Adler 1

This AS71/98 is a hard to find bayonet... Anyway, it took me more than 15 years to find one with matching numbers...
The AS71/98 is a transformed AS71 (Artillerie Seitengewehr model 1871), actually they used only the blade of a AS71 and replaced the handle à la S98 to fit the Gew. 98... The original scabbard of the AS71 was used unaltered... This happened between 1910 and 1914...
The AS71/98 was mostly used by Artillerie and Landwehr...

Adler 1

Seems I missed this thread... don't know how ...

Anyway, those are some very nice displays!

Adler 1

I like those wide black lines. A great helmet it is!

Adler 1

Not a hammer amigo! The 1915 Erfurt were not straight along the back... even when tey added the metal plate they had to bend it....

Sorry, but that's not correct... When the back of the handle isn't straight, the bayonet must have been used as a sort of hammer, because it should always be straight. I don't want to be self the proclaimed specialist at all, but in 40 years I've handled a lot of these S98/05 in all sorts (with or without Schutzblech, with or without teeth, teeth removed etc.) and when the back of the handle wasn't straight, the bayonet was abused in some way.

Yet another thing is to be mentioned... The blade does not sit straight on the handle. When the bayonet is attached to the rifle you can see it turns away under a very slight angle. The theory behind this was that the bayonet would have no (or less) influence on the bullet traject when firing the rifle with the bayonet attached...

Adler 1

The S98/05 is a highly underappreciated bayonet nowadays... But just look at them! In the time the "butcher's knife" was develloped, most of the bayonets were much longer and thinner. This made them sort of fragile weapons. With the S98/05 a shorter bayonet with wider blade was a great improvement and the bayonet could also be used for other purposes like cutting wood etc.

Anyway, let's just say I'm a fan of these great bayonets and you have some fine examples there! Thanks for showing.

Adler 1

It's a great cap, but why do you think it's a beamte?

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Very impressive stuff gents!

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Eric the toolmaster! Super collection!

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Sorry Eric, that's all I have of this display and I've heard they are rebuilding the WW1 section at the moment...

Ed, if you want to buy one, I would suggest to wait for a complete one... and maybe also save some funds to pay for it ...

Adler 1

Yes, they sold a lot to dealers and collectors... now I wish I had more money in those days ...

Adler 1

Of course I have seen that in the good old days. Everybody was devostated when they changed the WW1 collection and took all the Grabenpanzers of the walls. Still wondering where they are now...

Anyway, last time I visited the museum, they only had about 7 or so on display...

Adler 1

Ok, here it comes:

http://www.walhalla.se/topic/14662-the-grabenpanzer-what-do-we-know/?hl=grabenpanzer

Adler 1

Glad I could be of assistance... however the link seems to be gone. Is this against the rules (if so, I appologize) or is it just gone?

Eric, In the collecting field I might presume ...

Adler

A rear plate for the grabenpanzer? Never heard of it, never seen one.

Nevertheless, a grabenpanzer is rare nowadays, only the condition of this one isn't so good anymore and it's not complete... of course this has infuence on the price...

I once wrote a little article about this interesting piece of hardwear:

Here's a picture of a few grabenpanzers...

Adler 1

Glad you like it! One day you will certainly find you mannequin...

Adler 1

Thank you guys!

It's a nice piece and not easy to find. I've been looking for an enlisted man's version for decades. You mentioned that the buttons were polished tombak or nickel, but these look like steel painted M15s? Is the jacket missing it's original buttons or is this a later wartime version? Is it dated?

These are of course original, but wartime painted steel buttons (forgot to mention this )... I see no date in it, but maybe it's washed to much, I don't know...

Adler 1

This is a very interesting topic gentlemen! Sorry I can't help with extra period pictures... but I do have a tunic from Ostfriesisches Feld-Artillerie-Regt. Nr.62

(Oldenburg-Osnabrück)...

Sorry for the old (and a bit blurry) pictures...

Adler 1

Recently, I was able to find the holy grail of Pickelhauben twice (as I showed before), but this nice mannequin also crossed my path… Of course I couldn’t wait to long to dress it up…

It became a Würtemberg NCO in working outfit. He is wearing black standard boots, a white (faded grey) trousers, NCO Drillichrock, M17 gasmask, M17 steel helmet and Krätchen.

The NCO Drillichrock is slightly different than the enlisted man’s Drillichjacke.The Drillichrock is longer, it has a Waffenrock type rear with two buttons in the middle and all the buttons are made of polished tomback or nickel (as on the corresponding field gray tunic). It has a narrow piping in the state colours around the small standing collar, in this case red and black.

Imagine this NCO was doing some chores and the gas alarm went of. He grabbed his gasmask and steel helmet and rushes out of the bunker…

Enjoy the pictures,

Adler 1

I found this picture the other day... Maybe this WW1 guy has something to do with the "6" ...

Adler 1

you Lucky you!

Adler 1

It's a camo trench periscope with its carrying case.

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Can't eat eintopf out of a helmet!! :-)

Oh Chris, but I do have a badabing to eat out... but who needs more than one?

It's hidden somewhere in the followig picture ... that's probably the only picture of my collection where it's visible ... guess I have some work to do...

Adler 1

Aaaarghhhh... I think I'll stay with the helmets ...

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That's a huge list! I had no idea there were so much manufacturers of those badabing cups ...

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Hope you guys will get over it ... but don't worry, these were the last to buy for a long time... maybe I can start back again in a few years or so with some M15 models...

Adler 1