German WW1 or WW2 bayonet still for knife ?

Od86

Od86

Joined
Feb 26, 2022
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1
Hi guys ..
I just wonder how good is steel in ww1 ww2 era German bayonets ? How does it stands against modern steel ? Will it be good knife ?
 
I don't know about the steel but you are going to need to do a lot of sharpening to actually use either as functional knife.
 
Chances are that it is D2 or 1095 (or the European equivalent).

Of course during wartime, the quality and consistency of the steel itself as well as the heat treating/tempering process varied widely, as steel was in high demand and there were lots of hands in that cookie jar. As a result, steel was being recycled from where ever it could be found, and contracted to numerous and varied factories for knife production with very little (if any) standardization for production processes or QA. There were notable exceptions of course, as companies like Kabar on the allied side were very knife-focused during the war - but their supply and source of steel was probably questionable on occasion with such high demand for things other than knives during wartime. Chances are there were a few notable German companies that produced knives in abundance as well - but with the same constraints as the allied factories.

What is interesting is that Germany specifically continued to produce elaborate and ornate daggers throughout the course of WWI and WWII. While I'm quite certain they could kill a person or pry open a crate (maybe), many German wartime knives were produced as an officer's status symbol, and were never intended as anything more than that. That contrasted enormously with the allied production, as our focus was on producing usable combat/utility knives and bayonets almost exclusively.

Another point to note is that many factories on both sides of both wars became multi-faceted by necessity, literally overnight. A "knife company" during WWII was just as likely to be making aircraft, ship or tank parts on the assembly line right beside the knife line, and the production lines switched direction frequently depending upon the most pressing requirement of the day. Often times, companies that NEVER made a knife (or a tank, aircraft, ship, etc.) before the war, were pressed into service to do so. Bicycle and motorcycle shops for example, were often recruited to help in the wartime efforts, and were conscripted to make parts, tools or weapons that were not previously in their realm of manufacturing. That in itself is not ideal for standardization, repetition, or consistent repeatable quality.

Unless you know the pedigree of the specific bayonet, it is a crap shoot as to its quality. While the recipes for D2 and 1095 have not changed much over the last century, improvements in metallurgy, metal processing and heat treatment certainly have. With that being said, I would give the nod to modern production steel over what was used in either war, if we are going to compare them side-by-side with the standards and expectations we have today.

That is not to say they cannot be good knives/bayonets - but the chances of them being on par with today's offerings is definitely a gamble and one I would not bet on.

Sorry for the long read, I didn't intend to write a book. Welcome to the forum.
 
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Od86 said:
Hi guys ..
I just wonder how good is steel in ww1 ww2 era German bayonets ? ... Will it be good knife ?
Click to expand...
considering from historical usage aspect.
some bayonets had saw teeth for use as wood processing tools....
steel qualities are one thing
but blade geometry makes
or breaks effectiveness as a
using knife.
 
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The problem with bayonets is less the steel quality and more the fact that they have just slightly better blade geometry than a piece of rebar.
Seriously though, they probably would hold up ok, just like old carbon steel knives that you would normally see.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
The problem with bayonets is less the steel quality and more the fact that they have just slightly better blade geometry than a piece of rebar.
Seriously though, they probably would hold up ok, just like old carbon steel knives that you would normally see.
Click to expand...

Which is easily fixable with a belt sander, if you were so inclined to turn a bayonet into a knife. Which was not their purpose, of course. :)
 
shane45-1911 said:
Which is easily fixable with a belt sander, if you were so inclined to turn a bayonet into a knife. Which was not their purpose, of course. :)
Click to expand...
Ive thought about it before, since I have an old Mauser bayonet. I think it would actually make a nice "camp knife" if you were motivated enough to put in that kind of elbow grease. I dont have a belt sander or anything, so it is just too much work for me. Plus, I hate to mess with a historical item. I just look at it occasionally and say "woah!!!cool!!!" and then put it back lol
 
shane45-1911 said:
Chances are that it is D2 or 1095 (or the European equivalent).

Of course during wartime, the quality and consistency of the steel itself as well as the heat treating/tempering process varied widely, as steel was in high demand and there were lots of hands in that cookie jar. As a result, steel was being recycled from where ever it could be found, and contracted to numerous and varied factories for knife production with very little (if any) standardization for production processes or QA. There were notable exceptions of course, as companies like Kabar on the allied side were very knife-focused during the war - but their supply and source of steel was probably questionable on occasion with such high demand for things other than knives during wartime. Chances are there were probably a few notable German companies that produced knives in abundance, as well - but with the same constraints as the allied factories.

What is interesting is that Germany specifically continued to produce elaborate and ornate daggers throughout the course of WWI and WWII. While I'm quite certain they could kill a person or pry open a crate (maybe), many German wartime knives were produced as an officer's status symbol, and were never intended as anything more than that. That contrasted enormously with the allied production, as our focus was on producing combat/utility knives and bayonets almost exclusively.

Another point to note is that many factories on both sides of the wars became multi-faceted. A "knife company" during WWII was just as likely to be making aircraft, ship or tank parts (and vice versa) on the assembly line right beside it, and the production lines switched direction frequently depending upon the most pressing requirement of the day. Often times, companies that NEVER made a knife (or a tank, aircraft, ship, etc.) before the war, were pressed into service. Bicycle and motorcycle shops for example, were often recruited to help in the wartime efforts, and were conscripted to make parts, tools or weapons that were not previously in their realm of manufacturing. That in itself is not ideal for standardization, repetition, or consistent quality.

Unless you know the pedigree of the specific bayonet, it is a crap shoot as to its quality. While the recipe for D2 and 1095 has not changed much over the last century, improvements in metallurgy, metal processing and heat treatment certainly have. With that being said, I would give the nod to modern production steel over what was used in either war, if we are going to compare them side-by-side with the standards and expectations we have today.

That is not to say they cannot be good knives/bayonets - but the chances of them being on par with today's offerings is definitely a gamble and one I would not bet on.

Sorry for the long read, I didn't intend to write a book. Welcome to the forum.
Click to expand...
Do not apologize! Posts like these are exceedingly interesting and I think folks enjoy it judging from the like-bar, I know that I do!
 
Yes, bayonets were usually sharpened before battle and very often converted into fighting knives (theater knives). One of my favorites, the Cetme 1969, has been my go to camp knife for decades. It has a good sheath, takes a good edge, and works great in Florida’s watery environment.

n2s
 
I theory a bayonet is not a knife. A bayonet would ideally be tough and slightly pliable, were as a knife is harder and more brittle to hold a keen edge.

In practice I think you will have mixed results.
 
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