This is a French M1974 gras bayonet handle used by American or French soldier which is a very rare pattern of bayonet to find from the battlefield. The bayonet is missing its blade but the handle is near complete. It has its lovely original colour in places and is a very nice relic in solid condition, which has been nicely cleaned and is perfect for display or any collection. The bayonet was recovered from Belleau wood the June 1918 battlefield near Marne River in France.The bayonet handle comes with 2x A5 laminated information cards with map.
French M1874 Gras bayonet was a robust, T-shaped blade designed for the Mle 1874 Gras rifle, serving France from its adoption after the Franco-Prussian War through World War I, A distinctive T-shaped (or T-backed) steel blade, designed for thrusting and utility, sometimes modified into fighting knives during World War 1.
The Battle of Belleau Wood (June 1–26, 1918) was a brutal World War I clash in France where U.S. Marines and Army troops supported by French troops they fought German forces, becoming a legendary moment for the U.S. Marine Corps, marking their first major engagement, showcasing fierce close-quarters combat, and halting a German spring offensive near Paris, resulting in heavy Allied casualties but a crucial victory. The battle earned Marines the German nickname "Teufel Hunden" (Devil Dogs) and established their reputation for toughness. Overall, the woods were attacked by the Marines a total of six times before they could successfully expel the Germans. They fought off parts of five divisions of Germans, often reduced to using only their bayonets or fists in hand-to-hand combat.
On 26 June, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, under command of Major Maurice E Shearer, supported by two companies of the 4th Machine Gun Battalion and the 15th Company of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, made an attack on Belleau Wood, which finally cleared that forest of Germans
This is a French M1974 gras bayonet handle used by American or French soldier which is a very rare pattern of bayonet to find from the battlefield. The bayonet is missing its blade but the handle is near complete. It has its lovely original colour in places and is a very nice relic in solid condition, which has been nicely cleaned and is perfect for display or any collection. The bayonet was recovered from Belleau wood the June 1918 battlefield near Marne River in France.The bayonet handle comes with 2x A5 laminated information cards with map.
French M1874 Gras bayonet was a robust, T-shaped blade designed for the Mle 1874 Gras rifle, serving France from its adoption after the Franco-Prussian War through World War I, A distinctive T-shaped (or T-backed) steel blade, designed for thrusting and utility, sometimes modified into fighting knives during World War 1.
The Battle of Belleau Wood (June 1–26, 1918) was a brutal World War I clash in France where U.S. Marines and Army troops supported by French troops they fought German forces, becoming a legendary moment for the U.S. Marine Corps, marking their first major engagement, showcasing fierce close-quarters combat, and halting a German spring offensive near Paris, resulting in heavy Allied casualties but a crucial victory. The battle earned Marines the German nickname "Teufel Hunden" (Devil Dogs) and established their reputation for toughness. Overall, the woods were attacked by the Marines a total of six times before they could successfully expel the Germans. They fought off parts of five divisions of Germans, often reduced to using only their bayonets or fists in hand-to-hand combat.
On 26 June, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, under command of Major Maurice E Shearer, supported by two companies of the 4th Machine Gun Battalion and the 15th Company of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, made an attack on Belleau Wood, which finally cleared that forest of Germans
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