Questions about a bayonet

[rhino]

Hi everyone,

I found this bayonet from the stuffs of my grand dad who served as a USAFFE soldier in WW2 in the Philippines. It puzzles me because the letters inscribed seems to be of German origin but he didn't leave the country and he is not a collector so the probability of him acquiring it by buying it is quite slim, he's son's thought that it was probably issued to him when he was a soldier.

I hope you can help me shed some light with regards to this item. Here are some photos and the letters and numbers inscribed on the bayonet:





WAFFENFABRIK
MAUSER A (the next 2 letters are not readable but probably "CL")
OBERNDORF aN
3763 (invertedly inscribed)

Is this a standard issued bayonet for USAFFE soldiers because I did a bit of research and found out that
WAFFENFABRIK is a german term for gun maker
MAUSER is a german arms manufacturer and
OBERNDORF is a place in Germany?

What rifle uses this kind of bayonet?

Thanks in advance.

[VeeVee]

It looks like a Kar98 bayonet. Not 100% sure... google kar98 rifles and bayonets and see if it's an exact match.

Could it be from the Spanish era? The Spaniards had mausers. I'm not the expert in this area, hopefully Rayadillo or someone else can give their 2 cents.

[oklahoma]

hey vic....betcha you are on to something in regards to the bayonet being from the spanish era. the journeys these artifacts make is certainly intriguing. when i first read this post it reminded me of the fact that i had, somewhere in all my junk, a japanese bayonet. i have had this "pig sticker" for years and have always thought, until about five years ago, that it was probably german origin and from world war I. an elderly lady gave it to me many years ago, knowing i was a military history junkie. she was preparing to move into residence for senior citizens and was consequently getting rid of a lot of junk her deceased husband had accumulated. he was a veteran of the 1917-18 european war and i naturally assumed that it was from that conflict. it is a rusted, corroded wreck. the wooden handle is completely rotted away on one side and the other side is very worn and about ready to fall off. i wasnt sure it was german, american, british or french, but never really checked it out. to make a long story short, i had the curator of one of the largest private gun/military relic collections in the USA, located in claremore, oklahoma, take a look at it and he immediately informed me that it was japanese (cant remember the name of the mfg or maker) and almost certainly from world war II. now how this bayonet got in the hands of this old couple i cant imagine. she had two daughters, one married to a south american geologist who was employed for some years by an oklahoma oil company and the other married to a CPA, living in boston. no world war two connection there, almost certainly. it remains a mystery to this day, but this weapon obviously has lain in the muck somewhere for a very long time. the hand guard is heavily corroded and the blade, itself, could be broken with little effort. with my rampant imagination, i can just imagine where it might have traveled, the philippines, guadalcanal, or other solomon islands, new guinea, iwo jima, china, malaya, okinawa, even manchuria. also cant help but wonder if any blood (allied military or civilian) it might have shed. just thought i would throw this little tidbit out there, but this post and its question reminded me of my own little relic that i had truly forgotten. i guess i will try to clean it up and display it in my den. i enjoy this website bigtime, as i have often told you. keep up the good work and get on out there to morong and the site of ed ramsey's exploits. i, and i am sure many others, will be waiting for a full report in triplicate.

[VeeVee]

Hi okla, do you have a picture of that bayonet? The deceased husband could have simply acquired it from a garage sale or a gun show.

[oklahoma]

hey vic...no, i have no pic of the bayonet and even if i did, my antiquated computer setup hasnt the capacity to post a view of the relic. as for the old couple or husband purchasing the weapon at a garage sale,etc, i suppose that is possible. but knowing these people it just doesnt figure. maybe a neighbor or friend gave it to the old feller or some such thing. anyhow, since my post i have it now mounted on the wall of my den along with my two world war I type steel helmets, a map of corregidor, a map of the second defense line on bataan, framed copies of pearl harbor attack newspapers and V-E and V-J day papers. that is the extent of my meager military collection. rather pale when compared to your show place, wouldnt you say? i suppose i will just keep conjecturing on the tale behind this ghost of world war two. lordy, i love military history. postscript...i just remembered....i also have a newspaper proclaiming the armistice being signed in 1918, but would have to move heaven and earth to find it. i do know that it is in the house somewhere. i shall start searching tomorrow. lots of desk drawers to go thru.

[rhino]

thanks for the info Veevee. i'll try to compare it with a Kar98 bayonet.

[rickthelibrarian]

The bayonet has been cut down - probab;ly back when these were a couple of bucks apiece. I remember buying a nice M1942 Springfield M1903 bayonet with scabbard about 1967 for $3.50!! I got a German Mauser bayonet for $2.00!!