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Grandfather's bayonet

R

ReiseReise

Well-known member
Although my grandfather's Kar98 was stolen many years ago, his bayonet remains in our possession. I did some research on the Waffenamt and other markings, and everything seems to be in order, but with the scabbard being 1938 and the blade of the bayonet being "37" (which I assume means 1937?), does this suggest the scabbard is not original to the bayonet? I know they've been together "forever", i.e. since at least the end of the war, but whether this means they're original for each other or he just needed a replacement and grabbed a spare available during the war, I wasn't sure. Either way, they've been together so long I think most would agree that they officially belong together :happy0180:.

I was kind of surprised to see two WaA on the hilt, but perhaps the one wasn't "deep" enough to count?

Any comments or markings clarifications are most welcome from the experts!













 
Shame about your rifle being pinched but glad you still have the bayonet and its a nice one too.I agree with you that its matching as i have a k98 bayonet that my grandad brought back and that is a missmatch but 100% came from the same german!
 
In my case, the German it came from IS my grandfather (he was in the Kriegsmarine); that's what makes it especially sad about the rifle, as it was HIS rifle, not just a bring-back.

I don't know much about the bayonets, but his doesn't look like it's been sharpened (which is good since they were never meant to be knives) and the finish, although greasy, is quite solid.
 
The pictures are made probably in flashlight so the blueing had very strange color, but could be real, the piece is a E.Pack und Soehne, Solingen made in late 1937, the scabbard is different maker as seen Coppel GmbH and made in 1938, it could be mixed by the Grandfather when captured.Doubble proof on pommel are normal. b.r.Andy
 
I apologize for the poor lighting, I took the pics with my phone.

The colour is a dark brownish-black; on exposed surfaces, there's a lot of grease/dirt. Opa likely stored the bayonet in his workshop which would not have been the cleanest area :). The grips blend in perfectly, colour-wise, to the rest of the hilt.

I couldn't find a WaA on the scabbard.
 
Very interesting, is there any story you can share behind how he was able to keep his rifle & bayo and if he had much trouble bringing them into Canada? I know servicemen returning had a hard time coming back with rifles, so most just stuck with sneaking in pistols.
 
ReiseReise said:
In my case, the German it came from IS my grandfather (he was in the Kriegsmarine); that's what makes it especially sad about the rifle, as it was HIS rifle, not just a bring-back.

I don't know much about the bayonets, but his doesn't look like it's been sharpened (which is good since they were never meant to be knives) and the finish, although greasy, is quite solid.[/QUOT
that sucks twice as much with it being his rifle!my grandad was a Royal navy gunner on 20mm AA.It would be interesting to know how your grandad managed to hide then keep his rifle.
Click to expand...
 
Dark brownish black is not very good color for german finish it should be dark blue tone,but it could be visible on daylight by removing the old oil and vaseline covers. b.r.Andy
WaA253 should be on ball finial but it could be removed in years.
 
I'll ask my dad if he knows how Opa came about getting his Kar98 and bayonet to Canada (the bayonet probably wasn't too tough). Maybe he got it second-hand when in Canada, but that wasn't my impression.

The colour is very consistent and very deep, but it doesn't look very blue to me. Likely decades of dirt and grease have changed the colour slightly The blade's finish is very nice and consistent (having been protected forever), but even it isn't blue.
 
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