Turkish bayonet conversions

[ColdKiwi]

Hi all

 

I’m just starting out in the world of bayonet collecting and thought I’d share some recent acquisitions. Not sure if there are many of you who are interested in the Turkish converted/ersatz bayonets, but thought I’d post them up either way. 

 

I would certainly welcome any comments on these as I’m very new to the game, and  trying to build up my knowledge (albeit slowly!). 

 

- Turkish modified 98/05 with sawback and waffenfabrik marked

 

- Turkish converted Ersatz 98/05, but with sawback partially removed

 

- Turkish m98 with sawback partially ground down, and Erfurt marking

 

- Turkish converted s98 (have been told this is an m98 AA) with Erfurt maker mark and what looks like ‘02 date on spine, but this has been worn down

 

- Turkish converted Ersatz 98/05 (shortened E.B 44?)

 

Edited 8 August , 2018 by ColdKiwi

[Steve1871]

Welcome aboard ColdKiwi ! How are things down in Hobbit land?!

Steve here, been collecting 27 years and still learning.I just recently got 3 of those 98/05 Turkish cutdowns. You are off to a good start. 

Please go on line, search .  Ebayonet.com.  Otto's Site, He has a CD-rom on Turkish bayonets , more complete that anything else ever written. There are many bayonets you can get inexpensiy.Some of more common that can still be had at good price are (Brit/common wealth) P.1907 and regular 98/05 can be cheap. Good luck and hunting

[Steve1871]

I no been home to check my books, that Sawback with some of teeth part ground down, have not seen or heard of that mod. May or may not been done during war. Try asking member ZULU2006

[ColdKiwi]

Hi Steve! Things are great in middle earth!

 

Thanks for the info. I’ll definitely check out  Otto’s site to learn more. Being new to the game, I am certainly grateful for any additional pro tips regarding learning resources. 

 

I’ve got a few more modified bayonets (non-turked) that I’ll post up in a new thread too. 

[MikeyH]

Forum member Sawdoc is also a collector of the Turkish bayonet.

 

Mike.

[trajan]

On 08/08/2018 at 22:26, ColdKiwi said:

...

- Turkish modified 98/05 with sawback and waffenfabrik marked

- Turkish converted Ersatz 98/05, but with sawback partially removed

- Turkish m98 with sawback partially ground down, and Erfurt marking

- Turkish converted s98 (have been told this is an m98 AA) with Erfurt maker mark and what looks like ‘02 date on spine, but this has been worn down

- Turkish converted Ersatz 98/05 (shortened E.B 44?)

 

 

On 13/08/2018 at 11:08, MikeyH said:

Forum member Sawdoc is also a collector of the Turkish bayonet.

 

That's a nice set you have there Coldkiwi, and yes, Sawdoc probably has the largest collection of these 'Turked' bayonets among GWF members so hopefully will be up soon. Oh, and yes, Otto's CD is a great thing to have although he goes over the top (in my humble opininion) in his classification scheme for 'Turked bayonets!

 

First, though, a note on when these were done. I have been thinking they were converted during the closing years of WW1, as Turkey had adopted by then - but in limited numbers - their own short knife-type Model 1913 plus a German-made short knife-type Ersatz. But I keep seeing dated photographs from as late as 1932 of Turkish soldiers with full length S.98/05 bayonets on their rifles. So, what date to put on these 'Turked' ones? I guess they should belong to the period before 1935 at the latest by when Turkey was making its own bayonets, but other than that...

Anyway, to your examples, they are nice ones, and all with what seem to be the original but cut-down scabbards. The circular and ovoid frog studs are characteristically Turkish. The badly removed sawbacks also seems to be a Turkish thing. - I have a kS 98 like that. And a pound to a penny says that the Waffenfabrik one is spine-marked W/17! The added crossguards on nos 2, 3 and 5, look to be for use with the Turkish 1890 and 1903 rifles, that on no. 4 I am unsure - the Turkish 1887?

 

One other thing to note is that although I have tracked down German records for Gew.88 being sent to Turkey in 1916/1917, and for almost a million Waffenfabrik S.98/05 being sent there in 1917, I have not as yet found references to bayonets for the Gew.88 being sent - I assume that a bunch of Erstaz, capable of fitting the Gew.88 and 98 were sent with the Gew.rifles, nor have I found references to Gew.98 being sent with the S.98/05 bayonets!

 

Trajan