Wanna show you this very strange Austrian Mannlicher Ersatz-Scheide, (replacement-scabbard).

Upon the scabbard, (beneath the frog-stud), an “German Eagle” is affixed !

After the “Anschluß”, (in actual fact: occupation !), in 1938, (former ), Austrian Army units were marching into the Sudetenland, still wearing austrian uniform´s, (but, with German Wehrmacht- insignias affixed !).

Mannlicher M95-rifles and carbines, (together with the bayonets), were still in use in this former Bundesheer-formation´s at this time.

I bought this particular scabbard together with an Mannlicher M95 NCO-bayonet years´s ago at a flea-market.
The bayonet was hidden in a bunch of crockery and I bought it for only a few Euro´s …

The “workmanship” appears pretty decent !

I was told, this kind of scabbard was worn by NCO´s until the “German dress bayonet” was introduced also in, (former), “Austrian” Wehrmacht-units.

In the book of LTC. Thomas M. Johnson “Collecting the edged weapons of the Third Reich, Volume III” you can see an resemblant eagle, affixed upon the scabbard of a German dress bayonet, on page 158 and 159.

Rgds.,

R.