Third Party Press

Minty cof44 Y block, the last of them.

CanadianAR

CanadianAR

Canadian Grizzly Eh
Staff member
Final letter block of WW2, cof44, nice Bakelite grips. Makes an 44sgx look finely finished!

Looks to be hand ground just to remove edges. Blade is typical rough grind. Scabbard has nasty welds. Love it. Not a single Waa to be seen. Maybe under the grips but doubtful.

Finishes off my cof section. One in wood and one in Bakelite but these Eickhorn are so cool it’s doubtful I can turn a good one down.
 

Attachments

  • F17ED572-B27F-43D8-BF68-799150F3F935.jpg
    F17ED572-B27F-43D8-BF68-799150F3F935.jpg
    276.5 KB · Views: 79
  • 57CAC84B-D0D2-408A-BF6D-0792731CBA7B.jpg
    57CAC84B-D0D2-408A-BF6D-0792731CBA7B.jpg
    276.9 KB · Views: 65
  • 2E595E77-DB06-47B6-B787-7095D0BC7EFB.jpg
    2E595E77-DB06-47B6-B787-7095D0BC7EFB.jpg
    302.1 KB · Views: 75
  • DCB4C4CB-8A44-4993-83D2-2DC392DA2AE5.jpg
    DCB4C4CB-8A44-4993-83D2-2DC392DA2AE5.jpg
    282.1 KB · Views: 63
  • D44F39F0-5BF5-45B3-B1BB-25FC346EFA7E.jpg
    D44F39F0-5BF5-45B3-B1BB-25FC346EFA7E.jpg
    260.3 KB · Views: 72
  • D7B0D010-E510-494A-BFF8-C30B5FEDDC1E.jpg
    D7B0D010-E510-494A-BFF8-C30B5FEDDC1E.jpg
    288.9 KB · Views: 78
  • 71AB8426-5059-4565-8E63-FEF8C1275F03.jpg
    71AB8426-5059-4565-8E63-FEF8C1275F03.jpg
    283.1 KB · Views: 78
Matching Y block are quite hard to find. Not sure how you would upgrade this one. Thanks for posting ....
 
Very nice bayonet. Doubt you can upgrade this one. Your a lucky guy to get that one.


SVW1945
 
Pic #4 really says a lot. Love it and would be proud to own such a piece. As others said probably impossible to upgrade this one.
 
I’d assume this was made well into 45 and they just didn’t make a code change. Look at Gustloff. Many rifles made in 45 only a handful marked bcd45
 
swjXE said:
I love this bayo but my dream is the cof 45.
Click to expand...

The only known cof45 are cof44 that are overstamped with a 5 over the 4. This was a relatively common practice with Eickhorn over their years of production. Less that 5 examples of the '45 overstamps are recorded.


CanadianAR said:
I’d assume this was made well into 45 and they just didn’t make a code change. Look at Gustloff. Many rifles made in 45 only a handful marked bcd45
Click to expand...

It is possible that the last couple of letter blocks for Eickhorn were finished in 1945 without changing the date/code dies. And continuing the serial numbering from 1944 onward. It certainly happened in K98k production and may have occurred with bayonets as well. As indicated above, some where apparently overstamped with the date correction but that practice may have been haphazard or simply eliminated. "Made well into '45" is probably inaccurate as the last known cof44 bayonets are in the lower third of the Y block. With Eickhorn typically manufacturing thousands of bayonets a week as well as the January/February bombings of Solingen research indicates production would have been for only a short period in 1945. This also corresponds with the serial number information for the other confirmed makers of bayonets in Solingen during 1945 (Hörster and Paul Weyersberg).
 
Good to know. I probably chose my words poorly, I should have said “made certainly into 45”

Perhaps you can clarify with your research. There was an order given to stop bayonet production, but they clearly didn’t. We’re the factories supposed to do something else? Or just go home and hide from the Reds? Is there any indication of them making a substitute product?
 
CanadianAR said:
There was an order given to stop bayonet production, but they clearly didn’t. We’re the factories supposed to do something else? Or just go home and hide from the Reds? Is there any indication of them making a substitute product?
Click to expand...

There was an order to cease S84/98 and S42 production in early November of 1944. It roughly falls in line with the introduction of the Kriegsmodell K98ks and other weapons being manufactured without bayonet lugs. Production of combat knives (Infanteriemesser 42 and other Kampfmesser) was to continue. Many/most of the Solingen firms also manufactured other items for the war effort, weapon parts, machined components, etc. For whatever reasons the order was obviously ignored; at least to some extent. The heavy allied bombing attacks on Solingen beginning in early November of '44 also seriously impacted production capability from that time to the end.
 
As Slash mentioned correctly the production of S84/98 was phased out, by majority of producers, i personally never saw a cof44 to 45 but is possible to exist, as this is typical Eickhorn practice, question when was ordered new date stamp, as in late 1944 should have great troubles with delivering material per ally bombing.
This is probably normal by other producer that in late december prepared blanks were finished in new year even have a old date stamp. It depend on maker and location.
similar was long time mentioned a 45cvl, but to this time i never saw one. Only unfinished bym 5 were reported and 45 crs and sgx nothing more. Eickhorn should made a large third contract of S42 in late 1944, so S84/98 were probably not a primary weapon anyway. Cof is well known on MG parts delivery.
 
Great find! Love the late rough ground pieces. Any idea why the grip screws are reversed? Could it have been put together that way? They don't look messed with.
 
Good eyes Andy, certainly only partly visible on photos, countersunk is on wrong side, i assume it was done postwar probably.
 
The nuts are not lined up either so I assumed it had been apart once before. I haven’t touched it. I might put it back but I might just leave it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Military Rifle Journal
Back
Top