BLADE Magazine

Daggers have struck home the U.S. military’s point from the trenches of Europe to the jungles of Vietnam.

Through the years, the military dagger has been considered an essential piece of equipment for the soldier on the ground and the pilot in the air. As a second line of defense, the dagger must be accessible and capable of quick deployment, not to mention efficient at its job.
As U.S. military personnel have gone into action, their choice of daggers provides a window into their operational history and a view of their actual aptitude when seconds count. Design and dexterity are hallmarks of dagger use in the heat of a life-and-death situation, and these storied weapons of war have gained their place in the annals of close combat.

“A good friend of mine was a chopper pilot in Vietnam,” recalled BLADE® Magazine field editor Kim Breed. “The pilots carried the Gerber MK II upside down on their flight vests. When he was shot down, he and his crew chief went through their ammo; then they drew their daggers while they waited for pickup. They locked onto the enemy, rammed them through the side [with their daggers] and hung on. Then they took [the enemy’s] AK-47s away from them and got back into the fight. They defended themselves while Cobra gunships laid down suppressing fire and a rescue bird, a Huey, came and got them.”

Kim’s comrades might well have been killed in the melee had they not had their Gerber Mk II daggers when needed. Designed by Clarence “Bud” Holzmann, the knife gained legendary status during the Vietnam War, and though it was not standard issue, the Gerber Mk II was popular with U.S. troops—from airmen to special forces and everything in between. The wasp-waisted blade of the original remains a symbol of the close combat sometimes experienced in Southeast Asia, while its intimidation factor led to a redesign for the consumer market.

“It was designed the same as the [original] Mk II except it had serrations on both sides. The serrations might be considered a weak point,” Breed explained. “They had cast aluminum handles and a little thinner blade with that wasp waist. When you actually penetrated something, [the waist] helped along with a bit of extra weight up front.”

While the original Mk II may have been a stronger choice back in the day, the serrated Mk II is also a sought-after collectible. A knifemaker, Kim relates some owners have asked him to grind the serrations completely off this Gerber dagger. He declined to do so.
One more story Kim recounts is of a friend who found himself in hand-to-hand combat during a recon deployment in Vietnam. A Viet Cong patrol was walking past, and the last man in their line spotted the Americans in their cover. “Rather than alerting the whole enemy patrol, my friend took the last man down and used his knife,” said Breed.

Regarding the Mk II, knifemaker Les George added, “Al Mar was a designer at Gerber at the time and he added ‘saw teeth’ to the blade to make it a survival knife. The PX was happy to sell it as such since they didn’t want to sell a ‘fighting knife.’”

Industry veteran Bill Harsey also tells a story of combat survival with the Gerber Mk II in Vietnam. “I heard from a Medal of Honor recipient over dinner that his team was overrun by enemy combatants. In close-quarter combat, he drew his knife and stuck it in an enemy soldier. The knife stuck. Even with both hands he couldn’t withdraw it. I have no idea why the knife stuck and he didn’t offer any thoughts. But just to be careful, we have never made a wasp-waisted blade.”

Fairbairn-Sykes And Beyond

The Randall Knives Model 2 Fighting Stiletto bears the name of one of the most famous knifemakers in history and was developed as a robust alternative to the legendary Fairbairn-Sykes dagger. Randall has gone to war with several memorable designs, and according to Breed, the Model 2 is one of the best remembered.

“The blade is a little wider than the well-known Fairbairn-Sykes dagger,” said Kim. “The Randall was more handle-heavy, with only about a 5-inch blade, as I remember. It feels good in the hand. The guard is not sharp on the fingers, which was a challenge with some of the others. Any Randall daggers are collectible, just like Randalls in general. They didn’t make many of them. The Model 2, to me, is a cross between the Fairbairn-Sykes and the V-42 with a leather stack handle.”

The Marine Raider Stiletto remains a classic weapon of the World War II era, and it is said to have been the first Marine knife in the Corps’ history designed by a Marine, designed by Lieutenant Colonel Clifford H. Shuey. The story goes that this dagger was developed because the elite Raiders specifically requested a knife for close fighting.

Les offered some observations concerning the Marine Raider stiletto’s proper mission. “When the Marines were issued the Raider Stiletto in World War II, they had been specifically told not to pry with them or throw them,” he said. “So, obviously, they threw them at the first tree they could find and broke the tips off many of those knives.

“I think the Marine Raider Stiletto has the best handle design of all the many knives derived from the Fairbairn-Sykes daggers,” George continued. “It’s not just round. It has features and a shape allowing the blade to be indexed by feel. But the blade is very thin, the tip was fragile and the metal that they cast the handles out of reacts with air. They are all disintegrating. Eventually, we will lose them all.”

The handle of the Camillus-made Marine Raider Stiletto was fashioned with a die-cast zinc alloy, while the 7- to 7 ½-inch blade was made of blued or bright steel. The overall feel of the stiletto was hilt-heavy for optimal balance.

“The Marine Raider Stiletto has probably the smallest group of collectors since it primarily appeals to Marines,” commented George. “The rest can be categorized in different ways and have broader appeal. These knives and their more modern counterparts may not find their way to the battlefield as a matter of course, but the history they represent is invaluable.”

Knuckled Under

Les includes the iconic M1918 trench knife among those favored few military daggers carried in wartime by American soldiers. Its design was based on the French M1916 Avenger, and the military held field trials after initial 1917 and early 1918 variants were found inadequate. The M1918 was first made by Landers, Frary & Clark, a housewares and hardware company, production was later increased with Oneida, Henry Disston & Sons and the French manufacturer Au Lion.

“The LF&C M1918 trench knife did not see action in World War I,” George explains. “It was made for that war, but it ended before the knives made it to Europe. A lot of them were melted down to reuse the handle material. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they were the only knives in the system available to be issued to Marines … The M1918 saw use in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I’m not aware of any combat use of the knife since then, but it is possible.”

The M1918 is distinctive with its integrated cast brass handle and brass knuckle grip designed for close combat, along with small spikes on the finger bows and a skull crusher pommel. The medium carbon steel blade has been criticized at times for being brittle, but nevertheless the knife is recognized as formidable in a hand-to-hand brawl.

“The M1918 was designed to be an effective tool for close fighting,” observed Breed. “With a positive grip and the brass knuckle guard, you didn’t have to stab, or you could hit your opponent with the skull crusher. There were dozens of confirmed kills with this dagger. It was not recommended to dig with them because they were prone to breakage or ‘bendage.’ You could drive that big brass handle into the dirt, but that half shaft that came down from the blade was short on steel and weakened the knife around the tang.”
The eye appeal of the M1918 makes the dagger collectible. “It’s pretty popular and one of the iconic knives of its type,” Kim concluded.

Representative of the fighting men who carried them into harm’s way, these U.S. military daggers of the 20th century continue to fascinate with their double-edge blade, balanced feel and handle characteristics. Their place in history is secure, while collectors and knife industry veterans are doing their best to preserve and retell the stories that surround them.

More On Military Knives:

• What U.S. Military Members Look for in a Knife
• Combat Legacy: Modern Military Knives
• Military Knives: Soldiers’ EDC From The Past 50 Years
• U.S. Made Military Knives And Makers