Mortshlag

[JeffGentry]

Hey Matt

I'd just as soon have a long, strong, steel spike to fight with.

Oakshott XVa come's to mind.

If i'm not mistaken the Landgraf is a XVa or maybe a XVIIIb, still very long acutely tapering blade such as Vadi might have used in my mind.

Jaron Bernstein has the Sempach he ordered it as a sharp i would be leary of using a very sharp, sharp, in this manner sweaty palm's from nerve's and you could lose the use of a finger or two, it happen's criminal's all the time they stab someone repeatedly and the blood cause's there hand to slip on the handle of the knife and they cut there own finger's.

Sharpened the Vadi recomende's i would have no problem half swording.

Jeff

[Shane Smith]

If you take a look at Vadi's armoured fighting swords, note that they are seemingly HIGHLY specialized weapons.They seem almost tucks with a four inch spatulate tip as seen below;


This is not your average longsword in my opinion.

[Jeffrey Hull]

Jeff,

Your comment reminds me of Oakeshott's presentation of the type XVII in his *Records of Medieval Sword*.

His excellent descriptions for this type XVII, describing its feel and cross-section and balance, and the photos thereof, led me to think that the type XVII were primarily harness-fighting weapons, made for a lot of half-sword thrusts and murder-strikes. Basically they seemed to be big ugly spikes, with still some cutting bevel, which were just a step away from the true *tuck* or *estoc*.

Maybe this already occurred to a lot of you, but I found it a revealing when the possibility struck me. <img src="/forum/images/icons/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Incidentally, it seems like that type is so unsavory aesthetically, or misunderstood, or whatever, that no modern maker seems to make one. <img src="/forum/images/icons/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I would like to know otherwise, though, if someone curently does make one of this type, as it would be a sort of rarity.

Good luck,

Jeffrey

[JeffGentry]

Hey Shane

I guess those aren't typical 1500 longsword's.

Those do look like a specialized weapon, i seen some of the vadi text, i have not seen those image's though.

I take it that is orignal text.

Jeff

[Jeffrey Hull]

Shane,

Hey man, cool picture. I think we discussed in e-mail the possibility of mortschlag not just with pommel as impactor but also the cross-guard. That seems most likely with the Vadi design like you posted.

JH

[Casper Bradak]

Sort of the big, bad version of the rapier with spatulate tip for "cuts". Certainly makes sense.

[JeffGentry]

Jeff H.

think we discussed in e-mail the possibility of mortschlag not just with pommel as impactor but also the cross-guard.

I alway's thought you were supposed to use the gaurd as the point of impact.

If you are to far away you may still hit him with the pommel and if he is to close you may catch him with part of the blade, either way he still get's hit.

That was alway's my impression I don't have any way to substantiate it, it just seemed to make sense.

Jeff G.

[Brian Hunt]

I was examining an old world war 1 steel hemet today. I was told that Casper had practiced the mortshlag on it, and there were holes punched through it by the cross guard, not to mention the nasty deep dents from the pommel. Pretty impressive.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Shane Smith]

I use the cross for the impact almost all the time. It's like being smacked with a hammer. Matt and I both have craters in our helms from such impacts. Now, if I had some of those spiked pommels as seen in Codex Wallerstein, I'd use the pommel a bit I'm sure!

[Casper Bradak]

The mordschlag is also shown in some sources using the strong of the blade to impact (such as against an unarmoured area or prelude to a hook).

[M Wallgren]

check out this thread on myarmoury.com

http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=3755&amp;start=22

[Joachim Nilsson]

*bumb*

Just thought that I'd update you gentelmen on the status of the "Talhoffer project" Martin and I mentioned earlier in this thread:

All the interpreted techniques are filmed. The material just have to be edited, some reshoots have to be done and text and plate material added. Without going out too much on a limb here I think it's pretty safe to say that we'll be good to go late Q1/early Q2 of this year.

[Derek Wassom]

Awesome, buddy. I'm looking forward to it.

[Matt Bryant]

Cool experiment! I have discussed this issue many times with white shirts when they see me half swording. You have proven what I believed all along. I'm with Shane though: I'll take the gloves when I can... just in case.

[Joachim Nilsson]

The Talhoffer Project has been put on hiatus indefinately.