GWF1967 Posted 8 January , 2017 Author Share Posted 8 January , 2017 Long ears. No flash guard, unfortunately no readable marks either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 8 January , 2017 Share Posted 8 January , 2017 Now that one is in 'relic' condition! I have never seen one that badly pitted before... Such a shame, seeing how it is a pre-1915 one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 8 January , 2017 Author Share Posted 8 January , 2017 14 hours ago, trajan said: Now that one is in 'relic' condition! I have never seen one that badly pitted before... Such a shame, seeing how it is a pre-1915 one. It's certainly had a hard life. It has been mistreated more than once, I cleaned off the "new" surface rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 4 March , 2017 Author Share Posted 4 March , 2017 This one's been treated a bit better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 5 March , 2017 Share Posted 5 March , 2017 How nice! A bit too shiny for my liking (that's the archaeologist in me!), but an excellent example of a version I don't have, a S.98/05 n.A. transitional, with the n.A. crossguard but no flashguard. And as flashguards were ordered to be fitted to all newly-made 98/05 bayonets in July 1915 and to all bayonets in service by September 1915, so this is one made before then. 1915 was a major year in 98/05 production. The decision to replace the S.98 with the 98/05 and, to a lesser extent, the S.84/98, was taken late in 1914, which is when production of the 'Ersatz' bayonets began, to make up the shortfall while factories geared up to mass-produce the 98/05 and 84/98, the aim being that production of these should exceed production of the 'Ersatz' by the beginning of July 1915. By 18th July 1915, the Bavarians had 42,740 S.98/05 compared to 88,507 'Ersatz' plus 13,057 S.14 (which are a more 'dignified' type of 'Ersatz'!) and a mere 3,523 S.98 - and had also received 10,000 84/98. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 5 March , 2017 Author Share Posted 5 March , 2017 4 hours ago, trajan said: How nice! A bit too shiny for my liking (that's the archaeologist in me!), but an excellent example of a version I don't have, a S.98/05 n.A. transitional, with the n.A. crossguard but no flashguard. And as flashguards were ordered to be fitted to all newly-made 98/05 bayonets in July 1915 and to all bayonets in service by September 1915, so this is one made before then. 1915 was a major year in 98/05 production. The decision to replace the S.98 with the 98/05 and, to a lesser extent, the S.84/98, was taken late in 1914, which is when production of the 'Ersatz' bayonets began, to make up the shortfall while factories geared up to mass-produce the 98/05 and 84/98, the aim being that production of these should exceed production of the 'Ersatz' by the beginning of July 1915. By 18th July 1915, the Bavarians had 42,740 S.98/05 compared to 88,507 'Ersatz' plus 13,057 S.14 (which are a more 'dignified' type of 'Ersatz'!) and a mere 3,523 S.98 - and had also received 10,000 84/98. Many thanks for the input trajan, always appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 7 March , 2017 Share Posted 7 March , 2017 On 3/5/2017 at 19:01, GWF1967 said: Many thanks for the input trajan, always appreciated. Happy to help! I find the subject of bayonets used by Germany in WW1 a fascinating one, especially when looking at the varieties available just for the Gew.98. Why they never simplified matters after they found out how useless the S.98 was for trench warfare, it beats me why they never started to make one basic model for general use - the 84/98 being the best choice, in my humble opinion. Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 14 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 14 January , 2018 A butchered butcher. No flash-guard; Grips, grip screws,ears, pommel stud and all but one mark ground down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 14 January , 2018 Share Posted 14 January , 2018 I have seen worse...!!! This has been jazzed up as a dress sidearm, I reckon, with the grips ground flat along with the press-stud... Nothing visible really of any riccaso marks, but the apparent lack of anything above the fraktur mark (no year mark, no crown and initial) suggests to me that it is one of the minor makers - can't remember who, off-hand, but I think some of the, for example, Frister ones were like that, just the inspector's mark and nothing else. What really is needed is a comprehensive study of fraktur marks (as with mint-marks on Roman coins...!) as that would help tie things down to some extent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 3 March , 2019 Author Share Posted 3 March , 2019 New find. Gottlieb Hammersfahr pyramid mark, also stamped Durkopp Weke A.G. W. ?5 on the spine, other edge marked O W. Fractur on the pommel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 3 March , 2019 Share Posted 3 March , 2019 On 14/01/2018 at 19:20, GWF1967 said: A butchered butcher. No flash-guard; Grips, grip screws,ears, pommel stud and all but one mark ground down. Meant to get back to this, and will try to do so later (Monday and Tuesday classess to prepare) But that is a 'C' or an 'E', just possibly a 'G', which might help me go further... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 3 March , 2019 Share Posted 3 March , 2019 3 hours ago, GWF1967 said: New find. Gottlieb Hammersfahr pyramid mark, also stamped Durkopp Weke A.G. W. ?5 on the spine, other edge marked O W. Fractur on the pommel. Nice find! Not a common marking! I would go for 16 - the curve of the '6' is there, and Durkopp is not known to have made any 98/05 in 1915. There are known examples from 1917 that combine these marks. I guess the other marks are inspection marks of some kind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zuluwar2006 Posted 3 March , 2019 Share Posted 3 March , 2019 4 hours ago, trajan said: Nice find! Not a common marking! I would go for 16 - the curve of the '6' is there, and Durkopp is not known to have made any 98/05 in 1915. There are known examples from 1917 that combine these marks. I guess the other marks are inspection marks of some kind "O" marking was used for rejected blades. Since this bayonet was made after September 1915, we can assume that cause of rush and tremendous needs for bayonets, even the rejected blades certified for use by the official debots. That is why the "W" marking at the end. A very rare specimen with lot of history on it. Regards D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 3 March , 2019 Share Posted 3 March , 2019 That makes sense D. I was wondereing why the 'W' was almost if not exactly identical to the regular 'W' for Wilhelm mark. So, perhaps an '18' not a '16'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 3 March , 2019 Author Share Posted 3 March , 2019 8 hours ago, trajan said: Nice find! Not a common marking! I would go for 16 - the curve of the '6' is there, and Durkopp is not known to have made any 98/05 in 1915. There are known examples from 1917 that combine these marks. I guess the other marks are inspection marks of some kind 4 hours ago, zuluwar2006 said: "O" marking was used for rejected blades. Since this bayonet was made after September 1915, we can assume that cause of rush and tremendous needs for bayonets, even the rejected blades certified for use by the official debots. That is why the "W" marking at the end. A very rare specimen with lot of history on it. Regards D. Many thanks for the comments and information folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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