UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons The BCN Bayonet Forum K98 Unfinished factory blade 1945

Hello wiking here.. Ive just puchased this Half finished bayonet blade Its a Bym with a 5 on the spine no serial also missing the holes for the crossguard as you can see i tried to put some gribs on it from another bayo.. well Its my first and only 1945'er LOL.. any thoughts or opinion of this...??

I got a whole bunch of them unfinished blades but no 45'er! wow! If I was you I'll leave the grips off and present it as it is...it is a nice relic from the end of ww2

Wiking. nice to see. is it possible for another photo of the bym logo ?? I thought the common wisdom was that bym out of austria stopped making these in 1944. I guess you have proof to show other wise ! very cool !!!! any t.r. item dated 1945 is a big find.
thank you for showing. jeff

Yeah i think i will Woestewolf you're right, its more like a relic than a bayonet

sorry im posting so late but ive had some com. problems unfortunately...

You're welcome jeff

Jeff ive taken another photo hope it will do it

The "b" is missing because of corrosion but "ym" is there...
ive also took one of the "5" on the spine...
Br. Wiking

Wiking . thank you very much for the extra photos of a rare 1945 bayonet. again, thank you. jeff

I know of these bayonets. About 12 years ago, I ran into a guy @ my local swapmeet in Palmdale, Ca. He had a number of artifacts recovered while lake diving in Austria. There were several S84/98s, some deactivated stick grenades (still in the hard carrying case), a scabbard for a Yugoslav Czetnic guard bayonet, and a incomplete blade blank marked "bym" on the ricasso & "5" on the spine, which I purchased.

He had several fascinating tales to tell. I was surprised the condition of the bayonets was fairly decent. They were various makers. One or two had matched scabbards, and most only had a few moderate corrosion patches on them. He stated the fresh, cold water of the Austrian lakes, and thick, viscous mud (which cuts off oxygen & thus inhibits rust), was responsible for the state of preservation. Corrosion was usually due to areas not protected by the lake bottom. The seller even mentioned once he encountered a wooden case, opened the lid, and found it full of bayonets. Unfortunately visibility was poor, and he moved off a short distance to assist his buddy diver, only to never relocate the chest again!

Anyway, what I believe happened is the Ferlach factory operated longer than any other before terminating production. It was not damaged as so many of the Ruhr facilities were. I seriously doubt if any "5" dated bayonets were ever completed. Even so, disarmament programs were soon enacted. War material was gathered and either burned, crushed, or otherwise disposed of. Large, deep rivers and lakes were particularly useful for this, and so went what remained on the production line at Ferlach. Some Veteran could have taken a bayonet from the factory as a souvenir, which might possibly have born a "5". However Ferlach was likely assembling previously dated "4" blades for most of the duration until it ceased production. I believe the highest serial numbers known are "bym4" in the low "F" bloc. Lastly, since that time, other such blades have surfaced and were recovered in the same way.

These are great bayonets! fred thanks for the write up.

Yeah thanks for the update fred.. i think ive heard about that a few years back about the 1944 dated blades

i wonder if there is somewhere out there an assembled bym 5 bayo... WOW that would be great

Lets hope an assembled bym 5 shows up! It is certainly possible but i think Fred is right. I have a wonderful funky late 44 bym i need to post.

yeah.. i guess its too much to hope for.. lol

What an awesome story, thanks for sharing. Glad to see one!