Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 7th June 2021, 06:04 PM

I REALLY wish I had Aries!!! the whole set, but then..............

As such, information on French swords to me is pretty much a 'working' familiarity.

In my opinion, this is (though crude) too attentive to nuance to be a reproduction, and the scabbard the same, too well done for India's modern commerce. With that, I had no idea India produced repros of European, especially French, swords, but I am sure there will be a fusillade of entries roaring that is WAY wrong.

While the majority of arms production in both France and England was somewhat controlled with the 'official' government venues of production, these were 'revolutionary' times, and impending war between England and France imminent. I would tend to think there were contractors and cutlers outside those channels who produced ersatz arms for the 'cause'(s).
In England I have read that various craftsmen took on 'cutler' work outside their normal scope, silversmiths making munitions grade arms etc. in these pre Napoleonic times.

In that circumstance, I recall during Vietnam, after discharge, I was working at an electronics factory where they had retooled to produce 105mm Howitzer ammunition, 30,000 units per day. During WWII, appliance factories were producing bombers and ordnance.

Thats just my take, perhaps a saber in the French 'manner' for a unit of possibly militia or other local para military?

7th June 2021, 06:04 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,748	I REALLY wish I had Aries!!! the whole set, but then.............. As such, information on French swords to me is pretty much a 'working' familiarity. In my opinion, this is (though crude) too attentive to nuance to be a reproduction, and the scabbard the same, too well done for India's modern commerce. With that, I had no idea India produced repros of European, especially French, swords, but I am sure there will be a fusillade of entries roaring that is WAY wrong. While the majority of arms production in both France and England was somewhat controlled with the 'official' government venues of production, these were 'revolutionary' times, and impending war between England and France imminent. I would tend to think there were contractors and cutlers outside those channels who produced ersatz arms for the 'cause'(s). In England I have read that various craftsmen took on 'cutler' work outside their normal scope, silversmiths making munitions grade arms etc. in these pre Napoleonic times. In that circumstance, I recall during Vietnam, after discharge, I was working at an electronics factory where they had retooled to produce 105mm Howitzer ammunition, 30,000 units per day. During WWII, appliance factories were producing bombers and ordnance. Thats just my take, perhaps a saber in the French 'manner' for a unit of possibly militia or other local para military?