M1 Bayonet
Encyclopedia
The M1 Bayonet
was designed to be used with the .30 caliber
U.S. Rifle M1
. The blade is 10 inches (25.4 cm) long, and the handle is 4 inches (10.1 cm) long.
Before 1943, the M1 Garand and all variants of the U.S. Rifle Model 1903 were using the M1905 bayonet
and later M1942 bayonet
s.
In 1943, the U.S. Army decided a shorter bayonet would be better, so as many of the M1905/1942s as possible were recalled, had their blades cut down to 10 inches, and were reissued. These shortened bayonets, along with the newly made 10-inch bayonets, are called M1 bayonets. They functioned well in the European theater, where in the rare bayonet-actions of the time, they were matched up against the 9 3/4 inch long blade of the German S84/98 III bayonet fitted on the Karabiner 98k
. However, in the Pacific theater, the much longer Japanese sword bayonets on the already very long Arisaka
rifle caused many American troops to retain the long M1905 bayonet
.
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
was designed to be used with the .30 caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
U.S. Rifle M1
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...
. The blade is 10 inches (25.4 cm) long, and the handle is 4 inches (10.1 cm) long.
Before 1943, the M1 Garand and all variants of the U.S. Rifle Model 1903 were using the M1905 bayonet
M1905 Bayonet
The M1905 Bayonet was designed to be used with the .30 caliber U.S. M1903 Springfield rifle. Variants of the M1903 rifle were produced during World War I and World War II by Springfield Armory, Remington Arms, Rock Island Arsenal, and Smith-Corona Typewriter. The blade is 16 inches long, and the...
and later M1942 bayonet
M1942 Bayonet
The M1942 Bayonet was designed to be used with the .30 caliber U.S. Rifle M1, or M1 Garand. The blade is 16 inches long and the handle is 4 inches long....
s.
In 1943, the U.S. Army decided a shorter bayonet would be better, so as many of the M1905/1942s as possible were recalled, had their blades cut down to 10 inches, and were reissued. These shortened bayonets, along with the newly made 10-inch bayonets, are called M1 bayonets. They functioned well in the European theater, where in the rare bayonet-actions of the time, they were matched up against the 9 3/4 inch long blade of the German S84/98 III bayonet fitted on the Karabiner 98k
Karabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 Kurz was a bolt action rifle chambered for the 8x57mm IS/7.92×57mm IS cartridge that was adopted as the standard service rifle in 1935 by the German Wehrmacht. It was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles...
. However, in the Pacific theater, the much longer Japanese sword bayonets on the already very long Arisaka
Arisaka
Arisaka is a family of Japanese military bolt action rifles, in production from approximately 1898, when it replaced the Murata rifle, until the end of World War II in 1945...
rifle caused many American troops to retain the long M1905 bayonet
M1905 Bayonet
The M1905 Bayonet was designed to be used with the .30 caliber U.S. M1903 Springfield rifle. Variants of the M1903 rifle were produced during World War I and World War II by Springfield Armory, Remington Arms, Rock Island Arsenal, and Smith-Corona Typewriter. The blade is 16 inches long, and the...
.
See also
- List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation
- M3 Knife
- List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
- BayonetBayonetA bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...