Moroccan " pseudo-shashka"

ariel · 18th March 2019, 02:50 PM

Thanks. It is useful.

Jim McDougall · 18th March 2019, 09:27 PM

As far as I have known, these triple fuller blades were Solingen products and used for machetes but found naval use of course as well (why they are shown in Gilkerson, "Boarders Away". Solingen, was pretty much inflated with producers after mid 19th c. and there was heavy competition supplying many foreign markets. These were probably blanks stamped by importers as received.

The British did supply some blades to various African markets such as tool makers to Masai in Kenya, and later Wilkinson was supplying blades to Abyssinia. Most of the blades which seem to have turned up in Central America and South America as well as some Caribbean regions from English sources were surplus, not made for export, and these were mostly M1796 cavalry blade types.
These were the blades which seem inevitably to occur on the so called 'Berber sabres', which are actually from Cuba and Dominican Republic.
In the early 1920s during the 'Rif War' there were many forces conscripted from these regions to Morocco to fight the Berber insurgents. While these swords (machete type sabres) were not indiginous to Morocco, they did indeed end up in notable volume there and became 'presumed' to be
'Berber sabres'.

18th March 2019, 02:50 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Thanks. It is useful.

18th March 2019, 09:27 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,190	As far as I have known, these triple fuller blades were Solingen products and used for machetes but found naval use of course as well (why they are shown in Gilkerson, "Boarders Away". Solingen, was pretty much inflated with producers after mid 19th c. and there was heavy competition supplying many foreign markets. These were probably blanks stamped by importers as received. The British did supply some blades to various African markets such as tool makers to Masai in Kenya, and later Wilkinson was supplying blades to Abyssinia. Most of the blades which seem to have turned up in Central America and South America as well as some Caribbean regions from English sources were surplus, not made for export, and these were mostly M1796 cavalry blade types. These were the blades which seem inevitably to occur on the so called 'Berber sabres', which are actually from Cuba and Dominican Republic. In the early 1920s during the 'Rif War' there were many forces conscripted from these regions to Morocco to fight the Berber insurgents. While these swords (machete type sabres) were not indiginous to Morocco, they did indeed end up in notable volume there and became 'presumed' to be 'Berber sabres'.