporates a magnetic nickel-plated steel blade, with dull edges and having a sharp tip, the reverse ricasso maker marked "BRAĆA KNAUS ZAGREB". The blade exhibits very light surface wear and spotting, along with scratches common to extraction and return to the scabbard, measuring 248 mm in length. The crossguard features dual quillons illustrating two dolphins facing an entwined (Croatian style) triplet motif on the quillon block in bronze gilt, with an eight partition white celluloid grip, the pommel in bronze gilt, designed with a twisted triplet border on both sides and bearing the raised inscription "NHD" (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska = Independent State of Croatia) in the centre on the obverse. Wrapped around the grip is a navy blue embroidered cord with slider, the cord fed into the navy blue embroidered portepee, the latter's knot frame in aluminum. It exhibits scattered gilt wear on the crossguard and the pommel, the white celluloid grip with a tiny hairline crack in the centre on the reverse, the dagger measuring 373 mm in length. The accompanying scabbard is in die-stamped bronze gilt, maker marked "BRAĆA KNAUS ZAGREB" on the throat, both sides bearing a unique Croatian design incorporating a series of ten circle-woven stars in descending size order to the finial, the adjoining body pebbled, with a zig-zag design butting the angled trim on the throat. Both bands on the body have a single suspension ring affixed to house its original dagger hangers, the straps of the hangers fabricated from two pieces in smooth-finished black leather stitched in place back-to-back, both straps secured in place by a single rivet, its buckles and clasps in magnetic silvered metal. The scabbard measures 288 mm in length, with almost no gilt wear, the hanger straps free of wear, along with scattered wear and surface rust present on the rivets, buckles and clasps. This dagger is very scarce, and to have the hangers and portapee accompanying it, makes it even rarer indeed. Near extremely fine.

Footnote: The Navy of the Independent State of Croatia (RMNDH), was the navy of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), an Axis puppet state controlled by the fascist Ustaše party. The NDH was created from parts of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia on April 10, 1941, four days after the Second World War invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers commenced. The RMNDH consisted of two commands, the Coast and Maritime Traffic Command, and the River and River Traffic Command, and had its headquarters in the NDH capital, Zagreb. The Coast and Maritime Traffic Command consisted of three naval commands along the Adriatic coast, which were each divided into a number of naval districts. The naval districts consisted mainly of naval and weather stations, and were only responsible for coast guard and customs duties. The River and River Traffic Command consisted of seven river stations, a naval infantry battalion, and a River Command Flotilla built around two former Yugoslav river monitors, which had been scuttled during the invasion but subsequently refloated. The RMNDH was only a small part of the armed forces of the NDH, largely due to restrictions imposed by Italy under the Treaties of Rome. To avoid these limitations, the Germans raised the Croatian Naval Legion which fought as part of the German Navy in the Black Sea campaign between 1941 and 1944. After the Italian capitulation in September 1943, the Germans transferred several captured Italian vessels to the RMNDH, including the light cruiser Dalmacija (renamed Zniam), the former Yugoslav torpedo boat T7, and the Malinska-class mining tender Mosor. All of the significant assets had been lost by December 1944 when the remaining personnel were assigned to duties ashore to circumvent their defection to the Yugoslav Partisans. The RMNDH was disbanded in May 1945 with the collapse and defeat of the NDH.