M 17 assault knife

At the beginning of the Great War, the soldiers of the Monarchy were equipped with rifle-mounted bayonets. Such was, for example, the M1895 bayonet, which was standardized for the most widely used Mannlicher rifles. The bayonet was worn as an accessory to the uniform with a leather hanger attached to the waist belt and a metal case attached to the hanger. Its primary combat function was to be used as a spear attached to the rifle in close combat. At that time, according to the idea, the troops had to collide in open ground, where there was plenty of room to use the longer stabbing weapon.

In trench warfare, the methods of close combat have changed. There was not enough space for the one and a half to two meter bayonet rifles to be used. Therefore, the stabbing weapon was already used as a simple knife. The chunky metal parts of the bayonets, which were used to attach them to the rifle, became redundant. Thus, from 1917, the production of assault knives with a much simpler structure began. Attaching them to the waist belt had also been simplified. Instead of a leather slipper, they used a strap attached to the sheath of the knife. The waist belt was often not made of leather at that time either, but also made of fringed material.

The photo attached to the post shows two storm troopers with assault knives at their sides. The Kappenabzeichen is a small propaganda insignia that is modeled after the earlier bayonet.