The Winkler Axes That Started It All

[Fred Fuller]

Some here might find this brief article of interest... Winkler has been mentioned here before.
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http://soldiersystems.net/2013/06/03/the-winkler-axes-that-started-it-all/

The Winkler Axes That Started It All
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http://www.WinklerKnives.com/

 

[JShirley]

Those are cool, without a doubt, but I'm usually dubious about claims that don't go into any specific detail about the units involved.

On my first deployment, I knew one idiot who carried a wakazashi. He was the only service member aside from officers I saw carrying any large blade, that whole 11-mo deployment- with the exception of one Marine gunny who had a cheap Rambo knife. (When asked, the Gunny said he used it for crowd control- he would just pull it out, and the local nationals would move the other way.)

 

[Sam Cade]

When asked, the Gunny said he used it for crowd control- he would just pull it out, and the local nationals would move the other way.

I lent a K-5 to a friend deployed to Iraq who reported using the tomahawk in a similar fashion.

 

[hso]

Dan Winkler is best known in the knife community for this style work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLdpi-xhkXA

But outside the community his "combat" axes are better known.

He's obviously a very talented smith, but he's also a pretty nice guy. The "modern" stuff just isn't as exciting as his frontier period work.

 

[JShirley]

I've heard lots of stories about axes/tomahawks, but so far as I have seen, they're even rarer than 12 gauge shotguns (seen a few), M14s (seen about as many as shotguns, maybe a few less), and MP-5s (seen 1 in 22 months overseas, IIRC). On my first deployment in 2006-2007, I was told my infantry battalion had a Connex shipping container full of M14s and new magazines, but didn't issue them. Hell, I've seen more Sigs and short-barreled (less than 14") M4s.

So...I guess I'm saying I have no doubt that someone, somewhere has carried one. I just think it's really damn rare.

 

[kBob]

These look like the british fire axes that came in the country some years back. I considered getting one of the brit surplus firefighters for my CERT bag to open stuck doors with.

-kBob

 

[TimboKhan]

I am with JShirley on this one. My deployments were during Desert Storm and then Somalia, but for the most part none of the experienced Marines I was around carried anything particularly large. Noobs carried around big ol' knives (as I did when I was a noob), but the lack of general utility and the additional weight quickly disabused any real desire to haul around something large.

However, like John, I did know one Gunny who carried around this double bladed Blackie Collins knife that was sort of popular at the time. He also said it was for crowd control, and I have to say, it kind of worked. The Gunny was the first to admit it was goofy, and he did not use it for anything other than waving it around from time to time.

Honestly, I had sort of forgot about that until John mentioned it. Gunny Eller was a character.....

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I don't know about folk carrying this sort of thing on their person in our units, batteries, water, ammo and the like being too important. However, when we finally had dedicated vehicles in 5th Group a lot of us made a point of having those nifty German hand axes that they had in their "pioneer kits". Wonderful tools in a handy vehicle size. Fitting right between softball bat and sidearm as an on-hand displayed deterrent. They went with me everywhere not boot propelled; motorcycle, quad, dummer, market pick-up, whatever. They filled beautifully as recovery tools for the odd mamby observed situations. What this? That's in case we get stuck!... Vehicular or otherwise.

 

[JShirley]

Oh, sure. When I expected to be doing a lot of mounted patrols, I asked a custom smith for a crash axe. Didn't get it in time, though.

John