Czechoslovak Bayonet markings

These markings can be found on pre WWII VZ24 bayonets in 3mm type. The marking indicates the unit and number of every blade and the same marking was put onto a steel disc on the rifle butt. Most of this information came off of the Web however the site is no longer available to reference, so I am reproducing most of the information here, translation is from the Czech and some it is a bit strange, I would appreciate if someone could provide the anglicised versions of the Czech names.

      Due to limitations of HTML I have not been able to use the correct Czech letters for Czech words.

I have only seen one bayonet with these marks and it is marked HB (supposedly a very rare mark) on the pommel, and has been re issued to the Slovaks. However examination of early blades shows polishing that may have removed the markings from the butt of the pommel. It is hard to believe that many of these units would have had large numbers of blades, the idea of armed museum guards for instance is one that is hard to envision.

ACCEPTANCE MARKS LIST

Pre 1936 weapons for the Czech army were accepted by the military Technical Institute (VTU), it was then renamed to the Military Technical & Aviation Institute. Bayonets are marked on the Scabbard frog stud and the tang of the blade, I also have a 1927 dated blade with the marking on the ricasso. Note that scabbards are often swapped around and may not match the marking on the bayonet, the large number of E3/38 marked scabbards may indicate that the BRNO plant made scabbards for other makers as well (?) 

1922                    A lion in a circle or square

1923                    E then a lion in a circle

1924-1936           E then lion (not in circle) then the last two digits of the date

1937 -                  E# then lion then the last two digits of the date

1945 - 1950         E# then crossed swords then last two digits of date

The # symbol was a number that identified the VTLU that accepted the weapon

	<--Acceptance mark used from 1918 to 1922	No Example
	<--Acceptance mark from 1922 Weapon or 3rd Artillery regiment
	Acceptance mark for Bratislava on Austrian 1895-->
	<--Acceptance mark from 1922, 8 represents a regiment in Opava
	Acceptance mark 1922 on Austrian 1895, accepted with lion in square Banska Bysrtrica-->
	<-- Acceptance mark 1923
	Accepted 1923 -->
	<--1924 to 1939  weapons mark
	Lion Marking -->
	<--Acceptance mark from 1938, E = acceptance, 7=VTLU at Strakonice, and 38 = 1938
	BRNO accepted 1938, Gendarmerie marked VZ33-->
	<--Slovak army mark for 1939 to 1945
	Plzen accepted Slovak Army -->
	<--Post war Marking
	BRNO accepted in 1950 -->
	Pommel marks for Frontier Battalion (HN)

Acceptance marks on foreign bayonets used by the Czech army

The early blades used by the Czech army were Austro Hungarian bayonets (i.e.1895 pattern ) which had their original acceptance marks ground off and Czech ones stamped in their place. This was most frequently a rampant lion with a S leading and a a trailing number representing the division that accepted the weapon. It was sometimes combined with a number representing the date.

Circle Z stamps indicate production at BRNO, and double circle Z indicates Bystrica manufacture