Bayonet reference books attribute these to Israel. However, little appears known of their origin and use. "No. 6" is a collector's designation, due to its resemblance to the British No. 6 (of which only 13 examples were produced). It has the long hilt and low muzzle ring of the Pattern 1907 bayonet, with the wraparound grips and clip-point blade of the No. 5 bayonet.

These are found in either No. 5 steel scabbards or shortened P1907 scabbards. With a blade length of 220 mm. (8 5/8 in.) they will not always fit the No. 5 scabbard.

An example was on display at the IDF History Museum in Tel Aviv, as shown in this 2018 photograph. Unfortunately, the image doesn’t show enough detail to discern to what country the museum is attributing the bayonet. The Museum closed in 2019 and the collection is now in storage. I communicated with both the person who obtained the image and the Israel Ministry of Defense, but so far have not been able to obtain further information.

If Israeli, it seems that they would likely have been produced or procured early, perhaps even before 1948. The Haganah (Defense) organization had an arms and procurement branch, Rekhesh (Procurement), that purchased and imported arms beginning in the mid-1940s. Beginning in 1947, Israel began importing Mauser rifles and bayonets in quantity. The SMLE rifle served as a stopgap until sufficient quantities of the Mauser became available.

The bayonet's maker is unknown. While it could have been made in Britain or Israel, other possibilities also exist.

Walter & Hughes' Primer of World Bayonets, Part Two, describes a 1960-dated Pakistani pattern list documenting the Second World War India-pattern 1907 variants including a bayonet described as "coupling the 'Jungle Carbine' blade with the No. I hilt," designating it No. I Mk. VI. This suggests that India may also be a possibility. They possessed the tooling and factory capacity to manufacture both P1907 and No. 5 bayonets, so producing this hybrid wouldn't be much of a stretch.

Hopefully, further information will be found to clarify the origin and use of these bayonets. If anyone finds an image of this bayonet in use, I would be grateful to see it.

In 1947 and 1948, Israel clandestinely procured captured Second World War German weapons, including Kar 98k rifles and M1884/98 III bayonets.

The Israelis replaced the crosspiece on the German M1884/98 III bayonet with one that had a full muzzle ring and designated it, Bayonet Mk. 1A. The bayonet and scabbard are also marked with the Star of David and the Hebrew letter Tsadi, which was used as a government property mark.

This bayonet was originally made in 1942 by Carl Eickhorn Waffenfabrik AG of Solingen. It has serrated, brown phenolic plastic grips. The scabbard was originally made in 1940, also by Carl Eickhorn.

Israel commenced manufacture of bayonets in 1949 to supplement the German M1884/98 III, VZ–24, and FN M1924 bayonets which they had obtained to equip their fledgling Army. Although a sturdy and serviceable bayonet, the fit and finish is crude compared to the German bayonet from which it was copied.

The ricasso and scabbard are marked in Hebrew, which reads:

     “Bayonet Mk. 1A
        Manufacturer
          101.1949”

The bayonet and scabbard are also marked with the Star of David and the Hebrew letter Tsadi, which was used as a government property mark. The scabbard is marked on the reverse with a mark, the significance of which is not known.

It is a previously-issued Mk. 1A bayonet that was subsequently polished, plated, and the scabbard engraved. The engravings are the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) emblem on the front and an early version of what later became the Israel Military Industries (IMI) emblem on the reverse.

This was presented to a U.S. Army officer (Brig. General) who retired in 1966. This officer served in the Middle East as Chief of Army’s, Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in 1956 during the Suez Crisis. He then served 1957–1961 as Assistant for Near-East Affairs, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. An artilleryman with expertise in antiaircraft systems, he was a documented participant in high-level Pentagon policy discussions regarding potential sale of the HAWK surface-to-air missile system to Israel (which sale did occur in 1962).

According to the Israel Ministry of Defense, the emblem belongs to the forerunner of IMI: Ta'as (Ta'asiya Tzvait; in English, Military Industry). They indicated that, in preparation for the War of Independence, the Haganah (the quasi-military body of the Jewish community in Palestine) reorganized the clandestine weapons manufacturing workshops known as Ta'as. One of the changes was establishment of a subdivision named “Weapons Manufacturing Factories.” They indicated that the Hebrew initials for this subdivision are “MFLN”, though it should actually be “MIN”, like the letters found on this bayonet.

This comparison image shows the progressive use of the emblem by Ta'as and IMI. As best that I can determine, the emblem was likely changed to the Hebrew letters “IMI” following creation of IMI in the early-mid 1950s. The subsequent change to the western letters “IMI,” likely occurred post-1967, when IMI began focusing heavily on export sales to western nations.

This history, along with the bayonet's provenance, suggests that the bayonet was likely engraved and plated during the late 1940s-mid 1950s and presented during the 1950s or, perhaps, early-1960s.

The Israeli Haganah paramilitaries initiated purchase of Kar 98k rifles from Czechoslovakia in 1947, in anticipation of the coming Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel. In his book, Československé zbraně ve světě: V míru i za války (Czechoslovak Weapons in the World: In Peacetime and During the War), Vladimír Francev indicates that 4,500 rifles were shipped in 1947, with another 34,507 shipped in 1948.

This bayonet is post-War Czechoslovak production at Československá zbrojovka a.s., Brno. Lacking the pre-War CSZ ricasso mark, it was likely made 1947–48. The bayonet has a dark gray finish.

The scabbard's frog stud has been ground into a teardrop shape to better fit Israel's ex-German and British belt frogs.

Pommel (left): Star of David and Hebrew letter Tsadi inside a circle and "5491"

Scabbard (frog stud): Star of David and Hebrew letter Tsadi inside a circle

In addition to captured Second World War German Kar 98k rifles and new-made Kar 98k rifles procured from Czechoslovakia, Israel contracted with FN for new-made Kar 98k style rifles.

The details of the contract are not known, as intermediaries were used to obscure its existence in order to shield the Belgian government from political blowback. FN rifle deliveries began 1948–49.

The blade has a dark phosphate finish. The hilt and scabbard are blued.

I classify this unmarked example as Israeli, however, it may have been produced under license by FN in Belgium.

This example has black plastic grip scales. The scabbard has a plastic body and round metal frog stud, as was used with the FAL Type B bayonet.

Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) began producing the Uzi in 1955, but lacked sufficient manufacturing and marketing capacity to meet the demand for export contracts. IMI licensed marketing and export production of the Uzi to Belgian firearms giant, FN from 1956 into the 1970s. Terms of the arrangement were that all contracts required Israel’s advance approval and Israel received half of the profits.

ARMSCOR in South Africa produced the Uzi under license, where it was designated S1. The Ian Smith government in Rhodesia also produced the Uzi under license from 1976 until white minority rule ended in 1980. Unlicensed Uzi copies have been produced in China and Croatia.

The Netherlands was the first foreign country to adopt the Uzi, which was acquired by the Dutch Army in 1956. The Uzi was eventually adopted by police and military of more than 90 countries, including the U.S. Secret Service. The Uzi remains in production today, with more than 10 million believed to have been produced.

Submachine Gun Bayonets Page

This bayonet was produced during the 1980s by A. Eickhorn-Solingen (AES), in West Germany, for Israel Military Industries (IMI).

It has the one-piece grip, pommel secured with a phillips-head screw, and plumb-colored blade characteristic of AES production. The scabbards is marked as being made in West Germany, similar to bayonets that AES produced for Haiti and other export contracts.

At first, the bayonet appears unmarked. However, the pommel is a casting and "IMI" is molded in to the casting at the end of the mortise.

Israel reportedly purchased 97,214 M16A1 rifles via U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) during the 1970s. Israel also reportedly purchased 110,000 M16s directly from Colt.

Scabbard: "U. S. M8A1" over "Made in W.-Germany"