Original Item: This is a beautiful classic Lionhead German WWII Officer sword, made by the well-known firm of Alcoso Werke in Solingen, Germany, complete with the correct steel scabbard. This example is a real treasure as the hilt is not constructed from the later war aluminum, but rather is made of solid brass with a gilt finish. It consists of a finely detailed "lion's head" pommel, with hand rendered features to the bottom of the jaw, the whiskers, the eyelids, and the mane which runs backward slightly down the hilt. The red faceted eyes are both present and look great, reflecting the light well.

There are lovely high relief German "oak leaf and acorn" designs on the backstrap, side tabs, and "P" guard. The crossguard langet has a typical Alcoso style open winged Art deco eagle which looks to the viewer's right, with oak leaves on either side. The breast area of this eagle, as well as the legs and the wreath enclosing the swas, have all been hand enhanced. The reverse langet has a small oval surrounded with oak leaves, where the sword would sometimes be personalized, but this one is blank. The brass alloy hilt has lost most of the original gilding, however it still looks great, with a fantastic lightly oxidized patina.

The grip is a black celluloid-over-wood base type, which does show some wear and damage. It is wrapped with three pairs of twisted wires, which are still in very good condition, showing just a bit of looseness around the grip. The celluloid is in excellent condition, showing no chips, cracks, or other major damage. The grip ferrule has more oak leaves and acorn designs embossed on it. The handle is still solidly attached to the blade, with a bit of wobble in the guard.

The 33 3/4 inch blade of this example is in very good condition, with only some light scuffing in areas, and just a tiny bend on the very tip of the blade. It is fully nickel plated, which is retained quite almost completely, showing scattered areas of light oxidation and scuffing. The edge is still fully blunt, as originally issued, though there is some light denting on the edge, however no real nicks.

The reverse ricasso is stamped with the trademark Alcoso used from 1936-1940. It depicts the scales with the firm's initials, ACS interspersed. Above is the firm's name in an arc, ALCOSO, and below the town of business, SOLINGEN, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. The marking is partly under the langet, so it is not possible to photograph in its entirety

Alcoso is a trade name of Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik, located in Solingen, the legendary German "City of Blades." Per J. Anthony Carter's GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, the company was a major manufacturer of edged weapons and tools from the end of the 19th century up until the WWII period. Unfortunately, as NSDAP-control increased, brothers Carl Gustav and Dr. Alexander Coppel, the Jewish owners of the firm, were forced out. In 1936 the firm had been "Aryanized", and started using the name ALCOSO to hide the Jewish family name. By the end of 1936 the brothers were ejected from their Solingen offices, and by 1940 the brand trademark initials ACS were changed to AWS to reflect the change in ownership and name: Alexander Coppel Solingen to Alcoso-Werk Solingen. Carl Gustav Coppel committed suicide in Solingen in 1941, and Dr. Alexander Coppel was arrested in 1942 and sent to Theresienstadt Prison camp, where he died August 5th 1942. The factory itself was destroyed by Allied bombers in November 1944.

The scabbard of this example still has good original factory black lacquer, though there is extensive crazing and checking due to age. Overall about 90% of the paint remains, with no dents that we can see, just some scraps and scratches. There is also a bit of a bend in the body of the scabbard towards the drag. There is oxidation where the paint has flaked away.

Overall an very good example of a German Army Officer's Lion Head sword, from a maker with a somber back story.

Specifications:
Overall length: 38 3/4”
Blade length: 33 3/4”
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Guard dimensions: 4 1/2" width x 4 1/2” length
Scabbard Length: 34 3/4"

The German Army (German: Heer, was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht, the German armed forces, from 1935 to 1945. The Wehrmacht also included the Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). During World War II, a total of about 15 million soldiers served in the German Army, of whom about seven million became casualties. Separate from the army, the Waffen-SS (Armed SS) was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. Growing from three regiments to over 38 divisions during World War II, it served alongside the army but was never formally part of it.

Only 17 months after AH announced publicly the rearmament program, the Army reached its projected goal of 36 divisions. During the autumn of 1937, two more corps were formed. In 1938, four additional corps were formed with the inclusion of the five divisions of the Austrian Army after the Anschluss in March. During the period of its expansion by Adolf AH, the German Army continued to develop concepts pioneered during World War I, combining ground (Heer) and air (Luftwaffe) assets into combined arms teams. Coupled with operational and tactical methods such as encirclements and the "battle of annihilation", the German military managed quick victories in the two initial years of World War II, prompting the use of the word Blitzkrieg (literally lightning war, meaning lightning-fast war) for the techniques used.

The German Army entered the war with a majority of its infantry formations relying on the horse for transportation. The infantry remained foot soldiers throughout the war; artillery also remained primarily horse-drawn. The motorized formations received much attention in the world press in the opening years of the war, and were cited as the main reason for the success of the German invasions of Poland (September 1939), Norway and Denmark (April 1940), Belgium, France and Netherlands (May 1940), Yugoslavia (April 1941) and the early campaigns in the Soviet Union (June 1941). However their motorized and tank formations accounted for only 20% of the Heer's capacity at their peak strength.