purchasers were often presented with additional options available at an extra cost. The most prevalent enhancement was the addition of an acid-etched design to the blade. With few exceptions, each etched bayonet featured the motto "Zur Erinnerung an mein Dienstzeit" ("In Memory of my Service Time"), typically surrounded by motifs such as foliage, action scenes, airplanes, or other military imagery. These visually striking etched blades, available for a modest surcharge, likely appealed to many soldiers. On short 20cm model dress bayonets, the etched design generally begins below the ricasso edge, although some variations exist. For the long 25cm models, the etching may start at the ricasso edge or be applied using the center of the wide fuller to ensure balanced placement on the blade. A comparison of the same commemorative etch patterns on both short and long blade dress bayonets reveals that certain Solingen manufacturers, such as Carl Eickhorn and F.W. Höller, employed longer etch patterns on the 25cm blades and proportionally shorter versions on the 20cm models. These distinctions will be examined in greater detail in the comparative sections of this book.
