SG42 information

[stroh]

I have a very nice SG42 but can find no information on wartime issue dates or level of distribution. Can anyone shed any kight on this? Any idea on the number of wartime pieces produced?

Ed Stroh

[andundiek]

sg 42 info in dutch magazine

Hello Ed,

I hope I can be of some (small) help.
I collect bayonets myself and therefore very interested in any articles I can find about them.
6 years ago there was a nice article about the sg 42 in a Dutch weapons magazine called SAM.
In there they say no more then 2000 were ever produced so you can be sure there are not that much original specimens left.
Here a short section out of the text in the article :

The firm Eickhorn ( COF) seems to be the only one who produced these bayonets and this firm delivered 500 bayonets for field tests in october 1943.
After testing ended in spring 1944 the bayonet was very much aprishiated by the forces but due to much presure on the weapon manufacturing under difficult sircomstances the bayonets were never mass prodused.

Though in 1944 1100 bayonets were dilivered and put in use by special units.
There seems to have been a order for 10000 bayonets on the end of 1944 but there´s no proof of them ever being manufactured.
Most of the bayonets that are known have bakelite handles and scabbards but there seem to exist a few with sheet metal handles and scabbard.

Here some pictures of the article, hope this is of some help!

[andundiek]

picture 2

[andundiek]

pic 3

[SCHUPO]

Ed,

Be aware that there are very good reproductions of this SG42 bayonet that have come out of Germany in the past couple of years, so folks should be cautious of them. They were also made by Eickhorn for Armalite (I believe) after the war, but these are slightly different than the WWII style. These were sold to Angolia as well as to a couple of other armies.

[phosphateb]

To Ed in the Karib (hey hope you are tired of getting sunburned and back into collecting!!) and my friend in Holland. Great article in Dutch Magazine..Who is the Author? Note on this SG42 link of a 1964 letter that was received from Eickhorn by a very very prominent collector..SG42