Heer Cavalry Sabre Info

[Kavalier]

Hey! New collector, new member. I have been trying to find information on Army and SS cavalry sabres by means of the few English-language resources on German cavalry divisions, particularly the following, but have had little success beyond mention in the Richter books about an "enlisted man's sabre" and an "officer's sabre." If you are interested, they are much more helpful in regards to firearms and gear used by the Army cavalry in the Eastern Campaign, and are profusely illustrated with period photography identified by the author, himself a member of the 1935 German cavalry class. Cavalry of the Wehrmacht also received an endorsement from Conrad Müller, commander of the 9th (Heavy) Troop, 32nd Horse Regiment.

• RICHTER, Klaus Christan. Cavalry of the Wehrmacht, 1941-1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1995.
• RICHTER, Klaus Christian. Weapons & Equipment of the German Cavalry, 1935-1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1995.
• FOWLER, Jeffrey. Axis Cavalry in World War II. Westminster, MD: Osprey Publishing, 2001.

My questions for the community are as follows:

1. During what time between 1933-1945 were sabres issued to Army cavalry divisions?
2. How many different cavalry sabre variants exist? Can differences be observed between enlisted and officer's sabres? If so, what are they?
3. Which manufacturers were responsible for their production?
4. Are there reliable dealers known to offer this sort of product?
5. What price range is to be expected of any particular model?
6. Are there any common fakes in circulation? How to identify them?

I did notice Swords of Germany, 1900-1945 by Angolia, but was hesitant to purchase a book that retails at $100-$200 for what could amount to a handful of relevant pages. Let me know if it's worthwhile.

Thanks in advance!

[Frogprince]

There are some variables here with the time period being one of them, and are we talking about the private purchase types or the government issued examples? There were also some swords that were obtained in the occupation of other countries that received German nomenclature/identifiers - but with little to no photographic evidence of their being used. That said, there is evidence that the German cavalry (and foreign cavalry in Wehrmacht service) did carry very serviceable combat type sabers in WW 2. The photo below showing the German Army saber, the one above it the Russian saber - both made or modified in the TR era. Best Regards, Fred

[Kavalier]

Hello, Frogprince. Let's say the government-issued and most commonly used blades. Although all are welcome to contribute what they know about any Wehrmacht cavalry division to make this a general information thread, I am personally only interested in those composed of ethnic Germans.

[Kavalier]

A sword diagram in the Richter books appears to resemble the attached image; however, I have seen other threads where some believe this was issued to non-cavalry, while some sellers identify it as a WWI cavalry sabre that was Waffenamt stamped for use in WWII. If this is the textbook example (literally), was it commonplace for young cavaliers to carry their fathers' sabres into battle?

[Frogprince]

A sword diagram in the Richter books appears to resemble the attached image; however, I have seen other threads where some believe this was issued to non-cavalry, while some sellers identify it as a WWI cavalry sabre that was Waffenamt stamped for use in WWII. If this is the textbook example (literally), was it commonplace for young cavaliers to carry their fathers' sabres into battle?

The Prussian saber I posted was manufactured as the M 1856 n/A Artillery saber that after WW I was given as leftover weapons to the both the Weimar Army to be used as a cavalry saber and the German Police. During the TR era the example posted was reworked and is/was appropriately marked (but not a Waffemamt as seen on new manufacture items) by the facility that did the upgrade. Government property it would not have been inherited. Best Regards, Fred

[sb98]

A sword diagram in the Richter books appears to resemble the attached image; however, I have seen other threads where some believe this was issued to non-cavalry, while some sellers identify it as a WWI cavalry sabre that was Waffenamt stamped for use in WWII. If this is the textbook example (literally), was it commonplace for young cavaliers to carry their fathers' sabres into battle?

As Frogprince mentioned, this model was issued to Prussian artillery troops up through WWI and some were used by the cavalry post-WWI. You'll sometimes see this model with a "1920" property mark and Reiter Regiment unit marks indicating they were still in official service.

[sb98]

Another book you could check out is “Riding Into the Twilight: Organization, Uniforms, Insignia, and Equipment of the German Army's Last Cavalrymen 1920-1945” by Carsten H. Fries. It has a few pages covering the standard model used by the cavalry, the Prussian artillery saber. They carried the issued, heavy combat type you posted, and lighter private purchase dress pieces of the same general design. Officers would not have carried the issued model.

The issued combat sabers were left over from the Imperial time so they have a range of dates and makers. Prussian artillery sabers are pretty common and there aren’t any fakes out there I know of. If you’re looking for one and want to know that it was used by post-WWI cavalry, you could look for one with an appropriate unit’s markings on it (just make sure the marks look legit). If there's no unit markings, signs of post-WWI refurbishment would be good because it shows the piece was still in use, although you may not know by what type of unit.

[Frogprince]

The earlier M1856 n/A Artillery sabers had leather wrapped over wood grips just like the M1811 Kavalleriesäbel (sometimes called the Blüchersäbel) - the later manufactured (smaller) examples having the same kind of synthetic grip as the Kavalleriedegen Model 1889 (KD89) swords. The 1920 marked (Weimar era) sabers might have some unit markings that could be different than the Imperial types. I've seen a few reworks that were most likely TR era, but especially liked those where markings present were removed, and the grip replaced with a new one etc. that also had an identifiable TR era Depot style marking. Best Regards, Fred

[Kavalier]

Glad to see this thread has picked up some steam. I was convinced the cavalry would be overlooked as obsolete in light of the popularity of Panzer divisions. Nevertheless, I would like to remind all readers that there was one WWII cav vs. cav engagement in the Battle of Krasnobród, in Poland, between men of the Polish 25th Uhlans Regiment under Col. Bogdan Stachlewski and the German 1st & 2nd Horse Regiments under Oberstlt. Wachsen and Oberstlt. Saucken (I believe) respectively. The Poles split their lesser force and launched a surprise attack against the German cavalry, who were protecting the 3rd Army's eastern flank. Lance and sabre clashed for the last time in history on September 23, 1939.

Below are some unrelated pictures for your viewing pleasure and battle visualization.

[sb98]

The earlier M1856 n/A Artillery sabers had leather wrapped over wood grips just like the M1811 Kavalleriesäbel (sometimes called the Blüchersäbel) - the later manufactured (smaller) examples having the same kind of synthetic grip as the Kavalleriedegen Model 1889 (KD89) swords. The 1920 marked (Weimar era) sabers might have some unit markings that could be different than the Imperial types. I've seen a few reworks that were most likely TR era, but especially liked those where markings present were removed, and the grip replaced with a new one etc. that also had an identifiable TR era Depot style marking. Best Regards, Fred

Wood grips were common too (the one on the left was made in 1916, the other 1885).