WWI Austrian?

[WildBillyT]

Hello all, new guy here. I was scouring the web for some information on my grandfather's war knife and you all seemed very knowledgeable so I thought I'd seek out your opinions.

My grandmother recently passed away and in her things I found my grandfather's war knife (as it was descirbed by her previously). He had fought for Austria/Hungary or possibly Germany in WWI.

I looked at pictures of other knives on the web and it did not look like any of them- however the sheath is an exact match of some of the German stuff out there. The knife fits perfectly into the sheath, and the colors and wear seem to match as well.

What do you guys think? Thanks.

[lithgow]

Hello-the knife appears to be a shortened kitchen carving knife-the handle is definitely non military 'weapon'-the scabbarb is a shortened 'ersatz' (substitute) type made during WW1 either for Austria-Hungary or Germany-the knife would have been ground down to fit it-usually trench knives were made from old/captured or broken bayonets as these were normally readily available -I haven't seen such a 'domestic' conversion before but trench knives aren't really my field.

[Reibert]

... the scabbarb is a shortened 'ersatz' (substitute) type made during WW1 either for Austria-Hungary or Germany-the knife would have been ground down to fit it-usually trench knives were made from old/captured or broken bayonets as these were normally readily available -I haven't seen such a 'domestic' conversion before but trench knives aren't really my field.

Hi !

This is not an "Ersatz"-scabbard !

It´s an "ordinary" German WWI scabbard, nothing more, than less ...

[lithgow]

Definitely not a standard scabbard-short ersatz type-look at the length of it.

[Reibert]

Definitely not a standard scabbard-short ersatz type-look at the length of it.

Hi, lithgow !

Thx. !

Do you have some sources regarding that "short Ersatz-scabbard´s" ?

Do you also have some images of that "short"(ened) knive´s ?

It´s very intersting !


@WildBillyT
What´s the lenght of the scabbard ?

[lithgow]

Hello-try 'Bayonets From Janzen's Notebook' 8th printing pages 94-95-these show both standard length ersatz types and short ersatz bayos and scabbards-short types have an integral frog attached by rivets to them and lack the 'ball' tip to the end of the scabbard-the above original posted photos show the rivet holes-these short types are fairly uncommon bayos.

[WildBillyT]

Thanks for the replies!!

The scabbard is 16cm or 6.25in long.

[Reibert]

Thanks for the replies!!

The scabbard is 16cm or 6.25in long.

That´s, what I wanted to know !

[Walkwolf]

It does look like a shortened kitchen knife................

[lithgow]

Several possibilities-taken from home by the soldier, scavenged from civilian home/farmhouse in the war zone or from military field kitchen-one of those field expedients that may not appear in any book or other reference-an interesting piece with provenance.