Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very good original Imperial German WWI Bavarian Seitengewehr 98/05 neuer Art, or S98/05 n/A, manufactured by Fichtel & Sachs of Schweinfurt and accepted into Bavarian service in 1916. Originally manufactured with a sawback blade, the teeth were subsequently ground away in the familiar wartime modification commonly described by collectors as a “sanitized” sawback. The bayonet retains its original smooth wooden grips, functioning locking catch, flashguard, clear Bavarian acceptance markings, and crossed-keys blade marking. It is accompanied by a steel scabbard and an especially interesting leather frog dated 1933 and later marked L.B.A.(S) for the Luftwaffe clothing office at Sonneberg.

The S98/05 was adopted before WWI as a shorter and substantially heavier alternative to the long Seitengewehr 98 and became one of the characteristic German bayonet patterns of the First World War. Its broad, forward-swelling blade produced the collector nickname “butcher blade.” The later n/A, or neuer Art, configuration incorporated a steel flashguard along the back of the wooden grip and eliminated features of the earlier configuration as production and service requirements evolved. This example has the characteristic heavy blade measuring approximately 14 5/8 inches in length and remains in the later n/A configuration.

This example was originally produced with a "sawback" blade, which was intended for use by pioneers to saw through brush and obstacles. Unfortunately a rumor got out that it was intended to inflict grievous harm on enemies. It got to the point that many Germans believed that the British summarily executed all Germans found carrying sawback bayonets when captured, so a lot of the sawback bayonets had this feature removed. This would have been quite ironic, since the sawback bayonet was originally first a British development. While this example no longer has the "saw back", it can clearly be seen that it originally did have one, now ground away, thankfully leaving the markings on the spine intact.

This example has a very nice set of original smooth wood grips, with denting and some small chips from wear. Most of this wear is towards the spine of the hilt, which are heavily dented in a repetitive pattern. The hilt and crossguard are still solid, with a lovely blued finish, now worn in a few areas. The bayonet lock is fully functional.

The blade ricasso still has the original maker mark, which is still clear:

(CROSSED KEYS)
FICHTEL & SACHS
SCHWEINFERT

Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, the Fichtel & Sachs company was founded in 1895 by Karl Fichtel and Ernst Sachs, originally for making ball bearings and bicycle parts. They also made S.98/05 Bayonets for the Bavarian Government from 1915-1918, and during 1916-1917, many blades bore the "Crossed Keys" of Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn of Solingen. This indicates that they supplied the blade blanks for these bayonets, of which this is one example.

The blade is dated on the blade's spine 16 under a proof mark of a Crown over L, for King Ludwig III of Bavaria, and indicating the date it was accepted into service, 1916. Ludwig reigned as king from 1913 until 1918, when the Monarchy was abolished. Previously he had been the Prince Regent 1912-1913, as his cousin Otto was technically the King, however he was deemed unfit for rule, so his uncle and later cousin ruled in his stead. There is also an inspector proof under the date marking.

The bluing of the blade was done long after the sawback was removed, so this bayonet stayed in German service, with the scabbard finished with a black enamel. The scabbard is held in a 1933-dated leather frog, with a faint circular maker’s stamp over the stamp:

L.B.A. (S)

This indicates it was inspected at the Luftwaffebekleidungsamt (Air Force Clothing Office) in Sonneberg, Germany. This marking is only seen on pre and early war Luftwaffe items. That makes this bayonet set an early Luftwaffe-issued example.

The association of this WWI bayonet and scabbard with a later Luftwaffe-marked frog illustrates the prolonged service and reuse of German military equipment between the two world wars. Overall, the bayonet is in very good service-worn condition with a strong dark patina, clear Fichtel & Sachs and Bavarian markings, original wooden grips, functioning locking catch, and readily visible evidence of its former sawback configuration. The later blued finish, black-finished scabbard, and 1933-dated L.B.A.(S) frog add an unusual interwar and early WWII-era dimension to this lovely bayonet.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 14 5/8"
Blade Style: Butcher with Sanitized Sawback
Overall length: 19 3/4“
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 15 1/4"