german ww1 sawback bayonet

[snafu68]

Hello
I have just purchased a german WWI saw back bayonet I could use some help with what the markings mean. Is the lenth of the bayonet odd? Some people told me that they had not seen one this long. Is the markings on the guard the division and unit or can someone tell me where to go to get that info.The name on the blade is V.C Schilling Guhl, and on top of blade behind the saw back there is a crown above a O and that is above a 07. Below that mark there is a crown above a R. The overall measurement is 25 7/8 and the blade is 20 5/8. On the guard there is a B14.R.2.234. .I hope someone can help. Thank you in advance.

Scott

[John Allen]

German sawback bayonet

Scott

Your bayonet is a S1898 n/A. It was made by V.C. Schilling and was accepted for service in 1907. The crown O is the royal cypher for Otto of Bavaria and the unit marking stands for Bavarian 14th Infantry Regiment 2nd company weapon number 234. If the R is really fancy looking instead of just a plain R than it stands for Reserve Infantry Regiment. The other marking under the date is an inspection stamp. These bayonets were made as a badge of rank for NCOs and 6% of total number manufactered by all makers were with sawback blades. The S98s were made from 1898 until 1915. The bayonets made from 1898 until mid 1902 had one piece grips and are designated S98a/A. The early patterns are rather rare. The pattern that you have is more common but they are still scarce when compared to other German bayonets. Hope this helps.

John Allen