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Post by karmasoft on Feb 20, 2021 18:50:24 GMT
Dad passed away a few years ago and I didn't get a chance to clarify the origin of this knife. Is it Korean War era or WWII? I suspect the former but remember him telling me it was his Dad's knife. I could be mis-remembering this though. My grandfather served in WWII and Dad was stationed in Japan at the end of the Korean War. I know Dad trained at Ford Ord in Monterey and what I can make of the lettering on the sheath seems to have an ORD in it. The fact that Dad wrote his name on the sheath (tom) means little because he wrote his name on everything. Anyone know how to distinguish these knives? I'm thinking about doing some kind of restore-job on this knife. There's a bit of a gouge in the blade. Any help or ideas on this would be appreciated as well.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 20, 2021 19:33:05 GMT
That is a KA-BAR. Officially used by US Marines in WWII and continued through Korea. While officially a USMC knife I know some soldiers that latched on to one. It was used for combat and GP knife and a damn good one although I felt the WWII issue were better. They just had a better feel about them. It is hard to tell with my computer but it appears to have a blued finish dating it to WWII, although they could be had later. The later ones had a parkerized finish. With all of that in mind it is hard to tell with your grandad’s or your dad’s. Don’t let the leather grip dry out. Most any leather conditioner will help.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2021 20:25:48 GMT
Welcome aboard. With the pinned pommel and M8 scabbard, I'd figure it to be a Korea era example with minimal wear and use. Is the guard marked at all, or the blade? There are many that know these frontwards and backwards at a dedicated board. www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/forum/8-edged-weapons/A nice knife! To add, it is your knife but unless it is for regular use, I would leave it alone. Cheers GC
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Post by karmasoft on Feb 20, 2021 21:01:52 GMT
Thank you for taking the time. There are marks on the guard and on the sheath. The guard reads, CAMILLUSNY along the bottom and USN MARK 2 on the right side. Through the grime on the sheath I can read USN MK2. A bit of googling suggests its a WWII era which corroborates my recollection that Dad told me it was his father's. I thought my Pop Pops served in the army... I'll have to dig into ancestry.com a bit.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2021 21:09:59 GMT
Camillus Cutlery! I grew up in the nearby Town of Onondaga.
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Post by karmasoft on Feb 20, 2021 21:10:21 GMT
Ah, thank you for the pics which tips off where to look... [edit] ... ancestry.com has a picture of his grave which reads CAPT US ARMY WWII.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 20, 2021 23:15:51 GMT
The USMC used the navy for procurement, hence the USN. For instance, medics were navy’s corpsmen, pay checks are issued through the navy, etc. And as I said soldiers, by hook or crook, had KA-BARs too. A very popular knife. I’d consider the originals as classics. And that one I'd consider a family heirloom, hang on to it and keep it oiled, including the leather.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2021 23:25:21 GMT
1943 or later. You can send for your grandfather's service records once the crisis is over. www.archives.gov/veteransCheers GC All forces in WWII made use of the Mk2
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Post by treeslicer on Feb 21, 2021 0:21:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2021 1:33:32 GMT
Except, it is a Camillus Mk2. All them thar katana look alike.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2021 2:34:56 GMT
This is but one problem with Wikis. I'd add more before that and if I continued reading that article of expertise but I already knew what I might see. In the absence of suitable official-issue knives, a number of Marines deploying for combat in 1942 obtained their personal knives through private purchase, usually hunting/utility patterns such as Western States Cutlery Co.'s pre-war L76 and L77 pattern knives, both of which had 7-inch (180 mm) Bowie type clip blades and leather handles.For the sake of brevity; www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/248153-a-western-l76-commando-stiletto/www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/192441-western-l76l77-blade-length/Along with other L-76, L-77 threads at that board, recommended earlier in this thread. My own ratty L-77 Then there were the pre War Western L46 which was first called a G46 www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/uploads/post-4-1170164955.jpgWESTERN cataloged this as their G46-8 and I've heard it called the "8" fighter". Developed during WW2 Western Cutlery hoped to sell it to the Marine Corps to fill their need for a fighting utility knife. But it was too expensive. Beautifully made and finished piece with a bluing comparable to that seen on pre war guns.www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1975-western-cutlery-co/That's another great thread. There were many knife companies in business before the war and Ka-Bar did get the contract for what became termed the Mk2. There were many companies making them to that general specification. Ironically, the (smaller) Mk1, so dubbed for the Navy was much like several manufacturer's hunting knives I digress though. Wikipedia is often so wrong some weep. It is an ok place to start but any lacking books on US military knives will be well served in checking into the forum linked above. I collect E.G.Waterman knives of WWII, in homage to my own dad's WWII knife from his naval service. Cheers GC
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Post by Turok on Feb 21, 2021 3:38:13 GMT
That's a very nice USN MK2 knife with a fiberglass sheath. Be careful with the sheath because they can chip or crack and are getting very hard to find. Take care of the metal snap fasteners too because it's fragile and can easily be torn off. NORD stands for Navy Ordinance and I believe BM stands for Beckwith Manufacturing.
Tons of companies made knives for the war effort including Union Cutlery "KA-BAR", Case, Robeson "Shuredge", Camillus, etc. Camillus was one of America's oldest knife makers and they made damn fine knives! Even George Washington himself carried a penknife by Camillus!
Troops aren't picky when it comes to good blades. You can see people carried a diverse amount of knives by studying old archival photos!
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