Page "Sword" Paragraph 60

Swords continued in use, but were increasingly limited to military commissioned officers ' and non-commissioned officers ' ceremonial uniforms, although most armies retained heavy cavalry until well after World War I.

For example, the British Army formally adopted a completely new design of cavalry sword in 1908, almost the last change in British Army weapons before the outbreak of the war.

At the outbreak of World War I, in August 1914, infantry officers in all combatant armies still carried swords as part of their field equipment.

The high visibility and limited practical use of the weapon however led to it being abandoned within weeks, although most mounted cavalry continued to carry sabres throughout the War.

In China troops used the long anti-cavalry Miao dao well into the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The last units of British heavy cavalry switched to using armoured vehicles as late as 1938.

Swords and other dedicated melee weapons were used occasionally by many countries during World War II, but typically as a secondary weapon as they were outclassed by coexisting firearms.