WWII era German DE

[illbeinyourband]

Hi all,

I was talking to my stepdad, and he is going to be doing a WWII reenactment sometime soon. He will be playing a German soldier, and the group is going to be "out in the field" replicating what it could have been like as close as possible. This includes shaves. So he's looking for a replica/reissue kind of thing of the type of DE razor that a typical German soldier may have used in the 40's. Since I know there are so many folks here with a such a great wealth of knowledge, I was wondering if anyone could point us in the right direction?

Also (and this may be more difficult), are there any modern/replica/reissue soaps and brushes that may be comparable to what they may have used?

Thanks so much,
Bryan

 

[mr-razor]

I don´t know it. I´ve only this picture from a other collector in Polland:

 

[Luc]

Nice old type!

 

[danek]

I just saw "Valkerie (sp?)" and there is a scene where Tom Cruise intentially cuts his neck with what looks to be a 40's SS. Now, I'm sure that a German officer would not be routinely shaving with an American-made razor, but similar razors built in England were called Rockets, and since Gillette was also building razors in Germany, something similar may have been available.

 

[mr-razor]

I just saw "Valkerie (sp?)" and there is a scene where Tom Cruise intentially cuts his neck with what looks to be a 40's SS. Now, I'm sure that a German officer would not be routinely shaving with an American-made razor, but similar razors built in England were called Rockets, and since Gillette was also building razors in Germany, something similar may have been available.

But Super-Speed / Rocket comes after WWII in 1947

 

[Nils]

The Merkur HD is a design from the early 30s, so it should be authentic.

 

[napoleon]

I guess confiscated french DEs would fit. Maybe...
And I've seen more than one bakelite razor (slanted and regular) being listed as german WW2 razors, but thats from e-bay sellers... May be right, may be wrong.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

There was a buy it now on Ebay for a German Army bakelite open comb slant. I think with shipping the price was around $20

 

[danek]

But Super-Speed / Rocket comes after WWII in 1947

I believe they were made available to the public in 1947, before that I believe that they were military production only. Although, I could be wrong...

 

[Hoos]

There were German safety razors for WWII. I've seen German-made DE blades made for the Germans (I believe there was a swastika on the blade paper).

I've been keeping my eye out for one of the German razors, but so far no luck. There were also rumors (fairly strong ones, but unsubstantiated) that Gillette made razors for Germany, too, during the war.

So, I think your dad could skate by using a U.S. Gillette from the same time period. (From what I've seen of other gear for soldiers manufactured in Germany for WWII, he'll probably have a lot safer shave.)

 

[AsylumGuido]

I believe they were made available to the public in 1947, before that I believe that they were military production only. Although, I could be wrong...

Gillette razor production from 1942 through 1945 was limited to their Tech model in a multitude of variations. The predecessor to the Super Speed, the Ranger Tech, was produced in a no end cap version in 1941 and in a capped version in 1946.