Austro-Hungarian cavalry sword M1869

[Victrix]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Hi Victrix,

I'm glad I could offer these references. I have always thought these Austro-Hungarian swords were pretty intriguing, and always liked the troopers versions for their very 'business like' look. It seems strange in a way that cavalry and swords were used well into the 20th century.....and cavalry was still an integral battle order component despite machine guns etc.

The stories of Polish cavalry charging German tanks in WWII was of course German propaganda, but these forces were vital in many functions. I knew a man whose father was in the Polish cavalry then, and he always spoke of his fathers saber, which to him as a child, was huge.

I am not sure about those slits, and I always thought they were for sword knots.

Jim, I share your sentiment completely, and like the wider and more businesslike blades. But in this particular case I fell for the eagle decoration on the guard. I believe Austro-Hungarian cavalry units were used more on the Eastern front in WWI against Russia. The casualty rates were substantial so efforts were made to make uniforms and horses less conspicuous, so to provide less clear targets. Kaiser Franz Joseph was said to dislike tanks because they frightened the cavalry horses!