Welcome Home...THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY

iKnife Collector

The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel

Military Knives

4 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 13, 2013 at 9:58

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 13, 2013 at 10:00

The Camillus Navy Rope Knife is a 4 Liner pre WWII used and approved by the US Coast Guard 1944

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 13, 2013 at 10:17

Couldn't find anywhere else just for Military Knives so I thought here would be a great place.

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 14, 2013 at 20:15

I've got a few and I've got a few modern era ones. I'd love to get an excellent condition M3 fighting knife that actually dates from WWII but for now, I settle with Ontario's M3. Despite having 1943 stamped on the blade, Ontario did not make this knife during WWII. A couple companies making the M3 today, with Boker making one in China using SK-5 (1070) carbon steel. But I feel the Ontario version is closer to correct because it uses parkerized 1095 steel. The Ontario version uses the stampings from the old Camillus Factory. Camillus made the bulk of the knives during WWII and continued to make them until they closed in 2007.

One of my favorite combat knives of WWII is the M-3 Fighting knife. The M3 was produced for the U.S. Army as a fighting knife for those who weren't issued a bayonet, basically for troops serving in a combat zone who were issued pistols, carbines and sub-machine guns. My father was a BAR gunner in the Third Infantry Division which means he should've carried one but his first hand recollection was this knife was only issued to officers, paratroopers, and rangers. To the day he died, he swore he was issued an M2 fighting knife (as in the knife commonly called a ka-bar).
But I digress. I don't have an original but would love one in excellent condition. What i do have is a modern era version made by Ontario. While Boker also makes a modern era copy I went with the Ontario version beacuse of 3 reasons.

1 - 1095 parkerized carbon steel. This was the original steel used in the knife. Boker uses an SK-5 (1070) steel

2) - Made in USA. While Ontarios never made the knife during WWII, the modern version made by Boker is made in China Just didn't seem right to me.

3) Ontario uses the tooling from the old Camillus plant to make there version. While some of the early Ontario pieces were flawed, they worked out the bugs and with a little TLC you get a great copy of a WWII legend.

The First M3 were issued with an M6 leather scabbards. These were quickly repleaced with M8 and M8a1 scabbards.

My knife is pictured with an Army issued M8a1 scabbard used for the M3 knife as well as the M4, M5, and M7 bayonets. The very first M1 carbines did not have a bayonet lug and were issued with a M3 trench knife,

Soon afterwards the carbine was affixed with a bayonet lug and production of the M3 ceased as all futures production and existing orders for the M3 were switched over to M4 Bayonets, making the M3 one of the shortest official military contract for knife production is US history.

The first m4 bayonets had stacked leather sheaths but these were soon changed to molded plastic. The M4 bayonet changed over time as the Army adopted new rifles. The M7 bayonet for the M16 rifle was the last knife of the M3 family to be officially made under license for the US military.

M7 Bayonet for the M16 rifle and its M8a1 sheath.

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 15, 2013 at 7:16

Excellent write up Tobias-you are a very good writer and the descriptions are very informative.

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 15, 2013 at 7:23

Here are some TL-29's. This is an Electricians Knife used in the Military mostly - although many Electricians carried and used this knife. My Brother was an Electricians Mate on the USS Ticonderoga in the U.S. Navy and he carried one. He is passed now, don't know whatever happened to that knife. Wish I had it.

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 15, 2013 at 7:24

The TL-29's are: Camillus, KaBar, Robeson and Ulster

Ken Spielvogel said:

Here are some TL-29's. This is an Electricians Knife used in the Military mostly - although many Electricians carried and used this knife. My Brother was an Electricians Mate on the USS Ticonderoga in the U.S. Navy and he carried one. He is passed now, don't know whatever happened to that knife. Wish I had it.

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 15, 2013 at 7:26

Here are 2 U.S. Army Knives made by Camillus. I suspect that these knives were issued to Army troops during WWII.

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 15, 2013 at 7:29

Here are 2 Camillus Fighting Knives: One of them I carried myself in Vietnam. After I was home I was throwing it at a tree and broke the tip-had it ground down but not as good as I would like it.

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 15, 2013 at 7:33

Here is a Camillus U.S.M.C. Knife (didn't have this in Vietnam) and also the Compass I had in Vietnam.

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 15, 2013 at 10:58

Graduating high School in 1975, I was lucky enough to be too young to go to Vietnam. The Army paid for my college and I served as an Infantry platoon leader (and later as an Asst. Brigade S-4) while stationed in Bamberg, Germany. (1980-1984)

Was planning on going in the reserves but was told because I was color blind I couldn't serve in the combat arms! (yep- I served four years in the active duty infantry only to be told that I wasn't qualified to serve in the branch of my choice in the reserves or national guard due to being color blind!) At that point I parted ways with the Army.

Any way, my EDC was the Camillus Mk-2 Fighting knife my dad bought me when I was a Junior in High School. I traded a Camillus Utility knife (often called a demo knife) for a CCM made West German Army Pocket knife on my first Joint operation with my sister unit the 113th Panzer Grenadiers. (I later bought a new Camillus utility knife).

Camillus Mk2 Fighting knife and CCM BRD pocket knife

My EDCs, including my 1/54 infantry beer mug, snap link, name plate made from a M113 track pad, BRD flashlight, P-38 can opener, WWI mess kit knife (used as a boot knife) 1/54 Inf Bn, coin and 3rd bde 1AD brigade coin.