Mystery knives

I really like the theater made knives of WWII, and some of the knives made in shops on the home front shipped to the troops. I think that some of them are good durable and well made, although may be ugly, they did what they were designed to do. I also think it is a testament to people's creative skills, like blacksmiths, etc, who made them and are unknown, but you can tell their wares were made to be used.
 
This one certainly looks like it was made to be used.

theater knife from lebel bayo.jpg

It is the base of a French Lebel bayonet married to a Fairbairn-Sykes handle.

This is what the original bayonet was like:
knf610-0.jpeg


n2s
 
drwfishesman said:
...hello everyone. fixed and folder combo is a mystery to me
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welcome! and hello there.
interesting picture.
a generic buck-like hunting folder
with a protuding caping knife on the back
seems like a great practical pakistani idea
never to be repeated :)
franken but brilliant! nevertheless,
as 2-in-1 it will cut.
thanks for sharing!
 
Unknown Knives from SE Asia.jpg

Here are a couple of interesting and unmarked knives. They were made by a tiny civilization located in the South Pacific (correction Indian Ocean) on the Cocos Islands. It is an atoll with a total land area of just 5.5 square miles, and a present population of 600. There is no need to mark anything when you are the only knife maker and everyone else is your relative.

Cocos_Island_Atoll.JPG


The name fits....
0de037e551795273ea3e317dd9ba7438.jpg
 
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English navy dirk on grid.jpg

Here is another interesting one before we go. This was probably a midshipman's knife. It is also unmarked so we can guess at which navy or merchant service the kid was in.

9781843837190_41_1_94_1.jpg


n2s
 
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I took this off an Iraqi soldier in Desert Storm. Most of the other bayonets taken were AKM Type II's but this is a Type I obviously.

No serial number or other markings other than the white paint and ballpoint pen writing on the rubber scabbard cover.

I'm guessing Romanian??? Maybe? Back when Saddam was ramping up his army but didn't have enough production of AKM II's.. Not sure.

MZJKOKe.jpg
 
It's Friday!

So here is another mystery knife for us.

unknown tomahawk.jpg

Ok. So it's not actually a knife this time. It is a very well made tomahawk that is entirely unmarked.

n2s
 
So the story goes like this: This is supposedly a WW2 Pacific Theater altered Kabar fighting knife. The acrylic on the pommel is made from the windshields of downed Japanese Zeros. I would love some feedback since I have no experience to verify that claim.
BWPIdCf.png
 
drwfishesman said:
So the story goes like this: This is supposedly a WW2 Pacific Theater altered Kabar fighting knife. The acrylic on the pommel is made from the windshields of downed Japanese Zeros. I would love some feedback since I have no experience to verify that claim.
BWPIdCf.png
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It is pretty much impossible to verify the story. Although, that was a common solution to the disintegration of the leather handle under jungle conditions. Sometime the sheath will have some information on the original user, such as the name and service number. But, for the most part, that is why these knives will remain a mystery.

n2s
 
Here is another favorite.

MURMASK DAGGER SM.jpg

This is a solid one piece knife, with a full 1/2" thick blade.

The story on this one is that it was made aboard a ship, during a WWII Murmask run, for use primarily as an ice pick. These Artic runs were extremely dangerous and ships had to constantly be deiced less they became unbalanced and capsized. You have to give the maker credit for creativity, we don't usually see many knives made for that purpose, and judging from the weight of this thing, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

n2s
 
Theather knife profile (leafspring).jpg

This heavy knife looks like it was made from a leaf spring. There is a similar one shown in Wrights book.

s-l640.jpg


I wouldn't want to carry this. But, early WWII was a challenging period immediately after a prolonged economic depression. There was initially a real shortage of material, so homemade solutions like this went to war.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
View attachment 1427658

This heavy knife looks like it was made from a leaf spring. There is a similar one shown in Wrights book.

I wouldn't want to carry this. But, early WWII was a challenging period immediately after a prolonged economic depression. There was initially a real shortage of material, so homemade solutions like this went to war.

n2s
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Is there a stamp on the blade?
 
Not sure if this fits the OP's specifications, but this is a custom yatagan sword made roughly 200yrs ago (based on marked items from the same stockpile) that has no markings.

s6BMVRm.jpg


The guard is forge welded to the blade with a bone handle. Throughout my work with antiques, I have yet to see another yatagan made in a similar fashion. Matt Easton questioned whether it began its life in this style or was made from a previous sword during a quick conversation we had.
 
scarysamcary said:
Not sure if this fits the OP's specifications, but this is a custom yatagan sword made roughly 200yrs ago (based on marked items from the same stockpile) that has no markings.

s6BMVRm.jpg


The guard is forge welded to the blade with a bone handle. Throughout my work with antiques, I have yet to see another yatagan made in a similar fashion. Matt Easton questioned whether it began its life in this style or was made from a previous sword during a quick conversation we had.
Click to expand...

That definitely fits right in. It is the kind of knife that leaves you wondering where it has been and what it has done.

n2s
 
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