Military Edged Weapons

Military edged weapons include bayonets, fighting knives, folding knives, working blades and tools such as machetes and bolos, and swords. Most interest centers on fighting knives and bayonets, especially those used in World War II or later.

u.s. army m-1917 machine gun position, rhine 1945. note english billhok and m3 trench knife and m-1 carbine
U.S. Army M-1917 machine gun position overlooking Rhine River, 1945
Note English Billhok and M3 trench knife on pistol belt of left soldier, M-1 Carbine on floor and other details. Thanks to Frank Trzaska for correct ID on the knives.

Today in WW II: 16 Oct 1939 Germans counterattack in the Saar, quickly expelling the French invaders. More ↓
16 Oct 1940 Selective Service draft registration begins in the United States for approximately 16 million men.
16 Oct 1940 34 ships sunk from Convoy SC-7 and Convoy HX-79 by German submarine Wolf Pack, one of the worst attacks of the war in the Atlantic [16-19 Oct].
16 Oct 1941 Germans and Romanians march into Odessa, following the Soviet evacuation.
16 Oct 1941 Although Stalin remains in Moscow, Soviet government moves east to Kuybyshev [Samara] on the Volga River, where they remain until summer of 1943.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Recommended Books about Military Knives

Refer also to the Olive-Drab.com page of Books About Military Knives, Bayonets and other Edged Weapons.

Military Edged Weapons on the Internet

Military knives, bayonets, and other edged weapons are very popular with collectors. There are many websites and forums devoted to edged weapons, some of the best collected on the linked page.

Find More Information on the Internet

There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.

For good results, try entering this: military bayonet or knife. Then click the Search button.