Italian bayonets 1915-18

[jscott]

Hi all

Following my wife's ban on me reading any more books relating to the Western Front (for a while at least) I recently read "The White War" by Mark Thompson, which is a fabulous book on the Italian Front from 1915-1918. Highly recommended. I knew very little about this part of the war until I read this book and it is absolutely fascinating, I would love to visit the Isonzo at some point.

Anyway, bringing the thread back into the realm of "Arms", as a bayonet collector I would be very interested to know what bayonets the Italians were using during this period. I presume that they used the 1891 carcano, but did they also use earlier bayonets (ie the 1871 model)? And given the Carcano was used over such an extended period, are there any features particular to the bayonet/ scabbard that would identify an example as having been used during WW1?

There doesn't appear to be a lot of information online about this (that I can find anyway).

Any thoughts would be much appreciated...

Thanks, J

[Garron]

On my list I have,

M71

M71/87

M70/87/16

M91

and M91 Truppe Special (This has a strange side locking system)

Im not sure how to ID a WW1 example so I bought a very battered M91-TS as they were only made up to the 1920's

Gaz

[shippingsteel]

On my last trip to the gun show I came across an excellent reference book on Italian bayonets, which needless to say I grabbed (unfortunately written in Italian)

Luckily its got plenty of nice pictures and covers the whole range from early history right through, any sections of special interest to me I translate when I get the time.

Its probably one of the best and most detailed bayonet books that I have ever seen, and goes to great lengths to illustrate the various versions and varieties of each.

The book is "Baionette Italiane 1814-1991" by Cesare Calamandrei and I would recommend it to anyone ... err, especially the fluent Italian speakers (and readers.!)

But if anyone is interested in the Italian bayonets and has any particular question on a certain 'modelissimo' I will have a look through and try to find the correct answer.

There were quite a few types of bayonets used by the Italians during the GW and many were older styles that were converted and rushed into service to fill shortages.

Basically there were the M1870 group of long bayonets and their shortened versions, plus a special short cruciform variety that was issued to the Truppe d'Africa.

Then we have the M1891 types in newly made and converted varieties, which also included the interesting side fixing TS for the Truppe Speciali, plus a few epees.

It's very difficult to work out the dating on the M1891 bayonets (thats partly why I got the book) and I can't say I have got far enough with it yet to be able to say for sure.

Cheers, S>S

[jscott]

Thanks guys, sounds like a more difficult question to answer definitively that I had thought. As you both say, it sounds like the Italians used a mix of M91s and previous models and I guess to some extent its just a matter of assessing each example on the basis of its markings/ scabbards etc. The book sounds like a good find S>S, yet another one for me to keep an eye out for!