TrentRock Posted March 20, 2008 Share #26 Posted March 20, 2008 This thread is awesome!!! I love the old pics of the pilot's with their shanks strapped to their legs They look READY FOR ACTION!!! I have a Pal Cutlery RH-51 that I like a lot....... This was one of the more common fighting knives in the ETO, besides the M3 obviously, no? That is pretty vague Here is a good article I found on Mr. Trzaska's web site======> Carter’s Classification for Combat Cutlery There seems to be a mass delusion among the general public and some knife collectors that any knife ever touched, carried, or coveted by a military person therefore becomes a "military knife". Under this criteria, stretched far enough, everything made since 1900 or so is a military knife. Well, that is ridiculous. When everything is "military" then nothing is gained by using that term. This confusion does not run rampant in arms collecting; that of bayonets, swords, and guns, because military issue patterns have long been studied, are well documented and most are property marked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share #27 Posted March 24, 2008 OK, now Marines at Iwo Jima. Is that possible that left side Marine has two knives including one RH-36? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted March 25, 2008 Share #28 Posted March 25, 2008 OK, now Marines at Iwo Jima. Is that possible that left side Marine has two knives including one RH-36? Greg, It looks that way. Some guys liked to carry two knives. Here is a Marine in Saipan in 1944 talking to Japanese children--he's carrying two knives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted March 25, 2008 Share #29 Posted March 25, 2008 Gregory, can you post the source for the USMC pic? In your blown up pic, partially showing behind the mag pouch on the carbine stock is a half view of a compass pouch and it appears to have snaps rather than LTD fasteners. There are several of us that have been trying to ID that pouch for a few years now. Are there any other pics in the series that may show this pouch better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 25, 2008 Author Share #30 Posted March 25, 2008 Gregory, can you post the source for the USMC pic? In your blown up pic, partially showing behind the mag pouch on the carbine stock is a half view of a compass pouch and it appears to have snaps rather than LTD fasteners. There are several of us that have been trying to ID that pouch for a few years now. Are there any other pics in the series that may show this pouch better? Hello Craig, I have it on CD and do not know if it was published in any book. The source is: NARA General Records of the Department of the Navy 1798-1947 Record Group Number 80 Item Number 80-G-30532 I sent you now high-res TIFF file with this pic thus it will be useful for you. Best regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 25, 2008 Author Share #31 Posted March 25, 2008 Greg, It looks that way. Some guys liked to carry two knives. Here is a Marine in Saipan in 1944 talking to Japanese children--he's carrying two knives. Thanks Gunbarrel! A very nice photo showing that not only killing is at war. Best regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Patrol Posted April 12, 2009 Share #32 Posted April 12, 2009 Charlie, You are exactly correct, the Marine flying in your picture does have a Pal RH-36. This is Captain Floyd C. Kirkpatrick of VMF-441 - he is adding another victory flag to the side of his F4U-1D Corsair "Palpitatin' Paulie" (named for his then wife - they later divorced). He shot down 5 1/2 Japanese aircraft while flying with the Black Jack Squadron on Okinawa. This was a staged photo for the press guys. I know for sure it is an RH-36 because I own the actual knife. On the back of the sheath is scratched "VMF-441" with "Kirk" very small in a corner. It appears to have been blackened at one time but has been sharpened alot. The groove still has original looking finish. I also have letters and photos from his widow as I am in the process of writing a history for the unit. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsellati Posted April 12, 2009 Share #33 Posted April 12, 2009 Beautiful examples . I love the contrast in style and use. Personally I like the blued or parkerized blades over the shiny ones and certainly will opt to add examples to my collection with that "been there and done that" look over a pristine example. rr Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S McKibben Posted April 12, 2009 Share #34 Posted April 12, 2009 Here is one of mine,its a 36 made into a knuckle knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Flick Posted April 13, 2009 Share #35 Posted April 13, 2009 Charlie, You are exactly correct, the Marine flying in your picture does have a Pal RH-36. This is Captain Floyd C. Kirkpatrick of VMF-441 - he is adding another victory flag to the side of his F4U-1D Corsair "Palpitatin' Paulie" (named for his then wife - they later divorced). He shot down 5 1/2 Japanese aircraft while flying with the Black Jack Squadron on Okinawa. This was a staged photo for the press guys. I know for sure it is an RH-36 because I own the actual knife. On the back of the sheath is scratched "VMF-441" with "Kirk" very small in a corner. It appears to have been blackened at one time but has been sharpened alot. The groove still has original looking finish. I also have letters and photos from his widow as I am in the process of writing a history for the unit. Mike Mike: That is AMAZING that you own the actual RH-36 shown in the wartime photo of Capt. Kirkpatrick. What a great piece of history. Can you please post some pics of it here? Please let us know when your unit history is published. I would love to hear more about the Captain and VMF-441. Regards, Charlie Flick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Patrol Posted April 13, 2009 Share #36 Posted April 13, 2009 Mike: That is AMAZING that you own the actual RH-36 shown in the wartime photo of Capt. Kirkpatrick. What a great piece of history. Can you please post some pics of it here? Please let us know when your unit history is published. I would love to hear more about the Captain and VMF-441. Regards, Charlie Flick I have not had any success loading pictures on the site yet. Keeps telling me the file is too large. I will try to make the file smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Patrol Posted April 15, 2009 Share #37 Posted April 15, 2009 Mike: That is AMAZING that you own the actual RH-36 shown in the wartime photo of Capt. Kirkpatrick. What a great piece of history. Can you please post some pics of it here? Please let us know when your unit history is published. I would love to hear more about the Captain and VMF-441. Regards, Charlie Flick Charlie, Here is another photo of Kirkpatrick with the RH-36. (Still working on the photo of the knife.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Patrol Posted April 12, 2015 Share #38 Posted April 12, 2015 Sorry it has been so long since I last posted here. Lot of personal reasons - but here are the photos of Floyd C. Kirkpatrick's RH-36 knife. I picked this knife up at a gun and knife show in Dayton, Ohio at least 15 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Patrol Posted April 12, 2015 Share #39 Posted April 12, 2015 Sorry for the photo quality - best I can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Patrol Posted April 12, 2015 Share #40 Posted April 12, 2015 This and the last photo are on the reverse of the sheath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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