This rare bayonet was issued to the German troops in German East Africa and is marked DOA on the cross guard. Only some 11,000 men of these troops at one point kept 50,000 British and Indian men at bay. Von Lettow Vorbeck surrendered six weeks after the armistice on the Western Front and, by his own account, could have gone on fighting for ever.
The blade was made at the Erfurt arsenal, is dated 1911 at the forte and has all the original government inspection stamps throughout. The leather grips are in exceptional condition for the age of the piece. The DOA stamp is a bit rudimentary, but I am sure this is original, despite the lack of numbers. The scabbard is a bit scruffy, with some severe bruising along both edges.
Most of these bayonets are marked KS for German SW Africa, so to find a DOA (Deutsche Ost Afrika) marked piece is a bit of a bonus and perhaps makes up for the poor condition of the scabbard.
If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.
[Edged Weapons : Bayonets : German : 20th Century]
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