US Army issue bolos

Scout Bolos

The US Army had 5 types of bolos which were issued. The first was a bolo bayonet for the M-1898 Krag-Jorgensen rifles. Supposedly only fifty were made. There was the M-1909 Bolo with a 14" blade and an M1910 bolo with a 10-1/4" blade. There was a Model 1915 Bolo Bayonet (enclosed in an image of 2 Moro scouts with the M1915 Bayonet). During the Second World War, bolos made by the US Spring and Bumper Company of Los Angeles, CA were sent into the Philippines for use by the guerrillas.
PSHS - Scout Bolos
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I found this tidbit while looking at various Philippine Scout websites. It has interesting pictures of the bolos and the soldiers who used them.
Does anybody know more about this stuff?

 

Military Bolo Knife

The U.S. Army Bolo Knife was produced from 1897 through 1918 and remained in service well into World War II.

U.S. Army Bolo Knife, Model of 1909.



Bolo Model of 1897 and 1904/1905

The first Army bolos were limited issue, for Hospital Corps troops who had a need to clear brush and cut poles for tents or litters. As a direct result of the experience of U.S. troops in the Philippine Insurrection, the Army developed the Model 1904 Bolo Knife, a heavy curved knife that proved useful in the jungles for cutting through dense, tangled vegetation and as a weapon.
The Model 1904 Army bolo had a smoothly curved 12" blade with rounded end, and brass riveted wood grips on curved handle. The crossguard was "S" shaped. It's sheath was heavy leather. The Model 1904 bolo remained in production through 1915.
Model of 1909 Bolo Knife

The M1909 was a less expensive revison of the first bolos, intended for use by all types of troops. Description: Relatively straight back, sabre curve to the wide 14" blade ending at a sharp point, overall length of 19 1/4 inches. Brass rivited wood grips on curved handle, straight cross guard, leather sheath. With few U.S. troops operating in jungle areas, this knife saw little use.
Model of 1910 Bolo Knife

The Model 1910 bolo (top photo on page), with its 10 1/4 inch blade with a double-edged spear point, was an attempt to make a lighter, easier to carry version of the Model 1909. It had wood grips and pommel in "bayonet style" and a straight cross-guard. The scabbard for this bolo consisted of a white-pine body covered with tubular woven olive-drab cotton duck and rawhide at the tip and a metal throat with a catch that holds the bolo to the scabbard. The scabbard was equipped with M1910 wire hooks so it would attach to the then-new pistol belt or cartridge belt, or to packs with the eyelet attachment points. The 1910 bolo was well made at Springfield Armory, although in limited quantity.
Model of 1917 Bolo Knife


U.S. Army Bolo Knife, Model of 1917.
Virtually identical to the Model 1910, but the scabbard catch has been eliminated. It has the same canvas covered wood sheath, metal throat with leaf spring to grip the knife, and a leather tip. This is the wartime version, made by contractors with a lower quality of materials and finish than the Springfield arsenal 1910 version. Very large numbers of these were produced in 1917-1918. A relatively rare variant of the Model 1917 will be stamped with CT under the date.
Bolos were not issued to every soldier but a few were distributed to each unit in accordance with the T/O for the type of unit deployed and their mission. Machine gun squads received bolos for use in clearing their field of fire.
Because of its shortness, weight, and guard, the Army's bolo was an inefficient brush knife compared to a well designed machete. The M-1942 18-inch, broad-blade machete replaced the bolo knife early in World War II.

http://www.olive-drab.com/od_edged_weapons_tools_bolo.php

Military Machetes


M-1942 machete and canvas duck sheath, with M1910 hook. World War II QMG photo.
Prior to World War II a 22 inch machete was in use by the Army, but trials in Panama showed that a shorter design was better. The machete adopted as the M-1942 was an 18-inch straight back modification of the Collins commercial type, proved by extensive use in the tropics.


This was the basic tool of jungle operations, permitting travel through the tangled vegetation away from the trails. The machete depended on velocity rather than weight for its cutting action, being allowed to pivot in the hand with the stroke, while held only with the thumb, index and middle fingers. A hole was drilled in the handle for a wrist cord, which kept the machete from being dropped or lost. The machete was also considered a decidedly useful weapon, especially for the silent disposition of sentries and in night ambushes. (Photo to the left shows 101st Airborne soldiers with a Nazi flag captured in a village assault near Utah Beach, St. Marcouf, France, 8 June 1944. Right paratrooper is holding a machete that seems to have a bright finish.)


The sheath was made of heavy, water-repellent duck, which resisted the mildew and dampness that destroyed leather in the jungle. A brass top and staples prevented the sheath from being cut by the blade. A hook (M-1910 type) was provided to attach the machete to a pack or to the pistol or cartridge belt. The machete dimensions were about 22 1/2" overall with a 17 7/8" blade that was 2" wide.
Most World War II machetes had black plastic grips, but True Temper machetes stamped 1945 were made with olive green plastic handles.
Other machetes were made for the U.S. military in the World War II period. A U.S. Navy Mk1 model had a 26 inch blade and some of the older, 28 inch or longer machetes remained in service. There was a paratrooper machete with a 16 inch parkerized blade, 22 inches overall. A folding machete was also issued to some units. On the Olive-Drab.com military bolo page there are other knives that are sometimes referred to as machetes.

MILITARY MACHETES

 

Thanks JC! You certainly have a way of providing info, as usual. With good pics, too. Thanks again.

 

You are most welcome. I do try to find the helpful info when I can . I may have a question for you about the Philippine OSP for my Gunboats and Monitors thread .

 

Okay. I'll check your thread.