Post-War U.S. bayonet and scabbard production has posed significant challenges to researchers. Limited federal contract data has left many gaps and, at times, has proven difficult to interpret accurately. As with any story that is pieced together over time, there have been advances, as well as errors, made along the way. My research builds on previous work by noted authors/researchers, Gary Cunningham, Bill Porter, and Frank Trzaska. Gary’s research can be found in his books; and the work of all three on Frank Trzaska’s great site, http://usmilitaryknives.com.
The following summarizes known U.S. government contracts, building on what has already been published by others and in my article, M8A1 Scabbards Produced at the Pennsylvania Working Home for the Blind, with additional research of my own. The information presented below shows the extent of Post-War M8A1 Scabbard procurement discerned from publicly-available data, adds new details, and clarifies some details previously reported elsewhere. There remains much to still be discovered and explained through further research. If you are aware of any additional contracts or have information to add, comments and clarification are welcome.
| Post-War M8A1 Scabbard Contracts Summary | ||||||
| Contract No. | Contractor | Date | Amount | Contract Type | Quantity | Notes |
| not reported | Victory Plastics Co. | September 1952 | see notes | not available | not available | $220,000 Army contract for “scabbards” with an initial delivery date of March 1953 noticed in the week-ending October 1, 1952, issue of Public Contracts Bulletin. Unclear what scabbard or combination of M3, M7, and M8A1 scabbards were included. |
| DA-19-020-ORD-2399 | Victory Plastics Co. | ca. 1953 | not reported | not available | n/a | Research & Development contract related to the M8A1 Scabbard per ASTIA. See note 1 below. |
| not reported | Victory Plastics Co. | January–June 1954 | $155,560 | not available | not available | Contract for M8A1 Scabbards awarded January-June 1954 per congressional record August 18, 1954. |
| not reported | Victory Plastics Co. | January 1961 | not available | Definitive Contract | not available | Label with 1/61 contract date observed. Contract number not included on label. |
| DA-11-199-ORD-728 | Viz Manufacturing Co. | August 1962 | not available | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details from sealed package with 3/63 packing date containing VIZ-marked scabbards. |
| not reported | Wilson-Duggar Co. | July 1963 | not available | Definitive Contract | not available | Per GAO Decision B–152179, Sep 24, 1963: Minimum requirement for 144,415 M8A1 scabbards, and a maximum quantity of 600,000. Can't use these figures to assume quantity actually produced. |
| DO-11-199-66-00255 | Pennsylvania Assn For The Blind | July 1965 | $126,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. Package label observed has contract number as DO-11-199-66-00255; packing date 11/65. |
| DO-11-199-66-00264 | Pennsylvania Assn For The Blind | September 1965 | $256,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. |
| DO-11-058-66-1473 | Pennsylvania Assn For The Blind | September 1965 | $148,000 | Order Under Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. Purchasing Office was Springfield Armory, so may have been order for just the Belt Strap Assemblies to use during refurbishment of scabbards. |
| DO-11-199-S6-00267 | Penn Working Home Phila Assn Blind | December 1965 | $636,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. Package label observed has contract number as DO-11-199-66-00267; packing date 12/66. |
| DO-11-199-S6-00294 | Penn Working Home Phila Assn Blind | March 1966 | $1,061,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. Package label observed has contract number as DO-11-199-66-00294. |
| DO-11-199-S6-00307 | Penn Working Home Phila Assn Blind | May 1966 | $662,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. |
| N00150-66-C-0176 | Pennsylvania Assn For The Blind | May 1966 | $14,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. Navy Dept. direct contract. Contract number at left is likely erroneous. Address Activity Code N00150 does not exist. Suspect that the correct code is N00140, Naval Regional Procurement Office, Philadelphia, PA. Correct contract number would be N00140-66-C-0176. |
| M00150-67-C-0003 | Pennsylvania Working Home Blind | July 1966 | $25,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. Marine Corps direct contract. Address Activity Code M00150 is for Marine Corps Supply Activity, Philadelphia, PA. |
| DAAF03–67–F–0002 | Pennsylvania Assn For The Blind | March 1967 | $1,391,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. |
| DAAF01–69–F–8756 | Working Blind | January 1969 | $1,349,000 | Definitive Contract | not available | Contract details per NARA AAD. Reflects formal contractor name change to The Working Blind, Inc. |
| Notes 1) Contract DA-19-020-ORD-2399 "M-8 Fiberglass Scabbard for M-4 Bayonet Knife," final report Sep. 1954, Project TS2-2028. TS2-2028 was a Springfield Armory project related to continued development of the lightweight .30 cal rifle (i.e., the M14). Suspect that this contract was R & D that led to metal tip protector used on subsequent M8A1 Scabbard production. 2) Contractor names for the Pennsylvania Working Home for the Blind are shown exactly as they appear in federal contracting records. Bureaucratic inconsistencies account for the variations in name used until official name change to The Working Blind. 3) Fake M8A1 Package Labels: There are commercial M8A1 scabbard copies packaged with fictitious labels to make them appear like military items. These typically have a molded plastic body without a metal tip protector. Some of these commercial scabbards have a spurious Manufacturer Symbol, WP. |
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| Sources
ASTIA: Armed Services Technical Information Agency, Subject Index to Unclassified ASTIA Documents, (United States: U.S. Department of Commerce, Business and Defense Services Administration, 1960), 279, https://www.google.com/books/edition/Subject_Index_to_Unclassified_ASTIA_Docu/bv9EAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 Cunningham: Gary Cunningham, U.S. Knife Bayonets & Scabbards (Pennsylvania: Scott Duff Publications, 2015) |
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