Data concerning disposition of Bayonet and Scabbards to Foreign Nations during 1963-1975.

Recently the National Archives and Records Administration has posted many records in digital format on the Internet as Access to Archival Databases. Among these records is one titled: Records About Military Goods and Services Provided to Foreign Countries, ca. 1950 - 2002. The title may be somewhat misleading as the records apparently begin with the passage of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The first actual date shown is 1963, although it is mentioned that records from 1961 and 1962 were entered under the date of 1963. Some items show records up to nearly 2000 (for instance, the M16A1 rifle data sheets go up to 1999) all bayonet and scabbard records end with 1975. The reason for this cutoff date has not yet been explained, although it may indicate that these items were no longer supplied under the act after that year.

The database includes large numbers of fields that either do not apply to bayonets and scabbards or are of very narrow interest. I created a table view of a few fields that I thought might be of the most interest, including the fiscal year that the item was supplied, the quantity supplied, the name of the country receiving the item, the branch of service which supplied the item, and the source and type of assistance codes.

The Source basically identifies where the item was to come from, usually from stocks on hand (which might or might not be replaced) or from contracts issued by the US military to support the program. The following is a list of the Source codes applied to bayonets and scabbards in the database.

Source Codes:

E - Excess: From stocks excess to MILDEP (US Military Departments) / Defense Supply Agency supplied to meet MAP (Military Assistance Program) and FMS (Foreign Military Sales) requirements.

K - Procurement or Replacement: Items will be assigned this code: (1) When they are to be provided from MILDEP [US Military Departments] procurement, financed initially by MILDEP appropriations. (2) When they are to be furnished from MILDEP or DLA [Defense Logistics Agency] inventories, and procurement is required to replace such items. MAP items will be included in this category despite the fact that the items planned for procurement to replace the MAP delivery will be in terms of the latest model (preferred item). Thus "Replacement in Kind" covers replacement of an item with the same model items, or a replacement of an acceptable substitute with a preferred item. Resources obtained from the sale of this materiel will be available to finance the MILDEP or DLA reimbursable budget plan as it is classified for the budget document.

L - Replacement Not in Kind: This category will include those items which are to be provided to MAP [Military Assistance Program] on a reimbursable basis, but when delivered to MAP are not planned to be replaced by inventories of the MILDEP [US Military Departments] or DLA [Defense Logistics Agency] of the same model item or modern version. Funds received from the sale of such items will be available to finance the Military Department or DLA direct budget plan as it is classified for the budget document.

R - Redistribution: From redistribution of MAP [Military Assistance Program] -supplied assets excess to holding country requirements.

The other field, Type of Assistance, indicates the source of funding for the items supplied.

Type of Assistance Codes:

1 - Grant Aid rendered under the authority of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, for which the United States receives no reimbursement.

D - Military Assistance Service Funded. Grant Aid programs transferred to the Department of Defense budget, which were not controlled and implemented through the MAP.

P- Grant Aid Programs transferred to the Department of Defense budget, which were controlled and implemented through the MAP [Military Assistance Program]

S - Assigned to all records in the Republic of Korea Equipment Transfer program authorized by Public Law 95-384 at no charge to MAP [Military Assistance Program]. This code is also assigned to all PY 71 update & 72 equipment transferred to the ROK [Republic of Korea] under Public Law 91-652 at no cost to MAP.

 

The following tables show information extracted from the records described above. As mentioned, they begin in 1963 and end in 1975. So far, I have not been able to determine why the records stop in 1975, and it is at least likely that further quantities were provided after that date, possibly under some program that was not part of the database.

One comment that should be made concerns the quantity shown. In a few cases, the quantity is listed as 99,999. According to one source, they actual number may have been higher, but the database will only accept 5 digits, so 99999 is the highest number that can be entered.

It is certainly possible, even likely that I have overlooked some files. Also, my addition for the totals at the bottom of each table is a little suspect at times. However, the main purpose of creating these tables is to give collectors an idea of how many bayonets and scabbards went to other countries and what some of those countries were.

Item: Bayonet, M1917
National Stock Number: 1005-00-716-0944

Scabbard, M1917
National Stock Number: 1095-00-726-5706

Year	Quantity	Country	Supplier	Source	Type of Assistance
1964	300 w/Scabbard	Chile	Army	K	1
1966	280 w/Scabbard	Chile	Army	K	1
1972	4 (No Scabbard)	South Korea	Army	K	S

 

It is not known if these few bayonets were supplied for Model 1917 rifles or for one of the various models of shotgun that were fitted with the handguard/bayonet adapter. From the dates, the first two would have to be the 1917-1918 production bayonets and scabbards.

Many collectors/historians feel that large numbers of Riot Shotguns with Handguard and Bayonet Adapter were left in Vietnam at the time of the US withdrawal. Although not listed in the database, this would have the effect of turning them over to the Vietnamese.

It is also believed that many of the later contract M1917 bayonets and scabbards were left with these shotguns, although it is known that some were issued to National Guard and Reserve units within the US.

 

Item: Scabbard, M7

National Stock Number: 1095-00-726-5708

Year	Quantity	Country	Supplier	Source	Type of Assistance
1963	1676	Thailand	Army	E	1
1963	5	Brazil	Navy	K	1
1964	160	Liberia	Army	K	1
1965	164	Honduras	Army	K	1
1970	3376	Cambodia	Army	K	1
1970	122	Uruguay	Army	E	1
1970	105	Nicaragua	Army	E	1
1970	104	Bolivia	Army	E	1
Total	5,712

There has been some question about the M7 scabbards marked U.S. M7 over B.A. INC. (see Bayonet Points #7) which was hypothesized to have been for a Military Aid Program. Although the number of M7 scabbards supplied during this period is relatively small, it is not impossible that the B.A. INC. scabbards were used to fill these requirements.

 

Item: Bayonet-Knife, M4
National Stock Number: 1005-00-716-0944

Year	Quantity	Country	Supplier	Source	Type of Assistance
1963	3	Panama	Army	E	1
1963	407	Guatemala	Army	E	1
1963	185	El Salvador	Army	K	1
1963	479	Columbia	Army	K	1
1963	2,307	South Korea	Army	K	1
1963	22,150	Vietnam	Army	K	1
1963	52	Bolivia	Army	K	1
1963	698	Chile	Army	K	1
1964	385	Guatemala	Army	K	1
1964	145	Columbia	Army	K	1
1964	532	Bolivia	Army	K	1
1964	1,839	Thailand	Army	K	1
1964	483	South Korea	Army	K	1
1964	195	Laos	Army	K	1
1964	751	Philippines	Army	K	1
1964	62	Vietnam	Army	K	1
1964	1,800	Jordan	Army	K	1
1964	166	Liberia	Army	K	1
1965	164	Honduras	Army	K	1
1965	18	El Salvador	Army	K	1
1965	1,821	Columbia	Army	K	1
1965	54	Bolivia	Army	K	1
1965	28,792	Myanmar (Burma)	Army	K	1
1965	1,256	Laos	Army	K	1
1965	71,654	Vietnam	Army	K	1
1966	75	Panama	Army	K	1
1966	15	Guatemala	Army	K	1
1966	123	Columbia	Army	K	1
1966	25,843	Vietnam	Army	K	D
1966	4,490	Vietnam	Army	K	1
1966	20,410	South Korea	Army	K	1
1966	8	Ethiopia	Army	K	1
1966	66,204	South Korea	Army	K	D
1966	126	Laos	Army	K	1
1967	928	Uruguay	Army	K	1
1967	10	Honduras	Army	K	1
1967	100	Vietnam	Navy	K	D
1967	5,412	Laos	Army	K	P
1967	27,408	Vietnam	Army	K	D
1967	134	Bolivia	Army	K	1
1967	1,072	South Korea	Army	K	1
1967	1,062	Ethiopia	Army	K	1
1967	507	Uruguay	Army	K	1
1968	8,546	Vietnam	Army	K	D
1968	56	Honduras	Army	K	1
1968	49	Laos	Army	E	P
1968	3,833	Laos	Army	K	P
1969	159	Uruguay	Army	K	1
1969	204	Honduras	Army	K	1
1969	39	Panama	Army	K	1
1969	575	Bolivia	Army	K	1
1969	1,035	Thailand	Army	K	P
1969	2,225	Thailand	Army	E	P
1969	85	Guatemala	Army	K	1
1970	566	Uruguay	Army	K	1
1970	39	Guatemala	Army	R	1
1970	208	Bolivia	Army	K	1
1970	198	Guatemala	Army	K	1
1970	22,304	Vietnam	Air Force	K	D
1970	2,182	Thailand	Army	E	P
1971	75	Vietnam	Army	E	D
1971	7,936	Cambodia	Army	K	1
1971	12	Thailand	Army	K	D
1972	50	South Korea	Army	K	S
1972	241	Vietnam	Air Force	K	D
1973	3,300	Bolivia	Army	K	Not Shown
1973	241	Vietnam	Air Force	K	D
1973	89	Thailand	Army	K	1
Total	344,574

 

Unfortunately the database does not differentiate between first (WW2 period) and second (post 1953) production M4 bayonets. It is extremely likely that both the leather handled M4s and the later plastic handled production were both supplied under this program.

It may be recalled that Frank Trzaska mentioned in his comments on his visit to the Conetta plant that: "The strange part was the inspector was based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and he was a sailor. Could it be that Conetta and Bren-Dan had a contract with the Navy Department (Marines) and that is the reason we could not locate records on them at Rock Island? Makes one think…. They also told me the inspector used to laugh that the bayonets being made by Bren-Dan were obsolete and wouldn't fit anything in the current US arsenal. He used to laugh at how they were "getting over" on the govt." It is quite likely that the Bren-Dan and Conetta M4 bayonets were used mostly to fill some of the MAP requirements listed above.

The relative rarity of the 1954-55 produced M4 bayonets by Imperial Knife Company also leads me to believe that some of that production ended up in the MAP as well.

 

Item: Bayonet-Knife, M5A1
National Stock Number: 1005-00-336-8568

Year	Quantity	Country	Supplier	Source	Type of Assistance
1963	629	Indonesia	Army	K	1
1963	4,972	Cambodia	Army	K	1
1963	3,281	Ethiopia	Army	K	1
1963	17,538	Greece	Army	K	1
1963	35	Panama	Army	K	1
1963	42	Guatemala	Army	K	1
1963	65	El Salvador	Army	K	1
1963	611	Columbia	Army	K	1
1963	45	Chile	Army	K	1
1963	36,474	Vietnam	Army	K	1
1963	2,208	Laos	Army	K	1