Danger Dave's post is close to my understanding- though I believe the overall length of the Japanese sword was reduced from
nodachi to the current
katana's size at the same time the mounting of the sword changed.
As is often the case, I do not agree with Skorzeny, though I do not know that I can say he is wrong.
If I carried a manual weapon, I would be happy with a bastard sword for daily "reactive" carry. On the battlefield, my first preference for hand-to-hand would be a spear. If forced to use a sword, on foot, I would be happy with an old-style Claymore, or any good Japanese sword.
In the art I study, everytime we review staff, we are reminded that the staff is a
weak weapon (at least, compared to the sword). As such, the staff user must always be ready to open the distance, as the user of a sharp has but to touch him to wound. None of the personal students of
Unsui Sensei has yet been able to defeat him using staff versus sword.