Unusual AKM Type I Bayonets?

[Mr. B.]

Can anyone identify these AKM Type I bayonets ?
Mike

[Dragur2791]

Top one appears to be East German and the other one Polish.

Where did you see these? To me they seem quite rare.

[Mr. B.]

Hi Alexander, You are correct, as far as you go. The top one is an East German, (DDR-NVA), AKM 6X3 Type I bayonet and scabbard with all the correct accessories. Also known as the M.59 version in Germany. The lower one is a Polish AKM 6H3 Type I bayonet and scabbard also with all the correct accessories. Both of these items are in separate private collections. The pictures provided by the owners. They are rare, but the existence of both is documented. Both are very unique! What is special about them? How to identify them?
Mike

[Dragur2791]

I heard about the East German “red” 6x3 before. To my understanding its a kind of prototype production, but I could be mixing things up. If true that explains its elusiveness.

The Polish however I have only heard little about and I would be interested in hearing more about it. To me it appears to be out of a very small production run and if im correct its also marked with “11” on the grip. The same markings are found on the backside of Polish prototype 6x4 plastic scabbards, in the place where we have our usual “arrow in triangle”.

[Dragur2791]

Here is a picture from my files of the “red” EG “prototype” 6x3.

[Mr. B.]

Yes, the Polish one has an 11 in oval arsenal mark on the right side grip panel. Mike

Poland Polish 6H3 Wire Cutter Knife Bayonet Orange.jpg (44.82 KiB) Viewed 8521 times

[Mr. B.]

Although these German and Polish bayonets and scabbard appear different they do have something in common. The orange color of the grip panels may appear different in the picture. However, they are the same color and texture when compared. Perhaps the same material used to mold the grip panels?
Below are more pictures of the DDR bayonet and scabbard. Both the bayonet and scabbard are in new condition. The bayonet has the standard hand etched inventory or issue number in the pommel mounting slot. The scabbard has no numbers.
Mike

[Mr. B.]

Here are pictures of a couple of the Polish versions of this bayonet and scabbard. Note that they are both in new condition with matching stamped numbers. How many were made?
Mike

Polish AKM 6H3 Type I assort with orange (2).jpg (46.41 KiB) Viewed 8500 times

[Dragur2791]

No matter what material they were made of or how many were made, those are god damn must have’s.. they are beautiful examples! So Mike,
Did the owner of these provide you with any back ground story as to how and where these were obtained?
The red EG could also have been issued to certain branches/units of the EG army.. made in very small quantities..

[Mr. B.]

It does matter what material was used and how many were made. It explains what, why and where they were made. They are beautiful examples and extremely rare. Officially they do not even exist, just an experiment that failed. The owner of this DDR bayonet version lives in Germany and has the background story with documentation. The owner of this particular, (#2367) Polish version lives in the US and just recently obtained it. He lucked out, bought it cheap not knowing what it was. His posting and asking for identification and information is what prompted this discussion.
Mike

[Dragur2791]

I think you got me wrong. Material and numbers always matter and most, if not every, advanced collector know that. So no need to point that out.

What I meant was that these 2 top rare examples, that you provide pics of, look stunning and for a brief moment material and quantity was not my main focus.

Jacob

[Mr. B.]

I totally understand. I was setting the stage for the background information. These bayonets are not made for or authorized by the military of either country. They were made as an experiment to encourage innovations in production, materials, etc., to improve the products and reduce costs. It was for everything not just the military items. These programs were sponsored by the governments and the political parties of each country.
The DDR had been licensed to make the AKM 6X3 Type I since 1959 (M.59). Poland received a license in 1966. In 1967 the innovation program also encouraged cooperation between member countries. To satisfy the officials and politicians, it was agreed to have the DDR work with Poland as they were starting up. A team from both countries was challenged to find a way to simplify, economize and improve the production of grip panels on the AKM Type I bayonets. The militaries from each country were to provide 10 complete new bayonets and scabbards to use as samples. They were removed from inventory and written off. The innovation team was also provided with the orange thermoplastic material. They made molds and simply poured the melted plastic into the molds. Done by hand, no machines, no pressure injection. The original grip panels were removed from the new bayonets and replaced with the new orange panels. No new numbers or marking of any kind. The only exception was the Polish oval 11 for ID, even though they were not arsenal produced.
The 20 samples,10 from each country, were submitted to an innovation commission in the DDR. They were inspected and tested failing completely. It was not the results that mattered it was the success of the program. This program was not about military bayonets, but about socialism/communism and satisfying the administration and politicians. The bayonets were not a military experiment or prototypes. They did not officially exist having been removed from military inventory.
Of the 20 samples a few may have been "lost" before the wall fell. The rest were probably thrown in with other surplus military items and sold off after the DDR collapsed. A few have shown up in the USA mixed in with other surplus bayonets. No one seemed to known what they were. Even though they looked exotic, many thought they were reworked due to the poor fit and finish. Some may have been damaged during testing and storage. They are not found in reference materials so there was little interest.
Mike

[Mr. B.]

The question remains, how do we classify these bayonets? They are not officially experimental or prototypes, not even design samples/mock-ups. They are not military issue items and never intended to be regardless of appearances and origin. Actually more of a fantasy item. They look exotic and rare, but in actuality they are a result of a non-military experiment that failed even basic testing.
Even though they don't fit in my "Military Issue" collection, I would definitely like to have one of each to display. They would fit right in with the assorted Polish 6H3 grip colors. And why not a DDR 6X3 with orange grips? After all they did make 6X4s with orange handles.
It would be interesting to try to account for the remaining DDR and Polish examples. I do not own one, but have seen pictures of two different Polish ones and one DDR one. Does anyone else own one or know someone that does? Additional picture confirmation would be appreciated.
Mike

[mill_speer]

Thank you Michael for your work on this post, I couldn't have described it better. I'm still thinking of what to call this type of bayonet.
G.