This bayonet started life as a sawback Pioneer bayonet, which then had the saw teeth carefully ground off when, in 1917/18, the German authorities began to react to Allied discomfort at the use of sawback bayonets against European troops.

Perhaps the most original of all the ersatz Mauser bayonets of WW1, having a genuine double function as both knife and bayonet. It is also light for carrying. These were only made by Deutsche Maschinenfabrik A-G, Duisberg. Apart from the maker/patent stamps, there is a German Army acceptance stamp on the edge of the forte.

This is a private purchase example. The issue bayonet was made of steel throughout, with the exception of walnut grips, and normally had a leather scabbard with iron mounts. This all-steel scabbard is an issue example, the throat being stamped with a crown and the remains of a royal monogram underneath.