Versuchskampfmesser Bundeswehr

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I recently bought this Versuchskampfmesser / "experimental combat knife" from the Bundeswehr at auction.

These knives, which are attributed to the manufacturer Eickhorn, Solingen, appear from time to time on internet auction sites, stock exchanges, flea markets, and from private hands, but are still not uninteresting.

This Bundeswehr experimental combat knife is based on the Bayonet G3.
It is said to have been tested in 1988 and '89 at the Kampftruppenschule I in Hammelburg, (Combat Troop School I in Hammelburg), but it failed and was recognized as not usable by troops. ...

All in all, this model of a combat knife did not become established in the Bundeswehr (like some other experimental models), and it was never introduced !

A weak point of the knife (among others ! ...) are the thin plastic tabs on the attachment to the belt or MOLLE.

The plastic sheath of this knife does not have a drainage hole.
A fellow collector has such a "trial knife" which is provided with such a drainage hole.
I don't know whether it was put into the scabbard by the soldier himself or because of the production process.
In any case, my four Bundeswehr "trial combat knives" of this model do not have any such hole in the sheath.

The sheaths of these knives are marked with a Number and letter combination.
One assumes either a year code or the number of the mold.

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The snap fastener of the locking strap is stamped with:
STOCKO

This abbreviation probably stands for the company STOCK & CO., Sonnborn, founded on November 8th, 1901

In 1923 STOCKO was probably chosen as the official company name.




YKK STOCKO - Uber uns | YKK Fastening Products Group

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The dimensions:

Total length: ...................................... 293 mm
Handle length including guard thickness: 127 mm
Blade length: ..................................... 166 mm
Blade width: ....................................... 23.3 mm
Blade thickness: ................................... 5.1 mm

Total weight: approx. 360 g
Weight of the sheath: approx. 140 g
Weight knife: approx. 220 g

Handle material: plastic, (13 transverse grooves)
Manufacturer push button: STOCKO
Plastic sheath without drainage hole

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Another copy:

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Another heavily worn example.
Here you can actually see that these knives from the test series were subjected to heavy use in Hammelburg ! ...

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Another copy:

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I have four of these rare Versuchskampfmesser der Bundeswehr in my collection.

Here are some pictures to compare the four knives:

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Here is the Versuchskampfmesser der BW /experimental combat knife in direct comparison to the G3 / HK33 bayonet.
There are similarities in production but the blade in particular looks a little "slimmer" on the bayonet.

The G3 / HK33 bayonet is military issued in various countries.
In Germany, because of political doctrine, especially with regard to Germany's role in the world wars, official armament with a bayonet was dispensed with (also in Austria, but for somewhat different reasons, resulting from the events in the Austrian Civil War in 1934).

There were efforts in Austria to equip the Bundesheer with a bayonet for the StG58 and the AUG77 and there was actually corresponding progress, but the defense minister at the time prevented an introduction (precisely due to the civil war events in Austria).

Some bayonets intended for the AUG77, namely the model "KCB 77", (Knife cutter bayonet 77), were carried by soldiers as "Privately acquired combat knives", (so far permitted and tolerated by the higher ranking senior officers or NCO´s in the respective unit).

The G3 / HK77 bayonet was also occasionally carried in the Bundeswehr, but here too it was not "officially ordered" because this bayonet was never officially introduced into the Bundeswehr.