The ''Seitengewehr 42'', ''Seitengewehr Modell 42'' or SG 42 was developed in 1942 by the Wilhelm Gustloff Werke and manufactured by Carl Eickhorn in Solingen. According to its description, the Gustloff Company and its chief designer, Carl Barnitzke, got a German patent 766198 in October 1942 for an ''Armeemesser'' (Army knife) according to its description. The SG 42 was intended to supplement and later replace the original S84/98 III
bayonet of the
Karabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 kurz (; "carbine 98 short"), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92× ...
service rifle. The ''Seitengewehr 42'' was designed as a multi-tool
combat knife
A combat knife is a fighting knife designed solely for military use and primarily intended for hand-to-hand or close combat fighting.Peterson, Harold L., ''Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World'', Courier Dover Publications, , (2001 ...
, but could also be mounted as a bayonet on the Karabiner 98k. The S84/98 III bayonet itself was a proven design, but there was a shortage of utility knives in the German military, which was usually procured privately.
After the consistently positive reception of several hundred pieces in the 1943 troops trials, the production was approved by Adolf Hitler, but this should take place because of the cost of a conversion of production until after the war. In 1944, an order for 10,000 pieces was issued by the ''
Heereswaffenamt
''Waffenamt'' (WaA) was the German Army Weapons Agency. It was the centre for research and development of the Weimar Republic and later the Third Reich for weapons, ammunition and army equipment to the German Reichswehr and then Wehrmacht
...
'' (Army Weapons Office). Factory production was started, but due to the end of the war, Factories delivered only a small number. SG 42s were manufactured by Waffenfabrik Carl Eickhorn in Solingen and toolkits by Robert Klaas of Solingen.
Technical specifications
Production largely made the SG 42 from stamped sheet metal parts. The handle scales and sheath are inexpensive and quickly produced, molded phenolic resin parts. The blade length was , the total length was ( with sheath). The blade had a
fuller. The knife contained a detachable toolkit in the handle that individuals could use for rifle maintenance and other tasks. The toolkit included a screwdriver, small knife, awl, and a corkscrew. The protective bracket of the handle served as a cartridge case extractor.
Analogous to the development of this
knife bayonet
A knife bayonet is a knife which can be used both as a bayonet, combat knife, or utility knife. The knife bayonet became the almost universal form of bayonet in the 20th century due to its versatility and effectiveness. Spike bayonets proved usel ...
after WW II, a worldwide development of the bayonet as a mere cutting and stabbing weapon to the plantable utility knife (saw, wire cutter) started.
The Sudanese bayonet for the post WW II
ArmaLite AR-10
The ArmaLite AR-10 is a 7.62×51mm NATO battle rifle designed by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s and manufactured by ArmaLite (then a division of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation). When first introduced in 1956, the AR-10 used an innovative c ...
battle rifle was an adaptation of the SG 42 with only slight alterations.
ArmaLite AR10 Sudanese Bayonet
/ref>
References
External links
Knife patents: a multitool army knife
World War II infantry weapons of Germany
Military knives
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943
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