What is your favorite military issued knife

I also have an issue Griptilian with the NSN on the blade.

I like Griptilians and this one should end up in my CERT gear some time soon.
 
Lots of great stuff here. I had my grandfather's M3 for a while.. He was a seebee in the Navy in the Pacific islands campaigns. Unfortunately a.roommate was a cleptomaniac and it disappeared along with scores of stuff.
 
The bottom knife is an M-2 Paratroop Knife. The clip blade is most common but they also had a hawksbill design.

Wir1skH.jpg


The later versions (1960's-1970's) added a shroud cutter and orange scales. They were made by (at least) four different companies.

ezKoM2z.jpg


And yes, these are mine. I think to actually have a favorite you should own one.
 
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THE ROYAL JORDANIAN ARMY KNIFE Inscri11THE ROYAL JORDANIAN ARMY KNIFE Both_t10
combatives.forumotion.com

THE ROYAL JORDANIAN ARMY KNIFE

My good friend Victor recently obtained some samples of a a new knife, in the course of his equipment and training business, and he very kindly sent one to me.
combatives.forumotion.com combatives.forumotion.com
www.tactical-life.com

Battle Tanks | Close Combat Knives Review

Geoff “Tank” Todd is a unique figure in the field of close-quarters combat. Although he is largely unknown to American
www.tactical-life.com www.tactical-life.com
 
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not2sharp said:
The US doesn’t have a monopoly on military knives. This “machete” was issued to the Spanish Special Forces. Beginning with their mountain troops during the post war period. It was one of the last military items made at Fab Nacional de Toledo, a national arsenal which had made many outstanding knives, swords, bayonet and artillery pieces over its 200 year history. Unfortunately, when the factory closed during the 1970s the records were lost. This is an uncommon item. Collectors have placed its use anywhere from WWII to the 1950s-70s. It would eventually be replaced by the Aitor’s Oso Blanco knife. Perhaps the production records will eventually surface. But, the initial reports were that they were unceremonially thrown out when the facility closed.


n2s
Click to expand...
Just to be precise, the Oso Blanco never replaced the 'Cuchillo montañero', as Army called the little knife you mention. The knife that was issued to some troops (SF, paratroopers, ...) was the 'Cuchillo de monte', military version of the Oso Blanco with minor modifications, like the crosscut saw instead of the cord saw of the original Oso Blanco. This is mine.

cad51183c3328f20ba1b7d229413dd2do.jpg

On the other hand, one of the less known issued knives might be the one that was issued to Uruguayan Batallion in UNO mission in Cambodia, 1992-1993. Specifically designed and built for that unit by FANACU, in Montevideo. I was lucky enough to get one of these.
0a1efdd58cd483e521f3b9b19817500ao.jpg

The markings:
a89843181da339c8914aff0cb908e51eo.jpg
 
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I thought the "wired to the crate for opening" story for the Cattaraugus 225Q was debunked (and that the grips were scarred at the factory for better handling). Are we still leaving the door open to this account, especially since these knives do not appear in documents being issued to supply or QM troops (whereas crowbars and claw hammers do)? Still a great knife, but let's not resurrect a mistaken trope.
 
Last edited:
The Zieg said:
I thought the "wired to the crate for opening" story for the Cattaraugus 225Q was debunked (and that the grips were scarred at the factory for better handling). Are we still leaving to door open to this account, especially since these knives do not appear in documents being issued to supply or QM troops (whereas crowbars and claw hammers do)? Still a great knife, but let's not resurrect a mistaken trope.
Click to expand...

Perhaps: I know that I would rather carry a Q knife than a crating hammer, and there would have been an abundance of ammo and ration crates and boxes everywhere.

"
"By Frank Trzaska 2004
The Cattaraugus 225Q and the Case 337Q knives have always intrigued me. Perhaps it is
some of the myths that always circulated about them that drew me in. I love the challenge
associated with a knife with a mainly oral history. Very little has been written about the
Q knives in the way of facts. We can find photos of them in just about every theatre of
World War Two being worn by front line fighters yet the myth is that the were issued to
Quartermaster personal for opening crates. Just on the surface it sounds ridiculous that a
knife would be procured for such a use when crowbars had been in inventory for just
such a task. In fact there were even specialized crate opening tools specified for that job
in Quartermaster catalogs. The myth grown up around these knives even has the pommel
as being designed to hammer the nails back into the crates apparently after the wrong box
is opened. It sounds fishy when put into this type of context yet the myth continues to
grow and to spread. Like most good urban legends some fact is always present to make
the myth palatable to the majority of people. In this article we hope to end some of those
urban legends and present the facts associated with the misunderstood and under
appreciated Q knives.
At the start of World War Two it is a known fact that the U.S. forces were woefully under
prepared to wage a war on this large of a scale. In fact a war this large had never been
fought before or for that fact ever since. Many new ventures would be engaged in to meet
the production demands of such a large force. Knives were but one aspect of the new
style war to be fought. It became immediately known that the U.S. forces were short of
cutlery of all types. To meet this demand it was decided to use whatever style could be
put into immediate production. The early Marine Corps Raider knives were nothing more
then Camillus hunting knives quickly popped out and sent to the newly formed group.
Along these same lines the portion of the military tasked with purchasing all types of
supplies was the Quartermaster Corps. The Army had their own Quartermaster Corps as
did the Navy, both of which cooperated but were usually tasked with much different
problems. In this specific task they were both looking for the same type of vendor to
produce an item in great need by all branches of the services. Fast production was needed
so a style of construction was chosen which would lead to little changes needed by the
producing factories. This was a simple matter in choosing a stacked leather handle that
had been in continuous production since at least the turn of the century. Other then that
simple order any six inch bladed hunting knife would do. Our good friend Carter Rila has
made a great distinction between somewhat common words that will come into play with
these knives. He distinguishes the word "type" and "pattern" for just such an occasion. A
pattern is a knife made to a specific design, subtle differences are known to exist but
the knife generally follows a pattern. A classic example would be a common USN Mark
2 knife. Made by Ka-Bar, Camillus, Pal and Robeson Shuredge they all look much the
same following a specific pattern. A type is a knife purchased for a specific general
task but not following a specific pattern. A classic example of a type is the USN Mark 1
knife. A five-inch bladed hunting knife that will fit a similar scabbard. The first fixed
blade knives procured were of the type designation. A six-inch bladed hunting knife
with stacked leather handle. The Pal RH36, the Robeson / U.S.A., the Case 325-6 and the
Queen City knives all fit this designation. Right on the heels of the earliest procurements
the Quartermaster Corps standardized on a design for the six-inch bladed knives and we
find ourselves switching over to a pattern knife, the well-known Q knives. We all know
the military likes standardization so it was only a matter of time until this happened.
Designed by the Quartermaster Corps, the Bill of Materials list was number B/M No. TJC7
dated 12/1/1942 the official nomenclature is "Special Hunting Knives, 6", No.225.
The Bill of Materials for 1000 knives included 904 lbs. of High Carbon hot rolled cutlery
blade steel. Carbon content to be not less the 1.0% while not more the 1.1% (this amounts
to basic 1095) and 211 lbs. cold rolled SAE 1010 steel was called for in the manufacture
of the guards and butt plates. A later Bill of Materials was issued to Case with the knife
designated No.337, we do not know the reason for this change but suspect the change in
handle design. These procurements were handled by the Jefferson City Quartermaster
Depot, which had control over most of the cutleries in the Northeast U.S. We list the
above as absolute proof that the Q knives were Quartermaster designed and procured for
military issue. But you say we already knew that, it is part of that myth you were talking
about. Well we still have more to the story.

(continued below)
 
(Continued)
Next we move on to contracts. If the knives were officially procured by the military there
must be a trail of contracts to follow. In many cases the factories that made the knives no
longer exist and of those that do, much of the old paperwork was thrown away. They are
not in the history business; they make knives for a living. With that said we managed to
locate a file of all contracts listing purchase over $50,000 dollars. The file, known as the
Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contractors was put out by the Civilian
Production Administration, Industrial Statistics Division. It covers purchases from June
1940 to September 1945 when the huge cancellation order was put into effect. Looking
up Cattaraugus we find they had seven major contracts totaling over $1,238,000.00 for
Hunting Knives. Even at the high price of $1.25 each that would mean over one million
knives were procured from 1942 through 1945 by Cattaraugus alone. Even if every
Quartermaster supply clerk, sewing machine operator, driver and baker had two knives
issued to them it would not have amounted to that total. To think these knives were only
issued to Quartermaster personal is ludicrous. Add to that total two contracts issued to
Case for a total of $295,000.00 we can say with authority that these knives were procured
for general issue to fighting men. The known contracts are as follows listing the item,
contract number, branch, amount, issue date and completion date:
Cattaraugus
Knives 1913QM9627 Army $76,000.00 12/1/1942 6/1/1943
Knives 1913QM10585 Army $76,000.00 1/1/1943 4/1/1943
Knives 1913QM11694 Army $340,000.00 2/1/1943 7/1/1943
Knives 28021QM3029 Army $381,000.00 10/1/1943 6/1/1944
Knives 28021QM11497 Army $110,000.00 3/1/1944 9/1/1944
Knives 28021QM16054 Army $114,000.00 8/1/1944 12/1/1944
Knives 28021QM24308 Army $141,000.00 11/1/1944 6/1/1945
Case
Knives 1913QM11693 Army $213,000.00 2/1/1943 6/1/1943
Knives 189XSX47599 Navy $82,000.00 12/1/1944 6/1/1945
It should also be noted that the Quartermaster Corps did not procure items for sale by the
P.X. system or for the Navy Ships Stores system. Private sales of these contract items
were not an issue; the War Production Board would never have approved this much steel
and labor. Let's face it, the Quartermaster Corps designed these knives for military
procurement and general issue to our fighting forces. Why they were never shown in the
Quartermaster catalogs is a mystery but it does not change the facts.
The first contract we find dated 12/1/1942 with the last one dated 12/1/1944 due for
completion 6/1/1945. With that information we can also state with certainty that the Q
knives were produced for the entire duration of the U.S. involvement in the war. Of all
the contracts cited above, the Navy only assigned one. The Army entered into all the
remaining contracts. It is interesting to note that of the two Case contracts the first, dated
2/1/1943 was for $213,000.00 to the Army while the second contract for $82,000.00 was
entered into by the Navy on 12/1/1944. We are going out on a limb here and speculating,
something I hate to do mind you, but it fits the bill so nice. The more common of the
Case knives found is the one marked "Case XX" while the knife marked "Case" only is
rather uncommon to encounter. Could it be the different contract numbers correlate to the
different markings? Could the "Case XX" knife be from the larger Army contract while
the uncommon Case only marked knife from the Navy contract? Not that it would have
been a specific request to change the marking but more of a economic savings if Case
were to use a stamping die they had in use at the time that did not have the XX in it.
For the small run of knives it would be safe to say that Case would not have went to the
expense of having a die made if they did not already have one available. Additional
research on the subject is needed to prove just such a fact. Speculate away folks; to me it
is only a theory, yet to be validated through further investigation.
As for the knives themselves they are about the most robust knives ever made for the
military. The myth about opening crates could actually have some truth to it; these knives
are capable of doing it. And the thick pommels are more then capable of driving nails
although a tent peg is much more likely to be struck by the butt. The Cattaraugus consists
of a 1095 steel blade that is 6 inches in length with the knife having an overall length of
10 3/8 inches. The Case knife shares the same blade length but comes in at 10 inches
overall. To my hand the longer Case handle is more comfortable but the Catt is adequate
to do the job. Both knives have a stacked leather washer handle but the finish is very
much different. The typical Catt knife has a smooth leather handle roughed up in the
center section with gouges to the leather for a sure grip. The cutting tool intentionally
applied the gouges; it is not a mistake. The Case knife is finished on a broaching wheel
with 18 circular grooves which produces a much more professional and eye pleasing
result. Both knives allow a good grip surface its just that the Case knife looks better. The
pommels of the two knives are quite different. They both have the same dimensions but
the Case knife consists of one large piece of steel while the Catt knife uses three
independent steel disks stacked on top of each other and finished off with two nails
driven through line up holes on the disks into the leather. It is a simple yet ingenious
system to secure the pommel with a minimum amount of trouble and it is extremely
strong. In fact I do not think I have ever seen a Q knife with the pommel broken off. Both
knives have the pommel faces finished off in a waffle pattern. This could have no other
reason that I am aware of other then preventing the pommel from slipping while
hammering. Now whether driving nails or tent pegs you can take your choice but there is
no doubt it was made for hammering.
During the background search for this article I was greatly aided by our esteemed editor
Mark Zalesky who sent me newspaper clippings from the Buffalo Evening News
Magazine. It was a short story on knives made in the area from the many cutleries doing
business in the region. Dated April 7, 1945 it is almost at the end of the war but we were
still battling at the time. In an interview with Mr. J.B.F. Champlin, President of
Cattaraugus Cutlery we find a very curious statement. On the topic of the "Commando
Knives" made there Mr. Champlin states: "Handsome gadgets, men can use them to open
boxes, drive nails, cut throats, open coconuts" and dig foxholes." So here we find the
basis for the myth, or perhaps the truth. While not specifically designed to open boxes the
knives were expected to do just such duty among other things. We also find that Mr.
Champlains son Jack, 21 was currently serving in Europe with the Quartermaster Corps.
Coincidence you say? Maybe. They also stated Jack carried a 225Q knife made especially
for him. Now that is a Q knife I would love to see!
Another contact made during the ongoing investigation was Chuck Karwan. Chuck is a
well-known gun and knife writer who had written an article on the Q knives for Knives
98 Annual. I would suggest reading it if you havent already. It seems Chuck has a great
appreciation for the Q knives, he lists them among his favorites. What many folks do not
know is Mr. Karwan is a Vietnam combat veteran and continued to serve for many more
years. Chuck has carried many knives in his time in the field and to rank the Q knife up
there as a favorite is a major statement. Mr. Karwan assisted me in the search and
confirmed information from his many service friends on contracting entities.
So that about sums it up for the history on the Q knives for now. We can dispel the myth
that they were private purchase knives, we have contracts to prove otherwise. We can say
with certainty they were for general issue, not just for Quartermaster personal by the
sheer amount of the knives made. We can state as fact these knives were made to a
specific pattern designed by the Quartermaster Corps just like an M3 was made to a
specific pattern designed by the Ordnance Corps from the bill of materials listing. And
last but not least we can point to Mr. JBF Champlin who stated for a 1945 article that the
knives could open boxes and drive nails, perhaps as the beginning of that often told tale.
I never could find a written specification as to "why" the left-handed sheath. The proper
placement of the bayonet on the belt in the uniform of the time was on the left rear
quadrant. The knife was designed to fit this same space hence the orientation of the
sheath.
All the best
Frank Trzaska"
 
not2sharp said:
(Continued)
Next we move on to contracts. If the knives were officially procured by the military there
must be a trail of contracts to follow. In many cases the factories that made the knives no
longer exist and of those that do, much of the old paperwork was thrown away. They are
not in the history business; they make knives for a living. With that said we managed to
locate a file of all contracts listing purchase over $50,000 dollars. The file, known as the
Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contractors was put out by the Civilian
Production Administration, Industrial Statistics Division. It covers purchases from June
1940 to September 1945 when the huge cancellation order was put into effect. Looking
up Cattaraugus we find they had seven major contracts totaling over $1,238,000.00 for
Hunting Knives. Even at the high price of $1.25 each that would mean over one million
knives were procured from 1942 through 1945 by Cattaraugus alone. Even if every
Quartermaster supply clerk, sewing machine operator, driver and baker had two knives
issued to them it would not have amounted to that total. To think these knives were only
issued to Quartermaster personal is ludicrous. Add to that total two contracts issued to
Case for a total of $295,000.00 we can say with authority that these knives were procured
for general issue to fighting men. The known contracts are as follows listing the item,
contract number, branch, amount, issue date and completion date:
Cattaraugus
Knives 1913QM9627 Army $76,000.00 12/1/1942 6/1/1943
Knives 1913QM10585 Army $76,000.00 1/1/1943 4/1/1943
Knives 1913QM11694 Army $340,000.00 2/1/1943 7/1/1943
Knives 28021QM3029 Army $381,000.00 10/1/1943 6/1/1944
Knives 28021QM11497 Army $110,000.00 3/1/1944 9/1/1944
Knives 28021QM16054 Army $114,000.00 8/1/1944 12/1/1944
Knives 28021QM24308 Army $141,000.00 11/1/1944 6/1/1945
Case
Knives 1913QM11693 Army $213,000.00 2/1/1943 6/1/1943
Knives 189XSX47599 Navy $82,000.00 12/1/1944 6/1/1945
It should also be noted that the Quartermaster Corps did not procure items for sale by the
P.X. system or for the Navy Ships Stores system. Private sales of these contract items
were not an issue; the War Production Board would never have approved this much steel
and labor. Let's face it, the Quartermaster Corps designed these knives for military
procurement and general issue to our fighting forces. Why they were never shown in the
Quartermaster catalogs is a mystery but it does not change the facts.
The first contract we find dated 12/1/1942 with the last one dated 12/1/1944 due for
completion 6/1/1945. With that information we can also state with certainty that the Q
knives were produced for the entire duration of the U.S. involvement in the war. Of all
the contracts cited above, the Navy only assigned one. The Army entered into all the
remaining contracts. It is interesting to note that of the two Case contracts the first, dated
2/1/1943 was for $213,000.00 to the Army while the second contract for $82,000.00 was
entered into by the Navy on 12/1/1944. We are going out on a limb here and speculating,
something I hate to do mind you, but it fits the bill so nice. The more common of the
Case knives found is the one marked "Case XX" while the knife marked "Case" only is
rather uncommon to encounter. Could it be the different contract numbers correlate to the
different markings? Could the "Case XX" knife be from the larger Army contract while
the uncommon Case only marked knife from the Navy contract? Not that it would have
been a specific request to change the marking but more of a economic savings if Case
were to use a stamping die they had in use at the time that did not have the XX in it.
For the small run of knives it would be safe to say that Case would not have went to the
expense of having a die made if they did not already have one available. Additional
research on the subject is needed to prove just such a fact. Speculate away folks; to me it
is only a theory, yet to be validated through further investigation.
As for the knives themselves they are about the most robust knives ever made for the
military. The myth about opening crates could actually have some truth to it; these knives
are capable of doing it. And the thick pommels are more then capable of driving nails
although a tent peg is much more likely to be struck by the butt. The Cattaraugus consists
of a 1095 steel blade that is 6 inches in length with the knife having an overall length of
10 3/8 inches. The Case knife shares the same blade length but comes in at 10 inches
overall. To my hand the longer Case handle is more comfortable but the Catt is adequate
to do the job. Both knives have a stacked leather washer handle but the finish is very
much different. The typical Catt knife has a smooth leather handle roughed up in the
center section with gouges to the leather for a sure grip. The cutting tool intentionally
applied the gouges; it is not a mistake. The Case knife is finished on a broaching wheel
with 18 circular grooves which produces a much more professional and eye pleasing
result. Both knives allow a good grip surface its just that the Case knife looks better. The
pommels of the two knives are quite different. They both have the same dimensions but
the Case knife consists of one large piece of steel while the Catt knife uses three
independent steel disks stacked on top of each other and finished off with two nails
driven through line up holes on the disks into the leather. It is a simple yet ingenious
system to secure the pommel with a minimum amount of trouble and it is extremely
strong. In fact I do not think I have ever seen a Q knife with the pommel broken off. Both
knives have the pommel faces finished off in a waffle pattern. This could have no other
reason that I am aware of other then preventing the pommel from slipping while
hammering. Now whether driving nails or tent pegs you can take your choice but there is
no doubt it was made for hammering.
During the background search for this article I was greatly aided by our esteemed editor
Mark Zalesky who sent me newspaper clippings from the Buffalo Evening News
Magazine. It was a short story on knives made in the area from the many cutleries doing
business in the region. Dated April 7, 1945 it is almost at the end of the war but we were
still battling at the time. In an interview with Mr. J.B.F. Champlin, President of
Cattaraugus Cutlery we find a very curious statement. On the topic of the "Commando
Knives" made there Mr. Champlin states: "Handsome gadgets, men can use them to open
boxes, drive nails, cut throats, open coconuts" and dig foxholes." So here we find the
basis for the myth, or perhaps the truth. While not specifically designed to open boxes the
knives were expected to do just such duty among other things. We also find that Mr.
Champlains son Jack, 21 was currently serving in Europe with the Quartermaster Corps.
Coincidence you say? Maybe. They also stated Jack carried a 225Q knife made especially
for him. Now that is a Q knife I would love to see!
Another contact made during the ongoing investigation was Chuck Karwan. Chuck is a
well-known gun and knife writer who had written an article on the Q knives for Knives
98 Annual. I would suggest reading it if you havent already. It seems Chuck has a great
appreciation for the Q knives, he lists them among his favorites. What many folks do not
know is Mr. Karwan is a Vietnam combat veteran and continued to serve for many more
years. Chuck has carried many knives in his time in the field and to rank the Q knife up
there as a favorite is a major statement. Mr. Karwan assisted me in the search and
confirmed information from his many service friends on contracting entities.
So that about sums it up for the history on the Q knives for now. We can dispel the myth
that they were private purchase knives, we have contracts to prove otherwise. We can say
with certainty they were for general issue, not just for Quartermaster personal by the
sheer amount of the knives made. We can state as fact these knives were made to a
specific pattern designed by the Quartermaster Corps just like an M3 was made to a
specific pattern designed by the Ordnance Corps from the bill of materials listing. And
last but not least we can point to Mr. JBF Champlin who stated for a 1945 article that the
knives could open boxes and drive nails, perhaps as the beginning of that often told tale.
I never could find a written specification as to "why" the left-handed sheath. The proper
placement of the bayonet on the belt in the uniform of the time was on the left rear
quadrant. The knife was designed to fit this same space hence the orientation of the
sheath.
All the best
Frank Trzaska"
Click to expand...
The very article I would have cited, as well. Given Mr. Trzaska's conclusions, do you still adhere to the "wired to a crate" story? No matter, either way, just curious as you posted it twice on page one.
 
Favorite? The S.O.G. bowie, or Hunting Knife, Indigenous. Technically a U.S. issue knife, tho most went to S. Vietnamese troops working with S.O.G. advisors. My dad had one of the originals. He was Load Master on a C-130, and in 1967, a Green Beret traded him the knife for passage to Japan for some R&R. It was one of the specimens with the poor heat treatment, unfortunately. My older brother was using it for a screwdriver and snapped about 3/8" off the tip, probably 1972 or '73. It was trashed, never to be seen again.

Wish I had it now, but I'm making do with a SOG S1 replica. It's actually a better knife than the original, better steel, and rot-resistant resin-impregnated leather for the handle. Not a bad using-knife design, just wish SOG had seen fit to sharpen the clip...
 
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The Zieg said:
The very article I would have cited, as well. Given Mr. Trzaska's conclusions, do you still adhere to the "wired to a crate" story? No matter, either way, just curious as you posted it twice on page one.
Click to expand...
I don’t know. It seems like a far fetch story to create whole cloth and we know the official reasons for procurement is not always how tools are used. It doesn’t take much to imagine a logistics officer trying to figure out how to distribute 150 boxes of knives among 25,000 boxes of supplies due to be off loaded all over a beach front during an invasion, making a call to attach the knives to the various boxes of supplies so that they are readily available to speed access to the supplies. It only had to happen once to make the story true, and I doubt a one would ever find and official confirmation for such an order.

n2s
 
I consider this among The best of the big folding knives. The Imperial folding machete which rolled out near The end of WWII had a triple safety mechanism: 1) a strong back spring, 2) a thick liner lock, 3) folding blade guard that folded into the handle to prevent movement of the liner lock and further block the blade. If only someone would use a similar strategy for a modern folder I would be all over it. It may not have been “drop shutty” but it was tough.

Imperial folding machete.jpg

link:
www.arizonacustomknives.com

Original U.S. WWII Imperial Folding Machete Type A-1

Only One Available. World War II U.S. Army Air Force Type A-1 folding machete survival knife. Manufactured by Imperial Knife Co. Providence RI. as stamped on left ricasso. Adopted by the US Military in 1942 for the B-4 emergency bail out kit usually attached to the parachute harness. Checkered...
www.arizonacustomknives.com www.arizonacustomknives.com

n2s
 
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