Original German WWII Fireman's Short Dress Sawback Bayonet with Painted Handle, Scabbard, Frog, and Troddel Knot

Original Item: Only One Available. The K-98 dress bayonet was a dress version of the combat style, and was worn by enlisted and NCO personnel for dress and parade occasions. This also included civic organizations such as Police and Feuerschutzpolizei (Fire Protection Police) units. The bayonets were finished with a high-quality nickel plating, with often custom grip plates and black enamel painted scabbards. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, being nickel-plated short (20cm) or long (25cm) version. There was usually a red or green colored felt insert in the rifle slot and the bayonet was suspended from a black or brown leather frog. Some had a functional bayonet latch, while it was ornamental on some, and others such as this example had no latch at all.

This Fireman's Bayonet is in excellent condition throughout, and is the 7 3/4-inch blade "short" version with a very rare to find sawback style blade. We have only ever had two sawback examples previously out of all the fireman's bayonets we have had previously, one long and one short. It comes complete with its original black enameled scabbard, black leather frog, and a lovely patinated fireman's troddel knot. The hilt on the blade was originally nickel plated, however at some point it was painted black, over what looks to be a red primer coat. This type of finish was typical during the WWII period, however we unfortunately have no way to confirm when the bayonet was painted. It shows wear through on the corners as one would expect from use. The handle has the typical "S" shape crossguard used on the Fireman issue bayonet. The grip plates are the checkered black Bakelite type, in excellent condition and retained by solid nickel alloy rivets with dressed obverse heads, which show some light oxidation.

The blade is in very good condition, still retaining most of the nickel plating, however at some point the main and false edges were sharpened, and definitely not at arsenal, as the work is rather crude. We assume this was done post war, or when it was captured by Allied forces. The sawback spine is still quite sharp, showing only light use, so it should be handled with care. The original leather blade buffer is still present against the crossguard, though it is a bit stiff. There is no maker mark on the blade, which is not uncommon, as retailers would purchase unmarked blanks directly from the factories.

The scabbard is quite nice and still has over 90% of the original black enamel paint, with some scratches through the enamel on both sides. There are no dents, and just light wear, and we can see a bit of age crazing in the finish, showing that it has not been refinished. The body is held by the included early pattern black leather frog with aluminum rivets, which is in very good service used condition. Wrapped around it is a fireman's troddel knot, with a leather strap with three lines of metal thread, and a gold and carmine red colored end knot, correct for a member of the fire service.

A lovely example of a rare "sawback" fireman's short dress bayonet with a painted handle, sharpened for use. Complete with scabbard, frog, and troddel knot, this bayonet is ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 7 7/8"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 12 3/4“
Crossguard: 2 7/8”
Scabbard Length: 8 7/8"