the bayonet production program after finishing their run of M1905 bayonets. As many of the M1905 bayonets already in service as possible were recalled, their blades were cut down, and they were reissued; roughly 1 million bayonets underwent this process. The first shortened bayonets were delivered in September 1943, and deliveries continued at a rate of 40-50,000 per month until August 1945. The points were either shortened to a "spear" or "beak" point, the latter being used most often on the early M1905 bayonets with a square fuller to give extra strength to the tip of the blade. Oneida was dropped from the bayonet program altogether in November 1943 after it asked the War Department to be released, as it could not keep its workers steadily employed because of the erratic nature of recalling bayonets for shortening. Utica and Pal Blade and Tool were released from shortening in 1944. American Fork and Hoe and Union Fork and Hoe then took over the duty of shortening M1905 bayonets. These shortened bayonets were re-designated as M1; all ten-inch bladed bayonets, whether new production M1 or cut-down M1905, were officially referred to as M1 bayonets, and the Army made no distinction between the two when issuing them. These shortened bayonets functioned well in the European theater, where in the rare bayonet actions of the time they were matched up against the 9-inch long blade of the German S84/98 III bayonet fitted on the Karabiner 98k rifle. However, in the Pacific theater, the Japanese used the much longer, 15.75 inch (40.0 cm)-bladed Type 30 sword bayonet on the already very long Arisaka rifle, which caused many American troops to retain the longer, unmodified M1905 bayonet. Production Scabbards The original M1905 scabbard had a wooden body with a rawhide cover and employed a wire belt-hanger which went over and around the belt. The M1910 scabbard was covered in canvas with a leather tip to prevent the blade tip from tearing the material. A wire hook that engaged grommets on the cartridge belt replaced the belt-hanger. The M1910 scabbard was the primary scabbard used during the First World War. Earlier M1905 scabbards were modified by replacing the belt-hanger with a belt hook. A green leather-bodied M1917 scabbard (designed for the M1917 bayonet) was approved as a substitute for the M1905 bayonet scabbard. A new scabbard, the M3, was developed early in the Second World War to