Read Online Hank Reinhardt's The Book of the Sword by Hank Reinhardt - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Hank Reinhardt
Tags: Science-Fiction
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saber.
An 18th century Turkish kilij, 34 inches overall length. HRC25.
Antique shamshir, circa 1800, 36 inches overall length. HRC39.
In the Middle East the story was different. Most early Islamic swords, under the influence of the conquering Arabs, were straight and double-edged. With the Turkish invasion the curved sword found some acceptance, but did not become truly widespread until the Mongol invasion of the 13th century. Many types of curves were tried. Some were quite effective, like the Turkish kilij. It ended up with the beautiful, but ineffective shamshir of Persia.
The curved sword appears to be ideally suited for the swirling, flowing and ebbing tactics of steppe warfare. While many warriors carried, and used, lances and lassoes, their primary weapon was the bow. The steppe warrior avoided close personal combat if at all possible, preferring instead to kill from a distance. Once the battle was won, the curved sword was well suited for cutting down a retreating enemy, whether they were on foot or horseback.
But just because the curved sword was used on the steppes does not mean that it was the ideal cavalry weapon. The European medieval knight preferred the straight double-edged sword. The fight over which blade shape was best for cavalry lasted until the 20th century when both the British Army and the US Army adopted the straight thrusting sword as their cavalry weapon. The fight was rancorous and bitter, and the proponents of the straight blade barely won. I am sure that if horse cavalry were still around, the fight would still be going on.
British Life Guards saber with metal scabbard, circa 1850–1880, 39 inches overall length. HRC324.
The adherents of the straight blade pointed out that the thrust was more deadly than the cut, that many men had continued to fight even after receiving several saber blows to the head. Despite bleeding badly, they were able to continue the fight, while the man who had received a thrust almost never continued to fight.
The curved blade proponents would point out how often the cavalryman lost his weapon in the thrust, the number that had their wrists broken before the sword could be retrieved, and the terrifying effect of seeing a fellow soldier with large slashes on his face and body. Rarely were military sabers of the 18th and 19th century fully sharpened. Usually the blade of the saber was sharpened the last 7–8 inches below the point. The cavalry trooper was trained to try to strike with the last several inches, and this was very effective and also allowed the sword to free itself from the victim. The swords were also kept in metal scabbards, and of course this would wear off a sharp edge pretty quickly, but if the blade was sharpened only in the top portion, this would be unlikely to contact the metal scabbard.
Some cavalry sabers were not sharpened much at all. The Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest was roundly criticized for having his men sharpen their sabers. The theory was that a hard blow, even with an unsharpened blade, would split the skin, possibly crack the skull, and do a fair amount of damage. This is true to a degree, but there is no question that a sharper sword would do more damage. [1]
There is another tale that I always found interesting. During one of the numerous small wars fought by the British in India (I believe this was during the Mahratta Wars in the first decade of the 1800s), a group of British soldiers were badly cut up by native warriors. The wounds were most extraordinary. One man is reported to have been cut deep into the chest, another with having his cartridge box cut in two and he was still severely wounded by the sword blow. A young British officer was sent to investigate and see what type of mystical swords the Indians were using. It turned out they were using discarded British cavalry sabers. When questioned about their swordsmanship, one of the native troops is reported to have said, "Sahib, we run in and hit
An 18th century Turkish kilij, 34 inches overall length. HRC25.
Antique shamshir, circa 1800, 36 inches overall length. HRC39.
In the Middle East the story was different. Most early Islamic swords, under the influence of the conquering Arabs, were straight and double-edged. With the Turkish invasion the curved sword found some acceptance, but did not become truly widespread until the Mongol invasion of the 13th century. Many types of curves were tried. Some were quite effective, like the Turkish kilij. It ended up with the beautiful, but ineffective shamshir of Persia.
The curved sword appears to be ideally suited for the swirling, flowing and ebbing tactics of steppe warfare. While many warriors carried, and used, lances and lassoes, their primary weapon was the bow. The steppe warrior avoided close personal combat if at all possible, preferring instead to kill from a distance. Once the battle was won, the curved sword was well suited for cutting down a retreating enemy, whether they were on foot or horseback.
But just because the curved sword was used on the steppes does not mean that it was the ideal cavalry weapon. The European medieval knight preferred the straight double-edged sword. The fight over which blade shape was best for cavalry lasted until the 20th century when both the British Army and the US Army adopted the straight thrusting sword as their cavalry weapon. The fight was rancorous and bitter, and the proponents of the straight blade barely won. I am sure that if horse cavalry were still around, the fight would still be going on.
British Life Guards saber with metal scabbard, circa 1850–1880, 39 inches overall length. HRC324.
The adherents of the straight blade pointed out that the thrust was more deadly than the cut, that many men had continued to fight even after receiving several saber blows to the head. Despite bleeding badly, they were able to continue the fight, while the man who had received a thrust almost never continued to fight.
The curved blade proponents would point out how often the cavalryman lost his weapon in the thrust, the number that had their wrists broken before the sword could be retrieved, and the terrifying effect of seeing a fellow soldier with large slashes on his face and body. Rarely were military sabers of the 18th and 19th century fully sharpened. Usually the blade of the saber was sharpened the last 7–8 inches below the point. The cavalry trooper was trained to try to strike with the last several inches, and this was very effective and also allowed the sword to free itself from the victim. The swords were also kept in metal scabbards, and of course this would wear off a sharp edge pretty quickly, but if the blade was sharpened only in the top portion, this would be unlikely to contact the metal scabbard.
Some cavalry sabers were not sharpened much at all. The Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest was roundly criticized for having his men sharpen their sabers. The theory was that a hard blow, even with an unsharpened blade, would split the skin, possibly crack the skull, and do a fair amount of damage. This is true to a degree, but there is no question that a sharper sword would do more damage. [1]
There is another tale that I always found interesting. During one of the numerous small wars fought by the British in India (I believe this was during the Mahratta Wars in the first decade of the 1800s), a group of British soldiers were badly cut up by native warriors. The wounds were most extraordinary. One man is reported to have been cut deep into the chest, another with having his cartridge box cut in two and he was still severely wounded by the sword blow. A young British officer was sent to investigate and see what type of mystical swords the Indians were using. It turned out they were using discarded British cavalry sabers. When questioned about their swordsmanship, one of the native troops is reported to have said, "Sahib, we run in and hit
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