Red Cross EM Hewer Complete – D1222
As common as for the most part these “Roman Gladiator” style hewer are, finding a nice example is not all that easy. Here’s an un-touched one in this listing.
A totally beautiful grip and hilt assembly starts this 3rd Reich Red Cross hewer off nicely. The composite grip plates couldn’t be any more perfect, being devoid of any chips, cracks, or breakage. They are tightly fastened to the spine of the blade by 2 un-turned screws. Even the heads of these screws are still factory aligned up perfectly, while securing the grip halves. The crossguard, pommel and front / back strap sections have developed a fantastic, muted patina over their surfaces. As nothing has been cleaned nor polished on this edged weapon since being returned as a souvenir from WWII.
A wonderful scabbard accompanies this Red Cross EM hewer. The shell remains perfectly straight, void of any hits, creases, splits, or bends. The original factory black enamel has survived the test of time and is beautifully preserved. And that even goes for the frosted lower and upper fittings. At the top of this scabbard is the original frog that it came with. Like every other component of this hewer, it’s in very good condition and an excellent accoutrement to complement this scabbard assembly. The leather remains firm and completely sewn throughout.
We finish up with the blade. And for one of these at times “field used implements” , this is a decent example. Loaded with a muted crossgrain throughout, there are a few scattered surface smudges to contend with. It’s interesting that on the sawtooth section there is one serration that is cut a little askew. Fairly common actually. As the machine that milled these sawtooth edges never exactly cut these razor-sharp teeth exactly the same on every jagged section. Underneath the reverse ricasso is stamped the words Ges Geschuzt. Many of these hewers were attributed to the Klaas firm it is believed, though never marked with their trademarks on the blades.
A real decent hewer for someone looking for an example all complete. You don’t often see these hewers in this condition. $875.00