(Long)

One of the rarer knives of WWII is the John Ek Model 8 Paratrooper knife.  John Ek began producing knives for the war effort at the beginning of World War II.  He made American fighting knives for American fighting men.  Ek made every effort to ensure the fighting knives he made were going to fighting men who needed them.  He insisted that all knives went to men serving actively in the armed forces. Besides attempting to make sure his combat knives would indeed see combat, Ek also hired persons who were physically disabled to make the knives.  He began this practice in 1941, hiring 40 people with physical disabilities to make his combat knives and he continued the practice until his death in 1967.

The Real Deal, valued at around $1,000!

Ek also had a gift for promotion.  Among two of his more successful sales tricks was receiving permission to legally sell his many of his knives as “Commando” knives from the British government and naming his Model 8 fighting knife the “Paratrooper. “   (The Model six became the “Patton” knife upon discovering it was the preferred knife of General Patton and members of his staff.)  Ek knives were sold in the PX, from his factory through direct orders and also through authorized civilian dealers and as such were not mass produced through a major Government contract.  However, in order to be sold in the PX and approved for production the knives had to get a Government stamp of approval.  Each knife was serial numbered and in order to get the knife, you needed to fill out a form which asked for name, rank, service number, branch of service, etc. The knives were guaranteed for life.

The originals were made with Nickel-Chrome-Molybdenum Steel, most likely 4340 which offered toughness and a certain amount of rust resistance. The steel was used in aircraft manufacturing and as such was a war production scarcity. The fact that the Government allowed EK to continue to use the steel in his knife was a testament to the quality of the knives.    Instead of the compressed leather washers, Ek used maple wood handles held to the full tang with the three lead filled rivets.  The lead rivets could be pounded back into the handle if it became loose and Ek felt the wood handles would resist rot better than the leather.  The knives were also shipped with sandpaper so that the soldier could add finishing touches to the grip and get it to fit his hand as he desired and not what some person in the factory felt was the best grip.

The Rough Rider Paratrooper (RR1128)

The leather sheaths were very crude affairs held together with rivets and leather lacing and were often replaced by better made sheaths. Today, these sheaths would have never been considered jump certified as they had no tie downs whatsoever.  However, Ek ‘s philosophy was to make it as easy as possible to get the knife out of the sheath and in to action.  This is why most of his knives had no cross bars and sheaths rarely had a tie down or snap to hold the knife in place.  Ek main concern was that a knife could be brought into action quickly and felt cross bars and tie downs could lead to the knife snagging on something at the most critical moment.

The blade length on the Paratrooper was around 9 inches. The Upswept clip design would have made it great for chopping and slashing but not so hot in the poking department. The lead filled wood handle helped balance the giant blade and made it handy for bashing brains and such. If nothing else,  the original EK Paratrooper looked fearsome and intimidating and could probably come in handy cutting through a French hedgerow.  I’m sure it proved a valuable tool for the American paratroops that were lucky enough to get one.

RR1128 in the sheath provided

Some sources claim that Ek made close to 300,000 knives during WWII but according to Mark Silvey, a more realistic estimate is a 1/10 that amount or around 30,000 of all models.   The Model 8 Paratrooper was one of his most expensive models costing around $20.   Probably less than the 7,000 were made and as Ek made every effort to ensure they went to combat soldiers, few remained in mint condition. Today Model 8 knives in good to excellent condition sell for over a $1,000.

After the War, EK continued to make knives under the name “Ek Commando Knife Company”   He would make knives for service members during the Korean War and still later the Vietnam War.  The company was passed on to his son when he died then sold to another concern before partially being bought by Blackjack knives.  When Blackjack went bankrupt, some former Ek employees bought the company and once again began making knives for military forces.

RR1128 Paratrooper with RR sheath and my home-made "Theater" sheath.

So much for the background on this little known knife.

I’ve always wanted an Ek Paratrooper knife but the price tag is way out of my league.  The next best thing would’ve been a replica.  But, again, no one makes a replica either.  That is no one except Rough Rider. 

While I like Rough Riders and often sing their praises, I waffled a long time before I finally broke down and bought their Model 8.  Two reasons held me back.  First was Ek’s motto during WWII: “Made in America, by Americans, for Americans.”  It pains me somewhat that this very patriotic American’s knife was not made in America.  The second problem was the use of 440A stainless for the blade instead of 4340 Ni-Cr-Mo-Steel. 

While I have a lot of faith in 440A for pocket knives and fixed blades under 5 inches; I’m very leery of its usefulness when used in large blades, especially one this large.   Despite these misgivings, I finally broke down and bought the knife because it is the only Model 8 in town that I can afford or even find. After all, the most this knife is every going to have to take on is a rogue watermelon or possibly a post apocalyptic Nazi Zombie.

Paratrooper in the Theater Sheath made of heavy canvas.

All in the entire knife is a fairly accurate reproduction of the original Ek Model 8.  Its biggest problem is the brass rivets.  The original lead filled rivets were somewhat large.  The brass rivets are much smaller.  Otherwise, the blade profile and the handle accurately portray the original.   The original also lacks a lanyard hole  however I like the lanyard hole and if I was a paratrooper in WWII and had the ability to drill one, I would have.

The knife blade is clearly and deeply stamped “Made in El Salvador” making it extremely difficult for a person to sand it out and re-stamp it with original Ek markings.  I’m glad Rough Rider decided to this to reduce the chances of counterfeiting.    The blade is not extremely sharp but it because of its enormous size it easily hacked a heavy card board box to pieces with no effort whatsoever.  With a little sharpening the knife could easily take apart a side of beef or a Nazi Zombie.   All in all I’m very pleased with this historic replica.

The sheath that comes with the knife is very good.  It is made of ballistic nylon and fits the knife quite well.  The nylon handle tie down closes with a Velcro closure and as with so many closures of this type, the knife catches on it when you pull it out and put it back in.  This is exactly why the original sheath was a simple leather sheath with no tie down; Ek wanted to make sure nothing prevented the paratrooper from smoothly removing the knife.

Even before the knife arrived, I had decided I was going to make a “theater sheath” for the knife; that is a homemade sheath a paratrooper might have made in the combat zone. Troopers did this because the other sheath fell apart or simply because they wanted a different style sheath. From the beginning I wanted to make one that would hang from the web belt using the classic hook system, and also that it would be made of heavy canvas.  The idea being the soldier would have made it from a shelter half or an old pack.  In fact I ended up making it from an old map case that was no longer useful. The sheath was made so that the knife could be hung from the left or right side and drawn left or right handed. (I’m left handed; I wanted a left handed sheath).

One last view of the 9 1/4 inch blade and the homemade sheath.  I still to the stitch the edges of the sheath which is four layers of heavy canvas.  However, you can't stitch it with a broken sail needle. A new on is in the mail.

All in all, the knife is terrific, especially for a mere $20.  With a period replica sheath it would be a perfect addition for anyone who does WWII reenactments and with the supplied sheath you’re already ready for the Nazi Zombie Apocalypse.  And if that isn’t enough, it would also come in handy as a light duty camp knife.  Rough Rider has done John Ek’s Model 8 Paratrooper proud.