During the World War 1 the British started a propaganda campaign concentrating on the German use of the sawback bayonet as another “act of frightfulness by the bestial Hun” and claimed their use to be a war crime as they believed they would leave horrific wounds.
Those featuring a serrated edge only made up 6% of the total number of bayonets issued. This WW1 sawback bayonet was reserved for NCOs, Pioneers, machine gun crews, and, most infamously, the storm troops known as Stosstruppen. It was a favorite amongst specialist units due to its effectiveness in cutting down bushes and barbed wire characteristic of the no-mans-land of WW1.
As a result of Allied soldiers began torturing and executing on-site any German soldiers captured with such weapons in revenge. Consequently, the German High command made a decision to recall all of the German sawback bayonets in 1917 and grind off the saw back edge before reissuing them to all units.
Wouldn’t all bayonets leave horrific wounds?
A ragged tear is harder to suture than a clean cut. Maybe that’s the thinking? But yeah, war is hell. And collectively we really should stop it.