About the Italian M1850 Bersaglieri Officers sabre.

Introduction.

This little article tries to reflect the state of research done over at some of the fora in Italy, specially the people over at the miles.forum.
My impression is that these people have the same working ethos as the folk over at Deutsche Blankwaffen and Blankwaffen.de , so I see no reason to doubt the bits and pieces of information I found while searching for anything related to the Bersaglieri and their sabre.
So, praise should go to the people on the fora.

 

They are doing all the work. I just collected what I could, not only from the Miles forum, but from as many sites of interest I could find and tried to turn my stack of scribbled notes into a more or less coherent whole.
 I hope the following may be of some use to you.

 








The Bersaglieri.

The Bersaglieri (Marksmen) were highly trained Infantry specialist units, first created in 1836 by General Alessandro la Marmora of the Army of the Kingdom of Sardinia, later to become the Royal Italian Army.



General Alessandro la Marmora.
The portrayal of the General in an Italian Renaissance setting is a purely political choice. Propaganda at its finest.


They functioned much as the French Chasseurs à Pied and the British Rifle Brigades (of Sharpes Rifles tv series fame), as shock troops and skirmishers, quickly moving from place to place, aided, in the Italian case, by an elaborate system of bugle calls.
Now, the above is true. The Bersaglieri are often thought of as the Italian equivalent of Chasseurs and Rifles, but this assumption is only true in part. Sure, the Bersaglieri adopted much of the mission statements. tactics and methods of their peers.
 But and this is crucial in understanding what the Bersaglieri were all about, they were not some cobbled together bunch of Infantry men, displaying some of the qualities that might be useful in getting the mission done.
The Bersaglieri were unique because they not only excelled at marksmanship, the ability to work alone or in small independent groups and all the other traits that make up what a good Chasseur or Rifleman was all about, they were unique because they had to go through a rigorous and severe physical training program of the kind, if we were to seek a modern equivalent, today some elite Marines units are put through.
In short, the Bersaglieri were the top athletes of their day.
And they had to be. Part of their mission was, as they basically took over many a Cavalry role, as the House of Savoy was too poor to pay for that exceptionally expensive service, to go out running!
They ran from fracas to fracas, fully packed and armed to the teeth, in any terrain, be it mountains, hills, or the flats of the river Po basin, in blistering heat or debilitating cold.
Their sheer stamina and exceptionally good physical and mental condition is what made them unique and a true elite force neither Chasseur nor Rifleman could ever hope to be the equal of.






On the M1850 Bersaglieri Officers Sabre and Some Peculiarities Concerning Italian ( Infantry ) Officers Traditions.


The Bersaglieri M1850 (lower ranks ) Officers sabre, issued in 1850, was the first really Bersaglieri dedicated model. Before 1850 they had to make do with the Infantry Officers M1833.



Regulation M1833 Infantry Officers sabre. The regulation blade does not have fullers in the tip section, but has the clipped point.



Regulation M1850 Bersaglieri Officers sabre. The regulation blade did not have fullers in the tip section, just like the M1833 blade.
It has the clipped point.  Blades with the double fuller feature are custom blades. Private orders. At least as far as the Bersaglieri are concerned.


Basically a regulation Italian Bersaglieri Officers sabre M1871. Regulation M1871 hilt with protruding thumb rest but with M1903 grip.
It should have had the smooth M1873 Cavalry sabre style grip. The blade is probably from the 1920's.
The regulation M1871 also would still have the regulation blade of the M1850.
For whatever reason pictures of an intact regulation M1871 sabre cannot be found, so we have to make do with bits and pieces.



Regulation M1903 Bersaglieri Officers sabre nicknamed ,, The Art Nouveau''.
Has the M1871 basket with the protruding thumb rest and the new grip featuring finger slots. Has a long, slender and very curved blade.
Do not be fooled by its toy image. These blades were exceptionally strong and still quite capable.



Though I do not have the numbers on the M1833, one can clearly see that there is virtually no difference between the regulation M1833 and M1850 blades. The blade lengths varied with the height of the Officer.
For some reason only the blades and the scabbards were made by two Solingen based manufacturers.
The baskets with the lion head back strap and the grips were made in Italy and the parts also assembled there.
I found two pictures of addresses of foundries on the underside of M1850 guard plates. Both foundries were located at Turin.
Not all guard plates were marked this way. Mine isn't.
In the light of ordering blades and scabbards only, the efforts from around 1850 become more clear.
Around 1850 we see the introduction of one blade, scabbard and grip type for all services. Mounted Artillery M1855, Infantry M1855 and General Officers M1855, Bersaglieri M1850, apart from the hilts, all sabres were the same.
Again blade lengths varied per Officer. Swapping of hilts and/or grips was made easy by the introduction of the screw system.
As far as I know a first serious attempt ever at unification of the jumble that was before.
Enlarge this Army's micro cosmos to encompass the nation and then you'll know what the Unification was all about.



Foundry address 1. Unione.



Foundry address 2. A. J. Mino.


The Bersaglieri people on the fora are adamant this was how production of the sabres was set up. The blade on my sabre is not made by one of the two forges, so it is not a regulation M1850 blade. I found the same address on a General Officer sabre from 1888 though.
The two manufacturers involved with the M1850 are listed below.

F. Hörster . Also signed with F. Hörster jr and F. H.
1825 - 1875.
Had agents in London 1862 - 1863.
Exported to the Northern dealers.

Isaac Wester & Co - (Isaac Wester & Cie) 1820 - 1890.
Made sabres for the Swiss Army. ( and now we find, also blades and scabbards for the Italian Army)
Exported to the Northern dealers.

The address on my sabre:

J. E. Bleckmann 1808 - 1880.
Had agent in London 1858 - 1870.
Exported to the Northern dealers.

Below are the pictures of a General Officer sabre from circa 1888 with the Savoy Coat of Arms etched on the blade. The etch, still in the old school French style, is exactly the same as on my 1850 blade. It is interesting to see that the blade on this sabre is re-used and mounted on a much later hilt. Conformation of the Family blade story. More on the Family Blades later. What is also interesting to see, is that the ring mounts distance is of the second generation. This is also conformation of the scabbard dating after 1870 - 1880.
The second ring mount went up from circa 24 cm to circa 15 cm around that time.












I was curious about the London agents and export contracts with Northern dealers, as these three manufacturers are, at least in my experience, not the most commonly known Solingen names, so I asked Dave, who is the ACW buff, what he could dig up and here is what he emailed (thanks Dave!) :

Quote:
J. E. Bleckmann: Most CW production from Bleckmann was sub contracted directly from the Ames Company, because Bleckmann's output of the 1860 Light Cav sabre was a perfect match to Ames.

F. Hörster: Well established British Contracts with a London Agent. Known output to CW includes British 1822 Officer Cav sabers and M1840s.

Isaac Wester. Made M1822 type sabers for the Swiss Army (their major customer) Blade only 34.5 inches instead of 36. (!)(?)

17 Solingen firms are represented as active providers to US Ordnance or Subs. Most US contracted major stateside forges attempted to bootleg unmarked German blades in the 1861-2 period, as the initial surge and commitments were beyond their capabilities. 1000s of these blades were intercepted at the port of NY, with orders to ship them directly to the Ordnance department for their use. Lots of unmarked Civil War Cav blades are still traded.
End quote.

So we have uncovered another small portion of the network these three forges were involved in. Whether they were also involved with the Infantry / Artillery Officers M1833 and/or General Officers blades I do not know because I did not want to wander too far from the M1850 mark. But it may be interesting to try and find out.
What came up though in the context of the M1850 and I happily picked that up from some militaria sellers site far off the beaten track, namely that there was more than one relationship between the M1833 and the M1850.
Italian research enthusiasts had found the following: Many M1833's have the address - C. Putsch or C. Putsch Sohn on the blade.
C. Putsch was a retailer based at Solingen and was in business from 1830 to 1850.
It has come to light that he sold long (?) blades of the M1833 type that were shortened later to make them fit according to M1850 regulations. As the blade of my M1850 with its 84.5 cm is already of Cavalry length, I wonder how long the Putsch blades actually were ,, before they were shortened to fit the M1850''.
There must have been very many Putsch blades, as the number of them amongst surviving M1833's seems to be out of proportion and thus by their sheer numbers attracted the interest of the Italian researchers.
The reason I find the Putsch blades interesting has to do with a peculiarity one encounters in dealings with Italian (Infantry, Bersaglieri and General) Officers of the lower ranks. They had some interesting perks one will not find amongst their peers from other countries.



Bersaglieri in first generation uniforms, accompanied by a Cantinière.



The Family Blade and ,, The right to assemble ''.

They had the right to incorporate a so called ,, family blade '' into their sabres. This is what makes the Bersaglieri sabres extra interesting.
Beside the lower ranks of Officers having this one perk, they are also allowed to assemble their sabre to their liking.
The fact that an M1850 and many other models are screw-on affairs greatly facilitates the habit.
That is literally what is stated and hammered home on the Italian fora: ,,(Bersaglieri) Officers sabres are often assemblies of various out of date and updated parts''.
As we already saw in image 6, this ,,right to assembly'' was not only reserved for the Bersaglieri. Officers from other services happily joined the fray. This describes exactly why dating and designating an Officers model is so difficult if one forgets the obvious: Date of sabre is the date of the youngest part.
Couple this at first glance confusing looking jumble with the family blade phenomenon and you're in for an interesting ride.



Bersaglieri sabre with family blade. M1850 hilt with M1871 improved grip and circa 1820 spear point blade with early German - British school etch.



Custom Bersaglieri by Mendozza of Naples, dated 1861. Italian Bersaglieri sabre with M1850 hilt, French style, wired (horn) grip and with a family blade dating from the French Occupation.


Real Fabrica du Royaume de Naples poinçon. Kings head with R F intertwined. This dates the blade to before 1816 when the Kingdom fell.
The date under the poinçon is hard to read. 1811 3? Above the poinçon is this ,,Snake'' or S stamp in shield or oval.


Address of Mendozza of Naples and dated 1861.
In order to not ruin the etch on the old blade he signed his work on the edge, the only free space left.
Mendozza worked in the first half of the 19th century. This may have been one of his last jobs then (?).


Unknown Cypher or Coat of Armes. Cardinal hats?


Etched in an early German - British style.


Mendozza also engraved the guard, the branches and the back strap.


The lion head back strap probably came with the old blade. It looks very French to me.


Bersaglieri sabre with M1850 hilt and grip, mounted on either an Umberto I (1878 - 1900 ) blade (Umberto's star) made in the style of an M1850 blade or old M1850 regulation blade with a new and up to date etch.  It's puzzles like this that fire up the old sleuth in me.


Coat of Armes and star of Umberto I.


House of Savoy Coat of Armes.


An old friend: F.Hörster.








...............................An M1850 Bersaglieri Officers Sabre...........................


This is one strange sabre really. It was meant to be used by Infantry Officers, that is what the Bersaglieri were, but as it is standing at rest now, on the left, next to my Austrian Slotted Hilt Cavalry Officers sabre to the right and an Old Regime French Hussar Officers sabre in the middle, with their drags up against the bunch of tomes on the floor and their hilts snugly fitting into slots between the books on the shelf, it just as well could have been a pre Napoleonic Cavalry Officers sabre like the rest of them.




And it sure feels like one too. Now we know handling characteristics are often rather compromised and biased by the personal, in short, often highly subjective, but we all can agree to the notion that in general an Infantry Officers sabre should show at least some of the characteristics of say, the French M1821 or M1845, both lightning fast little numbers. Not very percussive, but easy fencible, very capable and effective sabres the Infantry Officer could well rely on as the backup weapon to save the bacon in times of need and in the day to day running of the Infantry Officers business not being cumbersome and always in the way, leg breaking pests. That's why they typically were kind of on the short side, with blade lengths like anything from 72 cm up to about 78 cm max, which is, by the way, still in the realm of a run of the mill Katana.
I love to watch the Satoshi movies on Youtube, when someone uploads them again. Luckily they do so after every take down. Seeing our little Yakuza friends running around like p#ssed off porcupines with swords sticking out all over the place always brings a smile to my face.






I bet you smarty pants already see where this is going.
Just as one can see the Katana blade as a general purpose affair, the blades on the sabres of the M1850/55 line were general purpose blades too. The blade sure is good and of excellent quality. No doubts here. Very well made they are and executed with care, with the bonus of a high grade polish too. Though the blade lengths varie a bit to match the length of the Officer, so there should be ever so slight differences in handling, in essence they are all the same and they must fulfill the needs of Officers running a bunch of diverse Army services.
We all know how that will work out.




As an Infantry sabre it is almost too long at 84 cm length of the blade.
It has nothing of the qualities of specialized Infantry sabres. It is not bad, heavens no, but it is not excellent either. That's the point.
General purpose blades never excel at anything really. Even as the side (show) arm of a General Officer it is biggish, serious.
You'll never forget it's there. You carry it. You know you do.
The only incarnation of this blade where it should feel more at home, is when it is used in the M1855 Mounted Artillery sabre. There you need that length, the percussion. Here all the Cavalry aspects of the blade fall into place.




And speaking of Cavalry, the blade would have been a good complement to the M1860/73 Troopers line.
Maybe it was used as such. It would not surprise me in the least, but I cannot confirm it ever was. Cannot find the pictures to prove it.
So is it bad as an Infantry sabre? No, not really, but you'll have to have the muscle to wield it, train with it.
It is not an easy fencer right out of the box. It is down to earth. It should work great in the Cavalry world.
It gets the job done. It is reliable. A slightly cumbersome but dependable tool for the Infantry Officer.




It sure has the looks though. Spades of it.
The side bars give good protection and the slots in the guillon portion of the guard plate give good grip for the thumb. Yes, those lots are not for sword knots, as can be seen on period pictures of Bersaglieri in action, but they are there to hold the thumb in place. And they work really well too. With the M1871 the slots were replaced with the protruding little beak thumb rest we see again on the Cavalry M1873.




I find that the hilt of the M1850, with its unique grip, faceted back strap, nice lion head which, as is the case here, is chased by hand a bit and as an extra that Classical style architectural scroll ornament ending the guillon, makes good the limitations of the blade.
The checkered wood grip fills the hand nicely and the cut outs facilitate a secure hold. The checkering is not done by hand though, as some suggest. It was probably done with an early version of what is now modern machine pressure, the wood blank placed in a mold and the pattern pressed in. Though I am not an ebony expert, the ebony I know is so dense that it will sink in water. Hardly the stuff to press patterns in. Or to use for grips period. It's way too heavy. No, I think it is some other kind of durable and fine grained wood, more easy to handle, which was stained to resemble ebony. Walnut comes to mind and there still was plenty of it around. Only much later, for fancy gun stocks, one had to import from Turky, a big no no back in 1850.
To complement the rather nice hilt, the scabbard has a drag with cut outs in the Napoleonic fashion. The spine on the scabbard is flat and on the flat we find the screw for the mouth piece that holds the liners. Why the spine is flat is anybodies guess. It has no function as the spine of the blade is round.  What is also interesting is that the scabbard has just the one ring mount. As there is no evidence to suggest a second ring mount was ever installed and believe me, I looked very very carefully, I guess the Officer wanted his scabbard exactly so.
It could be that the scabbard is from a later date, but then it stands to reason that other parts of the sabre would have been upgraded also. This is not the case. But yes, it's all very stylish indeed. Design and detail are things Italians always have excelled in. All in all the Bersaglieri sabre is very attractive even with the gild on the bronze almost all gone. It must have been even more of an eye catcher with the fire gild still intact.




All parts of the hilt are numbered. The guard number is 8. The backstrap and the back of the grip are numbered 8 and 5. The ferrule is marked 8 again as is the blade. The blade also has a J D and a G. This last could mean ,, Guss Stahl''. If this is so then this blade does not show any of the draw backs of early cast steel.


















The Numbers.

Weight total: 1358 gram.
Weight scabbard: 408 gram.
Weight sabre: 950 gram.

Length OA: 100 cm.
Length sabre: 98.5 cm.
Length of blade: 84.5 cm.
Length grip inside: 10.5 cm.
Length grip outside: 13.5 cm.

Blade thickness: 8.5 mm.
Foible: 24 cm.
Width of blade: 29.5 mm.

POB: 11.5 cm from the guard.
The threaded part of the tang is slightly under 1" long and between 6 and 7 mm thick. I forgot to measure.(!)
And no, I am not going to unscrew my sabre again just for checking this out.
I am scared to death I might break the tang.


Conclusion.

These very attractive and robust sabres, with the iconic double fuller blade and clipped tip deserve a top spot in any collection. They went through all the happenings of the Unification, the Crimean War, Libya, Somalia and God knows where else. As a testament to the resilience of my specimen, I saw, while cleaning the scabbard, that the rings and the ring holders showed plenty of wear. I know ring mounts are always on the soft side, but still.
This sabre has been around the block a couple of times for sure. No dents, nothing broken, nothing repaired, with just one small patch of pitting on the tip, it goes to show that former owners cared and showed respect.
Yes, I like this sabre and the history contained in it. An ode, inadequate as it may be, to the tough fellows who wielded it going into battle at the head of their troups. Running.



Cheers.





Notes.

Bersaglieri: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bersaglieri

Czerny's: www.czernys.com/

Italian Unification | 3 Minute History - YouTube:

M1871 Bersaglieri disected. Google Translate: translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmiles.forumcommunity.net%2F%3Ft%3D60284738

Miles forum: IMPORTANT! Run through G Trsl.Armi da taglio italiane e straniere:
miles.forumcommunity.net/?f=1614030

evoluzione delle uniformi dei bersaglieri: digilander.libero.it/fiammecremisi/evoluzioneuniformi.htm

bianchi ufficiale bersaglieri 1925 bicicletta bersagliere italian miltary bike and blad - YouTube:

La storia dei bersaglieri ciclisti e della loro bicicletta: 66radunobersaglieripiave2018.it/i-bersaglieri-ciclisti/

Miles.forum via Google Translate: Interesting engraving and custom grip on M1850-61:
translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmiles.forumcommunity.net%2F%3Ft%3D59157822

1º battaglione bersaglieri ciclisti - Wikipedia: it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%C2%BA_battaglione_bersaglieri_ciclisti

Run Through G trans: Sciabola da riconoscere - Armi da taglio italiane e straniere:
miles.forumcommunity.net/?t=59157822

sciabola Porte Pia dedication: bbcc.ibc.regione.emilia-romagna.it/pater/loadcard.do?id_card=73268

lA MIA SCIABOLA da BERSAGLIERI - page 2 - Armi da taglio italiane e straniere:
miles.forumcommunity.net/?t=55741365&st=15

Royal Sardinian Army - Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Sardinian_Army

Military ranks of the Kingdom of Italy - Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_ranks_of_the_Kingdom_of_Italy

Italian Model 1855 officer sword | SBG Sword Forum: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/53431/italian-model-1855-officer-sword

Sciabola da Ufficiale, modello 1864: www.carabinieri.it/arma/ieri/equipaggiamento-e-materiali/1814-1860/le-armi/sciabola-da-ufficiale-modello-1864