SKIPH
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About SKIPH
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EDGED WEAPONS SPECIALIST
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Very interesting, never seen one like it, SKIP
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I'm new to the forum, so please forgive me if I violate SOP.
I have my dad's WW2 M4 fighting knife. It is unique because there is no stud slot in the butt, it has a solid oval steel butt like the M3. Also the muzzle ring has been cut off, you can see a bit of the inside of the ring arc on the cross guard. The stamp, US M4, on the cross guard has been deliberately filed off and there is just enough remaining that you can tell it once was there. My dad may have sterilized his M4 due to his assignment to MAAG Greece just after WW2 where they were not allowed to carry weapons (but did).
I thought you and others might like to see and read about his weapon, which he told me he used as a knife is meant to be used in war, in the 10th Mt. Div. advance in Italy in WW2. Dad with the recon platoon leader for the R&I platoon for the regimental HQ for 87th Mt. Inf. Reg.
Here are the pics. Let me know if you would like to see more. Let me know if you know anything about other M4s with there unique modifications.
Thanks,
Matt
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Matt- What you have is a fighting knife, probably made by Imperial, using the guard for an M4 bayonet, and the pommel from an M3 Trench knife. I have one myself, with the bayonet ring in tact. We always speculated these were made post war from left over contract parts. With your Dad being with the 10th MTN in Italy, he may have carried this as an M3 Trench knife alternate . As I recall the M4 bayonets did not hit Europe til late in the war, around 1945. Even then these were probably post war PX knives, which would fit well into his post war assignment to Greece. I have to check the end date of hostilities in Italy. Not sure if these, and M4 got to the Italian campaign. I'll check. SKIP
Matt- Did some quick research, 87th had campaigns in Italy with the 10th MTN, and stayed there til August 1945, so, M4s could have made it, but because it was a parts knife, and not a bayonet, he could have got in a PX and used/carried it through the war. Not sure if this variation was ever an issue item or not. These were great functional knives. SKIP
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I agree, looks good! SKIP
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Reisch only specified post WW2. More than likely when M1 carbines were being refurbished in the 50s and 60s. SKIP
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Barbasol- I must agree with your appraisal of this knife having serious hard use in it;s life. Really difficult from the pictures to tell if it has a welded blade, but I can see what appears to be a slight crack. Since you picked it up in the Netherlands, I would expect it was issued, and used by an American paratrooper. SKIP
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Just checked Craig Reisch's carbine book. He mentioned that some early oilers were blued, most parkerized. No mention of any being painted for storage or otherwise. Leather washers were WW2, and replaced by rubber post war. SKIP
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hyrax222- Agree it was the 20,000 production figure for the Onieda M1 bayonets. Just realized I don't have a OL M1 in my collection. Also reaized how much I missed the old "Shotgun News" ads. Had a subscription for about 20 years til ebay came along. Got some good stuff through the paper. SKIP
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Jim- Found some information on out web site. Titled "Help With Bayonet & Knife Contract Numbers" January 7, 2015. The Conetta info shown is, 1005-716-0944, Bayonet-Knife M4, DAAFO1-71-C-0851, A 12/71. Or look up on internet "USBayonet Cage Code Numbers", it will pull up the earlier threads. Hope this helps. SKIP
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Checked Gary Cunningham's bayonet book, he has Onieda's M1905s listed as around 150,000 with Wilde Tool lowest at 60,000. Not sure where the seller got his lowest at 20,000. SKIP
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Jim- Just checked Gary Cunningham's book, he has some numbers listed, but I did not see the ones you've listed. There is more info somewhere, have seen it before, but I can't recall at this moment. I'm sure some of the other folks might have it. SKIP
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That double stamp is cool! SKIP
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mitch, it's kind of a minefield if you're looking for specific dates, or sequence. In some cases knives were simply bought off the shelf hunting knives. Not necessarily procured as an issue item. SKIP
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mruiz- Good question, and I believe M.H. Cole has a fairly good sequential order of US. knives in his "U.S. Military Knives, Bayonets, & Machetes", book III. What one has to keep in mind is the fact a lot of edged weapons were carried over from conflict to conflict. Two examples right of the top of my head were, Mark 1 Trench knives, they came out right at the end of WW1, and were initially the main issue combat knife in WW2. M1905 bayonets were carried over an used throughout WW2, along with their variety of scabbards. You can also add a variety of machetes, and in some cases, bolos. To
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The collection controls you... it tells the truth...but it lies.
SKIPH replied to Misfit 45's topic in EDGED WEAPONS
I agree with George! SKIP -
I'll add one more for comparison. Sorry the camera phone pic is a little small. SKIP
