Description
WW2 Imperial M3 fighting knife circa 1944 American trench knife, guard-marked type; original Chinese-American GI-signed M8 composition scabbard; great overall condition, considering the age.
Original WW2 era M3 Fighting Knife/Trench Knife manufactured by Imperial Knife Co. in Provenance, RI – one of the larger war-time makers of edged weapons for the US government. Out of the total of 2.5 million M3s made, Imperial produced about 850,000 M3s of all types by the time production ended in August 1944. Attached is the photo of the US Airborne paratroopers gearing up somewhere in England the day prior to D-day jump. One paratrooper has his trench knife on the hip; two other guys are armed with M3 fighting knifes tied to their legs (original photo is the courtesy of Wikipedia and is not included with the knife). This specimen’s scabbard is inscribed Ho Yin Chong / 15903 on the back; looks like it was issued one of roughly 20,000 Chinese-Americans who served in the US Armed Forces during WW2.
This M3 fighting knife is used, but it’s in better-than-average condition for the type. This trench knife is about 11-1/2” / 29.2 cm overall; the blade is about 6-1/2″ / 16.5 cm. The blade has been lightly re-sharpened; it is very sharp still; the tip is intact; no pitting or edge nicks on the blade. Stacked grooved leather washers handle; steel guard and hammer-like pommel; the handle is tight, the guard has a tiny bit of a play. The guard is marked US M3 / IMPERIAL, as intended. The pommel is marked with the US “flaming bomb” acceptance mark. A few minor contact marks on the pommel are noted for accuracy; nothing major.
Original M8 composition scabbard was manufactured by Beckwith Manufacturing Company; it’s marked US M8 / B.M. CO. on the throat. The scabbard is is inscribed Ho Yin Chong / 15903 on the back; it is in very good overall condition, considering the age; the keeper is nice and tight; no rust on the webbing; one small chip on the plastic near the throat is noted for accuracy.
Overall, WW2 Imperial M3 fighting knife / trench knife is in 100% serviceable condition still; don’t miss your chance to add it to your collection! This original WW2 Imperial M3 fighting knife / GI-signed M8 composition scabbard have not been cleaned or tampered with in any way, 100% original condition; these are the actual photos. Spent brass is not included with the knife 😉
I have a number of vintage American-made collectible knives in the store, please take a look at the store’s American Blades section. Also, please don’t forget to check out our Militaria section for other WW1 and WW2 era combat knives, including German WW1 era trench knives, vintage USAF WW2 Pilot Knives and a couple of nice WW2 era 1st pattern Wilkinson Sword, 2nd pattern and 3rd pattern FS daggers available for sale.
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