FEATURED AUTHOR
HANK REINHARDT

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in arms and armor, although I do recall reading King Arthur and Prince Valiant well before I started school. Like other kids, I liked cowboys and soldiers and pirates, but I was always particularly drawn to warriors and knights.

I got my first taste of the reality of sword fighting when my brother-in-law brought back two Japanese bayonets from the South Pacific in 1946. A friend and I started fencing with them and quickly turned them into hacksaws. Thus, at the age of 12, I began to suspect that using a real sword was different from what I’d seen in the movies. I read everything on the subject that I could get my hands on and managed to pick up a great deal of history in the process.
About a year later, a group of us started a "Viking Society" and set about making wooden swords and shields and fighting each other with them. This lasted about two or three weeks before the parents put a screeching halt to our warfare. Of course, we thought they were being unreasonable. After all, if I went for the fake and got bopped in the head, that was my fault. When I was quicker and whacked someone on the leg, well, he should have dodged. But the parents, having superior firepower, managed to curtail my early experiments in swordplay . . . at least for a few years. As a teenager I purchased a couple of spears, a sword, and a few kukris, but the serious collecting and studying began when I was in the army, stationed in Germany. My wife and I took every opportunity to visit the historic places and museums of Europe, and it was a nice surprise to find that if you had a real interest in the arms and armor, people would happily let you examine the artifacts and talk with you about them.

It was in Switzerland that I bought my first real sword, a short sword dating from about 1820. I bought other items while I was in Europe, but only a few (after all, army privates didn’t make a lot of money in 1957).

When I returned to the States, my passion – not only for the history of the sword but also for how it was actually used in combat – increased. I had taken fencing and played with the newly arrived Oriental martial arts, but I had also been in a fair number of street fights (I call this my wild period) and knew the difference between what’s supposed to happen and what really happens. My book and weapon collection grew slowly; it was an expensive hobby even back then, and there were few books available. In 1960, Ewart Oakeshott published The Archeology of Weapons, which is the best book ever written on the subject. When I read it, I knew Oakeshott was as passionate about swords as I was. My curiosity about arms and armor led me down many paths I never would have dreamed about in the past, from metallurgy to leather and woodworking to geometry and physics. All of these interests meshed with my deep and abiding love of history to provide me with some keen insights as I continued to study.

In 1966 I became a safety engineer and left my hometown of Atlanta to head a regional office for my company in Birmingham. For the next 10 years, I continued to collect weapons and books and also began dabbling with making chain mail. When I completed my first shirt in 1968, I started testing the ability of mail to stand up to the sword. Most of my cutting took place in front of the apartment we lived in at the time, and my neighbors were wonderful. They treated me with the utmost respect (probably due to my natural dignity) and were always very helpful, frequently suggesting that I get help. (Which was silly; I was in good shape, could run two miles easily while wearing my mail shirt, and certainly didn’t need any help in cutting with my swords. But I did think it considerate of them.)

Soon my wife and I had two daughters, whom we found absolutely delightful. As soon as they started talking, they referred to their father as a "ferocious warrior." (I will admit that I coached them a bit, but I’m also sure that, with childlike simplicity, they saw my true inclination!) They were always a little shocked when we would visit a house where there were not swords, spears, and axes on the walls. I could see the look of sympathy in their eyes when they quite politely asked where the swords were kept and learned that other people did not have such weapons. I started a Birmingham chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) in 1967. It was a great deal of fun and put me in contact with many others who shared similar interests.

Ten years later I left the SCA and Birmingham, returning to my hometown of Atlanta. In 1979 my wife was killed in a car wreck when my children were 8 and 9 years old. Since I could no longer travel, I took whatever odd jobs came up. I started helping out Bill Adams at Atlanta Cutlery Corporation (ACC) and persuaded him to sell kukris. Bill and I went way back—to around 1960 when we’d started hanging out at the Gun Room in Buckhead, Georgia. But when I suggested that we start selling swords, he was convinced that I had lost my mind, since I was the only person in the world who was interested in swords. I continued to pester him, and eventually he gave in. (Frankly, it was just to shut me up.) I was lucky enough to find three brothers in Italy to make swords for us, and we launched Museum Replicas. Shortly thereafter we landed a contract with Windlass Steelcrafts, which made kukris for the Indian government, and Museum Replicas was off like a rocket.

It was a dream come true for me. Soon I was in Europe once again – visiting museums, talking with people, and admiring swords. I had the opportunity to meet my personal hero, Ewart Oakeshott, and my education continued. With some excellent replicas at my disposal, I was able to continue the testing I had started in Birmingham in the 1970s. Now I could test to destruction, and in testing the various types of armor, mail, leather, and plate, I at last got a glimpse into the reality of swordplay. At this time the reenactment scene was just getting started in a few places, and the only firmly established medieval group was the SCA (now 20 years old and mellowed with age). But the market was there.

In 1995 Bill decided he wanted to retire and spend his time being lazy and trifling, something at which he really excels (in his own words). Although we sold the company to Windlass, I have stayed on board as an advisor and helper. Windlass is doing an excellent job, and I expect the operation will achieve continued success. The interest in swords has expanded tremendously over the years, and I like to think that Museum Replicas and the several million catalogs we’ve mailed out over the past 15 years had something to do with that.

I have to confess that I consider myself one of the most fortunate of men.

Q & A

Paladin: In your opinion, what are some of the most important archaeological discoveries that have furthered insights into medieval arms and armor?
Reinhardt: If I had to pick one archeological discovery, it would have to be the finds from the Battle of Visby. There were no weapons found at the site, and the armor was somewhat outdated, but the conditions of the skeletons brought home the brutal hand-to-hand nature of medieval combat. We are used to killing at a distance, with bullets and bombs, but this type of war was up close and personal. Even if you were uninjured, you would be covered with the blood of those you had killed.

Paladin: What are some of your favorite Fechtbuchs, or contemporary medieval fighting texts from Western Europe?
Reinhardt: My personal favorite Fechtbuch is the one that many dislike and try to discredit: the works of George Silver. Many of his comments lead me to think that he had been involved and knew what it was like to try to be in the thick of a fight. There are no records that prove this, but it is a strong feeling I have. Many of the other Fechtbuchs are interesting as well. All have some good points, but they also have some moves that just don't work, much like a lot of martial arts manuals. They can only cover so much; they cannot tell you what the reaction time of your opponent is like or how to avoid his doing things that you are not prepared for. At best, they can give you techniques and ideas, but they can't make you a fighter.

Paladin: SCA, HACA, and other groups are actively investigating how ancient and medieval weapons were actually used in combat. Do you think they are on the right path?
Reinhardt: I think HACA is on the right track, within certain reasonable limits. The SCA is really more involved with their brand of tournament play, which has nothing to do with actual combat. The same is true with the reenactors. No matter how good they are, they are essentially involved with having a good time, and not killing people. I certainly don't mean this to be critical. I've been playing with this for long time. But I was also aware that if my opponent had a real sword, then I might not try to do any of the fancy things that look so good but are likely to get you killed if they fail.

Paladin: For somebody just getting started in this field, which books do they absolutely need to read, and which museum collections should they visit?
Reinhardt: There are a large number of books out there. I probably have more than 400 in my collection. I would think the most important would be The Archeology of Weapons and The Sword in the Age of Chivalry, both by Ewart Oakeshott, Stone's Glossary on the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor, and Blair's European Armor. As for museums, The Met in New York has a magnificent collection, and so does the Higgins Armory in Massachusetts. But I would suggest visiting as many as you can, whether the collection is large or small – and talking to as many of the curators as you can. (They'll hate me for this, since there is quite an increase in interest.)

Paladin: Do you consider the sword a viable modern-day weapon for self-defense? Do you use it as such? What are its advantages/disadvantages?
Reinhardt: Well, I really love swords, and I play with them a lot. I may be old and ugly, but I'm not stupid. I do a lot of shooting, and I taught my daughters to shoot. I have a nice shotgun, several pistols, and a few rifles: these I consider my home-defense weapons. As for edged weapons for home defense, I would take a kukri, or at least a large, heavy knife. The only sword I would consider would be a short sword, with a blade about 14 to 19 inches long. Anything else is too long and cumbersome in a house. Modern ceilings are too short; the rooms are too small to use a sword properly. Rapiers are great, but a study of the weapons shows that too many people will continue to fight with a rapier blade struck all the way through them. Frankly, I don't expect anyone to break into my house and attack me. (My neighbors think I'm a lunatic anyway.) But should it happen, I want it ended as quickly as possible. I'm just too old to play games.

Paladin: Are you still making your own mail?
Reinhardt: I have made two mail shirts and have repaired two old ones. The joy I received from accomplishing this will last me forever. I don't think I could stand the ecstasy of making another.