The M1913 Patton Sword

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by midelburgo

I have one of those things. The blade looks like coming from a 1600 ritterschwert. Patton was at Sweden in 1912 for the Summer Olympics, so the similitude to Swedish 1893 could be more than casual.

I think I read somewhere of the sword being used in the 1914 Veracruz campaign.

The basket seems more intended to protect the hand from hitting something in the cutting arc than from an enemy weapon.

Very well noted, Patton was one of the foremost swordsmen in the US, and was indeed in Sweden. When he designed his sword it was based on British, French and Swedish preference for the thrust.
In Patton's view, the thrust was keenly an 'attack' movement , so of course he deemed this militarily essential.

I am not aware of any presence of these in the Vera Cruz events, and it seems this area of the Mexican campaigns was mostly with US naval and Marine forces.

However, 2nd Lt. Patton, with Pershing's forces, then with the 8th cavalry out of Ft. Bliss, Texas, in 1914 was to lead an attack on Mexican forces on American side of Rio Grande R. He had planned a sabre (the Patton swords were collectively termed that) attack, but superiors ordered the swords left at the fort. The Mexican forces had left before he got there.

It seems the only use of the M1913 as a weapon in 'action' was in the previously mentioned Washington D.C. riots in 1934, and then only using flat side of blades as crowd control prods.

Regarding the huge guard, I think this was to protect the user's wrist. Patton was well aware of 'duelling' cuts to the wrist thus impairing the users hold on the weapon. He fought with epee's and sabers in his fencing, and on one occasion deliberately struck his opponent on the wrist thus disabling him. The Scots were well aware of this action also, and applied guard extensions on their basket hilts to defend from wrist blows.
With these swords, I am not sure that they were expected to meet sword to sword combat, but protecting the hand and wrist from injury was essential to retain grip on the sword.