In Defense of My Saber

IN DEFENSE OF MY SABER contains four articles written by George S. Patton, Jr in the years 1913 to 1917. At the time Patton was a young cavalry officer but already celebrated as the inventor of the Model 1913 Cavalry Saber (more commonly known as the “Patton Saber”). Included with this collection are all the original photographs from the articles featuring Lieutenant Patton demonstrating his swordsmanship techniques. The articles chronicle the rise and fall of the Patton Saber from the time it was approved, manufactured and distributed by the War Department to just four years later when its continued relevance was challenged by the heavy tanks, machine guns, mortars and barbed wire entrenched in the battlefields of wartime Europe. Throughout Patton defends his beloved saber. (Technically since Patton’s design eliminated the curved edge in favor of a straight one, he transformed the saber into a sword. But in these articles Patton uses the terms “saber” and “sword” interchangeably except when he compares their physical differences and details historically how those differences influenced their tactical applications.)