Description
Original and one-of-a-kind WW2 era American “theater-made” fighting knife made from whatever parts were available on hand. This Frankenstein of a knife is part M1905/M1 bayonet, part Mark 2 fighting knife, part random bronze plate turned into a handguard – this certainly is NOT your standard-issue sidearm. This fighter was probably shop or ship-made by some talented sailor or a marine.
The overall quality of this unique but practical fighter is actually pretty high. The fit and balance are excellent for such a bottom-heavy knife, all parts are tight; the finely-honed blade is super-sharp still. A solid bronze guard seems to be filed to shape and hand-fitted to the retrofitted MK2 blade – no small feat in the rudimentary field conditions. The handle is cut-down M1905 or M1 bayonet with the muzzle ring and bayonet’s release mechanism removed. Also, this is a rare early-war “brown grips” type specimen – just a tiny batch of WW2 grips came in brown plastic; most were made as standard-issue black plastic (phenol-formaldehyde resin similar to Bakelite). Brown grips were made from an earlier type of plastic commonly called CAB that wasn’t resistant to the solvents the army was using in the field, so the production of the CAB plastic grips was quickly discontinued. Out of tens of millions of plastic grips produced during the war, only about 100,000 CAB grips were made in total; most were lost to the use and abuse in the field. “Brown-grips” bayonets were manufactured for about a month; a rare find these days. This interesting fighting knife is about 11-3/8″ / 29 cm overall; the blade is about 6-7/8″ / 17.5 cm long; the blade is razor- sharp still; the tip is intact. Original MK2 leather scabbard is initialed WM on the front and signed WENDT on the back. The scabbard is in great shape, considering the age. The keeper is made from a wrist watch band; original stitching and brass staples are all intact; the leather is soft and supple.
This interesting and certainly one-of-a kindWW2 American theater-made fighting knife has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way; it is in 100% original “as is” condition. These are the actual photos; spent brass is not included with the knife 😉 I have more WW2 era American, British, Australian, New Zealand, and German fighting knives, as well as several scarce WW1 and WW2 fighting daggers, bayonets and trench knives available for sale – please take a look in the Militaria section.
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FREE USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM!
International shipping via USPS International Priority Mail for this item will be $55 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.
