Short sword
| Short sword | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | sword |
| Designations: | Short sword |
| Use: | weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Worldwide |
| Distribution: | Worldwide |
| Overall length: | about 40 cm to 80 cm |
| Handle: | Wood, metal wire, horn, ivory |
| Particularities: | The gladius serves as an example of the short sword type |
| Lists on the subject | |
A short sword is a one-handed sword with a short blade between 40 and 80 cm total length. The short sword category is fluid, as even long knives and daggers can already be described as short swords. Short swords of the Sögel type are typical grave goods in graves of the Bronze Age Sögel-Wohlde district (1600–1000 BC). The sword was banned from the theaters of war with the advancing weapon development. In the 19th and 20th centuries, however, z. B. fought with the fascine knife, which sometimes resembled a short sword in shape. In modern high-tech warfare, only combat knives (sometimes as bayonets ) are used in close combat .
Advantages and disadvantages
The short sword requires less material and is therefore cheaper to manufacture. Since it is lighter, it also requires less effort to be guided or carried. Thanks to the shorter blade, it is less bulky to carry and easier to handle in combat . Advantages over a longer sword clearly arise in a combat situation in cramped conditions, for example in a scrum in tight formations, within a room or in a dense forest. Here the short sword can be drawn more quickly, and in combat there is less risk of the blade getting stuck in an obstacle.
A disadvantage of the short sword when fighting longer blades is the shorter range of the weapon, which makes attacks and parries more difficult. Another disadvantage is the shorter length, which means that the attacks are less powerful because of the lower leverage. The shorter handle also prevents two-handed attacks with greater leverage.
Examples
- Gladius ( Roman Empire )
- Katzbalger ( Europe )
- Wakizashi ( Japan )
- Libaka ( Africa )
- Talibon (sword) ( Philippines )
literature
- Alexandru Vulpe: The short swords, daggers and combat knives of the Hallstatt Period in Romania , Part 6, Volume 9, Prehistoric Bronze Finds, Volume 9 of Prehistoric Bronze Finds: Division VI, ISBN 978-3-406-33657-7
- Gerhard Seifert: Technical terms of edged weapons: German abc of the European bare weapons; (Cut, thrust, hit and hand weapons) , Verlag Seifert, 1981