Until the CMP brought this large batch in, the bayonet was uncommon to rare in this country. A few were sold on eBay with the sellers mostly located in Southeastern Europe. A couple of us are trying to find more details about these, so far our efforts have been mostly dead end.
The Greeks do not have a history of making their own bayonets, but it is of course possible that they made them themselves. My current OPINION is that these were made on contract for the Greeks, probably in the mid to late 1950s. As to who actually made them, that is what we are trying to discover. Right now, I don't feel they were made in the USA.
There are five other M1 bayonets that were made outside the US but which are identical to the US issue versions except for the markings. They were made in Norway, Denmark (there is some thought that these were made in Germany for the Danes which I tend to agree with), Italy, Japan and Nationalist China (Taiwan).
As some of the scabbards are marked on the body with the Chinese symbols as found on the Taiwanese made M7 scabbards, it is POSSIBLE that the bayonets were also made there. It is also possible, even likely, that this was simply an order for spare scabbards at a later time as they do not appear to be as common as the E-US marked version. This is total guesswork however, and certainly should not be considered definitive. SOME of the bayonets APPEAR to have had previous blade markings removed and the new stamp applied. Although I have not handled enough of these to have an opinion, it is possible that one of the makers listed previously (especially Taiwan) MAY have done this to use up some surplus. However, that has not been verified and is only a GUESS.
Ελληνικός Στρατός Ξηράς, (Ellinikós Stratós Xirás), translates roughly to Greek Land Army. It is certainly possible that the E-US mark found on both the bayonet and scabbard indicates Greece - US Model (or specifications). Again, this is only a guess. The EN-S mark MAY indicate the maker, but that is still to be discovered.
Some few of these have been found with US parts including guards, grips and the catch. This is PROBABLY simply the result of Arsenal reworks in Greece. Some scabbards, mostly actual US production, are also found with metal tip protectors added most likely by the Greeks.
Wish I had more information. If anything is found that narrows the field, I will publish it on Bayonet Points.
Note that I have made a lot of guesses and opinions here (noted in CAPITAL letters). Please realize that these are NOT FACTS and do not take them as such. I am as interested as anyone in what the true facts of this bayonet are, and am certainly willing to adjust my opinions in the face of factual information.
Gary Cunningham - Bayonetman
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Originally Posted by lobo
