Hi, RaP:

The drawing of the colichemarde is very close to my sword, but the foible of the blade in the drawing looks round, while mine has a triangular blade. The triangular structure makes the blade very strong; I believe it was designed for skewering an opponent, and for rapid extraction to allow the wielder to continue pressing his attack.

I also possess a rather delapidated 17-century Spanish rapier, also inherited. (The metal parts are fine, but the wooden grips on the handle have dried out and mostly fallen away, leaving the wire wrapping sort of, you know, just hanging there.) It is a long, strong weapon with a bell guard, long stout quillons, and a sturdy knucklebow made to accommodate heavy gauntlets; it also has a nice motto engraved on the blade (very snazzy). No, it does not bend much. The wear on the blade indicates that it saw considerable service.

I differ with you on your analysis of sabre development, but only slightly. The British Army's 1908-pattern sabre is almost identical to the 1913 U.S. weapon, but no one would call it the acme of sabre development because it is really a mounted infantryman's sword, designed for maximum effect against men on foot or prone on the ground rather than other horsemen.

I started fencing at 14, back in the Stone Age when women fenced only with foils. Fortunately, I belonged to a club with many European members who thought that a silly restriction, and I had my first sabre lessons at 16 from an elderly Austrian professor with duelling scars all over his face.