THE WORLD WAR I BOLO

 by Bernard Levine, (c)1993
  "Knife Lore" #62 [part], National Knife Magazine, September 1993

 One of the commonest government issue edged weapons on the
collector market is the U.S. Army's Model 1917 bolo. The
Model 1917 was the contractor-made version of the scarcer
arsenal-made Model 1910 bolo. The wartime Model 1917 is
simpler made and slightly rougher finished than the peacetime
Model 1910, but its profile and important dimensions are
identical. The only obvious difference is that the Model 1917
lacks the scabbard latch which is present on the Model 1910.
For all practical purposes, to soldiers in World War I, the
two bolos were identical.

 The Model 1910/1917 bolo was the fourth style of bolo
adopted by the U.S. Army. The three earlier models,
introduced in 1887, 1904, and 1909 were both significantly
larger and more costly to make. In addition, the first two of
those earlier bolos were of limited issue, being intended
only for use by Hospital Corps troops. They used their bolos
for clearing brush, and for cutting saplings to make
emergency litters and shelters for sick or wounded troops.
The Model 1904 Hospital Corps bolo remained in production
through 1915.

 By contrast the Model 1909 bolo was intended for use by all
types of units, including infantry, artillery, engineers, and
quartermaster troops. With its stout 14 inch blade, this bolo
was big enough for constant use in the densest of jungles.
The only trouble with this was that in the 1910s, few
American troops had occasion to operate in jungles. In most
North American or European environments, this long heavy
knife was more a liability than an asset, especially to
infantry troops who had to pack all their own gear –– hence,
the introduction of the compact Model 1910 bolo, with its 10-
3/8 inch blade.

 A further convenient innovation on the Model 1910, in
addition to its compact size, was the addition of wire hooks
on the scabbard for attachment to eyelets on the haversack or
the cartridge belt. This bolo was the first U.S. Army knife
that was so equipped.

 I have not seen total production figures for the Model 1917
bolo, but the numbers were probably in the hundreds of
thousands. Peacetime production of the Model 1910 (about
60,000) exceeded the wartime production of the bigger Model
1909. So many Model 1917 bolos were made during 1917 and 1918
that they were still available for issue in limited
quantities throughout World War II, and unused surplus stocks
of bolos and their sheaths continued to turn up in warehouses
as late as the 1970s.

 Model 1917 bolos are still so common that their collector
value in excellent condition is less than it would probably
cost to make them new today. Many is the time that I have had
to disappoint a beginning collector, who is convinced that
his newly discovered 76 year old treasure must be worth a
small fortune.


WEARING THE BOLO

 For all that we know about the production of the Model 1910
and 1917 bolos, we have not known much about how they were
used or carried. Long ago I saw a reference to army machine
gunners using their bolos to clear brush and small trees out
of the fields
of fire in front of their emplacements, but that was all I knew.

 Recently I found a copy  of a book called the Private's
Manual by Col. Jas. A. Moss, U.S. Army. This was a
commercially published book, written in 1915 and updated in
1918. It incorporated material from a variety of War
Department publications and orders, but it was not an
official manual.

 The second chapter of the Private's Manual details the
soldier's equipment, and how it was to be packed and carried.
Attached to his cartridge belt every man carried his canteen,
his first aid packet, and his bayonet scabbard. However, when
a man was wearing the haversack, the bayonet scabbard was
supposed to be attached to it. Also attached either to the
belt or to the haversack were five tools used frequently in
the field, but only a few men in each platoon carried these
tools. Ordinarily the intrenching shovel and the pick mattock
were attached to the haversack, while the hand axe, the wire
cutter, and the bolo were attached to the left side of the
belt.

 Three men in each squad (Nos. 1, 2, and 3 in the front
rank) each carried an intrenching shovel, with its rigid T-
handle. The No. 2 man in the rear rank of each squad, as well
as each musician, carried a wire cutter.

 The other three tools were carried by one man in  every
other squad. No. 1 man in the rear rank of even numbered
squads carried a pick mattock with detachable handle. No. 3
man in the rear rank of even numbered squads carried a hand
axe. And No. 3 man in the rear rank of odd numbered squads
carried a bolo.

 Of course this allocation of one bolo to every two squads
was the theoretical distribution to troops on maneuvers in
1915, while the United States was still at peace. After we
entered the war, in April 1917, I suspect that a lot more
bolos were distributed to troops serving in France, while
nearly everyone would have been issued intrenching shovels.
In addition, soldiers destined for the front lines would also
have been issued gas masks, not mentioned by Col. Moss, and
many of them were eventually issued the new knuckle-duster
trench knives, first introduced in 1917.

*** END ***

http://www.knife-expert.com/

Quoted:
Could some one give me a rundown on when/where/why these were issued?  I am in need of a history lesson.  Spotted one at a local antique shop w/canvas scabbard.

Thanks!

John