Gregory Posted February 26, 2008 Share #1 Posted February 26, 2008 Hello, As in the title. Simple question for edged fans - which variation of PAL RH-36 was more popular during WWII in the US armed forces - polished or blackened one? Thanks in advance for possible replies. Best regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gliderinf Posted February 26, 2008 Share #2 Posted February 26, 2008 I didn't know they came in black - all that Ive seen are shiney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted February 26, 2008 Author Share #3 Posted February 26, 2008 It seems to me that majority of those knives were polished but they were also blackened -- both blued and parkerized if I see correctly at the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayonetman Posted February 26, 2008 Share #4 Posted February 26, 2008 I didn't know they came in black - all that Ive seen are shiney Most PAL RH-36 knives procured by the US military during WW2 were finished commercial - that it, the blades were polished bright. Later in the war, PAL began delivery of the RH-36 in a Parkerized finish. In my experience, the polished blade is far more common and seems to have been used more during the war. I don't think this was a choice of the user, just that the Parkerized version did not come out until so late that it did not see as much service.This one was carried by a PT boat mechanic who listed all of the places he had been on the sheath and apparently the numbers of the PT boats in his squadron. Both the knife and sheath show signs of heavy use and wear. The one below is a Parkerized version that shows little or no use. It also came from a vet, but was apparently stowed away and not used much if at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share #5 Posted February 27, 2008 Gary, Thank you very much. That is this info I looked for. Regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
posse Posted February 27, 2008 Share #6 Posted February 27, 2008 Hi Bayonetman, Thanks for the info! I have recently acquired a polished Pal rh 36... I'll upload the pics as soon as I get it! This was one of the more common fighting knives in the ETO, besides the M3 obviously, no? grts Bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted February 27, 2008 Hi Bayonetman,Thanks for the info! I have recently acquired a polished Pal rh 36... I'll upload the pics as soon as I get it! This was one of the more common fighting knives in the ETO, besides the M3 obviously, no? grts Bart Hello Bart, Post promised pics also for me, I am interested too, I like very much those six inchers permanently underestimated by the reenactors for instance. Best regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
posse Posted February 27, 2008 Share #8 Posted February 27, 2008 Hello Greg, No probs! I'll post them pics right here! I'll don't have a decent sheat at the moment... The one that goes with the knife has been "customized"... Pieces of leather cut out, ... Could be done during the war.. but I doubt that... rgds Bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted February 27, 2008 Share #9 Posted February 27, 2008 Here is mine, received it today. No sheath but I plan to put it behind a holster (or go look for a sheath). It's in a used but nice condition. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
posse Posted February 27, 2008 Share #10 Posted February 27, 2008 A good, but used condition, as you told! Nice. Putting it behind a holster would be a good idea, Erwin! grts Bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee tj Posted February 27, 2008 Share #11 Posted February 27, 2008 Here's a photo of one I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share #12 Posted February 28, 2008 Thank you very much for all posts. I invite to post all your RH-36s and we will see different variations of those knives. In the meantime one more question to edged gurus -- does anybody know if RH-36s were manufactured also after WWII? If so, did they look a little other or not (new spacers, new materials, pommel etc.)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayonetman Posted February 28, 2008 Share #13 Posted February 28, 2008 Thank you very much for all posts. I invite to post all your RH-36s and we will see different variations of those knives.In the meantime one more question to edged gurus -- does anybody know if RH-36s were manufactured also after WWII? If so, did they look a little other or not (new spacers, new materials, pommel etc.)? Greg, Pal did continue to manufacture the RH-36 after WW2 until about 1952 when they closed the knife factory, and those sold just after the war were identical except for the use of the bright blade only. It is really impossible to tell wartime from those made and sold just after the war as they were using up parts on hand. Pre war (and very early wartime deliveries) and later post war used a bright polished or plated pommel, while most wartime used a dull metal, probably an alloy used to save steel. Look at the pommel in the photos and you can see it is dull gray. The photo you show at the end of the thread on the sheathes has the bright "commercial" pommel. That and the early style sheath probably makes it a pre war or very early war specimen before they changed to the looped sheath and dull pommel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share #14 Posted February 28, 2008 Gary, Thank you very much. One more question if it is true or not. I found somewhere an information that there were also RH-36s with steel pommels. Is it true? Maybe some people can't distinguish polished duraluminum from steel? Regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akubra Posted March 2, 2008 Share #15 Posted March 2, 2008 This is a photo of the PAL RH 36 in my collection. I think it had a blackened finish, but most of it is gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share #16 Posted March 2, 2008 Thank you very much. I invite the others as well to post their RH-36s. They had big number of the spacers combinations and we could look at them and compare. I invite also to post period pics of those knives. At the gunboards.com there was an interesting topic dedicated to PAL RH-36 and several persons posted their historic pics with the soldiers and their RH-36s. I am posting MTO-based 15th AF fighter pilots. One of them has two knives. What he holds in his hand looks rather like 8 incher, not RH-36. But what he has attached to the belt seems to be PAL RH-36. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share #17 Posted March 5, 2008 Hello -- nobody has period pics of the RH-36s? I do not believe. In the meantime look please at this para. What he has at his leg seems to be PAL RH-36. Do you agree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share #18 Posted March 5, 2008 Close-up of the para's knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Flick Posted March 5, 2008 Share #19 Posted March 5, 2008 Hello Greg:The nice photo of the MTO pilot is very interesting. He is holding what appears to me to be a 7" Case double edged Stiletto with the bakelite pommel. That may be an RH-36 on his hip but the photo is not sharp enough to establish that to a certainty.The photo of the paratrooper does not show an RH-36, in my opinion. The shape of the pommel is wrong. Keep in mind that there were many very similar patterns of hunting knives, both civilian and military, that bear a strong resemblance to a sheathed RH-36. These could include the 6" Cases, the Robeson No. 21s., many Kabar/Union Cutlery blades, and the Marbles Ideal pattern. They can be tough to distinguish in a fuzzy photo where the blade is found in the sheath.You asked for a period pic of an RH-36. Here is one from my photo archives that I am reasonably confident shows an RH-36, but I can not be positive. The flier is a Marine Corps aviator at Okinawa in 1945 preparing to climb aboard his Corsair. Hope that helps you.Regards,Charlie Flick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Flick Posted March 5, 2008 Share #20 Posted March 5, 2008 At the gunboards.com there was an interesting topic dedicated to PAL RH-36 and several persons posted their historic pics with the soldiers and their RH-36s. Gregory: Where on the Gunboards site was the RH-36 thread? I looked at the "Militaria-Swords-Bayonets- Edged Weapons Forum" but found nothing on the PALs. Regards, Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share #21 Posted March 5, 2008 Charlie, Thank you very much for your picture and comments! Where on the Gunboards site was the RH-36 thread? I looked at the "Militaria-Swords-Bayonets- Edged Weapons Forum" but found nothing on the PALs. It was in the section totally deleted there now -- you know, in the section where we discussed about the US militaria other than guns. I rescued from that topic one picture but if my memory serves me right Frank Trzaska posted then fantastic pic of the Rangers training where one Ranger had newly issued mint RH-36. Thanks Charlie, best regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
posse Posted March 5, 2008 Share #22 Posted March 5, 2008 Hi Bayonetman,Thanks for the info! I have recently acquired a polished Pal rh 36... I'll upload the pics as soon as I get it! This was one of the more common fighting knives in the ETO, besides the M3 obviously, no? grts Bart Greg and Bajonetman, Here's my PAL RH36 knife. Polished blade (so if I read correctly, this was issued earlier than the parkerized blades), very little use. The handle is near mint! Regards, Bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share #23 Posted March 6, 2008 Congratulations Bart, a very nice specimen Below I post a pic from old topic from ex-gunboards.com US militaria section no longer existing. Somebody posted it as an example of the RH-36s in use. At least one soldier has RH-36 but the second one has very similar knife... perhaps RH-36 as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
posse Posted March 6, 2008 Share #24 Posted March 6, 2008 Congratulations Bart, a very nice specimen Below I post a pic from old topic from ex-gunboards.com US militaria section no longer existing. Somebody posted it as an example of the RH-36s in use. At least one soldier has RH-36 but the second one has very similar knife... perhaps RH-36 as well. Thanks for the comment and the very nice picture, Greg! grts Bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share #25 Posted March 19, 2008 At the gunboards.com there was an interesting topic dedicated to PAL RH-36 and several persons posted their historic pics with the soldiers and their RH-36s. Charlie, Thank you very much for your picture and comments! It was in the section totally deleted there now -- you know, in the section where we discussed about the US militaria other than guns. I rescued from that topic one picture but if my memory serves me right Frank Trzaska posted then fantastic pic of the Rangers training where one Ranger had newly issued mint RH-36. Thanks Charlie, best regards Greg I want to apologize Charlie and the other forumers interested in this topic. I mistook the facts from other forum (gunboards.com) where we were together 2-3 years some time ago. The topic I mentioned was not dedicated to the Rangers but the USN Scouts & Raiders. And was not dedicated to PAL RH-36 but other knife. I apologize! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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