~ German WW1 S98/05 Butchers Blade Bayonet And Scabbard By Horsil ~
This is a 1917 example with the muzzle flash guard above the grips.
The ricasso is stamped E. & F. HORSIL SOLINGEN and W 17 on the spine flat.
~ WWI German Army S98/05 Butcher Bayonet History ~
The bayonet is typical of the early version in that it has U shaped vestigial muzzle ring and no flash/heat guard. The bayonet relied on the length of its hilt mounting to fix the blade to its rifle. At the beginning of WWI, it was found that the S98/05 had a problem when used with the K98 rifle. The shorter barrel on this rifle caused burning and damage to the grips because the barrel finished before the U muzzle ring. In 1915, it was decided to fit a steel flash guard to the back of the hilt to protect the grips and lots of earlier bayonets were converted. Those converted became S98/05aA, whilst the new pattern became the S98/05nA. This example was made in 1915 by ERFURT (Prussian acceptance mark), Solingen. The early type scabbard is made of leather, with the top and bottom fittings, made of steel (later the scabbard was all made of steel). The retaining frog stud has been filed down, for some reason.
The bayonet became infamous for its butcher’s style blade. This was seized upon by Allied propaganda as an example of the German soldier’s barbarity. The sawback was, in fact, a tool to cut wood and was only issued to NCOs and Engineers. However, the German Command decreed that the saw edges should be ground down and surviving intact blades are rare.
~ Condition ~
The bayonet is in excellent order, there is minor loss of wood around one of the bolt holes.
The scabbard is free from dents and dings, it has surface rust, loss of black paint and sheaths the scabbard sweetly.
~ Dimensions ~
The bayonet has a total length of 49.5 cm (19.25 inches) with a 35 cm (14.25 inches) blade. The set weighs 0.795 Kg.
ref. GS0368D2C ASA00X43LP6YU01
