from my understanding these notches or "claws" are indeed primarilily intended to assist in collecting items from the ground, cloaks, coats, banners.. haversacks ect..
and then seocndary by some that it will produce a worse wound or a greater chance of a deep wound by an accidential swipe with the back of the blade. (for example you thrust overhand but miss and the person passes to the back of your sword sliding against the back edge and spine. some of these weapons have little back edge and would cause little or no harm..
and thirdly to make a bigger wound when withdrawn in a thrust.. (some notched swords look to be styles that can hardly thrust and some notches are not very sharp at all)
i think they serve all three functions and in soem cases one or two of the three.
but i suspect picking items from the ground is the main function,
these also i imagine were ground off swords by armourers and so we see it less often.
pickign items up with you sword is not an unushal activity and you can see footage fo cossacks doing it too.. a lil rough seciton would make it much easier.. poeple could and maybe did carry a stick or a hook as well but.... your a skilled horseman.. dashing and brave not a guy with a stick with a hook in it rummaging for loot...
the mongols, kalmyks ect had hooks and spikes on their spears for this function, as well as pulling tents down and dehorsing poeple for capture..
id imsgine thier loot sacks were filled with shiny things and gooddies with these hooks, id much rather a hook on a spear. but if you have a sword a nice little gooddie hook would be handy,
i think the hooks at the back of the blade as a weapon seems misguided, almost like a meme.. one person said its good so all did it. which is pretty common in military realms.
as remember there is much better things for this.. the yelman on the original mongol and turkic swords is exactly that, a broad blade to alow a deep destructive wound on the thrust an advantagis unintentional cut with the back of the blade in an overhand thrust, later it becomes decorative in more curved blades.
one would have been wiser to order a blade like that. but as they were limited to these issued blades with blades that didnt have these properties they modified them with barbs to cause some harm, if you were stuck with it it would indeed make a bit of tearing on the way out.
as to the blade catching, its not likely.. it will just pull free as if nothing happened. the notches are small and would just tear the target, would woundnt notice any difference.
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