Pawn shop find today. No sheath. Priced right.
Anyone up on marking's ?
If so, is this an earlier one or after 1945 ?
I cannot find this variation marking on the net.

Many Thanks...

You have the Navy marked one, called a MK II. Those had plastic or fiber sheaths, not the leather one used by the USMC.


I'm not a specialized collector, but I THINK all USN marked ones are of WWII vintage. This does not mean that they weren't used much later, too.


I suspect, don't know, that the Navy may have later ordered some not having USN markings. These knives have been used by many diverse US military forces.

To add to TEXAS STAR's comments, it has all the appearances of a later WW 2 Mark 2. The early knives till around mid 1943, from what I can ascertain, were blade marked. Later ones were hilt marked like yours. I do have to kind of disagree with his scabbard comments. The navy did have some leather sheaths and I always assumed but do not know for fact, that the leather sheaths were for early knives. I have several leather sheathes with USN impressed near the throat of the sheath. But as a youth me and my buds would got to the local army surplus store and rummage through his knives. He had buckets of mark 1's and 2's for sale for $5 each. We would pull them from their sheathes and find the best knife the find the best sheath and marry them up. We took no pains in returning the original knife to the original sheath. We and others like us are the reason their is so much confusion in knife sheaths.

I think the fiberglass sheaths came from a separate vender, I think ka-bar supplied leather sheaths with the knives or just bare knives.

The Navy bought mkII knives from other makers as well. I usually see them from Robeson or Camillus. A USN Ka-bar like yours is a nice find.

You can get a USN marked leather sheath new from ka-bar.

I can only dream of the days of barrels of surplus knives and rifles for under $10.

I think Camillus made the first and the most.


WWII examples have slimmer handles and seem to be better fitted around the guard. Current ones usually have small gaps there if you hold the knife up to a light.


Handles were treated to resist mold and jungle rot, but that only works to a point.


Micarta or modern synthetics like Thermorun or Zytel are better in a jungle. BTW, I had to research Micarta awhile back and was surprised to find that it dates from about 1910, but the first use for knife handles may have been when Randall began using it in the 1950's.

After a WWII edged weapons book I found the
correct terminology for this blade and found this completed
auction on ebay..
KABAR MK2 Straight Line Mark KA-BAR USN Fighting Knife WW2 RARE! WWII NAVY • $266.00 - PicClick

That KA-BAR is a very nice find for that money! The KA-BAR came about in early WW II because the WW I trench knife was found to be inadequate for jungle warfare with combat troops and a stronger balde, Bowie style was desired. KA-BAR was a trademark of the Union Cutlery Co. (still headquartered in Olean, New York. The knifes were made during WW II by Union Cutlery Co., Ontario Knife Co, Camillus Cutlery, and there were others, but those I understand were the "big three". The USMC and the USN were known as USN Fighting Knife Mark II. Both Union and Camillus stamped on the ricasso (upper flat part of the blade), and sometimes on the crossguard. Ontario and others mostly were unmarked.

The scabbard for the Marines was always leather with no markings for WW II, USMC embossed for the Korean War, and further marked with a globe for Vietnam.

The WW II and forward scabbard for US Navy was gray fiberglass

Interesting side light is how the name KA-BAR came to be: A letter in poorly written English came to the company from a back woodsman who was thanking the company for such a strong knife that killed a bear that was attacking him and his gun had failed. The only letters visible were K...A...Bar which company officials thought meant " Killed a bear" and they adopted KA-BAR as a trademark... and thereafter ONLY the Union Cutlery Company made fighting knives will have the KA-BAR stamp on the knife sometimes with OLEAN NY, sometimes not.

Yours is a very nice, valuable specimen....Congratulations....hope you stumble on a Gray fiberglass scabbard in your travels but you may not get one as cheap as the actual knife.

__________________
Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570

Here's another Navy version... ( Early Camillus w/brass pommel nut)

__________________
Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I have a Marine KaBar with OLEAN NY on the flat spot on the top of the blade. That one I carried in Vietnam when I was a Combat soldier with the 4th Infantry. I had it for about 4 months and then in a battle my Medic barrowed it to cut up some shirts to make bandages. When the battle was over I asked him for my KaBar back and he said he had set it down and now he couldn't find it.

Anyway I searched for one after I came home and bought one like the one that was lost.

I have always been told this was a WWII Navy knife but have no idea why. It has no martial markings. Has a 7 on the cross guard.

The handle has some type of resin insert on each end which should be good for ID. Input appreciated.

V/R, Bill

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Bill, from what I can see from your picture you have an early jet pilots survival knife from the 1950's. Imperials well as Schrade Walden had US contracts to produce these. These were often mis-identified even by the great Howard Cole. Documents have been found verifying these as 1950 vintage not WW 2 vintage. They has a simple 5" clip blade and were parkerized. I have several examples in my collection. Most I have seen are in mint condition as there was not much needed for a bail out knife in the 50's.

Thank you for the information 30-30remchester. This input makes the knife most interesting to me. Respectfully, Bill

That's a MK I deck knife. Several makers had a nmber of wartime variations. The Navy accepted that, as the need was so great.


Looks as if you got a really nice example, mabye never actually issued.

Texas, What's the scabbard look like for this one?? (I need one)

__________________
Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

If you go on Amazon search for ka-bar USN SHEATH. They have a nice leather one for $10. It will be good, until you find the Gray fiberglass sheath, which are pretty hard to find for the full size mkII. I would look on eBay, you may have to buy it with another knife.

Bill, my comp was giving me fits last night and was unable to finish my comments on your knife. First the plastic-resin spacers at each end of the handle was a fix for a problem leather washer handled knives have. The chemicals in the tanning process made the steel pommels and guards rust at an accelerated rate. Putting these spacers helped a lot. Now a comment on your knife. I believe this to be a late commercial version of jet pilot knife. The originals had a bent hilt on the top and a cutout in the throat of the sheath to accommodate the bent hilt. Your sheath has the cutout but a straight hilt. Many of us collectors feel that these were left over parts of a military contract that was cancelled in favor of the model jet pilots knife aka JPK. In 1957 the military changed knife specs and this model was discontinued. We believe the factory had many parts and sheaths on hand and no contract, so they assembled the parts they had and sold them to the public, with the only change being the elimination of the government required bend in the hilt. A time saving step. This is all speculation as nobody has found actual proof. This parts cleanup and sale to the public was and is a standard practice. Either way it is a JPK that was just sold to the public in our thoughts. I have examples of both bent and straight hilt.

I'm sorry; I can't give a definitive answer. Different makers used several styles of leather sheaths. and some used those synthetic sheaths like the MK II Navy knives, but smaller.
If you Search the Net under MK I Navy knife, you may see some examples. I think M.H. Cole's books show some.


BTW, "scabbard" refers to a sword sheath. For knives, it's just a sheath. Or, to some creative spellers on this board, a "sheaf." These are usually the guys who think the plural of knife is, "knifes." A sheaf is a bundle of wheat.

30-30. - thank you for the additional information. I appreciate it.

Regards, Bill

Hey OP, there's a sheath on Ebay currently

My dad had the same pattern, his was a Case. He was Navy WW2
When I was a kid he kept it razor sharp, would show off actually
shaving with it. They are a more practical hunting knife than a
K-Bar.

Way back in my early days in the Navy (1960 ish) I had a buddy that was a rigger in the parachute loft of the carrier we were on.
I dropped in to see him one day and he had about a dozen of the pilots survival knives (the one's with the nut shaped pommel and a sharpening stone pocket in the scabbard) laying on the workbench.
He was taking them to a bench grinder and gouging huge notches in the blades. I asked him what was going on and he explained that they were found to be in excess of allocation in the last inventory. His Chief decided that it was too much effort to go through the paperwork returning them to supply or surplussing them out, so my buddy was told to scrap them. In those days scrapping meant "making unusable" and trashing them, hence the grinder.....
I asked if he could just lightly touch the blades on a couple of them with the grinder and I would take them to the garbage for him......

A little judicious work with a stone and I had two pretty nice knives.....
Wish I still had them......

__________________
Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

This is my straight line Kabar from WWII.

__________________
Get off my lawn!

Sorry , but I don't where else to post.

Just got this one marked Camillus 1960. Assume it is an issue pocket knife?

Thanks for any input, Bill

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In 1969, I was a young Marine with the First Marine Division in and around DaNang Vietnam. I carried a KaBar for 13 months. When it came time to come home all weapons had to be surrendered. I tried to smuggle my Kabar back to the states by taping it to my inner thigh. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I suspect I wasn't the first to try the "taping contraband to my inner thigh" trick.
Anyway, it was found and wound up on the pile of weapons etc. on the tarmac at the airbase in DaNang.
Damn, I loved that knife!

Yes it was issued by the military, sold in the PX, and available to the general public.

Usually referred to as a demo knife. A Google search for demo knife will yield lots of info.

A great solid pocket knife that was America's "swiss army knife"

My first knife as a kid, long since gone.

I picked one up in a pawn shop dated 1982, but it has a limp spring on the main blade, so it is mostly just decorative.

__________________
Not in jail.

Eveled - thank you for the input. Found plenty of info searching for demo knife. Bill

Very interesting thread. I have this Camillus fighting knife (I think), leather handle, no sheath. The only marking is at the base of the blade (US over CAMILLUS). There are no markings on the guard like I see with my M3 K1, and like the MK2's I've seen. What do I have?

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__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

My guess is that this is a Vietnam era knife , defiantly not WW2 .

Just sold a KA-BAR MK2 with an altered blade. The KA-BAR was in two lines on one half of the hand guard with USN MK2 in two lines on the other half of the hand guard. The guard was slightly curved and my reading found this was a WWII Knife. It was paired with the gray fiberglass sheath with a NORD 8114 (Navy ordnance number) which indicated a 1945 manufacture date.

I still have a U.S.M.C. Camillus knife sans the proper leather sheath. These WWII military knives are a link with that historic period of time and valued mementos. (jfsricks' knife with the single line KA-BAR is a desirable variation, or so I've been told.)

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__________________
Join the NRA today

KA-Bar in pic was new (unissued) in 1970. Out of Army supply,
never saw a Army marked one in RVn. Recently bought a mint
KA-Bar for $75. No sheath, buddy got sheath in pic for $12 ship.
It's a remake. I don't like it. My original sheath has no USMC
stamped in leather. I would like to pick up a couple original leather sheaths in reasonable condition. At shows nice condition
KA-Bar/ sheath going for $125-$175, poor condition $50-$75.

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Here is a WWII era KBAR knife that I picked up a couple years. The fellow this knife originally belonged to surely traveled the world and saw a lot of action. At the time he carved the information into the knife sheath, his unit was probably attempting to accept the surrender of various Japanese units.
Kim

KFIELDS, that sheath and knife makes me weak in the knees. Exactly the thing every history buff desires. Most inanimate objects can never be traced. Your can. I have over 100 US military knives and if I owned yours it would rate a 10++++++. WOW just WOW. I could not sleep a wink till I found out everything about the man. I see you are relatively new here and it is a privilege to give you your first like. I have only 2 knives that I have identified the original owner. One took 28 years to find him. If you would like to see the kind of support our members give, check out my thread title about my 28 year search. With the help of members I got the mans high school records, photograph and talked to his niece.

I got my pilot's survival knife for the princely sum of $5 way back in 1966. 50 years or so and I still have it. One of the few items I have from my USN service. The other is a ashtray made from a 5"54 brass shell casing. I must have spent hours sanding and polishing that while standing watch down in the thrust block. Had to keep headphones on all the time while on watch as you did not want to get caught sleeping on watch. God help you if you did get caught. One guy fell asleep and the Chief sent me down to wake him up. Closed the hatch, turned off the lights and then banged the heck out of the deck with the wrench from an armored hatch. All the engineroom crew could hear was this screaming coming over the box and laughing about that poor fool. He was told to report to the engineoom after he got off watch and everyone figured Captain's Mast for sure. Chief told him this was his only warning and lucky he didn't get wrote up. That guy was always getting in trouble while on watch. Funny thing was the Chief couldn't keep a straight face when he came down the engineroom especially while everyone cracked up. Frank

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement 30-30remchester.
I don't consider myself a knife collector but I have now accumulated about 20 or so fixed blade and pocket knives that interest me. All have age to them. I have 3 other fixed blade knives that are also named with date and WW2 location. Without taking over this thread with all my stuff, I guess I'll leave it at that.
I'll check out your thread you mentioned. I'm a big history buff too and I really enjoy reading about this type of thing.
Kim