shippingsteel Posted 24 June , 2012 Share Posted 24 June , 2012 As seen recently on eebay - this unusual looking Seitengewehr 98/05 mit sage ... [iNSERT thick German accent HERE] "Mein Gott.!! The Tommies ... dey haf ze 'hooked quillons' ... vee must DOOO sum-think" Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jscott Posted 25 June , 2012 Share Posted 25 June , 2012 Goodness - I wonder how that happened! Presumably it would take some serious pressure to bend the quillon like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 13 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2012 Actually, all jokes aside - this type of German bayonet is in my mind the equivalent of the much sought after British "hookie" - early, scarce and relatively infamous. To the technically minded this model is the Seitengewehr 98/05 'alter Art' mit sage and it matches the hookie characteristics of being pre-war and much modified. You seldom see these earlier German bayonets as many did not survive the war or the later modifications. Rest assured this example has found itself a good home.! Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 13 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2012 The markings indicate Prussian acceptance in 1911 with the capital W standing for the Kaiser Wilhelm. Also note the 'high ears' of the partial muzzle-ring which means this is the earlier model of the S98/05's. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 13 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2012 And showing that this was manufactured by Simson & Co. Early dated sawbacks versions are quite scarce from this maker. Also note the very small acceptance marking on the bolthead - every piece of the early bayonets were rigorously inspected. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 13 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2012 And this example also shows signs of still being around for use during the war, with some 1915 'sharpening' modifications having been done to the tip. The original S98/05's were made without a 'false edge' to the top of the blade. Wartime experience quickly showed this to be a deficiency in the design. So in 1915 it was ordered in the regulations that all S98/05 bayonets in service were to have this extra sharpening to the point, to 'improve penetration'. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 13 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2012 Then later in the war more modifications were often made to these 'sawback' bayonets, in response to the British propaganda campaign. It was ordered that the saw portions of the blades were to be removed, or alternatively the bayonets only issued to 'rear-echelon' troops. So the 'infamous' saws were ground off, leaving these bayonets in the shape shown below, meaning they could still be used in the lines. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jscott Posted 14 July , 2012 Share Posted 14 July , 2012 Some very nice bayonets there S>S, and lovely clear markings on the aA sawback. I agree that the 98/05 sawbacks are a classic bayonet, especially in the early "high ears" format like yours. There are a huge number of variations to these bayonets when you scratch beneath the surface (including all the wartime variations) - I just picked up a few myself - a sawback removed dated 1914, but with the ears ground down, a flash guard added and the false edge ground (and the scabbard still showing some of the wartime feldgrau), and a 1916 nA version with a scarce Bavarian regimental marking on the crossguard (5th Regiment). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 14 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 14 July , 2012 Sounds like you're finding some very handy examples yourself. Yes any prewar dated Brit or German bayonet that saw use during the war is a 'classic' IMHO. Simply going on numbers that were made as opposed to the later mass production during the war, they are a much scarcer item - and then you have survival rate ... As you noted above, clear markings are one of the things that I insist upon in my collection, as without the markings you have no 'history', and its all about history.! Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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