Original Item: This is a beautiful classic Lionhead German WWII Cavalry Officer sword, made by the well-known firm of Alcoso Werke in Solingen, Germany, complete with the correct steel scabbard. This piece is also a real treasure as the hilt is not constructed from the later war aluminum, but rather is made of solid brass. It really looks great, retaining much of the finely gilded finish.

The design consists of a finely detailed lion head cat with an iconic German "oak leaf & acorn" decorated ferrule. The cat is fitted with blood red faceted eyes, which are bright and undamaged. The features of this lion's head have been nicely hand rendered throughout the brass alloy. This includes details on the muzzle, the bottom of the jaw, the whiskers, the eyelids and the mane which runs backward slightly down the sword. The back strap is definitely not typical, showing various floral and other embossed designs, with flowers on the side tabs. The "P-guard" is also quite unique, displaying an emblem that looks almost like a large letter "J". There looks to be initials or something scratched into the middle of the back strap.

This example is a cavalry officer's sword, bearing crossed cavalry sabers on the langet instead of the usual Wehrmachtadler eagle, which is not found anywhere on the hilt. The reverse langet is completely blank, bearing remnants of an old paper tag, and the cross guard terminates in a lovely miniature lion's head. We've never really seen a sword with a hilt like this before! The brass alloy hilt still retains about 60% of the original gilding, and really looks great! There is a bit of wear through in areas, but this is really a fantastic hilt, much better than most we see.

The grip is a black celluloid-over-wood base type, which shows some light wear to the exterior in the from of some rippling of the celluloid, but with no major damage like chips or cracks. It is wrapped with a skein of 4 brass wires, with the center pair being thicker and twisted together, and the wrapping is still secure on the grip. The celluloid does not show any cracking or missing areas, and is still mostly bright and shiny. The grip is still firmly attached to the blade , while there is a bit of wobble in the crossguard.

The 28 7/8 inch blade of this example is in very good condition, and unlike most we see is un-plated bright carbon steel, unlike the usual nickel plated steel that we usually see. The edge is correctly unsharpened, with no dents or chips, and the needle-like tip still fully intact. It has however suffered staining and oxidation in areas, particularly on the tip area, which has some light oxidation peppering on the edges and one side.

The reverse ricasso is stamped with the trademark Alcoso used from 1940-1943. It depicts the scales with the firm's initials, AWS interspersed. Next to this is the firm's name in cursive script, Alcoso, and below the town of business, SOLINGEN, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Due to the location we were not able to take a complete photograph.

According to J Anthony Carter's Work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, Alcoso is a trade name of Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik, located in Solingen, the legendary German "City of Blades." 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 crazing and checking due to age. Overall about 80% of the paint remains, with some scuffing and other damage consistent with service. There is a very slight bend in the scabbard, which does not interfere at all with sheathing the blade. The hanger loop and rectangular slot for the belt clip are still present, and there is some light oxidation where the paint has flaked away.

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

Specifications:
Overall length: 34 1/4”
Blade length: 28 7/8”
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Guard dimensions: 4 1/2" width x 4 1/2” length
Scabbard Length: 33 1/4"

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.