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WWI BAR Gunners Issued Bayonets???

6K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Matthew2388 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been struggling to find this information for almost 3 weeks and nothing... I know there was no bayonet that was manufactured for the BAR, but was the usual M1905 bayonet still issued to gunners? Was it a generalized, issued to everyone kind of thing, or only riflemen?

Thank you immensely for your help and if you could provide literature or 'proof' it would be even better!

I found this, but I'm not sure if they mean no bayonet was ever issued associated with a BAR or no bayonet was issued to any gunner.

As a heavy automatic rifle designed for support fire, the M1918 was not fitted with a bayonet mount and no bayonet was ever issued.[9] Only one experimental bayonet fitting was ever made for the BAR by Winchester.[9] This was a standard, M1917 bayonet fitted at the Winchester factory with a special muzzle ring. The bayonet was attached to a standard M1918 BAR by means of a special experimental flash hider assembly.[9] This prototype bayonet/flash hider assembly came from the Winchester in-house factory museum in New Haven, Connecticut with a tag printed on one side Winchester Repeating Arms Co./New Haven Conn., and handwitten on the other side: Combined Flash Hider, Front Sight and Bayonet Mount for Browing Automatic Rifle Model 1918 with Bayonet and Scabbard and the date - September 7, 1918.[9] There is no evidence whatsoever of military adoption nor a military stock number, name, or classification.[9]
 
#2 ·
There's one photo at least, where a GI is aiming a BAR, and has the long bayonet on his pack. It appears to be a posed picture, especially since he and a Garand rifleman are both aiming more or less skyward. Various Marine BAR men relate their experiences of carrying an issue Ka-Bar. I haven't encountered any pictures of bayonets on BAR belts.

I'd expect that Marines would have Ka-Bars or even Navy knives, and Army BAR men might have M3 fighting knives. There's also the private purchase sheath knives, both "hunting" and "fighting" types. Western and Camillus are among the better known outfits which manufactured such knives. Soldiers and Marines can be mighty resourceful.

That's my .02¢
 
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