Prussian Pallasch

[HarryB]

Here's something different, a Prussian Pallasch issued to to heavy cavalry in the 1800s. This is actually a French Klingenthal blade created in June of 1811. During the Franco Prussian war the Prussian army captured and issued these weapons into service. It is interesting to think of its earlier service. The blade is not sharpened except for the tip as it is a pure stabbing weapon as a lance.

There are no fancy markings, this is a rack grade weapon of the common soldier, not an officers decoration. It belonged to my great great grandfather who served in the late 1870s early 1880s before coming to America.

 

[Mk-211]

I can't imagine fighting a war in those times or earlier. Just brutal in your face combat on a level we just couldn't believe now.

Just seeing men hacking, punching, stabbing each other at arms length! Seeing bodies falling, parts of bodies flying through the air, brutal!

Makes you wonder if the sword was used in combat, if it has little dings from steel on steel. If it was, it obviously did it's job and protected the owner.

Very nice sword, good to know it did it's job and protected your g,g, grandfather. Do you know if he used it in combat to protect himself?

 

[bikerdoc]

Those guy had serious attitude and used it!
Imagine a couple hundred of guys on horse back with that thing coming at you!

 

[HarryB]

He served after the FrancoPrussian war ended. I dont see any dings, just patina, so my guess it wasn't used in combat during its life

 

[HarryB]

Those guy had serious attitude and used it!
Imagine a couple hundred of guys on horse back with that thing coming at you!

The Mexican cavalry was using lances during the US Mexico War!

 

[Speedo66]

Well, a sword or lance never runs out of ammo, so there's that. Brings to mind Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".

Cool that your family still has it after all these years. Was the measurement shown of the entire sword, or just the blade?

 

[HarryB]

Well, a sword or lance never runs out of ammo, so there's that. Brings to mind Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".

Cool that your family still has it after all these years. Was the measurement shown of the entire sword, or just the blade?

Just the blade. From the hilt to the tip is 46.5 inches.

 

[CapnMac]

Imagine a couple hundred of guys on horse back with that thing coming at you!

Having spent time with some historical mounted units--particularly over at Ft Hood, I can tell you that a single Section (eight Flights of four each) is not something you see or hear, per se, but feel in your very bones.

A single Flight of four troopers is close to five tons of horse, rider, and gear. Which can get up to near 30 mph. This can be very elemental.

Sword in right, pistol in left, reins in the teeth; leaning into the speed of it, having to stand a bit in the stirrups to stay in the saddle--only steering being with your knees, the horse, ears back, a machine of muscle and fur, gulping air like a steam engine. All as the tachypsychia kicks in and the vision tunnels up.

 

[HarryB]

I was able to get a few pictures of my great great grandfather Johann (later John)

He on his steed

His unit

and later as a brewmaster in Chicago. He is in the second row, second from the left. A pretty big dude it seemed

 

[theotherwaldo]

-Makes me think of my great-grandpa - a Polish member of the Czar's Guard, back when Poland had been wiped from the map and the Polish aristocracy were used as either beasts of burden or slave-soldiers that were forbidden to return to their homes.
Six foot eight, 400 pounds, had a difference of opinion with some Cossacks, killed a few, escaped to California, established a large farm along the Los Angeles River between what is now Downey and Long Beach.
Never used a gun.
Either a sword or bare hands... .

 

[HarryB]

-Makes me think of my great-grandpa - a Polish member of the Czar's Guard, back when Poland had been wiped from the map and the Polish aristocracy were used as either beasts of burden or slave-soldiers that were forbidden to return to their homes.
Six foot eight, 400 pounds, had a difference of opinion with some Cossacks, killed a few, escaped to California, established a large farm along the Los Angeles River between what is now Downey and Long Beach.
Never used a gun.
Either a sword or bare hands... .

Very cool story and a badass man!

 

[theotherwaldo]

-There's some evidence that some of the escaped 'beasts of burden' in the Pacific Northwest were the source of the sasquatch myth... .

 

[kBob]

Harry B

Your last photo reminded me of "Third Armored DIVARTY Forward" in the early 1980's. Our main battle position for the Colonel and his HQ battery was just north of the village of Schlitz.

One of my tasks was maintaining and updating a Target list, pre planned fires for if the Ruski came. One of my Targets listed was an auto fire to be fired as soon as we left woods and got back on pavement and were clear of the village. The colonel noticed the target data one day and seeing it was north of the village on the very edge and not even on the blocks around the paved road asked me about it. It was a battalion time on target, that is 18 guns of 155mm firing so all ther rounds from the dispersed batteries arrive together and further it was listed as "Converge Sheath" meaning each gun was basically firing to actually hit the same point and 8 didget grid coordinate (with in ten meters) and two batteries were to fire HE QUICK (impact detonating) and the third HE DELAY (rounds sink into the ground a foot to three feet before going off)

First he asked me why I planned such concentrated fires and I explained I did not think we would have weapons release for a Nuke at that point.

Then he asked me what was on the outskirts of the little village of Schlitz that needed that kind of pounding.

I reminded him of the last house as we left going into position and the most extensive and frightening Garden Gnome Village I have ever seen. which happened to be centered on that grid coordinate.

He looked at me a second and then initialed the Target data.

Regretably I can not say what the beer of the village of Schlitz tasted like as by then many of the little villages (and Schlitz's) breweries had been bought out by Lowenbrau Munich and lost their individual character.

In the early 1970's My buddies and I took the advice of a messed up version of the Marching song WesterWald some German troopers taught us that when translated to "On a Clear Day we are Marching, just to find a new Beer" we literally road the work trains that stopped at every village in the hopes of trying as many different local brews as possible. It was fun and generally tasty.

I never understood why many GIs in Europe actually preferred "American Schlitz" to the local brews.... no accounting for taste said the old lady as she kissed the cow.

anyhow neat pictures, story, and Sword. Thanks for posting and waking up memories.

-kBob