The blade is patterned after the U.S. M4 bayonet-knife. This example has the 9–O'clock press catch, however, examples may also be found with the 10:30 press catch profile. Three M1975 variations exist:

— The earliest examples had a black 6–groove grip; broad notched crosspiece; and steel pommel.

—A second variant had a 7–groove grip, half-notched crosspiece; and plastic pommel.

— This example is of the third variant, which is identical to the second, except for the narrow plain crosspiece.

Earlier scabbards had the British-style belt fastener, like the M1962 bayonet scabbard. Later scabbards, like this example, had the U.S. M1910-style wire belt hanger.

All Danish M1975 bayonets were made in Germany. This example was made by AES. However, early examples may have been produced by Carl Eickhorn Waffenfabrik, E & F Hörster, or another contractor. The flashguard marking, HMAK, is an abbreviation of Hærens Materiel Kommando (Army Materiel Command). The HMAK marking was used beginning in 1969.

Denmark purchased G3 rifles from Rheinmettal AG in Germany in the mid-1960s, designating them the Gevær m/66. The m/66 had a selector lock that required insertion of a special key to enable full automatic fire. In the mid-1970s, the Danes leased additional G3 rifles from Germany, designating them the Gevær m/75. The m/75 rifles were true selective-fire weapons. These were issued to the regular army and the m/66 rifles relegated to the home guard. The G3 was replaced in regular army service by the Diemaco C7 (M16) in the mid-1990s.

This is an early example, made 1956–58, with the blade patterned after the US M4 bayonet-knife. The blade was thought to be too weak due to the long false edge and was redesigned in 1958. According to Kiesling, approximately 40,000 of this early style bayonet were made.

The scabbard body is steel, with an integral leather belt hanger.

"E-RM" was once believed to represent Establishment Regional du Materiel. According to French author/researcher, Christian Méry, this is incorrect. The first letter represents the year of manufacture. This practice was adopted in 1955, so A= 1955 ... E = 1959, etc.

The letters HF or RM identify the private contractors who produced these bayonets. The identity of the manufacturers was not known until French Collector Julien Ctr, provided documentation that clarifies the firms' identities:

HF = Établissement Minière & Métallurgique du Périgord (Perigord Mining & Metallurgical Establishment) of Montluçon

RM = Société R. Merat (R. Merat Company) of Suresnes (a suburb of Paris).

The blade is patterned after the U.S. M4 bayonet-knife. The black plastic grip has 12 grooves. The press catch is at the 9 O'clock position (when viewed from the rear). It has a broad plain crosspiece.

The scabbard is patterned after the U.S. M8A1. The web frog terminates in a belt loop, rather than the M1910 wire hanger typical of U.S. made scabbards.

The scabbard body is made of Durofol, a laminated wood developed during the Second World War. It is made by impregnating beech veneers of 0.2 to 0.3 mm. thickness with 25 to 35 percent of a water-soluble phenolic resin cured under both high pressure and temperature. Post-War, Durofol KG, J. Brangs & Co. of Solingen became the exclusive manufacturer, which later became Durofol Presswerk GmbH.

The G3 rifle had a very long service life in Germany, entering service with the West German Bundeswehr (Federal Armed Forces) in 1959 and serving until adoption of the H & K G36 rifle in 1997.

This example has the 12-groove black plastic grip. The press catch is at the 9 O'clock position. The blade has a plum hue, which is characteristic of products manufactured by A. Eickhorn GmbH, Solingen (AES), one of the successors to Carl Eickhorn Waffenfabrik.

The scabbard has a black plastic body with an angular tip. The scabbard incorporates a locking device to secure the bayonet in the scabbard. The scabbard's integral web belt hanger is one inch longer than on the earlier 1959 G3 bayonet design scabbard.

A crude copy of the Eickhorn KCB-77, this example has a pommel patterned after the U.S. M4–M7 Series bayonets, rather than the rectangular KCB-style pommel. The L-shaped tab on the lower crosspiece serves as a bottle opener.

The scabbard has an integral black nylon belt frog with a U.S. M1910-style wire belt hanger. The scabbard comes with a plastic cover for the scabbard point, protecting the wire-cutter and screwdriver tip.

Recognized by their dark blue berets, Brimob (Brigade Mobil) is the special operations force of the Indonesian Republic National Police (POLRI). The Brimob is a paramilitary police force whose current mission includes domestic counter-terrorism, law enforcement, and riot control.

Originally a military force, the Brimob's transition to a police organization has been challenging. Used to operating with impunity while Indonesia was under authoritarian rule, Brimob units have been implicated in human rights abuses, especially in East Timor and Papua (New Guinea). The current democratic government has had mixed success at holding Brimob to account and reining-in its use of force when dealing with ordinary citizens.

The bayonet is closely patterned after the U.S. bayonet-knife M4 . The grip scales are brown plastic. The crosspiece has a unique "hourglass" profile and a large muzzle ring to accommodate the BM59's "tri-compensator" muzzle device. The scabbard is a U.S. M8 clone, with the body made of fiberglass with an olive green gel coat. The belt hanger is made of khaki tan cotton webbing.

Not much is known about the production of these bayonets. The BM59 had a very long service life with the Italian Army, finally being retired in 1990. The Italian Army began using the AR70 in 1979 and it continues in use to the present day.

The BM59 was also used by Indonesia, where it was designated SP.1. Indonesia produced their own bayonet for use with the SP.1.

According to noted Scandinavian bayonet authority, Per Holmback, approximately 34,400 M1894 bayonets were made under German occupation during 1943–44.

Military Assistance Program (MAP) records document that the U.S. USA provided 98,267 M1 and M2 Carbines to Norway between 1950 and 1963. A total of 30,000 M1894 bayonets were modified in 1956 at Hærens Våpentekniske Korps (Army weapons technical corps).

The bayonet and M1 Carbine pictured at left was featured in author R.D.C. Evans' Bayonet Fact File No. 50 article in the September/October 2012 issue of The Armourer magazine.

MAP records document that the U.S. provided 72,801 M1 rifles to Norway between 1950 and 1963. According to Per Holmback, 5,000 converted bayonets were delivered to the Hærens Våpentekniske Korps (Army Weapons Technical Corps) in April 1957.

A much larger number of scabbards were converted, because German M1884/98 III bayonets were also used with Kar 98k rifles by the Norwegian military forces. The Norwegian railroad still carries Kar 98k rifles in the engineer's compartment of their locomotives for dispatching animals struck on the tracks.

This bayonet and scabbard were originally made by the German firm Carl Eickhorn of Solingen.

The Norwegian AG3 Type 1 bayonet differs from the German G3 bayonet in having a 0.5 in. (13 mm.) shorter hilt. The shorter hilt and narrow crosspiece keep the hilt behind the rifle's flash-hider, eliminating the need for a steel flashguard.

The blade is patterned after the U.S. M4 bayonet-knife. The ungrooved, oval, stippled green plastic grip is unique among G3 bayonets. The press catch is at the 9 O'clock position and lacks the serrations found on other G3 bayonets. It has a plain narrow crosspiece.

The scabbard is patterned after the U.S. M8A1. Early examples had a woodgrain colored plastic body with a metal tip protector. This example is a later type, with a green plastic body and large leg-tie hole characteristic of A. Eickhorn GmbH, Solingen (AES) production.

The earliest examples were made by Carl Eickhorn Waffenfabrik in Germany. Subsequent production was at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (Kongsberg Weapons Factory), initially, by rehilting M4 bayonet blades. Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk later produced bayonets with new-made blades. This example is likely an Eickhorn, as it does not bear theKongsberg factory stamp.

The AG3 rifle entered Norwegian Army (Hæren) service in 1967, with 250,000 made at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk by the time production ceased in 1974. The AG3 was phased out of army service following adoption of the HK416 rifle in 2007, but is still used by Home Guard (Heimevernet) units.

In 2009, British bayonet historian R.D.C. Evans published an excellent and comprehensive article on G3 bayonets that is available for download at no cost.

Go to the G3 Bayonets Page

The blade is patterned after the U.S. M4 bayonet-knife and has a plum hue. It has a 7-groove olive green plastic grip with an integral pommel. The press catch is at the 9 O'clock position. It has a half-notched crosspiece, although the scabbard does not have the locking device.

The scabbard is patterned after the U.S. M8A1, with a green plastic body and large leg-tie hole. This example still has the boot-lace leg tie.

The Norwegian AG3 Type 2 bayonets were produced in the 1990s by AES in Germany as replacements.

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For many years, these bayonets were believed to be Argentine. However, communication with Argentine collectors confirmed that Argentina's M1 Carbines did not have the barrel band necessary to mount a bayonet.

Peru also shortened M1891 bayonets for police use. These are sometimes found in shortened white-painted scabbards, similar to this example. It now seems likely that these M1 Carbine alterations are also Peruvian.

Military Assistance Program (MAP) records document that the U.S. provided 811 M1 Carbines between 1951 and 1963; and,10 M2 Carbines in 1967. M1 Carbine serial number 3823316 was produced by International Business Machines (IBM).

Modifications to the bayonet included:

—Shortening the blade.
—Replacing the original crosspiece.
—Lengthening the hilt by moving the crosspiece .375 in. (10 mm.) farther along the blade.
—Replacing the the original grip scales.
—Grinding a clearance notch in the    pommel.

The grip serrations appear to have been ground after casting, rather than having been molded in to the casting. The grip scales are secured by aluminum rivets that have been ground flush.

This image comparing the hilt to an unmodified M1891 bayonet illustrates the totality of these modifications.

The scabbard was shortened by cutting a section out of the middle and crudely brazing the two ends together.

Unlike most modern bayonets, which mount below the rifle’s barrel, this bayonet mounts inverted above the barrel (a feature later copied on bayonets for the German G3 assault rifle). The blade is patterned after the U.S. M4 bayonet. The one-piece wooden grip is unique and wraps almost completely around the hilt. The only marking is the triangular Artillerie Inrichtingen trademark. The scabbard is closely patterned after the familiar U.S. M8A1 scabbard.

I corresponded with the Dutch Army Museum, regarding production of the AR10 bayonet. Only 1,556 AR10 rifles and bayonets were delivered to Portugal. A few more were produced for use in Dutch Army trials, bringing total production of this bayonet to approximately 1,600 pieces.

Low production numbers and extensive combat service have made surviving specimens of this bayonet scarce. 

The AR10 saw nearly two decades of combat service with Portuguese special forces fighting insurgents in Angola and Mozambique. See my presentation, The Portuguese AR10 Bayonet, for more information and pictures of the AR10 bayonet in use by Portuguese troops in Angola and Mozambique.

The first AR10 rifles produced by Artillerie Inrichtingen went to Sudan in 1958. These used a German-made knife bayonet that mounted underneath the barrel.

This example was made by AB Bahco inEnköping. It has the 6-groove black plastic grip and broad-notched crosspiece. The press catch is at the 1:30 position. The blade is patterned after the U.S. M4 bayonet-knife and very finely made, being left in the white. The Bahco trademark is applied using an electropencil.

The scabbard has a black plastic body with an angular tip. The scabbard incorporates a locking device to secure the bayonet in the scabbard. The belt hanger is made of nylon webbing.

A second procurement of the m/1965 bayonet occurred in 1976, from Carl Eickhorn Waffenfabrik AG of Solingen, West Germany. This must have been one of the final contracts fulfilled by Eickhorn prior to its bankruptcy.

AB is an abbreviation for Aktiebolag, which is the equivalent of Corporation in the USA. Bahco is an acronym for "Bernt August Hjort & Co.," the firm's original name. Bahco is a manufacturer of hand tools, established in 1886. The firm's founder, Johan Petter Johansson, invented the plumber's wrench in 1888 and the adjustable wrench (i.e., crescent wrench) in 1891, both of which are still widely used today. Bahco is still in business, having been purchased by Snap-On Inc. in 1999.

Beginning in 1966, Sweden produced the G3A3 under license by the national defence organization, Förenade Fabriksverken (FFV), atCarl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfabrik and Husqvarna Vapenfabrik.

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