WWII Knives

Shark Bait · Jul 14, 2018

A friend that I have known since the late 1970's recently sent me a package. These two knives were inside. He has apparently been buying knives he likes when he finds the right deal and decided to share these with me. I had not heard of either knife until now. In the small amount of research I have done, I have learned that they are both WWII vintage knives that were possibly military issue.

The Cattaraugus 225Q is commonly called the Quartermaster Knife, but there is little evidence that it was issued to the Quartermaster Corps. I have found a number of photos showing WWII soldiers carrying them. It has a very stout blade and is clearly a more heavy duty knife than the PAL RH36. The 225Q has a great heft and feel to it.

The PAL RH36 is a much lighter knife and I doubt it could hold up to hard use as well as the 225Q. It is still a very good knife and it seems to have a good reputation.

Anyway, my friend is having heart surgery next week and the outlook is good. I hope to visit with him in a month or so and talk more about these interesting knives.

MCorps0311 · Jul 14, 2018

I can't tell you anything about them,I do wish they were mine!

HCH · Jul 14, 2018

Cool enough to make me log in and give you a like.

Shark Bait · Jul 14, 2018

I would like to find the right sheaths for them, but I think that will be tough. They are the first things to wear out and get trashed.

6GUNSONLY · Jul 14, 2018

I had a later, commercially produced version of the smaller knife when I was a kid. Don't know what happened to it.

brick · Jul 14, 2018

I have my father's PAL 36 and he was a bosuns mate during WWII and he used his all the time. It seems to have held up okay.

AJ · Jul 14, 2018

Nice knives. I have a Cattaraugus 225Q and a WWII Camillus Kbar.

My 225Q, I found in an antique shop about 15 years ago and paid $30.00 for it. The blade has some pitting on it from being left in the sheath, but other than that it is new. The sheath is in great condition too.

The Camillus Kbar was a gift from a patients husband. He had been in the Corps during Korea and wanted me to have the knife. Tried to tell him it should go to a family member, but he said no he wanted it to go to a Marine. I will give it to my Grandson someday as he is a L/Cpl now. This Kbar is in nice condition for having been used for a number of years in the field as it was intended to be used.

BE Mike · Jul 14, 2018

I have a Cattaraugus 225Q with the sheath. My father brought it back from the Pacific in WWII. It had belonged to a buddy who was killed. It is missing some of the leather pieces in the grip. I was thinking of sending it off to get it restored, but it would cost more than the knife is worth.

AJ · Jul 14, 2018

BE Mike said:
I have a Cattaraugus 225Q with the sheath. My father brought it back from the Pacific in WWII. It had belonged to a buddy who was killed. It is missing some of the leather pieces in the grip. I was thinking of sending it off to get it restored, but it would cost more than the knife is worth.

Get it restored. It came from your Father and it belonged to a friend of his who was killed (possibly a KIA). Sentiments and items of sentimental value have more value than money. Get it fixed for future generations to enjoy along with the stories that go with it. JMHO

BE Mike · Jul 15, 2018

AJ said:
Get it restored. It came from your Father and it belonged to a friend of his who was killed (possibly a KIA). Sentiments and items of sentimental value have more value than money. Get it fixed for future generations to enjoy along with the stories that go with it. JMHO

I've considered having it restored and putting it, as well as, the pilot survival knife that I carried, in a case with an explanation. I just don't know if any family members would appreciate them. At this point, I kind of doubt it.

Texas Star · Jul 15, 2018

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF-SC-9b7tc[/ame]

If you watch, The Bridges at Toko-Ri or the clips on YouTube, look at the CAG's knife on his survival vest. It's a PAL RH-36.

Lt. Brubaker (Wm. Holden) has a Western shark knife.

Movie clip added. Has very dramatic action scenes of attack on enemy target, F-9F Panther jets. Look at the knives on the men's vests.

It's a real pity that those in the above posts were so mistreated.

The knives are very much what such pilots would have carried, whether Navy-issued or private purchase.
With those models, it could go either way, as the Navy did buy some of each.

The revolvers are S&W Victory Models. At that time, they were only a decade or less old.

AJ · Jul 15, 2018

BE Mike said:
I've considered having it restored and putting it, as well as, the pilot survival knife that I carried, in a case with an explanation. I just don't know if any family members would appreciate them. At this point, I kind of doubt it.

That is too bad that no one in your family would appreciate them. That is a real shame. I have one Grandson that is in the Corps. He will get all my USMC marked and related items. My other Grandson will get whatever else he wants if anything. Hopefully, some has an interest.

mauser9 · Jul 15, 2018

Had a leather wrapped handle Camillus from WW 2 that had a plastic or metal sheath way back when. Would serve as a bayonet I believe. Still got the NSKK dagger dad brought back. Quite the treasures these days.

britbike1 · Jul 15, 2018

NOOO

BE Mike said:
I have a Cattaraugus 225Q with the sheath. My father brought it back from the Pacific in WWII. It had belonged to a buddy who was killed. It is missing some of the leather pieces in the grip. I was thinking of sending it off to get it restored, but it would cost more than the knife is worth.

Do not get it restored! The missing pieces may well be from when the origional owner was killed. They could be part of its history. I remember reading about some history majors restoring a helmet and breastplate in england. They took out all the dents made by french swords from the battle of Waterloo!!! Enjoy it for the history that goes with it. Write a little tag to hang on it with what you do know.

AJ · Jul 15, 2018

britbike1 said:
Do not get it restored! The missing pieces may well be from when the origional owner was killed. They could be part of its history. I remember reading about some history majors restoring a helmet and breastplate in england. They took out all the dents made by french swords from the battle of Waterloo!!! Enjoy it for the history that goes with it. Write a little tag to hang on it with what you do know.

Did the History Majors know the helmet & breastplate were from the Battle of Waterloo? If so they were incredibly stupid and lacked common sense.

If the knife in question was used in a battle then leave it alone. If it was used by a named individual and damaged then, then leave it alone. If no significant history can be attributed to it, then restore it.

Look at all the rifles collectors on both sides of the pond restore. Is his history being lost or preserved? Some of the firearms were probably used and damaged in battle, but which battle? Or were they damaged in training or everyday use? If there is no way to answer the question then restore(preserve) the item. By restoring (preserving) people will want to have a nice looking specimen rather than some old beat up piece of junk. JMHO

britbike1 · Jul 15, 2018

I would still leave it

AJ said:
Did the History Majors know the helmet & breastplate were from the Battle of Waterloo? If so they were incredibly stupid and lacked common sense.

If the knife in question was used in a battle then leave it alone. If it was used by a named individual and damaged then, then leave it alone. If no significant history can be attributed to it, then restore it.

Look at all the rifles collectors on both sides of the pond restore. Is his history being lost or preserved? Some of the firearms were probably used and damaged in battle, but which battle? Or were they damaged in training or everyday use? If there is no way to answer the question then restore(preserve) the item. By restoring (preserving) people will want to have a nice looking specimen rather than some old beat up piece of junk. JMHO

I agree most modern US military items are hard to trace but the knife has a story albeit not a complete one. Therefore I would document what I know and leave it alone as more info may show up one day. Maybe an old letter with a name? Maybe a picture with a name in some old photo's? Other knives are around to show what a better one looks like.

AJ · Jul 15, 2018

britbike1 said:
I agree most modern US military items are hard to trace but the knife has a story albeit not a complete one. Therefore I would document what I know and leave it alone as more info may show up one day. Maybe an old letter with a name? Maybe a picture with a name in some old photo's? Other knives are around to show what a better one looks like.

If you have a story to document and no one in either family wants it, then donate it to a museum connected with that branch of service.

I would think some British weapons would be just as hard to figure out what battles they were used in. The Brown Bess was in service from 1722 - 1838. Yes, most have a date on them, but what battles if any were they used in and how long were they actually in service? Go to the British Arms Forums and see the amount of restorations going on over there. Needham conversion of 1865 Bridesburg Contract rifle-musket - British Militaria Forums

Shark Bait · Jul 15, 2018

No matter what side of the conflict we're on, these items represent real history, good and bad. But all worth remembering. I worked closely with German soldiers in Kosovo and I felt we had a real respect for each other. Great people. Times change, but history doesn't.

AJ · Jul 15, 2018

Shark Bait said:
No matter what side of the conflict we're on, these items represent real history, good and bad. But all worth remembering. I worked closely with German soldiers in Kosovo and I felt we had a real respect for each other. Great people. Times change, but history doesn't.

This is why folks collect things. Sometimes from both sides of a conflict.

DocB · Jul 15, 2018

The Cattaraugus knives were actually used by quartermasters in the Navy. Beyond that, I don't know. There were a lot of them left over at the end of the war that were sold in the civilian market resulting in a lot of brand new knives in the hands of non-military civilians. The last one I had, I gave to my son when he left for his first tour in Iraq.

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