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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on July 10, 2014 at 8:26

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on July 10, 2014 at 8:28

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on July 10, 2014 at 8:31

hard to tell exactly what that mark is, tell us a little about the knife if you can.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Wheelis on July 10, 2014 at 9:08

I really know nothing about this knife, or any knife for that matter. I joined this forum to see if I could get some experts help. The symbol i can tell is WG with something above it. I will see if I can get some better pictures. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for, or taking pictures of for more help?

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on July 10, 2014 at 11:26

Brian, the tang stamp is CE over WG- That stands for The Manufacture Oesterreichshe Waffenbrik-Gesellschaft  which translates to Austrian State Weapons Manufacturing Company- This is a WW I era  Austrian military knife  or possibly a version of a bayonet-Used on the German side during the war-Additional photos will help to narrow it further- Any stamps on the sheath, any other marks on the knife itself-How the sheath attached, or how the knife if is a bayonet might have attached- I will do my best to help you further if you can provide some more photos~~~   

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on July 10, 2014 at 11:50

BTW, this is an unusual variation of this manufacturer, so additional photos will help in determining a value for it

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on July 10, 2014 at 12:02

Here is a little better image of the CE over WG tang stamp- I did a little photo enhancement on it for  Brian~~~

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Permalink Reply by Brian Wheelis on July 10, 2014 at 12:18

Thanks John! I will get some more photos tonight and post them tomorrow. I did have family members in the German army during WWII...I'm not sure about WWI though. I look forward to hearing more about this when I post more pictures, it is a fun look into my families past.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on July 10, 2014 at 12:52

Brian, a few of these were repurposed for use in WWII although it is still originally a WWI knife- Just from looking at these photos, it closely resembles a short bayonet used on certain Mauser rifles- If there is a bayonet attachment, it will be on the underneath side of the handle and on the butt end of the handle- If so, I can possibly tell you what type of Mauser which may even provide some insight into your ancestors  military service-

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 11, 2014 at 17:51

Wow was that some good research John!  Brian, I look forward to seeing more and learning more about this one

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on July 12, 2014 at 11:37

Brian, first a correction- The tang stamp is actually OE over WG- The manufacturer info I gave you previouly is still correct-It is sometimes incorrectly IDed as CE but OE is correct- The manufacturer is commonly known as Steyr and is still in business today- It was originally designed for the Steyr-Mannlicher rifle which was produced from 1895 to 1921- The bayonet was the first bayonet to be made with the cutting edge facing upwards when attached to the rifle- The bayonet originally had a muzzle ring to one side of the crossguard to attach to the barrel- Both the rifle and the bayonet were used in both World wars-In WWII the muzzle ring was taken off to adapt to German rifles, as well as other countries-Probably yours was adapted to fit a WWII German rifle, based on your family history. The original blade length for this bayonet should be 9.625"-Any additional stamps or markings on the sheath or knife will narrow the search further-If I know what rifle it was adapted to, it will give some insight into  what troops it was issued to and possibly where it was used.Can't go much further without more information~~~

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