WWII Allied Forces D-day Invasion Combat Knife

[EMT_stuart]

https://m.ebay.com/itm/WWII-Allied-Forces-D-Day-Invasion-Combat-Knife-without-Scabbard/111273265469

Never heard of these. Were these ever real? Anyone have a reproduction or original that fits a Lebel M1886 or a Berthier Rifle?

 

[hso]

http://www.antiquereader.com/lot-044-s97-wwii-allied-forces-d-day-invasion-combat-knife-est-450-600/

Yep. Part of why they became so rare is they got dumped in favor of almost anything better.

 

[Slamfire]

The basic problem with the British spike bayonet, epee bayonets, and these short spike knives, is that you will burn your fingers frying marshmallows over a camp fire. This is, of course, the primary use of combat knives.

Of course, if all you are doing to do is kill Germans, in hand to hand combat, that knife would be a fearsome weapon. The Germans might have something to say to that, particularly with artillery, well before you get within striking range with one of those pig stickers. I recently looked at a 1918 vintage 155 howitzer. The thing was capable for firing ten 95 pound projectiles a minute, out to a range of 20,000 yards. So, you grab your knife, and having successfully crossed a 20,000 yard open field, stab the artillery men to death? Maybe in a video game.

 

[amd6547]

Very clever. I'm certain no one ever got stabbed to death in either WWII or WWI...right?

 

[kBob]

As a grunt I had a repretation for carrying too much stuff.....I would not have carried that.

I had hoped this thread might be a collection of photos of knives from the landings of 6 June 1944 from enfield spikes to Mad Jack's claymore.

A bud I had as a kid had one of the aluminum cast handed Airborne knives that I badly wanted (yes we threw it, we were kids) and another had a 1918 trench knife of the brass knucks type which I believe was mentioned in one of the airborne books as having been offered to paratroopers for the landings ( I would not want to be captured with such a weapon...not that the Germans took many paratroopers prisoner!)

I like a lot of knives but honestly that night if I had been issued a cut down 1905 or new made M1 bayonet I would likely have just carried an extra folder or two and a couple of extra Garand clips some where to make up the weight!

-kBob

 

[amd6547]

Some of those para's landed with no firearm. A big knife is better than nothing.

My Dad was in an armored cav unit before WWII. While deployed for training at Fort Hood (he called the worst experience of his service), he had a combat knife made by a local maker. Made out of file steel, it is a beauty.
He carried it through the war in Europe, and it is a prized possession of mine.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Some of those para's landed with no firearm. A big knife is better than nothing.

My Dad was in an armored cav unit before WWII. While deployed for training at Fort Hood (he called the worst experience of his service), he had a combat knife made by a local maker. Made out of file steel, it is a beauty.
He carried it through the war in Europe, and it is a prized possession of mine.

Sounds awesome.

Pics?

 

[Slamfire]

Very clever. I'm certain no one ever got stabbed to death in either WWII or WWI...right?

WW2 fatality estimates vary between 50 and 80 million people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties So, obviously, someone got stabbed once in a while.

Our Gunclub lost our Iwo Jima and Okinawa Veteran. The Japanese over ran his unit, which was a communications unit, killed everyone (including the Navaho Wind Talker) except for Sammy and one other guy. Sammy was attacked by two Japanese bayoneteers, stabbing one with this knife:



The other one was taken care of by "those Marines". Talking about WW2 with Sammy resulted in the man having nightmares, if he was able to sleep.

This sort of incident was rare. I will claim that more people died by drowning in WW2 than on the end of a knife blade. Yet, I have never seen any GI carrying a 5 gallon bucket with which to drown Germans. (It is surprising how many children drown in 5 gallon buckets!)

I had a boss, a WW2 veteran of the CBI theater. He was on the first troop ship to Australia. I showed him my Western Bowie knife, these huge knives were in every KMart sporting goods department.





Boss said "imagine carrying that!". It was years later, but I am quite convinced what he meant was, he had carried enough weight during exhausting marches, that he did not want the added weight of an archaic and useless 19th century bowie.

 

[hso]

I'm certain no one ever got stabbed to death in either WWII or WWI...right?

 

[bubba in ca]

I use my w49 because my Ontario sp 8 weights a ton!

 

[joneb]

WW2 fatality estimates vary between 50 and 80 million people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties So, obviously, someone got stabbed once in a while.

Our Gunclub lost our Iwo Jima and Okinawa Veteran. The Japanese over ran his unit, which was a communications unit, killed everyone (including the Navaho Wind Talker) except for Sammy and one other guy. Sammy was attacked by two Japanese bayoneteers, stabbing one with this knife:

View attachment 788833

The other one was taken care of by "those Marines". Talking about WW2 with Sammy resulted in the man having nightmares, if he was able to sleep.

This sort of incident was rare. I will claim that more people died by drowning in WW2 than on the end of a knife blade. Yet, I have never seen any GI carrying a 5 gallon bucket with which to drown Germans. (It is surprising how many children drown in 5 gallon buckets!)

I had a boss, a WW2 veteran of the CBI theater. He was on the first troop ship to Australia. I showed him my Western Bowie knife, these huge knives were in every KMart sporting goods department.


View attachment 788834


Boss said "imagine carrying that!". It was years later, but I am quite convinced what he meant was, he had carried enough weight during exhausting marches, that he did not want the added weight of an archaic and useless 19th century bowie.

Nice Cattaraugus