Description
WW2 San Antonio Iron Works fighting knife made from a converted WW1 era Springfield Arsenal M1913 Cavalry Saber, period leather sheath; rare type in great overall condition, considering the age.
Rare WW2 era fighting knife made during the war by San Antonio Iron Works in Texas, USA from the hilt section of WW1 era M1913 Cavalry Saber, typically referred to as the “Patton Sword”. The original M1913 Calvary saber was developed by the now-famous General Patton prior to WW1. The sword was an excellent weapon but it was rendered useless by the advances in modern warfare by the time the United States has actually entered WW1. After the Great War ended most of the M1913 sabers ended up collecting dust in the government arsenals.
During the first couple of years of WW2 the US servicemen had no standard-issue fighting knife and the military was desperately looking for a quick way to satisfy the demand for the much-needed fighting knives early in the War. So someone came up with the idea of re-purposing these old (and by than obsolete weapons anyway) info fighting knives and daggers. A large quantity of Patton Swords and even older Civil War sabers were converted into somewhat crude, but very practical fighting knives and trench daggers. The “San Antonio” daggers and knives are some of the best known examples of such side arms. Each M1913 saber was made into 3 fighting knives. Obviously, the “hilt section” fighters are scarcer than the rest. Also, just in case you want to see the original, uncut M1913 Calvary Saber, I had one available for in my store (listing is for reference only; I’ve already sold that one, sorry).
These intimidating “Patton Sword” fighters were made by a number of American makers during the war, including San Antonio Iron Works of San Antonio, TX. This exact type is illustrated on page 222 of the KNIVES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY WORLD WAR II book by Michael W Silvey – a well-established expert and the author of a number of books on the subject of the US military edged weapons (see book’s scans attached).
This huge fighting knife is about 14-1/4” / 36.2 cm overall; the blade is about 8-1/8” / 20.7 cm; the edge is very sharp still; the tip is intact. The original M1913 Saber that this knife was converted from was manufactured by the famous Springfield Arsenal (SA) in 1914. The ricasso is stamped SA / 1914 / “flaming bomb” ordinance mark on one side, serial number 15549 / US on the other. The original M1913 plastic handle scales have been replaced with stag scales. The handle is in great condition, al parts are tight ; no chops or cracks on the stag.
The sheath is probably a replacement as San Antonio’s knives came with nicely-finished long type leather scabbards with tooled floral pattern son the front. This sheath is used but it’s in great shape overall, considering the age; the leather is soft and supple still; leather “stitching” is intact. This WW2 era San Antonio Iron Works fighting knife made from the WW1 era M1913 Cavalry Saber is a great find – today most of the surviving WW2 era San Antonio Iron Works fighting knives are in private collections and are off the market. This is one of the best WW2 era “non-regulation” US fighting knives with a lot of character and in excellent overall condition, you will not be disappointed!
This original M1913 Patton Sword conversion WW2 San Antonio Iron Works 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; Garand clips are not included with the lot 😉 I have several fighting knives made from converted sabers, as well as some scarce WW1 and WW2 fighting daggers and trench knives available for sale – please take a look in our Militaria section.
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DOMESTIC USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITH SIGN-FOR DELIVERY CONFIRMATION WILL BE $17 FOR THIS ITEM
International shipping for this item will be $68 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.
