Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a beautiful classic Lionhead German WWII Army Officers sword, made by the well known firm of Anton Wingen Jr. of Solingen, Germany, complete with its original scabbard. This is a very interesting example that is truly one of a kind, as it was presented to the winner of a regimental shooting competition held in 1936. It features a fantastic "triple etched" nickel-plated blade with a custom inscription, and comes with a lovely NCO Troddel knot tied around the handle. Definitely a fantastic example we are unlikely to see the like of again anytime soon!

This piece is a real treasure as the hilt is not constructed from the later war aluminum, but rather is made of solid brass with a gilt finish. The design consists of a finely detailed lion head cat with engraved backstrap and "P" guard. The Lion is fitted with blood red faceted "jewel" eyes. There is nice detail throughout his whiskers, chin, and muzzle. The handwork is beautifully rendered throughout hilt. The backstrap and side tabs bear lovely high relief German "Oak Leaves & Acorns" designs, with a similar design on the "P-Guard". The ferrule bears a similar motif, but the designs are not nearly as prominent.

The crossguard has a spread wing eagle which looks to the viewer's right, which is much more of the classic style. The breast area of this eagle, as well as the wings, have been hand-enhanced. The reverse langet has a shield, which in this case is actually monogrammed with overlapping initials W L, probably the winner of the shooting contest. The metal of the hilt is still bright and shiny, with almost all of the original gilt finish retained, something we very rarely see. The guard and other fittings are a bit loose, even with the blade buffer still intact.

The grip is a very nice black celluloid-over-wood base, which is still firmly attached to the tang, unlike the rest of the hilt. It is tightly wrapped with a skein of six brass wires, which are twisted into pairs, and the center pair thicker than the outer ones. The celluloid is still tight to the wood, and is quite shiny, with only a small crack at the bottom by the pommel. Attached to the crossguard is a very nice leather and silver bullion NCO troddel knot. It has some minor cracking to the leather, and is still in great shape.

The 31 1/4 inch blade of this example is in very good condition, with no wear or denting on the original blunt edge. It is fully nickel plated, which is retained quite almost completely, with just a bit of a hazy finish due to surface oxidation. There are no areas where the finish has worn through, and it has lovely etched designs on all three sides. The spine shows a repeating foliate pattern, while the left side has a much larger foliate and floral pattern. 

The right side however has the same designs as the left, but in the middle there is a large panel, etched with the following inscription: 

1. Preis im Preisſchirken 1936
des Unteroffiziercorps der 2./Pi.26.

This translates to "1st prize in the 1936 prize competition of the non-commissioned officer corps of the 2./Pi.26.". Shooting competitions were common during the pre-war years as way to both improve marksmanship and also foster a sense of friendly competition / comradery among the troops. The regimental designation looks to be for the 2nd Company, Pioneer Regiment 26, so these were front line troops who would have to often work to clear obstacles under heavy fire.

This fine presentation sword was produced by Anton Wingen Jun., Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory), a known producer of custom swords during WWII. The rear ricasso of the blade is marked:

ANTON
WINGEN JR
(Standing Knight Logo)
SOLINGEN

The firm was a cutler and metalsmith company first founded in Solingen, Germany in 1888, and was formally registered in late 1901. They first came to prominence during WWI with their high quality hunting and combat knives, which were popular with troops. They acquired the "Knight" logo from Clauberg in 1920, and continued using it through the Third Reich period. This style trademark was used on early SA Daggers and other edged weapons during the mid 1930s, per J. Anthony Carter's GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS. They later moved to a simplified trademark with an RZM code in 1939. The company continued operation well after the war, finally closing in 1997.

The scabbard of this example is straight, with no major dents or bends that we can see. It still has a very good black enamel finish, retained at over 85% with no dents that we can see or feel. There is a lovely pattern of checking and crazing in the enamel, and we do not see any evidence that it has ever been repainted. There are a few areas of finish loss where it has oxidized, but overall this is one of the better examples that we have seen. There is some wear on the hanger ring, through to the base metal as is typical, and the rectangular ring for "hitching up" the sword is still intact.

Overall fantastic one of a kind high quality presentation sword from a well-known German sword maker, based in Solingen, the "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Complete with an NCO troddel, ready to research and display!

Specifications:
Overall length: 36 3/8”
Blade length: 31 1/4”
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Guard dimensions: 5" width x 4 1/2” length
Scabbard Length: 32 1/2"

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.