Let's Discuss M4 Bayonets & M8/A1 Scabbards

NewScotlander wrote: Probably the best book currently available for M3 and M4s. A bit pricey though.

Wow, pricey, you said it. I may save my pennies up and grab it then since I was wanting to learn some more about this subject.

I ended up buying an M3 Fighting Knife last weekend. The apparent history of the knife was the reason I bought it.

The knife has "SILLS" scratched into the blade.

The sheath has "Bill Sills" inscribed on the front, with a faded drawing.

The back of the sheath features the name of the soldier's hometown, along with each Army base at which they were stationed, ending with a Pacific War area of combat in New Guinea. It is inscribed as follows:

New Cumberland, PA
_____________________

Fort Ord, CAL
_____________________

Camp Phillips, Kan
_____________________

Jackson Barracks, New Orleans, LA
_____________________

Camp Stoneman, CAL (This was a Pacific War embarkation point)
_____________________

Finschhafen, New Guinea (This one took me a while to decipher - There was a major battle between Australian and Japanese forces there, and American forces joined, and then it became a significant Navy base)

I haven't found any information yet on a William Sills that I think is the same person who owned the knife.




Your thoughts?

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

Nice M3. 

And a second one. Just a cross section of my blade collection.

W5USMC wrote: David, nice looking M3, what manufacturer?

W5USMC,

Thanks! I forgot to post the manufacturer. It's an Imperial. Though it appears the soldier took his sharpening stone to the marking.



David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

Smokpole wrote: And a second one. Just a cross section of my blade collection.

Looks like you have a PAL 36, a Ka-Bar, an M1917, long and short M1905 bayonets for the Garand, an M5 bayonet for the Garand, along with the axe and M3's.

I recently bought a PAL 36, as well.

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

Nice snag, an M3 with it's path to war documented! Is it usually safe to assume that if an M3 or M4 has the Bakelite spacers above and below the leather washers that it's WWII production? I have an Imperial M4 that has them and it seems like I remember reading when researching Imperial's that they used the spacers at first and then transitioned to full washers within their Wartime production.
I got a great deal on it ($105 and looks basically unissued) and knowing it's WWII prod. would make it that much better.

Thanks,
John

I believe I dug out all my U.S. and U.S. related (Italian M4) blades for this photo. I have also started to collect U.S. 18" machetes.



David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

Smokpole wrote: Nice! I only have one machete.

I like to think that machetes are a tool/weapon that many Pacific War GI's used alongside their Carbines and Thompsons.

What kind of machete do you have? 18"?

My 18" machetes are as follows:

Disston 1943 with Boyt 1943 Sheath
Disston 1944 with Williamsville Duff Mfg. Co. 1944 sheath
True Temper 1945 (No sheath)
Ontario Knife Company 1943 with Atlas 1943 sheath
Ontario Knife Company with generic sheath (I bought this from Brigade Quartermasters in 1981)

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com