KM Nordsee K98 Bajonet From 1935

[jtns63]

KM Nordsee Sg 1884/98 III bajonet (K98 bajonet) by P. Weyersberg. Solingen from S serial S/176G (1935) in matching number and very nice unsharpened blade and KM frog with straps and the wood grips are in the very nice color

[Anderson]

Sorry I'm not convinced your "KM" marks on the crossbar and scabbard are authentic. Wrong "N" letter font, and absent "K". Numerals are also bad. I believe these to be post war additions.
Frog mark may be authentic.

[AndyB]

There exist 2 strigs in KM Nordsee one earlier with similar N marking the later one with letter suffixes. It should be confirmed with real numbers. The 5 digits on this string are not typical.I will check it with my dbase.Strange is the last 6 was renumbered? even by matching piece bayonet scabbard.
There exist N98xx within e range of S176G so it should be ok.

[jtns63]

Your opinion ..
There are several collectors (including myself) who also say that this Nordsee is real/original in its numbers, both on the bayonet and scabbard .. The frog is also real/original (off course)

[Anderson]

An opinion, but based on facts, not just the view of other collectors.

These marks below is want you expect to see on a Nordsee bayonet;




And the KM mark on the frog is a type that would date from 1940, so unlikely to originally been paired with that bayonet.

[Lexis]

Maybe it could be checked under the grips and on the flash gard . sometimes it is also stampt there with nordsee numbers

[AndyB]

Anderson You are here wrong unfortunally, You should compare the earlier KM marking on Lugers and Mauser 34 pistols they are similars, as mentioned You couldnt compare 1937 with 1935 pieces. I believe here is some link to my old article.
Anyway there were used two type of letters N, one script serif, one normal capital. Even in later period, one string with P suffix.

[Anderson]

I accept the early capital N mark is likely, though seems 1935 bayonet research is based on a relatively small pool of examples, but my main concern with this example is the poorly struck letters and numerals. A five digit serial number also seems unlikely for a 1935 type III bayonet, where production was only just picking up again and priority to supply went to the Army. In fact the writer John Walter believed the cutlers need to retool for the latest version of the S84/98, means it it's unlikely they made many bulk deliveries before 1936. And in fact most KM marked bayonets do seem to be from 1937/38. Given the premium paid for KM bayonets by collectors the likelihood of post war marks appearing must be considered.

[AndyB]

1935 production is about 1,5 Million bayonets, so believe that in 1935 was small number of bayonets S84/98 delivered is absence of information. Problem is when was added the KM inventory mark, even the 1935 bayonets could got it in later period 1937/8. The 5 digits range is normal by this inventory, even not visible each day.

[Anderson]

Where did you get that figure of 1.5 million bayonets produced in 1935?.. it is far too high. What we know is after WW1 production of the S84/98 ended, only W.u.K and Paul Weyersburg produced these bayonets for the Weimar Republic. When in 1933/34 the decision was made to start up production of this WW1 era bayonet for the Karabiner 98k rifle, as a standard bayonet, only those two manufacturers, WKC & Weyerberg were tooled up and ready. The other manufacturers had to acquire the tooling and get into production from scratch. So inevitabilly there was a time lag. In fact by 1935 there were only 12 manufacturers in operation under the S codes. So in 1935 could they really product 1.5 million bayonets? I doubt it. If compared to full on wartime production of WW2 where there was 17-19 manufacturers involved, my references say in 1940 1,344,174 bayonets were produced and in 1941 1,645,176. Production peaked at 2 million in 1943.
How realistic is 1.5 million in 1935, four years before outbreak of war in 1939?

It wasn't until 1935 that Hitler reintroduced conscription to increase the size of the Army to 550,000 men. The Navy (Reichsmarine) under the WW1 Treaty had been limited to 15,000 personnel post war. Undoubtedly it increased, during the Weimar era and early Third Reich, but my research finds the number of Kriegsmarine men being only 105,256 at 1st September 1939. Numbers increased markedly in WW2, but we are examining 1935 numbers.