Garand bayonet with unknown markings - What did I just buy?

[Thrash1982]

So I picked up an M1 bayonet at the gunshow today. I've determined that the scabbard is Danish manufacture with FKF markings under the Danish crown stamping. The body is fiberglass with fake wood grain.

On the blade right above the guard there is a stamping with the number 44 and some sort of emblem that I can't quite make out and the number 53931 on the opposite side. The grips appear to be wood. I can't find any pictures of markings like this. Is it Danish like the scabbard? Can anybody give me any more information?

 

[Fred Fuller]

Moving this from Accessories to NFW to see if the OP can get some help...

 

[Farnorthdan]

Wood handle would indicate pre-WWII perhaps. I'm far from a bayonet guru but I'll bet the guys over on the CMP forums would be able to tell you what you have.

 

[Nighteyes]

If the blade length from guard to tip is 10 inches, its an authorized "copy" of the US M1 Bayonet. Post-WWII, a few of our Allies were authorized to make copies. One of them, as you pointed out, was Denmark. I'm virtually certain that the wooden grip slabs are for the M1905 bayonet (16-inch blade), and were substituted for the original plastic grip slabs on this one.

I don't remember the exact markings found on the Danish bayonets, but its a good bet that your bayonet was made in Denmark. Its a good, solid, dependable bayonet too.

 

[hso]

Can you give us a picture of the entire bayonet?

Take a look through this site.
http://worldbayonets.com/Bayonet_Identification_Guide/Denmark/Denmark_2.html

Denmark wouldn't have had Garands in or prior to WWII since they were occupied by the Nazis from 1940 until the end of the war.

 

[Thrash1982]

Here are a couple of the whole thing.




Blade is 9.5" from guard to tip. I disassembled the grip/latch assembly and there were no markings under the grip panels that might help. I found another good reference site for bayonet markings and the markings on mine didn't match anything on there either. http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/bayonet_points.htm

The other thing I've noticed is that it doesn't want to go on all the way. It seems like the ring is too tight to go over the muzzle. This is as far as I can get it on without a lot of force.


And a better picture of the blade marking. It looks like a star over the letters AEP with the number 7 at the bottom inside of a tall oval (look at it sideways)

I'll make an account and post this over on the CMP forum. See if anybody over there knows.

 

[Nighteyes]

Thanks for the pics. I'm now convinced that the wooden grip-slabs were originally on an older US M-1905 bayonet. All of the M-1 bayonet parts are completely interchangeable with those for the M-1905 bayonet and vice-versa.

I'm now pretty sure it is not a Danish bayonet, but more likely an Italian one. I just don't have any more time to devote to this. To help you, here is some information about other post-WWII makers of the M1 bayonet (when they talk about "shell and flame marking" they're speaking of the US Ordnance marking):

Italy - several possible letter markings, no shell and flame marking.

Denmark - marked FKF, no shell and flame.

Japan - marked N P with a J under the shell and flame.

Taiwan - marked 60-6 over KS (markings inverted), no shell and flame.

Norway - marked with a crowned ornate K over the shell and flame.

Greece - EN-S over the shell and flame.

 

[Thrash1982]

Thanks Nighteyes. Once I was able to make out the blade marking I googled AEP bayonet and I'm thinking it might be Italian. Turns out there are some Italian M1 type bayonets floating around out there with AEP in an oval marked on the blade. However they have the number 19 underneath and no star. The scabbard is definitely Danish though. Looks like I forgot to post a picture of the scabbard marking.



This is turning into a fascinating (and frustrating) little puzzle.

 

[Nighteyes]

This is turning into a fascinating (and frustrating) little puzzle.

That's one of the reasons why I enjoy collecting U.S. military edged weapons from the 1930s through the 1970s. There are literally thousands of puzzles like this, and solving one can sometimes make me feel like a detective in a novel...

"It was raining in the City of Angels, a rare event that caused the pavement to twinkle under the street lights like a river of precious stones..."​

[<GRIN!>]​

-- Nighteyes