Why did so many German Officers have scars?? Mensur

Mensur or German academic fencing is why  so many German officers and the elite wore   scars on their faces in the 19th and 20th  centuries these scars were badges of honor   and worn with pride though not always on the  face of Honorable Men they were the mark of   having belonged to a Mensur organization usually  reserved for the upper class and or those with a   University education where a student could  join a Mensur fraternity or Corporation academic fencing in 19th and 20th Century  Germany and some neighboring countries like   Austria was much different than it is today  they did not use the same swords or equipment   fencers use in modern times German students used  mensurschläger or sometimes just called schläger   designed specifically for the sport these swords  varied regionally but were designed to cut in a   similar way to a razor the duels were known as  Mensuren and somewhat ritualized some protective   clothing could be worn such as padding on the  arm and some protection for the eyes and nose   the duels involved attempting to  strike the opponent on the head or   face and the duel typically  ended once blood was drawn you you bully you these duels were not so much  about winning or striking a blow but showing   courage and the ability to take a hit a duelist  in such a match was just as proud to bravely take   a cut to the face as they were to give one  Mensur was not a typical duel there wasn't   necessarily a winner or a loser just opportunities  to display one's character unlike in fencing the   participants didn't move back or forth in fact  dodging or evading wasn't allowed and could end   the match with dishonor the participants were  to stand their ground and remained arm's length   until the match is over which was overseen  by a referee and often a doctor [Applause]   these scars called a Smite or Schmiss in  German were so valued some even felt the   elevated amount enough to show they were good  husband material figures such as Statesman   Otto von Bismarck stated the scars  to be a sign of bravery and believed   a man's courage could be judged by  the number of scars on their cheeks   [Music] universities were where the sport  was refined in the 16th century students   were allowed to carry swords to and from school  in some German provinces to protect themselves   naturally this led to many duels this could and  did lead to fatalities regulated duels in the   17th century were introduced to help reduce these  fatalities refereed duels became safer and popular   and duel slowly evolved into a sport this sport  further exploded in popularity during peacetime   in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries with  Military Officers looking to prove themselves dueling was outlawed by the Nazi party in the  1930s Hitler had less an issue with mensur than he   did with student corporations that represented the  old aristocratic class which he despised despite   this they still took place in secret this was  a sport that was so popular for a time students   who were unable to join fraternities sometimes  gave themselves scars with a razor after the war   it remained prohibited by occupied Allied Forces  for a time as it was considered to have a military   Association the sport returned in the early 1950s  and is still practiced today with significant   improvements to safety greatly decreasing  the chance of any scars [Music] thank you all right I'm Johnny thanks for  watching till the end remember   to wear your nose armor take care  and we'll see you in the next one

Channel: Johnny Johnson

Views: 6,663,753

Keywords: academic fencing, german scars, scar, scars, johnny johnson, schlager, german swords, sword, sword fight, sword fighting, sword duel, sword dual, swords, germany history, germany, germany ww1, germany ww2, german officer, german officers, german officers war, world war 2, ww2, ww2 scar, scar ww2, german sword fight, german sword duel, german duel, german battle, ww2 battle, ww2 sword, sword ww2, ww2 swords, ww1 sword, ww1 german sword, ww2 german sword, german sword ww2

Id: komTvl6-XtI

Length: 4min 3sec (243 seconds)

Published: Mon May 08 2023