German, Scarce to have bayonets unit marked?

[Steve1871]

People say scarce to find war time unit marked bayonets. From my collecting and seeing adverts and everything on GWF here. I find it odd that with both, S98 “ quill and Saw.  And the 98/05, both created before the Great War, both war time and earlier made bayonets were used during the war, but the vast majority of the S98 “ quill” found, are the unit marked, but the majority of 98/05 do not have unit markings. 
 

Anybody have a theory why this would be?

[AndyBsk]

Personally i would tend to easy explain, the S98 were produced mainly in 1900-1908 period, so certainly a normal peace time, so properly marked pieces, the S98/05aA were in that time mainly used only by Pioneers and some technical branches prior 1914 so too unit marked, which changes post 1915 when the S98/05nA replaced the S98 as major weapon of normal Infantry, so the unit as were changed more time are in war time mainly stamped in non fighting positions, not by front units more by training and school units, by Rekruten Depots and various others.

Edited 3 October , 2020 by AndyBsk

[Steve1871]

On the S98, a lot were unit marked with units in action during war, same with the 98/05

[Tom K]

It is scarce to find war time made german bayonets with unit marks.

 

The S98 quill-back and saw-back were not made during wartime (well OK - a few were made in August of 1914), so as Andy wrote, the S98 and S98/05aA (and other prewar designs) were marked in accordance with peacetime regulations and it is not unusual to find them with unit marks.

The S98/05 nA was a wartime product and thus a majority of them are unmarked. The same goes for the other wartime bayonet designs - the S84/98 nA, S14, S15, various ersatz designs.

 

[AndyBsk]

As unsuitable for trench usage, were S98 long quickly after 1914 war experiences  moving from trenches  and send to training units and school or stamm units, that prepared soldiers for war in safety area, so there was no problem to add a war time units on that bayonets. Most real even in 1915 were some units stamped, but with following war combat and various changes in numbering and structure of war, same as for hidding the real units by capturing were not stamped since middle 1915 probably. In German Reich area this was not this case.

[Steve1871]

It was mixed feelings in trench war, many in the trenches likes the longer reach of the S98  in thrusting into or out of trenches in attack/ defense since the French still had their long bayonets . They were a nuisance a bit when walking around in trenches and getting under cover

[Tom K]

It was thin weak and prone to breakage - just like the French bayonets it was designed to counter - its scabbard was even worse - this was recognized by the Germans before the war started: Production of the S98 was being run down in favour of the S98/05 from around 1910 or so -ceasing entirely in August of 1914.

 

T.K.

[Steve1871]

Thanks Tom, 
I need to get a few unit marked 98/05’s for my collection. Both are fun to collect, and not too expensive. S98aAmS ! Regular aA. Later ones and all those Regimental markings, even regular, such as Machinegun and ersatz troops, and more, I only have 4 98/05, none unit marked that I remember. SOMEDAY 😊

[Tom K]

Well you've set yourself a quest that's for sure Steve. They are fun to collect I agree  - I have about a dozen pre and ww1 German bayonets in my collection - but I only have 1 with unit marks - in this case only Company and Weapon number.

 

Good luck with the hunt!

 

T.K.

Edited 7 October , 2020 by Tom K

[trajan]

A quick look at Carter gives about 100 or so 98/05 aA unit-marked from 1915 or earlier, and about 5-10 98/05 nA, marked examples of 1915+. IF I had time I could look at all my other files, but I don't have time right now with on-line teaching AND supervising the bots 'at-hom schooling'.... The 1909 regulations specified no unit-marking in war time, but that rule was not always obeyed...