N02153 NATIONAL FORESTRY SERVICE, SENIOR FORESTER'S CUTLASS WITH FROG & PORTEPEE. (Forstmeisters Hirschfänger mit Portepee) 

BACKGROUND: Forestry and hunting in Germany enjoys a long history and traditions that continue to the present day. In July of 1933, Hermann Göring was appointed as "Reichsforst und Jägermeister" (National-forestry and Hunting-master), as head of the "Reichsforstamt" (National-forestry-department). In that capacity he was in charge of administering all aspects of forestry and hunting, including the development, maintenance and conservation of all of the forests and wild game within Germany. The "Reichsforstamt" was sub-divided into four main departments: the "Gemeinde Forst Dienst" (General Forestry Service), "Privat Forst Dienst" (Private Forestry Service), "Heeres Forst Dienst" (Army Forestry Service), and the "Luftwaffe Forst Dienst" (Air-force Forestry Service). Personnel in all four services were assigned a uniform and a side arm in the form of a cutlass. The cutlasses were private purchase items that were only available to those with the appropriate documentation. That arrangement led to the blade manufacturers producing a wide variety of styles and patterns, to satisfy the personal taste of the purchasers, although assistant cutlasses were distinguished by staghorn grips, and those for senior officials by grips in white celluloid or ivory. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: A cutlass, to whose hilt is bound a portepee, with its original scabbard and leather frog. Its hilt is comprised of a fire-gilted, die cast alloy grip, faced on either side by white celluloid grip plates, with a "D" knuckle bow which extends to form a single cross guard, above which is a ferrule, and beneath which, to the obverse, is a "clamshell." Three acorns, diminishing in size as they descend, and each of them flanked by oak leaves, are to each grip plate. These hide the rivets that fix the grip plates. The white celluloid plates have yellowed somewhat with age, and the acorn devices have light wear to their highlights. The combined knuckle bow and cross guard has oak leaves running along its sides, and each end terminates in a deer hoof. It also has light wear to the highlights of its oak leaves. The ferrule to the base of the grip plates is horizontally ribbed. The "clamshell" to the obverse features the image of a hunting dog "pointing," and either end, one of which is longer than the other, sweeps up with leaf pattern decorations to it. The lower edge of the "clamshell" has noticeable wear to its finish. The leather washer between the blade and the cross guard is still intact. The 11 3/4" long, drop-forged steel, single-edged blade is nickel-silver plated and has ornate acid etchings to both faces. That to the obverse depicts a forest scene which includes a hunter, with a rifle in one hand and a knife in the other, rushing to aid his dogs who are in the process of taking down a wild boar. The etching to the reverse is another forest scene, this one depicting a hunter aiming his rifle at a five-point buck leaping over a fallen log, with another deer in front of it. Oak leaf patterns and birds may also be seen to both sides of the blade, and the spine of the blade has acid-etched oak leaves to it. Stamped to the obverse ricasso is the manufacturer’s logo of the profiled head and shoulders of a helmeted knight, with "WKC" beneath it, for Weyersberg, Kirschbaum & Co. Waffenfabrik Solingen-Wald. The blade is still bright, but exhibits very light surface spotting and moderate scabbard runner marks, particularly to the reverse. The portepee, which is wrapped around the ferrule and then looped through the base of the knuckle bow, is a doubled, machine woven, silver-aluminum strap, 7/16" wide, with two parallel green lines running along its length. The strap terminates in a loosely woven silver stem with a green underlay, above which is an interwoven green and silver slide, and beneath which is a crown and ball in silver-aluminum cord, with a green "dot" to its base. This form of portepee distinguished the bearer as being a Chief Ranger. Light age soiling is evident, but it is otherwise intact and complete. The cutlass’s blackened leather scabbard, whose seam line is to the reverse, has brass fittings to both its top and bottom. The 3" top fitting has a staple to the base of its reverse, underneath of which has been stamped "44." To the center of its obverse is a frog lug in the shape of an acorn. The 4 1/4" lower brass fitting repeats the decorative edging seen to the top fitting, has a staple and numbers like that previously described, two horizontal bands incised across its center, and it tapers towards a stepped, oval tip. Incised, vertical lines are to either side of the leather body of the scabbard, front and back. Although there is almost no wear to the leather, moderate verdigris is evident to the top brass fitting, and the lower fitting is moderately surface scratched. Slipped over the upper brass fitting is a blackened leather frog, approximately 5" in overall height, whose base folds over at its top and is stitched around a metal suspension loop, and which has a pocket sewn along either side, which arches downward to its center, accommodating the frog lug. The leather exhibits very light surface scratches and chafe wear, and the metal loop has lost approximately half of its gilt finish. Overall, a very complete example, in very good condition.