Original Item: Only One Available. This is a beautiful classic Lionhead German WWII Army Officers sword, made by the well known firm of E. & F. Hörster & Co Gmbh, Waffenfabrik, of Solingen, Germany. We have had many items by this maker before, but very few Army Officer swords, which they seem to have only made to order. It also has a scabbard that has a BLUED finish on the steel, not the black enamel that we are used to seeing. Definitely an upmarket example!

The hilt on this example is the classic gilt brass alloy, not the later war plated aluminum, and still retains much of the original finish, which looks to have been lacquered as well. It has a great golden color to it with a lovely patina of age. The design consists of a finely detailed lion head cat with engraved backstrap and "P" guard. The Lion is fitted with lovely blood red faceted "jewel" eyes, both of which are in fantastic condition. There is nice detail throughout his whiskers, chin, and muzzle. The handwork is beautifully rendered throughout the hilt. The backstrap and side tabs bear a lovely foliate design, while the outside of the guard and the grip ferrule bear the iconic German iconic high relief German "Oak Leaves & Acorns" motif.

The cross guard has a open winged eagle which looks to the viewer's left. The breast area of this eagle, as well as the wings, have been hand-enhanced. The reverse has a small plate where a monogram is sometimes added, though this example is blank. The grip is a very nice black celluloid-over-wood base. It is wrapped with 3 pairs of twisted brass wire, with the center pair a bit thicker, and all are still in place, showing light oxidation. The celluloid is still tight to the wood, and is quite shiny, without any major damage, just a few small dents / chips near the center. The hilt is mostly tight to the blade, with just a bit of wobble in the back strap.

The 31 inch blade of this example is in excellent condition, made from high quality nickel plated spring steel. The plating shows little to no oxidation, with just a bit of scuffing, and is really in great shape. The edge is correctly unsharpened, and there is just the tiniest bit of a bend on the very tip of the blade. Really a great blade here!

The ricasso of the sword is stamped by maker E. u. F. HÖRSTER / SOLINGEN in an oval "lozenge" around the company's trademark downward pointing sword piercing interlocking HHS initials. E. & F. Hörster & Co Gmbh, Waffenfabrik (weapons factory), is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, which marketed many fine edged weapons. The firm lasted long after WWII, finally being declared insolvent in 1996. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter. This is partly hidden by the langet, but still clear.

The scabbard of this example is straight, and we cannot see or feel any major dents or other damage. Unlike most example we see, it is actually BLUED, and not finished with black enamel. We have seen some of these with lacquer over the bluing / anodizing, however this example was not, and the blued finish has worn and suffered oxidation in areas, giving it a great matured look. It does not look to have been refinished at any time, and still retains the hanger loop and slot on the back of the scabbard to attach it to a belt hook.

Overall a very good condition high quality sword from a well-known German sword maker, based in Solingen, the "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Overall length: 36 1/4”
Blade length: 31"
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Guard dimensions: 5" width x 4 1/2” length
Scabbard Length: 32 5/8"

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.