The Dutch Maréchaussée Sword a.k.a. the Dutch Klewang

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo Ian,

This link provides complementary info which may be of use:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=kalewang

Best,

[Ian]

Amuk:

Thank you for the additional information and the link. I shall try to transport over some of those data to this thread, and then we can have it all in one place.

Ian.

[CutlassCollector]

Hi Ian, that's a great summary and an interesting read - thank you.
Yours as well Amuk - it would be good to combine the threads.

Apart from a Hembrug and an unmarked US Model I also have an H type which I will record here.

According to Puype this sword was made by shortening the NEI Cavalary sword M.1875 and forming a clipped point. Note that the fuller runs right through the point. The hilt was reduced in weight by thinning the plate, drilling two 1.5 cm holes in the bottom of the guard and removing 2 cm of guard where it protruded towards the wearer. All metal is blued and the handle is dark wood.

The sword was in use from 1904 to approx 1920 and issued mostly to 'mounted police servants' protecting plantations and Ministry of Finance police chasing opium runners.

This blade was made by PD Luneschloss and has an inspectors stamp on each individual piece of metal - the blade and the 3 parts of the hilt assembly. It is also stamped K 2.

CC

[Ian]

Thanks CC. That's a very interesting pre-regulation marechaussee sword. Your suggestion of combining the two threads is a good one and I will look into how to do that in the next few days.

Thanks again for posting your sword.

Ian

[Jim McDougall]

Ian,
I would like to thank you very much for posting this wonderfully detailed material on these swords, and how as regulation military and civil swords they often paralleled their ethnographic counterparts. It seems that often civil and para military or police swords present challenges in proper identification as they fall into grey areas of patterns and known forms.
I recall a paper titled something like klewang vs. the M1917 US Navy cutlass but cannot relocate.

Amuk and CC, thank you as well for your great input!

It is very much appreciated to have such material added into the ever growing archived resources here, which stand as important research material for study.

Jim

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

This is a masterful thread...taking the reader on a detailed tour of the subject thus, it is educational and informative ... A thesis of detail and facts. Great notes on an otherwise not covered subject and placed on Forum for all to see and refer to in Library. Now that's what I call A Thread !

The reference at at #2 above is superb and I was redirected on a web search to http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10287 an early thread back in 2009... now all in support and reflected in this fine thread..

An interesting detail exists on how to fight with this weapon at http://www.bruchius.com/docs/Fightin...20by%20RvN.pdf

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ian]

This thread is highly complemented by an earlier discussion here. Below is an important contribution from Amuk Marugul which started off that previous thread. I have copied over his post in its entirety, and reattached his pictures. As you can see, the summary of the material researched by Pupuye and de Stürler Boekwijt is skillfully elucidated upon in this post.

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Hullo everybody!

ENJOY!

A selected representative sample, including data which may not be available elsewhere.

Developed in the field for use in close-combat and brush-clearing, thus combining the functions of golok and cutlass. It was mainly to counter the devastatingly effective blades of the Atjehans.
Optimised to suit indigenous personnel ( i.e. strength, length and weight ).
A cutlass-fencing regime was designed specifically for its use.
As demand for kalewangs far outstripped local production, production was transferred to Europe ( 1898 ); mainly Soemmerda and Solingen, as Hembrug was not yet ready for production-line operation ( 1912 ).
European-made blades of regulation-kalewangs were subjected to stringent bending-tests: they had to withstand a bending of 5cm. without breaking and then be able to resume their straight form.

*N.B. The alphanumeric: M....., denotes the European Model number.

Operation in the tropics necessitated protective/anti-corrosion coating on blades:

European blades:
Pre-M1905 - no bluing
M1905 onwards - 'browning' ( blue-black colour )

USA blades:
VINCE - 'parkerised' ( opaque grey )
LILLY-AMES - 'blued' ( blue )
MILSCO - 1946 - 'browning' ( blue-black )
- post-1946 - 'parkerised' ( opaque grey )


With reference to Fig.1, anti-clockwise:

1 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1903 SOEMMERDA (M1898)
Blade: LxOALxWxT = 60x72x3.53x0.49cm
Beginning of sword handle
Back-slide fixed by hammered tang ( Fig.4 )


2 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1909 SOLINGEN (M1905)
Blade: LxOALxWxT = 61.5x74.5x3.53x0.66cm
Beginning of back-slide fixed by tang-screw (Fig.4 )


3 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1909 SOEMMERDA (M1905)
Blade: LxOALxWxT = 61x63x3.55x1.00cm
I.D.: P.A.L./389 = Pasoeroean, Malang & Probolinggo Regional Police

4 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1910 HEMBRUG (M1905)
Blade:LxOALxWxT = 61x73.5x3.45x0.54cm
Finger-loop hole ( Fig.3 )

5 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1918 SOLINGEN (M1911)
Blade: LxOALxWxT = 62.5x74.5x3.57x0.49cm
I.D.: P.A.K./406 = Kediri & Blitar Regional Police
Beginning of knife handle

6 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1927 HEMBRUG (M1911)
Blade: LxOALxWxT = 62x74.5x3.53x0.45cm
I.D.: P.A.O./571 = Batavia Metropolitan Police

7 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1940 HEMBRUG (M1911)
Blade:LxOALxWxT=62x73.5x3.54x0.1cm
I.D.: 2-Bar.III/156 = 2nd.Co., Soemenep Corps

8 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1941 LILLEY-AMES (M1911)
Blade: LxOALxWxT=63X75.5x3.58x0.57cm
Bakelite scales
Acquired by US Army

9 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1941 LILLEY-AMES (M1911)
Blade: LxOALxWxT=63.0x75.0x3.55x0.59cm
Bakelite scales
Acquired by US Navy

10 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose) 1941 VINCE
Blade: LxOALxWxT=62x74.5x3.53x0.57cm
Beginning of hickory scales and
Beginning of rounded clip-point tips ( Fig.7 )

11 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1946 VINCE
Blade: LxOALxWxT=63x75x3.59x0.45cm
Beginning of guard-holes with no 'broken corners' (Fig.5 )

12 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1946A MILSCO
Blade: LxOALxWxT=61x73.5x3.6x0.45cm
Wrist-loop hole with rounded ends ( Fig.8 )
Larger fuller

13 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1946A MILSCO
Blade: LxOALxWxT=62x74x3.55x0.49cm
Wrist-loop hole with rounded ends ( Fig.8 )

14 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1946A VINCE
Blade:LxOALxWxT=62x74x3.55x0.46cm
Wrist-loop hole with rounded ends( Fig.8 )
Top portion of guard shaved off
ExTNI-AD Div.VI-Siliwangi HQ Bandoeng

15 Kalewang ( Pedang Marsose ) 1946A VINCE
Blade: LxOALxWxT=62x74x3.65x0.49cm
Began wrist-loop hole with rounded ends ( Fig.8 )


PRE-REGULATION EXAMPLES ( Fig.9 ):

1 Kalewang Djago ( De Haan ) 1875

2 Kalewang Atjeh 1880 ( Gliwang Ladieng with M1845/54 handle )

3 Kalewang Walanda 1895 GEVELSBERG ( El Gallito / De Haan )

4 Kalewang 1895 SOERABAIA ( based on M1876 sabre )

5 Kalewang Toemang 1898 TJIKEROEH ( based on M1876 sabre )


Best,


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