Bayonets for Gra and Lebel rifles
The scientific and technological revolution affected all spheres of human activity, but the military began to reap its benefits first, because technical and engineering innovations made it easier and with less losses and costs to destroy their own kind. In addition, if one side of the conflict introduced some kind of innovation, the second was obliged to respond with its own, otherwise the army would have a very difficult time.
Bayonet for Gra and Lebel scimitar-type rifles
The war with Prussia (1870-1871) and the arms race it generated, as well as the rapid obsolescence of the main army rifle - the Chassepot system - put France in a difficult position. In addition, its army was partially supplied with foreign small arms, and in those turbulent times it was impossible to predict which country would become an enemy tomorrow and which would remain an ally. It was more profitable and safer to create our own modern and technologically advanced weapons - both for war and for export.
After a short debate, they chose a rifle from a weapons concern from the city of Tull, made for a unitary metal cartridge, which was developed by French army captain Basil Gras. Its production did not require major alterations to existing production lines, and the new cartridge could be quickly changed to fit the Chaspo rifle, which was still in service.
Polish version of the tetrahedral needle bayonet for the Lebel rifle
A mandatory element of infantry small arms both in that period and now is the bayonet or its modern version - the bayonet-knife. The Gra rifle of the 1874 model was equipped with a needle bayonet, which in appearance resembled a sword blade: total length - 645 mm, blade length - 520 mm, width - 21 mm, internal diameter of the ring in the crosspiece - 17.5 mm. In some documents it was called a bayonet-sword.
Unlike its Russian counterpart, the French one was completely self-sufficient, as it was equipped with a comfortable wooden handle with a brass back, which made it possible to hold it in the hand and, if necessary, for example, in a narrow trench, use it as a dagger. Thus, the bayonet-sword directed the design idea in the right direction and led the engineers to the creation of a modern bayonet-knife. In addition, a small number of scimitar-type bayonets were also produced for the Gra rifle, which were completely full-fledged weapons.
The Gra system rifle spread widely throughout the world (after all, the second most important reason for its creation was the desire to make money). Having established its mass production, the French industry provided small arms to everyone: all the former French colonies, Russia, Greece, Chile, Ethiopia, and even the auxiliary and rear services of the Wehrmacht (the latter used Gra rifles until the end of World War II).
French bayonet for the Gras rifle model 1874. Used during the First World War
The Gra system rifle was soon replaced by a more advanced model by the French gunsmith Nicolas Lebel with a reduced caliber, in which all the shortcomings of the previous model were taken into account and eliminated.
The first standard bayonet for the Lebel rifle was almost the same as that of the Gra model - a tetrahedral needle type. It had a handle made of cupronickel or brass, but the bayonet, which was not attached to the rifle, was not very convenient for close combat.
Japanese bayonet for the Arisaka rifle - a hybrid of the bayonet for the German Mauser rifle and the French Lebel model
The Lebel rifle, like the Gra model, received worldwide recognition and was supplied to many countries. It is significant that both samples were most often exported without bayonets: firstly, to reduce the cost of the product for consumers; secondly, because the bayonet was the most vulnerable and fragile part of the weapon, and accordingly was replaced almost immediately. That is why a great variety of bayonets for the Gras and Lebel rifles, especially taking into account foreign and enemy ones, the mounts of which were altered directly in the trench workshops, were created. Thus, Poland, having become independent from the Russian Empire, purchased a large batch of Lebel rifles - partly with tetrahedral bayonets, partly without them, and already launched their production on the spot. The quality of French bayonets was fully appreciated by the Germans, the eternal enemies of the French. There are many known cases of alteration of scimitar and needle bayonets for Gra and Lebel rifles for various types of small arms of the German army.
It is impossible to list all types of bayonets, bayonets-swords, bayonets-sabers and bayonets-knives for Gra and Lebel rifles, since there are known cases of quite professional replacement of them with fragments of saber blades and even sharpened fittings.
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Photo of the Lebel rifle
French soldiers with a Lebel Mle 1886 M.93 rifle
Russian soldiers in France armed with Lebel rifles
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