Personalized ss Czech bayo?

[popcorn]

Hi. Had this for several years and initially wrote it off as a fake(it still very well may be). Got it from a surplus shop and apparently it is a vet bring back field modified by the soldier. When I found out it was a Czech bayonet I thought it was a fantasy piece. I was recently reading about the invasion of France and they said the 3rd SS Panzer division was primarily equipped with Ex Czech weapons. The marking on the tang is E4 lion symbol 37 which I believe makes it 1937. There is another etched number on the ricasso 31256A(don't know what that would be). There is a repair done to the scabbard on the frog stud. Let me know your thoughts. Were the SS ever known to personalize items?

[KMMorris]

No chance, fake, fantasy,Not a good one my friend.
Morris

[popcorn]

Thanks guys. Back to the closet it goes LOL. Just out of curiosity, what's the give away of it being fake/fantasy? Is the skull/bayonet not period or did the SS not use these/personalize items etc.?
PS I vote for best of the worst.

[BOB COLEMAN]

The SS were issued the best available equipment. It makes no sense that an SS man would be wearing a Czech bayonet. The totenkopf is panzer, not SS. The runes on the pommel are poorly done and all of this is an example of trying to escalate price on something of lesser value. Why personalize an item used in combat that was not personal property? None of it makes any logical sense.

[popcorn]

The SS were issued the best available equipment. It makes no sense that an SS man would be wearing a Czech bayonet. The totenkopf is panzer, not SS. The runes on the pommel are poorly done and all of this is an example of trying to escalate price on something of lesser value. Why personalize an item used in combat that was not personal property? None of it makes any logical sense.

Thank you. I was just going by a couple of sites(which seem to be incorrect) stating the 3rd SS TK Panzer division were supplied Ex. Czech weapons during the France invasion as they weren't officially part of the army which had control of regular German equipment. Yes this is crudely done but I've seen examples of Theater Knives(mostly U.S.) done by the soldiers themselves that range from crude to works of art. I've always read the SS was a quite fanatical group which is why I thought they may have personalized items but I don't have the experience to know either way.

[bigmacglenn]

Those of us who have served in the military know that it is absolutely Verboten to "personalize" issued weaponry or equipment...Such items were inspected regularly, and I can assure you that the soldier wearing this would have been severely reprimanded...We often see similar low-value bayonets tarted up to deceive the buyer by adding SS Runes, Skulls, You-Name-It...
cheers, Glenn

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[Jim P]

I agree with everything that has been said. At best it was pimped by a GI post-war, at worst done by Bubba, because he thought it made it look cool and could possibly get some more money for it. I would be curious if the panzer skull is even real.

Jim

[popcorn]

Thanks again guys. I'm curious if the skull is original as well.

[lithgow]

As far a Czech weapons are concerned, Germany was highly dependant on captured weapons of all kinds from the absorbed stockpile and continued products of Czech factories-that the Armed SS were a low priority and had to accept what was available in the earlier part of the war is indicated by such very unpopular weapons as the Knorr Bremse LMG being used by them.

[PMKS]

In the early years of the war, it was not uncommon for the SS to be issued with VZ24's, G24's, ZB26, etc. There are many pictures of SS troops with the above mentioned Czech made weapons.
Stands to reason that there might be a few Czech Bayonets issued to them as well, in addition the above Czech Bayonet has been either modified for German service by having the muzzle ring removed, or was made that way for German issue after the occupation.

Just my 2cents