Opinions please
- Thread starter Humbarger
- Start date
I believe that these marks are from a tropical frog, but I also believe that remaining tropical frogs would have been issued until they were used up, perhaps until the end of the war. These marks shouldn't increase the value of the bayonet one bit, except when the frog comes with the bayonet. Tropical equipment was used on other fronts also, not only in North Afrika.
Last edited:
The rub marking below the frog stud could certainly be from a frog... although I don't know if it could be attributed to a specific variant. Rub markings tend to be on the sides of the scabbard (where the frog may be the tightest) running parallel to it. Over time, abrasives like dirt, sand, etc. often collect between the scabbard and inside of the frog, which increases wear. In addition, the bottom edge of the frog pouch (both sides) will create a somewhat straight line on the back side of the scabbard and a arced one on the front side, which is the demarcation point of maximum travel of the scabbard while riding in the frog. Lastly, the "tropical" web frog was initially for use in a Mediterranean environment. German forces in North Afrika likely initiated more widespread usage of this frog. As the war continued and leather became a scarcer commodity, webbing was used on a much wider scale to compensate. This also prompted experimentation with other ersatz materials like "Prestoff" (laminated paper & leather), rubber-impregnated webbing, etc.
AndyB
Senior Member
Question is the date? of scabbard from the rough mashining probably a 43 date would be real, so most real Afrika could be probably used only few months, as mentioned by others web frog were used on all south areas so Ukraine, Balkan, Greece, Italy or other similar countries are on the list. later probably used on all fronts.b.r.Andy
