94 - Prussia, sawback bayonet, bayonet 98/05 with saw back, Erfurt rifle factory, with leather scabbard

Prussia, sawback bayonet, bayonet 98/05 with saw back, Erfurt rifle factory, with leather scabbard Steel, wood and leather. Bayonet 98/05 old pattern with saw back, also called sawback bayonet, for the Gewehr 98. Sturdy blade with fuller on both sides, saw teeth on the back and double-edged point. Crossguard with end bent hook-like toward the grip, wooden grip scales with oblique grooves and two round heads, pommel with mounting slot and push button. Black leather scabbard with longitudinal seam, throat with frog hook and chape. At the blade root the maker's mark crown over "ERFURT". Leather scabbard shrunk, blade pitted. L. 51 cm, blade length 36.5 cm. The bayonet 98/05 was introduced in the Prussian army in 1905 as a replacement for the bayonet 98/02 with the pioneers and the transport troops. Because of the blade widening toward the point, the model is also called "Butcher" in the English-speaking world. In September 1915 the new pattern with flash guard on the back of the grip replaced the old pattern. The saw back, which only a small proportion of the blades received, served the pioneers as a tool for sawing wood and stakes; at the end of 1917 the grinding off of the saws was ordered, except for the pioneers. The Royal Prussian Rifle Factory Erfurt began operation in 1862 and assembled bayonets from parts supplied by Solingen until 1915; its arsenal mark is the crown over the place name.