VZ-33 Czechoslovakian ČETN Bayonet

[Alex W]

Hello everyone,

I don't know much about Czechoslovakian bayonets but i think this is a VZ-33 ČETN (Gendarmerie) bayonet that has been reworked by the Germans. I think the scabbard has been replaced as it should also be marked ČETN. I would appreciate if someone could let me know if this is correct and do the markings indicate a year of manufacture.

Any comments welcome.

Thanks

Alex

[AndyB]

The bayonet was used post 1939 by Protektorat Boehmen und Maehren Gendarmery and possible by police too, the scabbard should be a replacement, as normally the scabbard was dated and CETN marked for Gendarmery, this period the piece was reblued, the S removed in CSZ on blade should mean the S for Slovakia was removed,(Slovakia was in that time independent) unfortunally this S means in older Brno stamp different meaning - State.

[Sleepwalker]

Hello,

Yes, you did everything correctly so far.

This Vz.33 was used and modified after 1939 by a police agency in the German-controlled "Reichsprotektorat Böhmen und Mähren" = Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
There are different levels of conversion.

After 1939 there was the "Tschechische Protektoratsgendamerie" = Czech Protectorate Gendarmerie, "Gemeindepolizeien" = Municipal Police, the "Tschechische Uniformierte Regierungspolizei" = Czech Uniformed Government Police, the "Deutsche Schutzpolizei" (SchuPo) = German Protective Police, the "deutsche Ordnungspolizei im Protektorat" (OrPo) = German Order Police in the Protectorate, the "Sicherheitspolizei" (SiPo) = Security Police, the "Sicherheitsdienst" (SD) = Security Service, the "Kriminalpolizei" (KriPo) = Criminal Police and the "Geheime Staatspolizei" (GeStaPo) = Secret State Police. Besides that, there still exist the Zollgrenzschutz-Bataillone Mähren I - V = Customs Border Guard Battalions Moravia No. I - V.

In 1942 there was a police reform. The gendarmerie, the uniformed government police and the municipal police were combined in the "Uniformierte Protektoratspolizei" (UUP) = Uniformed Protectorate Police. In addition, there was the "Luftschutzpolizei im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren" = air protection police in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

In any of these uniformed formations, the Vz.33s continued to be used.

Similar modifications to German captured bayonets were made from 1942 with corresponding decrees and modification instructions. The Vz.33 were modified in the same way. So I think the majority of these changes were made after 1942 as well.

Yes, the S and sometimes the whole CSZ were removed in order not to show any connection to Slovakia. This can be found on many of these Vz.33.

Greetings

[AndyB]

As the piece is still attachable and the S was removed its only link to Gendarmery or Police units of Protektorat. Some of the units mentioned by SW were never armed with Vz.33.