Original Item: One of a Kind Set. This is a fantastic USGI bring back grouping from the European theater of WWII. As the saying goes, "To the Victor, The Spoils", so USGIs brought home large amounts of material from WWII Germany. It was however regulated, and items were supposed to be inspected to make sure they did not have any intelligence value and were also appropriate to send back. Live grenades were definitely NOT an item that was wanted on the voyage with returning GI's.

This set comes with a "CERTIFICATE" dated April 28,1945, which is named to T/5 Lawrence Marchese, and it does not give an indication regarding whether they were mailed back or carried back. It is signed by a Captain, who is listed as part of the 559th F A Bn (559th Field Artillery Battalion). The certificate indicates that the items have been checked and are all allowed to be brought back home, and lists the items as: 1 Bayonate 1 N**i flag.

We believe we were able to find the enlistment records of Lawrence J. Marchese, which indicate that he was born in 1915 and was a resident of Pennsylvania. He enlisted March 11, 1941 in Pittsburgh as a Private. There is not much other information in the records, and we have not been able to find any information online, so we leave this is a great potential research project.

The flag mentioned in the bring back certificate is a small 12" x 14" NSDAP double sided flag, consisting of a red field with white circles sewn onto each side, both of which bear a printed swas (hook cross). It is made from what looks to be some type of oil cloth, and originally was attached to a small pole, with glue and tack marks still remaining on one end. It shows wear and tear, with some small holes and discoloration.

The bayonet in the set is a relatively standard unmarked short K-98 dress bayonet as used by the Heer Army, complete with a scabbard and frog. The K-98 dress bayonet was a dress version of the combat style, and was worn by enlisted and NCO personnel for dress and parade occasions. The bayonets were finished with a high-quality nickel plating, with stag or bakelite grip plates and black painted scabbard. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, being the nickel-plated short (20cm) or long (25cm) version. There was usually a red or green colored felt insert in the rifle slot and the bayonet was suspended from a black or brown leather frog. Some had a functional bayonet latch, while it was ornamental on some. Often they would also have a sword knot, or troddle, and the color would indicate the branch or rank.

Enlisted or NCO personnel were permitted to purchase K-98 dress bayonets with fancy etched blades. These etchings run the gamut from simple designs featuring the standard remembrance, Zur Erinnerung an meine Dienstzeit (In Memory of My Service Time), to very fancy, custom etched depictions, citing the individual's regiment, unit, and sometimes even his name. Many blade factories offered unique etch patterns. The etch work was often state of the art.

This is a very good example of a "basic" type, which is not maker marked and has a standard nickel plated blade without any etching. The bayonet is in very good condition, and comes complete with the original scabbard and black leather frog. It also has a nice alloy hilt, which still has over 90% of the original nickel plating, and a fully functional mortise button and lug channel, though the insert is missing. The grip plates are excellent condition checkered black bakelite, held in place by plated steel rivets with dressed heads on the obverse.

The nickel plated blade is in good shape, without any sharpening, and still retains almost all of the plating. The scabbard is also in very good condition, with almost all of the original black enamel finish present. It is held in a service worn leather frog with aluminum rivets.

A great USGI bring back set from the European Theater of WWII, ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 7 7/8"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 12 1/2“
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 8 7/8"