AROUND THE WORLD IN 140 YEARS

At the outbreak of the First World War the Imperial German Army was well equipped and ready for an early victory, but it was a long and bitter struggle that lasted for more than 4 years, in which the needs of a hard fought campaign soon became evident.

New recruits had to be trained and equipped very quickly with regulation standard or emergency weapons and equipment to replace those lost in the fighting. The bayonet was one of the greatest casualties, with thousands of replacements needed to supplement the losses of the early years.

The emergency (ersatz) bayonets were produced in unknown numbers. These were either newly made types with cast steel or brass hilts and 12 in. (305 mm) blades, or produced from a variety of bayonets from around the world. Many were captured during the Franco-Prussian war and later from the stocks of wholesalers in Belgium, Germany and the USA. Amongst these was an assortment of old socket bayonets that were completely re-hilted by the Germans. This required the socket to be completely removed, the elbow eated and reshaped to form a new blade tang, then fitted with either a cast brass or steel hilt to fit the Gewehr 88 and 98 rifles.

It is generally accepted amongst collectors that ersatz bayonets with obsolete socket blades are amongst the most rare, and in this group conversions of the British Pattern 1853 socket seem to be the most common. Many of the examples found are extremely difficult to identify. During the re-hilting process original regimental markings plus number and letter code dates are removed when the tang is formed and the blade re-shaped. It's a researchers nightmare! Nearly all the recorded bayonets seem to be issued with a the tapering thin zinc scabbard, soldered down the side seam and fitted with a throat shaped for the issued socket blade. A simple rivetted internal spring secures the bayonet in the scabbard and a small round button in brass or steel is placed to fit the belt frog. And as always with the ersatz socket types there are a few recorded exceptions: Austrian M1867 Lorenz conversion with a steel hilt - found with the original leather covered wood scabbard. Belgian M1867 Albini Braendlin conversion with a brass hilt - found with the original leather scabbard modified by adding a brass button type frog stud (private coll., France). United States M1855-63 Springfield conversion with a steel hilt and the original Austrian leather covered wood scabbard (stiched at the rear) fitted with a newly made steel top mount to accept a triangular section blade. It was the latter of the three examples that had always puzzled me. Watts and White record this bayonet and scabbard as number 375 on page 168, as the last bayonet in the section "German First World War Conversions". The photograph shows a M1867 Austrian scabbard with a strange and what appears to be ill-fitting top mount, next to an ersatz conversion of an old socket blade arked US, apart from the two dimensions there is nothing else. Was it a genuine modification to the top mount, or just made up? Before his death in 1993 John Watts sold his collection of bayonets to an Australian collector where they remained, until the Autumn of 1997 when the German part of the collection was purchased by a well known English dealer and returned to the UK. Having directly contributed to their return I was eager to finally take a look at what was the major part of the German ersatz bayonets section, shown in the famous "Bayonet Book". After some serious 'adjustment of funds' I purchased over 30 of the collection including the US stamped ersatz with the odd scabbard. The bayonet was in excellent condition with a green painted hilt (courtesy of the late Col. Dodkins who loved to paint them). The cast steel hilt (with 9 diagonal lines) and crossguard made in two separate pieces, is attached to the traightened and flattened tang by three steel rivets, with an additional rivet through the guard for support. Closer examination of the blade ricasso as revealed the small S of the Springfield Arsenal below the US stamp close to the crossguard, plus a tiny German crown above a gothic letter acceptance mark between the US and the start of the blade fuller. The US letters appear to have become quite distorted, probably caused during the heating process to form and flatten the blade tang.

Fig 2. German ersatz with steel hilt and US marked blade made at the Springfield Arsenal in a modified Austrian scabbard. Authors coll.

Fig 3. Hilt close-up, Author's collection. Figs 4. and 5. Original M1855 made at the Springfield Arsenal and the rehilted ersatz model ith US and S stamps distorted.

To my surprise the scabbard was still exactly as the photograph, and at last I could see how those clever Germans had made the socket blade fit properly. A simple steel collar with a lap joint fits in line with the rear scabbard stitching, with a cut out at the front to allow for the original frogstud. A separate oval mouthpiece stamped out to the correct shape of the blade section fits neatly inside the top mount over the wooden part of the scabbard. The top mount just needed to be carefully lifted off, some modern black tape used as packing removed, and then re-glued to the body - a perfect fit.

NOTE
Anthony Carter records two similar conversions to US socket bayonets as EB77 and EB78 in his "German Bayonets Volume III", but they show the stamp on the blade to have a full point after each letter as follows: U.S. A similar bayonet with a brass hilt and the modified Austrian scabbard is illustrated on page 169 of the "Deutsche Seitengewhere und Baionette 1740-1945" by Klaus Luebbe, bayonet number 151.

Figs 6. and 7. Modified German version and the original M1867 scabbards. Lower photo showing the rear stitching.

Fig 8. Variations of US marking. Reference page 82, American Socket Bayonets and Scabbard 'Late Robert M. Reilly'.

So how did a US marked converted socket bayonet end up fitted to a Gew. 98 during the First World War? The original socket bayonet was manufactured at the Springfield Arsenal for United States 'Union' Forces between 1855 and 1865 - due to the conversion it is impossible to state the exact model of rifle it fitted. The large US stamp would point to an early type, probably one for the 0.58 in (14.7 mm). calibre Model 1855 rifle-musket. More than one million rifle-muskets were produced most by national armouries, but a substantial number by contractors.
In 1865 the Master Armourer at Springfield E. S. Allin patented a flip breech ("trap door") conversion of the M1863 rifle, and although the calibre was eventually reduced by sleeving to 0.50 in. (12.7 mm) the barrel still carried the M1855 socket bayonet. The following year 1866 Benjamin S. Roberts patented a fully breach loading conversion, and by 1st April 1867, 30,000 of the M1855-63 Rifles in 0.58 in (14.7 mm) calibre Peabody system were converted and would also accept the M1855 socket. Note: Peabody rifles made by the Providence Tool Co. for the Swiss government were inspected by U.S. Ordnance Dept. inspectors, as were Peabody-Martinis made for the Turkish Army. It is unlikely, though possible, that any of the bayonets supplied with these rifles were stamped "U.S." There was also a Remington rolling block breech conversion (system Berdan) in 0.58 in (14.7 mm) calibre. Remington systems were furnished to Springfield Armoury in 1868 for 5000 0.50 in. (12.7 mm) calibre rifles and these would also take the M1855 socket bayonet.

On 19th July 1870 France declared war on Prussia. And although the French army was well equipped and well trained they were very surprised by the speed and efficiency of the Prussian advance. Alsace-Lorraine was lost during the first week, followed by the imperial arsenal of Mutzig. Soon after they were beaten at Gravelotte, and then defeated at Sedan by the end of the month.
Napoleon III finally surrendered on 31st August 1870, and on the 2nd of September 1870 the Republicans, determined to continue the war, formed the Third Republic - government of La Defense Nationale. From 1866 the French army had been equipped with the Chassepot rifle, and by 1870 more than one million rifles had been delivered. In spite of this the Imperial Government realised that more rifles would be needed than they could produce. Snider & Remington rifles were ordered from England and the US. This would take time, so the French Government managed to purchase Egyptian & Spanish Remington rolling block rifles, plus as much as possible that remained from the American Civil War. Fortunately the power of the French Navy meant that the French ports of Brest and Le Harve remained open to accept the safe delivery of weapons and equipment.

During the last week of August and the first of September, France received a large quantity of rifles and bayonets from the US:

282,731 unaltered M1855, M1861 & M1863 rifle muskets, including an unknown quantity of Springfields with the Roberts conversion. Most of these rifles were never issued, and remained in reserve throughout the war.

After the war Remington bought the remaining rifles via Schuyler, Hartley & Graham of New York. Germany also sold some of the rifles captured during the 1870-71 war (and presumably the bayonets) to Spain. These were later sold by Spain to Europe, then sold again to a Western State in the USA, and finally to Francis Bannerman around 1900. The large quantity of surplus arms available throughout the world gave Francis Bannerman (USA), Ancion Marks (Belgium) and Alfred Frank – ALFA (Germany) the opportunity to form an International consortium. This small and important group of arms dealers produced well illustrated and detailed catalogues of their huge stocks for sale. These catalogues included many types of rifles and bayonets from the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

At the outbreak of the First World War it is very likely that the ALFA stocks in Hamburg were requistioned by the German government, and later the Belgian stocks were captured and some of the bayonets possibly altered. Where these conversions of 19th century socket bayonets were carried out is a mystery. Some have a similar hilt style and construction to those made at Artillery Depot Altona, and very few have regimental markings. Anthony Carter records the only known conversion to a M1835 or M1842 US socket bayonet as EB77 in German Bayonets Volume III, page 165, with a regimental marking on the crossguard 106.R.9.218. (9th Company, 7th Saxon Infantry Regiment Nr.106, weapon number 218). Soon after the war, Charles Dangre produced the very first and important reference work on ersatz bayonets, and many different types are illustrated as simple line drawings. For collectors, this was the beginning of what was to prove a very diverse and interesting subject full of questions, some of which will never be answered. A leaflet printed by Francis Bannerman & Son in 1921 on the Gew 98, wrongly describes ersatz bayonets with 19th century socket blades as 'sniper' bayonets (perhaps several were found fitted on a Scharfschuetzen Gewehr 98 with a telescopic sight).
Quite a trip for such an old timer!

Who knows the true history of my bayonet? I have collected German bayonets for over 25 years and have only managed to examine 3 of these extremely rare conversions - I would love to hear from other collectors who may have

Overall length	21.8 in (555.0 mm)
Blade length	17.3 in (439.0 mm)
Blade width at crossguard	0.8 in (21.0 mm)
Scabbard length	19.5 in (496.0 mm)

(B) Carter, J.A., 'German Bayonets Volume III', Tharston Press, Norwich, 1992.

(C) Hull, E.A., 'Providence Tool Co. Military Arms', Private Pub., Milton, 1978.

(D) Janzen, J.L., 'Bayonets of the Remington Cartridge Period', Cedar Ridge Pub., Broken Arrow, 1993.

(E) Lorain, P. and Boudriot, J., 'Armes Americaines De La Defense Nationale 1870-1871', Private Pub., Paris, 1970.

(F) Reilly, R.M., 'American Socket Bayonets and Scabbards', Andrew Mowbray Inc., Lincoln, 1990.

(G) Schroeder, J.J.Jr., 'Arms of the World - 1911', Digest Books Inc., Northfield, 1972.

(I) Watts, J. and White, P., 'The Bayonet Book', Private Pub., Birmingham, 1975