Swiss cavalry officer’s saber model 1875 and how to recognize some models of Swiss cavalry sabers of the 19th century.

The article is translated from a well-known antique gun forum by Uhlan. Thank him very much for this.

And I also want to thank Dario Bottani for his help in correcting errors in this article.

While researching my latest acquisition, I noticed a complete lack of information about Swiss army sabers on the internet.

I found a lot of information about the famous Swiss guns , but to find anything related to sabers , I had to go to the famous German gun forum.

There is a kind of museum of the Swiss cavalry , from where I took the postcards. I’m glad I found them there, but that was all I could find there.

It took me a while to figure out what I bought . (The author writes about the acquired Swiss broadsword of the 1875 model , similar to this)

This for me is the main part of the pleasure that collecting brings me . In this kind of review, I want to share the little information that I already have. It seems to be nothing special, but it is already some kind of base. After reading it, you will already be able to recognize some models of Swiss cavalry sabers of the 19th century.

I put images of postcards on the whole screen. They are very detailed and help visualize. Click on the image and try to enlarge it.

Here are the images that sent me on my little quest. Made by the seller, and that was enough to determine that it was not a German cavalry saber, but a Swiss one . Note the cross on the ricasso . If there is no cross, then this is not a Swiss weapon. This applies to all weapons of the Swiss Army, whether they are privately commissioned or not.

One of the reasons I say this is because such a steel handle and ornament can be seen everywhere in the middle of the 19th century.

The Austrians had it, and also some German states copied the Austrians and therefore there were also such models. Even the British had such handles. Since most of the blades on the continent are known to have been made in Solingen , this says absolutely nothing about its origins. However, sorting through this chaos and trying to figure out where this fashion started, and listing all the options, would be nice. So, let’s stop there: all Swiss things are marked with a Swiss cross.

Okay, we found out it’s a swiss saber. But what model? Here the forum site about antique weapons came to the rescue . There were not many models, but it helped me to identify the model anyway. Here’s what I found out:

Swiss cavalry officer’s saber model 1867.

Swiss cavalry officer’s saber model 1875.

Swiss cavalry officer’s saber model 1874.

What did I find out? The first thing to note is that the 1867 Swiss saber example has a “French style” blade. My saber has a blade with a tubular butt, so this option immediately disappears. However, the Swiss saber pattern 1875 , and the Swiss saber 1894 . blades with a tubular butt. I immediately let’s look further among the images and articles and dive into the little things.

The next evening I took a closer look and it dawned on me! The second pendant on the model of 1894. brought me back to the 1867 sample, where she was also. The only model with the suspension in the low position was the Swiss saber model 1875. Perhaps there are differences in these tubular butt blades, but unfortunately there is simply not enough information to find out more. The handles are the same, the scabbard is the same, the tips look the same, the mouthpieces too, only the position of the saber helped me understand.

On my saber, there are no Ordonnandz hallmarks, this is a private order. Ordonnandz markings are a mixture of hallmarks, saber license plates, as each saber had its place in the rack, regimental hallmarks, year of entry, and even sometimes excise marks. For most of us, these marks look like a bunch of letters and need someone to read them.  

So, I have a Swiss officer’s cavalry saber model 1875 , private order. The best sword I have ever owned. She’s like a Swiss watch.

The best steel construction I have ever seen and although made in Solingen , all the details are swiss. I am sure that all the details were made under Swiss control. This is very visible. Its quality is comparable only to Swiss guns, and then to the Swedish Mauser. The German Mauser in its best times could not be compared with it. The saber is fully nickel-plated, perhaps a special order from an officer.

The blade of a concave pipe is rigid up to about where the point of the elmani quill begins. The balance point is 14 cm / 5.51 inches and the way it is made convinces me that this is a cavalry saber. The light weight of the saber, 736 grams, only favors its front end. Blade length is 82cm/32.2in, width is 28mm/1.1in.

Now that I have bought a swiss saber , I can see some of the pros and cons of it. The Swiss saber seems to be very fast and looks like it cuts and fences very well. Those are its advantages, and here are some disadvantages: the kink in the last section can be detrimental for a thrusting shot, and the lack of mass, I think, will do the same for a chopped blow.

I’m trying to find a way to finish my little essay *. I think it’s right, in light of what I’m sharing with the information I have, to end with a few images of the Mannschaft and Gala Degen sabers. But before I show them, I have a few images of Swiss sabers before the steel-handled models. Let’s start with them first.

Essay: The genre of philosophical, literary-critical, journalistic and fiction is an essay of a small volume according to some. private issue, written in a free, individual-author’s manner of presentation.

Swiss sabers 1842-52, Ordonnanz : saber of a mounted unit, officer’s saber of a mounted unit, officer’s saber of a non-mounted unit.

Cavalry officer’s saber model 1852, Ordonnanz.

Cavalry saber enlisted model 1867, Ordonnanz.

Cavalry saber enlisted model 1875, Ordonnanz.

Sabers federal 1896 – 1902, Ordonnanz.

1899 Federal Pattern Swiss Saber, Ordonnanz. Officer’s saber owned by Major Matthäus Ineichen (1864-1941), district commander of Hitzkirch, Switzerland.

I have nothing more to add. I hope that the post will generate at least a little interest in the creations of our Swiss brothers. In my opinion, the Swiss saber remains underestimated so far … I look forward to your comments.

Cheers, Ulan.