K98 Bayonet Scabbard – E. u. F. Hörster 1939

K98 Bayonet Scabbard – E. u. F. Hörster 1939

The K98 Bayonet Scabbard – E. u. F. Hörster 1939 represents the metal scabbard used with the German Seitengewehr 84/98 III, commonly known among collectors as the K98 or K98k bayonet. This bayonet was intended for the Karabiner 98k, the standard German service rifle adopted in 1935. Compared with earlier long bayonets associated with the Gewehr 98, the 84/98 III was shorter and more compact, matching the reduced length and field role of the Karabiner 98k.  

The marking E. u. F. Hörster 1939 identifies the well-known maker E. & F. Hörster of Solingen, one of Germany’s major blade-making centers. Hörster is documented as a manufacturer of 84/98 III bayonets, and surviving 1939 examples are recorded with E.u.F. Hörster markings and date indications on the blade or scabbard depending on the piece.  

The scabbard’s function was to protect the blade and allow the bayonet to be carried safely on the belt. Made of metal, it followed the narrow profile of the blade and was fitted with a side stud for attachment to the leather frog. This allowed the bayonet to be worn at the soldier’s side, separate from the rifle but ready for use when required.

The year 1939 places the piece in the early phase of the Second World War. At this stage, many bayonets and scabbards still carried clear maker names or abbreviations. Later wartime production increasingly used letter or number manufacturer codes, making early named markings such as E. u. F. Hörster especially useful for historical and technical identification.  

A notable collecting detail concerns matching serial numbers. On original sets, the bayonet and scabbard could share the same serial number, but many surviving combinations are now mismatched because of wartime replacement, depot handling, battlefield capture and post-war recombination. For this reason, collector descriptions often specify whether a bayonet and scabbard are matching or non-matching, a small detail that can significantly affect classification.