M71 sawback

sword

SKU: 258 Category:

Description

Orange Free State was a n independant Boer republic in South Africa. It existed between 1854 and 1902, whan it became English colony after the Second Boer War.

The unique bayonet had been apparently assembled in Germany utilizing spare parts for different models. It is very similar to German M71 with sawback but the crossguard comes from bayonet produced for Turkey and has Turkish markings. However the crossguard is mounted inverted.

It is not clear how many of them had finally left Germany. Some of them had been found in South Africa but most had been bought by Bannerman, great military demobil merchant. He resold to all over the world, but most of this model examples were bought by Warner Bros. They were utilized in many film, often with changes in design. Many examples now on the market have WB (Warner Bros) markings with inventory number. Mine has not.