A very nice WW1 German Ersatz Bayonet and Frog to a Prussian NCO, still retaining its original NCO’s Bayonet Knot and dating to the second half of the conflict.
From 1917 onwards German NCOs no longer carried the traditional sawback bayonet as these were withdrawn from the front that year and replaced.
The Bayonet is one of the scarcer Ersatz types with a ribbed handle, most examples encountered having a plain one.
The blade is in good bright condition overall with the very tip having been depot resharpened, this clearly period done as the sharpened point shows service wear in keeping with the remainder of the Bayonet. Such reconditioning was a very common occurrence by the German Army in WW1, all the more so in the latter part of the war. The spine of the blade bears a good German Army inspection mark where the blade meets the handle.
The locking stud on the pommel works perfectly, and the Bayonet scabbard itself nicely retains approximately 90% of its field grey paintwork.
The Frog is the S84/98 type with steel rivets as manufactured from 1915 onwards, this the most commonly used type with Ersatz Bayonets. The one here is in good condition, and black as per German Army Regulations of 1916. It does not appear to be marked though of course there may be unseen markings to be found beneath the folds of the Bayonet Knot’s wrapped band.
The Bayonet Knot is the rare black and white type for Prussian NCOs. This example being an even rarer mid-war simplified version with plain grey wool “ball” and inverted chevron single piece “stem” seen from March 1916. (The non-simplified version having a black and white flecked ball and a two piece stem).
Materials-saving simplified versions of the German NCO’s Bayonet Knot were manufactured for less than a year. In January 1917 due to the lack of materials increasing exponentially production of Bayonet Knots was halted altogether never to return. Whatever stocks left in inventory continued to be issued however and this lasted for a few more months. Any NCO already issued a Bayonet Knot thus inevitably wore his to destruction as there were no replacements of these.
Surviving examples of German NCO Bayonet Knots tend therefore to be found on Allied “souvenired” Bayonets as is no doubt the case here. Due to the simplified version of the NCO Knot being both manufactured for a short time, and then it being less “good looking” than the non-simplified version, it was very infrequently brought back by Allied soldiers; hence the rarity now.
A scarce Bayonet set. UK shipping only to persons of 18 years or older
