obscure Nam' knife question

[King Grinch]

did we use a knife in Nam' that was banned by the UN becuase they thought it was used for war crimes? I think Spc-ops or SOG. I think it was called a bando knife

 

[RH]

Ask Bernard Levine in the Collector's forum here.

 

[parisifal]

I believe it was an axe/machete utility fighter. A friend in MAVC said it was banned completely due to it's sheer brutality. Of course another guy that worked spec-ops during the Gulf said his unit was still using the thing, and so is every other dang spec op unit in the world. It's just really handy, way better than those stinking entrenching tools.

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Peter Bui
Some guy in California just ate a worm and boy is it yummy.

 

[Dan K]

There were no knives banned by the UN. Besides they had nothing to do with the whole thing anyway.
Dan ('66/'68-'69)

 

[parisifal]

That's right, UN didn't give a damn. The only thing i know of that was banned was that axe/machete tool. It was banned by MACV and SOG cause it was just causing way too many gruesome scenes. Think about it, guys with chunks lopped off, heads chopped open, arms and legs decapitated with ease, not something nice for the press to look at at home now is it. It's basically a tomahawk mmodified for more feild use. Really handy.

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Peter Bui
Some guy in California just ate a worm and boy is it yummy.

 

[RH]

Last thing we want is brutality during a war.

 

[TANGUS]

yeah! let's have clean mayhem here

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Lead,follow, or get the hell out of the way!

 

[not2sharp]

I believe you are thinking about the Vietnam Tomahawk. These were used by some of the SPEC Ops units and created quite a negative stir when they inadvertly turned up on the evening news. The army banned their use because of the political fallout. Coldsteel produces a close copy so you may want to check out their website. Original copies are highly prized collector items.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Yeah, let's not send our troops into battle with WEAPONS for crying out loud -- the enemy might get HURT !!!

 

[parisifal]

It's the Army, what can you do huh. I got friends who has actual originals of these past down from their fathers, and they are now using it in several civil affairs unit. And another in Psy-ops.

As for the ironic facet of the whole thing, you have had to see the damage first hand to believe. A guy with a bullet through his head or a knife through his heart spills a little guts or brain, but a guy getting whacked with a tomahawk has some serious nasty marks, they don't exactly cut cleanly through a person, they tend more to impact hard, crushing bones and than just stopping a few inches into the person, requiring several more enthusiastic hacks.

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Peter Bui
Some guy in California just ate a worm and boy is it yummy.

 

[Paracelsus]

Originally posted by parisifal:
...requiring several more enthusiastic hacks.

For a second there, I thought it read: several more Euthanasiestic hacks, but I realize now that I was mystooken

Paranoid about getting wacked in the head with an axe

 

[rep]

You are definitely talking Vietnam Tomahowk here, and not2sharp is correct.

 

[Ken B]

I don't know about the tomahawk being banned, but here is one of the preproduction hawks, that LaGana took to Ft Bragg for the demonstration in 1966 or 1967. Was then carried by 5th SFG member of control C-1 at DaNang in 69- 70, MACVSOG headquarters. The fibreglass wrap was removed so the piece could be positively identified.

[This message has been edited by Ken B (edited 09-14-2000).]

 

[not2sharp]

Ken,

Thanks for sharing.