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  • Jester896

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    Picked this up to keep the others company.
    OXEUAp2.jpg

    though some of you may enjoy seeing it.
     

    SAWMAN

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    These knives were issued/given to most all combat air crewmen in the late 60's thru the early 80's. Probably not precise on these dates. This is about when I can remember seeing them.
    They were all the same but made by several different companies. They were so common that we used them for tradeing material with the guys in the rear units that did not have access to this type of issue gear. The Sea Bee's for plywood or air conditioners. The cooks for coffee. The PN's and DK's and rear unit HM's all got plenty of these.
    At several times in my career I saw huge bins of these. You could simply take all you wanted.
    I still have one that was given to me by a chopper crewman in a semi emergency . I needed something to open a can of AK ammo.
    These knives are built like a tank. Hammer,cut,pry with it. They are hard to sharpen,hard to dull,and never break. ---- SAWMAN
     

    Jester896

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    I do not have a date. They were German Craftsmen. The Marine Corp worked with them to develop the KA-BAR in 1942 according to the info on Wikipedia as well as some other branches.

    Here is a little better picture than the one I did with the scanner

    QeaZhiy.jpg


    v9kezXJ.jpg


    It doesn't seem to have been sharpened very muck and is still sharp enough I think to be a good utility. It appears to be an EDC for someone at one time. The sheath rivets at the top are starting to pull through the leather pretty good. The strap also has one of the rivets pulled through The braid at the bottom may date it some...seems like I saw a lot of that in the '70s

    I may clean some of the stains up a bit and hit it with some polish and clean the sheath up a little. It is somewhat supple as it is. Not sure if it is anything real special, but I likes it.
     

    FrankT

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    This is the one my Father carried as a pilot in WWII the forerunner of your example..this was called the Marine Fighting Knife

    The Cattaraugus Company was started by John Champlin and his son Tint in 1882. It was first incorporated under the name J.B.F. Champlin and Son as a wholesale distribution company based in Little Valley, New York. The business proved to be a successful endeavor, and it soon branched into a knife production company named Cattaraugus.

    In 1890, Mr. Champlin purchased cutlery manufacturing equipment from a failed business called the Beaver Falls Cutlery factory. Because Champlin started in the knife business as a wholesaler for a company who Imported German and English knives he had great knowledge about the cutlery business. As a wholesaler, he knew the market well, and he knew the shortcomings of the U.S. knife manufacturers. His plan was simple. He believed that the business would thrive if he could providing the highest quality cutlery available. In order to achieve this goal, he hired the best cutlers and provided them with the highest quality materials. This combination proved to be successful. Champlin brought in cutlers from Germany, England, and other U.S. manufacturers. The knives that were created in these early years set the quality standard by which all other U.S. manufacturers were measured.
     

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    Jester896

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    Digging around a little and discovered a couple of things.

    They stopped stamping the blade in '67 and started stamping the pommel.

    The Pilots knife is about and inch shorter than this one. The sheath looks a little different but basically the same. The retention is mounted higher up to the belt and the bolster is straight.
     

    SAWMAN

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    I believe that the knife that I have is the one your calling the pilots knife.
    It has no other markings on the knife. The sheath back is stamped but unreadable. The wetstone is also stamped but unreadable.
    I carried this knife for a short while until I received my Randall. I tried to track down the guy that gave this knife to me but have had no luck. His older unit has long been decomissioned. ---- SAWMAN
     

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    Jester896

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    yes sir, that is the one I keep seeing referred to as a Pilot's Issue. Also see them with metal protector on the bottom of the sheath. I see the date stamp on your pommel... is it a 5" blade? I haven't been able to find anything on the 6" that I have.. compared to the info on the 5"
     

    FrankT

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    It is pilot issue called the Air Force survival knife, in the Air Force we issued those to pilots, I lost the 2 I had long ago, great knives. The early ones were 6" blades and 10" long the later were shorter like a 5" blade

    Here is the history on it
    The knife was originally designed in 1957 as a joint issue between the Navy Weapons Bureau and the Marbles Arms Company. As originally designed it had a 6”, saw back blade. In 1962, the knife was modified by reducing the blade to 5” in length. The post-1962 knives were produced by the Camillus Cutlery Company and Milpar during the Vietnam Era. These knives were initially issued to Naval Air Crews but saw service with airmen in all branches of US military service. The knife was issued with a leather scabbard that had a pouch on the front for a sharpening stone.
     
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    Jester896

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    Thanks! with this and I got from BladeForum it kinda looks like between '59-'62. The blade stamping matches what they were doing in the late '50s and it is a 6" blade.
     

    FrankT

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    I can get a new one on Amazon for $35 or an original off ebay for $100-200. Since I am closer to the end than the beginning a new one on Amazon is likely in the cards, wish I knew where I lost the 2 I had!
     

    Jeb21

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    I can get a new one on Amazon for $35 or an original off ebay for $100-200. Since I am closer to the end than the beginning a new one on Amazon is likely in the cards, wish I knew where I lost the 2 I had!

    You will find the lost two knives the day after you buy their replacement. That is how the universe works :)
     

    FrankT

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    Found this for your 6", does your pommel screw off?

    I did more searching and found the following info on Frank Trzaska's website in his Knife Knotes 13 archive:

    "MIL-K-8662B (AER) dated 6 August 1959 started life as a 6 inch blade with a screw on butt cap. With such there was not a reason to paint the butt. An amendment was made to the specification dated 29 June 1960 (the Specification continued on as 8662B) in which the butt was punched through and the tang would be "upset" to secure the blade and fill the recess in the butt."

    So it seems the knives were made with a screw on pommel for about a year. Now, if I could find out how many were made during that period and what that DSN stamp on the pommel is about. The search continues...

    and this http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/artiklar/fs/s_knivar/us/jet_pilot.htm
     
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    SAWMAN

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    My knife has a 5" blade and a 9.5" OAL.
    It has two holes in the upper guard that appear to be from the factory. The end of the buttcap has been painted gray. It looks to be a after factory paint job. By who and for what reason is unknown to me. It was like that when handed to me. ---- SAWMAN
     

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