Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent condition German World War Two Cavalry Officer horse saddle in size 3. It is nicely maker marked JWA which stands for Moritz Stecher of Freiberg in Sachsen who was known manufacturer of the time that produced holsters, saddles and other leather goods. The saddle also has a clear WaffenAmt marking. Overall condition of the saddle is excellent.
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, Western style saddle as introduced in 1925 and utilized for the duration of the war with minor modifications.