Mark 2 combat knife history question

[dunc5]

Could somebody please tell me in which Pacific battle the Mark 2 Ka-Bar first appeared ? Am I right in saying Guadalcanal was a bit early.

Thanks

Dunc

 

[zzyzzogeton]

You are correct.

Camillus did not ship the first run of 1219C2s (aka USMC Knife, Fighting Utility aka "The Kabar") until 29 January 1943.

The Guadalcanal campaign officially ended 07 February of 1943.

Even today's jet assisted delivery supply systems could not have gotten the knives to the southwestern Pacific ocean in 9 days. It would have taken them longer that that to count the first batch using their fingers AND toes.

 

[dunc5]

Thanks for the reply , so what was the first Pacific battle the Ka-Bar was used in ?

 

[sac troop]

Given the lack of detailed records for the purchase and distribution of knives by the U.S. Military. It’s going to be hard to pin down with absolute provenance exactly where and when the 1219C2 knife arrived in the PTO. There is no lack of stories passed down on the subject. But many of them can be disregarded due to what we do have for facts. Leaves us with a bucket full of possibilities.
Probably going to easier to answer the question as; "by such time we know the knife was present in the Pacific Theater of Operations".

 

[ASBOB]

I would add to this that you have to figure in distribution time, the period between when it arrived in theatre, and actually filtered down to the troops and got handed out. Quite a while, in many cases, and another unknown.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

I would add to this that you have to figure in distribution time, the period between when it arrived in theatre, and actually filtered down to the troops and got handed out. Quite a while, in many cases, and another unknown.

Ah, but it is those "unknowns" that makes inquiring minds want know, or at least drives those of us with OCD-like tendencies to go nuts.

 

[D R E]

Thanks for the reply , so what was the first Pacific battle the Ka-Bar was used in ?

I would guess during the Solomons Campaign, perhaps Bougainville?