Argentina Trooper and Officers Model 1898 Swords
Dec 17, 2021 1:03:19 GMT
Post by Pino on Dec 17, 2021 1:03:19 GMT
Presenting the swords of South America, part 2: Argentina.
Dave The Kelly once did something about the 1898 sword but alas it was lost to a forum glitch so it's time for a refresh!
***********************************************************************************************
Much like Chile, Argentina had also turned its attention towards the German Empire to redesign its
army in the last decades of the 19th cent but unlike its neighbour, it kept elements of French and Spanish influence so some of their uniforms can be seen as somewhat anachronistic but much fortunately they made that choice because their uniforms and swords can be some of the most ''colorful'' of the bunch.
The swords!
The 1898 Cavalry trooper sword
WK&C Catalog of swords for export service, c. 1900
A very popular sword in this forum and beyond, this model was a replacement of the 1895 model which was a direct copy of the Prussian M1852 sword.
It was produced under the initiative of the Minister of War, Lt-General Pablo Riccheri, under whose authority the country made a contract with German sword maker WK&C to produce a new sword for the cavalry regiments, both for the troopers and the officers.
This new sword, like the 1895, was also a copy of a German sword however unlike what we may think at first sight, it wasn't a direct copy of the Prussian 1889 cavalry model but rather of the Saxon model 1891 which was Saxony's answer to the KD89.
This specific model had a shorter but beefier pipeback blade which was curved, it had the same hilt design as the Prussian but with the state's coat-of-arms.
Argentina thus decided for an unknown reason to design its own sword after the Saxon model but with a few changes of its own: its pipeback blade was to be longer & narrower; the grip was a checkered bakelite that looked like sharkskin and had a thumb rest.
The steel scabbard was with a single ring having a side insert; normally they were blued but some specimen were chromed.
This model had the specific feature of having the same serial number on the hilt, blade and scabbard.
The ricasso was stamped on one side with the Weyersberg Kirshbaum & Cie trademark and the designation Sable de caballeria Modelo 1898 around the nation coat-of-arms + serial no on the other side.
All the fittings and back of the ricasso had multiple stamps such as A, P* or N which were, to my understanding, inspection marks the same way the German swords had theirs.
This sword was issued to all cavalry units but also to the elite unit of the Grenaderos a Caballo (Horse grenadiers) who were the President's guard. As of today, the troopers of this unit still carry the sword when they are on guard duty.
Somewhere in the 1950's since these swords were no longer in service many were sold as surplus but decommissioned by having the crests on the hilts and blades grinded.
I can easily understand the hype with this sword, it is fun to handle, beautiful to look at and not super expensive when you can get one. I can't say it is definitely superior to the Prussian and Saxon models however because they are different in the blades and subsequent use and handling.
Officer sword 1898
WKC catalog for officer of the Argentine Army, c. 1900
The officer sword seemingly presented the same features as the troopers however it was a different animal when one takes the time to study it in detail.
The hilt wasn't really based on the German swords, closer look will show the true influence was the British Rifle regiment sword (said Gothic hilt); the front of the guard had the same cut-out design with the encircled coat-of-arms on its centre as the British model and the same type of barrel shaped quillon. The inner side of the hilt was much less developed and turned over to prevent damaging the uniform.
The rest of the sword was just as different: the pistol shaped grip was made of solid bakelite and had a thumb rest and the non decorated pommel cap had a very simple smooth curved form reminiscent of the French style.
Much like the trooper version it was also made with a curved pipeback blade where one could find the national crest and designation of the sword Sable de official, modelo de 1898.
Again the fittings were all marked with inspection stamps and the hilt, blade and scabbard had the same serial number.
The scabbard was made of a sheet of steel and often chromed rather than being blackened; it also had a side insert for a belt hook.
Unlike the other sword, this one was issued to all officers, regardless of the rank and trade so an infantry, artillery of cavalry officer could all wear them at the same time!
In 1910 a new model replaced this which was a dovehead model with the hilt made of brass. From 1912 it was in use with the Capital's Mounted Police Corps and like the trooper's swords, when they were sold to surplus the crests on hilts and blades were grinded away.
Despite being somewhat of a ceremonial sword and flashy with its chromed looks, this is a sword with a destructive punch: the blade is of very high quality and tempered to deal massive damage, you really don't want to be at the receiving end of it!
Because of its handling, balance and superb blade this is definitely a sword that is very overlooked but trust me, it is a superior sword for its time and age, sometimes I prefer it to the trooper sword.
Spex
Trooper's
length total: 105cm / 41.5''
sword: 103cm / 40.5''
blade: 88.5cm / 34.5''
Blade width at ricasso : 2.6cm
POB: 13cm /
Weight total: 1600g / 3.5lbs
weight sword: 1000g / 2.2lbs
Officer's
length total: 104cm / 41''
sword: 103cm / 40''
blade: 88cm / 34''
Blade width at ricasso : 2.5cm
POB: 16cm / 6 1/4''
Weight total: 1090g / 2.6lbs
weight sword: 7000g / 1.8lbs
Sources and Literature
Swords and bayonets of the Argentine Army
Facebook group of the Granaderos a Caballo
Fun site about the regulation and non-regulation models
Sables del Ejercito Argentino desde 1870 by Alejandro E. Fargosi
Dave The Kelly once did something about the 1898 sword but alas it was lost to a forum glitch so it's time for a refresh!
***********************************************************************************************
Much like Chile, Argentina had also turned its attention towards the German Empire to redesign its
army in the last decades of the 19th cent but unlike its neighbour, it kept elements of French and Spanish influence so some of their uniforms can be seen as somewhat anachronistic but much fortunately they made that choice because their uniforms and swords can be some of the most ''colorful'' of the bunch.
The swords!
The 1898 Cavalry trooper sword
WK&C Catalog of swords for export service, c. 1900
A very popular sword in this forum and beyond, this model was a replacement of the 1895 model which was a direct copy of the Prussian M1852 sword.
It was produced under the initiative of the Minister of War, Lt-General Pablo Riccheri, under whose authority the country made a contract with German sword maker WK&C to produce a new sword for the cavalry regiments, both for the troopers and the officers.
This new sword, like the 1895, was also a copy of a German sword however unlike what we may think at first sight, it wasn't a direct copy of the Prussian 1889 cavalry model but rather of the Saxon model 1891 which was Saxony's answer to the KD89.
This specific model had a shorter but beefier pipeback blade which was curved, it had the same hilt design as the Prussian but with the state's coat-of-arms.
Argentina thus decided for an unknown reason to design its own sword after the Saxon model but with a few changes of its own: its pipeback blade was to be longer & narrower; the grip was a checkered bakelite that looked like sharkskin and had a thumb rest.
The steel scabbard was with a single ring having a side insert; normally they were blued but some specimen were chromed.
This model had the specific feature of having the same serial number on the hilt, blade and scabbard.
The ricasso was stamped on one side with the Weyersberg Kirshbaum & Cie trademark and the designation Sable de caballeria Modelo 1898 around the nation coat-of-arms + serial no on the other side.
All the fittings and back of the ricasso had multiple stamps such as A, P* or N which were, to my understanding, inspection marks the same way the German swords had theirs.
This sword was issued to all cavalry units but also to the elite unit of the Grenaderos a Caballo (Horse grenadiers) who were the President's guard. As of today, the troopers of this unit still carry the sword when they are on guard duty.
Somewhere in the 1950's since these swords were no longer in service many were sold as surplus but decommissioned by having the crests on the hilts and blades grinded.
I can easily understand the hype with this sword, it is fun to handle, beautiful to look at and not super expensive when you can get one. I can't say it is definitely superior to the Prussian and Saxon models however because they are different in the blades and subsequent use and handling.
Officer sword 1898
WKC catalog for officer of the Argentine Army, c. 1900
The officer sword seemingly presented the same features as the troopers however it was a different animal when one takes the time to study it in detail.
The hilt wasn't really based on the German swords, closer look will show the true influence was the British Rifle regiment sword (said Gothic hilt); the front of the guard had the same cut-out design with the encircled coat-of-arms on its centre as the British model and the same type of barrel shaped quillon. The inner side of the hilt was much less developed and turned over to prevent damaging the uniform.
The rest of the sword was just as different: the pistol shaped grip was made of solid bakelite and had a thumb rest and the non decorated pommel cap had a very simple smooth curved form reminiscent of the French style.
Much like the trooper version it was also made with a curved pipeback blade where one could find the national crest and designation of the sword Sable de official, modelo de 1898.
Again the fittings were all marked with inspection stamps and the hilt, blade and scabbard had the same serial number.
The scabbard was made of a sheet of steel and often chromed rather than being blackened; it also had a side insert for a belt hook.
Unlike the other sword, this one was issued to all officers, regardless of the rank and trade so an infantry, artillery of cavalry officer could all wear them at the same time!
In 1910 a new model replaced this which was a dovehead model with the hilt made of brass. From 1912 it was in use with the Capital's Mounted Police Corps and like the trooper's swords, when they were sold to surplus the crests on hilts and blades were grinded away.
Despite being somewhat of a ceremonial sword and flashy with its chromed looks, this is a sword with a destructive punch: the blade is of very high quality and tempered to deal massive damage, you really don't want to be at the receiving end of it!
Because of its handling, balance and superb blade this is definitely a sword that is very overlooked but trust me, it is a superior sword for its time and age, sometimes I prefer it to the trooper sword.
Spex
Trooper's
length total: 105cm / 41.5''
sword: 103cm / 40.5''
blade: 88.5cm / 34.5''
Blade width at ricasso : 2.6cm
POB: 13cm /
Weight total: 1600g / 3.5lbs
weight sword: 1000g / 2.2lbs
Officer's
length total: 104cm / 41''
sword: 103cm / 40''
blade: 88cm / 34''
Blade width at ricasso : 2.5cm
POB: 16cm / 6 1/4''
Weight total: 1090g / 2.6lbs
weight sword: 7000g / 1.8lbs
Sources and Literature
Swords and bayonets of the Argentine Army
Facebook group of the Granaderos a Caballo
Fun site about the regulation and non-regulation models
Sables del Ejercito Argentino desde 1870 by Alejandro E. Fargosi
