GERMAN K98 BAYONET CUT DOWN FOR A FIGHTING KNIFE

This Bayonet came out of an old time collection and started out as a Paul Weyersberg K98 Bayonet and has had serious modifications done to it. First just the appearance of the light wood grips with the metal swaz sunk in within a circle and the metal swaz on the scabbard really look neat. The wood grips have been form fitted to the tang and held on with what could be screws can not tell there are no nuts on the other side just small holes. The bayonet has been transformed by taking most of the pommel off and then filling in the remaining rifle slot in with what I would imagine to be lead filler. This makes the handle almost too small to get a really good grip on the knife. There is a waffen amp stamp on the top of the remade pommel. The blade has been shortened to 6 3/4” long and made into a double edge knife. The blade is marked 43 CRS and serial number 3490 production run a. Now the scabbard really tells the story in my opinion. I believe a German made the scabbard and modified the knife as no GI would put the swaz on the knife and scabbard. So this is what I think happen A German originally made the knife and it was later captured by a GI and he’d added the embellishments to the black leather scabbard to include the punched in designs and the letters USA and then added his initials on the top of the belt loop.What also leads me along this line of thinking is that there is a typical German riveted ball catch for the leather on the top hanger section. Of further note is the use of wire to make the scabbard not the normal sewing this is the first I have seen this and rather neat in it will never separate. Anyways a great looker. Condition very good +++