WWII GERMAN ARMY OFFICER'S SWORD
Under the Treaty of Versailles, the Reichswehr was only allowed 100,000 men split between the
Army and the Navy. Following the 1932 German elections the Nazi party came to power and began to
abrogate the treaty. The Army was made part of the Wehrmacht in May 1935 with the passing of the
"Law for the Reconstruction of the National Defence Forces".
The Wehrmacht included not just the Army and Navy but also a third branch known as the Luftwaffe.
Initially, the Army was expanded to 21 divisional-sized units and smaller formations. Between
1935 and 1945 this force grew to consist of hundreds of divisions and thousands of smaller
supporting units. Between 1939 and 1945 close to 16 million served in the Army.
The officers of the army were allowed to carry swords for ceremonial purposes and to enhance
the appearance of their uniforms. Swords are a symbol of pride and status.
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The design of the sword consists of a handle formed of a combination of black plastic
and gold colored metal. Complemented via the use of a D type handguard. Part of the
cross guard makes up the "D" handguard while the other side extends outwardly and
curves onto itself.
The sword comes with a black metal scabbard. Slim and simple design. The tip extends
and tapers into a flat area. A single suspension ring is attached to one side.
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The sides of the crossguard have a section that extends downward in the direction of the
scabbard. The front displays an army eagle. The wings are spreas and follow approximatelly
half the length of the crossgiard. Very nice plumeage. The head of the eagle faces
left. Following traditional design, the eagle is clutching a wreath with a swastika in
the center.
The background of the eagle is heavily adorned by a series of lines and designs. The
composition of the handle and crossguard are heavily adorned.
The back of the crossguard has the same extension. However, its design is fairly plain.
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This page is a recognition and identification guide for German Army swords. Multiple
detailed photos of a specific sample are provided. Descriptions point out specific
points that should be noted.
One of the most commonly asked questions is "How much is my German sword worth?".
A price guide is included here to address this question. The value of the Naziswords is
reviewed over a period of several years. A trend can be observed. The present worth
of the sword in the collector's market is illustrated.
This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of
MilitaryItems.com,
a company dedicated
to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military antiques and
collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.
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The blade bears the logo of the manufacturer. It is placed at the base of the blade.
The extension protruding from the handguard makes it very difficult to see the logo.
The sample shown here is manufactured by Horster from Solingen.
The black plastic section of the handle is wire wrapped. However, it is coming
undone.
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This edge weapon is currently being
reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be
able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The
collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing
of edge weapons. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity
of the item.
If you have an interest is seeing other edge weapons of the Third Reich, you can do so by going to our
WWII German Edge Weapons identification guide. Where
we cover blades from the Heer (Army), Navy (Kriegsmarine), Air Force (Luftwaffe) and other organizations.
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