ON HOLD DG0126 M-1916 French Army Trench Fighting Knife – 41 GONON . DW147

M-1916 French Army Trench Fighting Knife. Double-edged spear point blade in nice condition. Marker marked on Blade ricasso 41 GONON. Approximately 7 3/4 inch blade. Wood grip also in decent condition with some wear. The cross guard also has the star and “B” French military acceptance mark. Sheet metal scabbard in heavily worn condition, however, still has the metal wire belt loop that is sometimes broken off on these scabbards. Overall, worn condition.

Additional Notes: The French M-1916 trench fighting knives were adopted for use in the trenches of the Western Front during WW1. The knives were simple and robust, with a double-edge, spear point dagger blade and a simple turned wood hilt with a stamped metal cross guard. The knife blades were approximately 6 inches in length and were the pattern that was copied on the US M-1918 Mark 1 brass knuckle trench knife. The overall length the knives was about 11 inches. The smooth, turned wooden grip had an oval cross section with a simple palm swell to improve its handling and grip. A simple sheet metal scabbard with a single metal wire belt loop was issued with the knives, a similar type of scabbard that was issued with the French made Au Lion M-1918 Mk1 Trench Knives. The wooden hilt was secured to the tang of the knife with a simple flat spanner nut, which applied pressure to the hilt and cross guard. Later production M-1916 knives had a simple metal ferrule added to the hilt, just behind the cross guard, to reinforce the wooden grip and reduce the chances of cracking. The knives were produced from 1916 through the post-WW1 era and were still the standard issue fighting knife for the French Military when the Germans invaded and captured France during WW2. Thousands of the French knives were captured at that time and used as Ersatz fighting knives by the conquering WW2 German army. During their production over a dozen makers produced the knives, including GONON, ASTIER-PRODON, PATAUD and S.G.C.O. (Societe Generale Coutellerie et Orfeverie). Many of these cutlers were based in Thiers. Thiers is located in the Puy-de-D’me department in Auvergne, central France, and is famous for their quality cutlers. Thiers was (and still remains) the French equivalent of the Solingen region of Germany in terms of their reputation for quality blades.

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