Original Item: Only One Available. This is an very good condition German World War Two Cavalry Officer horse saddle in size 2, as marked on the rear of the saddle. It is also nicely maker marked bmd / 4 which stands for Max G. Müller of Nürnberg O., in Bavaria, who was known leathermaker of the time that produced holsters, saddles and other leather goods. The “4” looks to be part of a date, but the second digit is unfortunately not clear. The saddle also has a clear WaffenAmt marking on the rear left side.
The seat on the saddle measures approximately 15 inches wide and 18 inches long, with the overall length of around 22 inches. The saddle is in good shape, but definitely does have some wear in areas, as shown in the pictures.
A great example of the very last days of mounted cavalry, ready to display!
Although considered highly mobilized for its time the German army still utilized a great number of horses throughout WWII with the average infantry division containing roughly five thousand horses. In 1939 the German army also had fifteen, primarily horse-mounted, Cavalry regiments that were mainly tasked with tactical reconnaissance. Even though most of the Cavalry units were mechanized by 1940 they still utilized a large number of horses through-out the war. By 1943 the Germans were experiencing fuel and vehicle shortages which resulted in an increase in the number of horses utilized in the field. Cavalry personnel were basically equipped the same as the standard infantry personnel with the addition of specialized horse equipment. The standard horse saddle utilized by the German army was the M1925, English style saddle as introduced in 1925 and utilized for the duration of the war with minor modifications.