"FAIRBAIRN-SYKES FIGHTING KNIFE" BRITISH WW2 COMMANDO DIRK DAGGER REFERENCE BOOK

Description

The British commandos were formed to conduct daring "hit and run" raids along the coast of Occupied Europe, harassing German garrisons and installations from the North Cape in Norway to the French channel ports. A special fighting knife was developed for their needs, designed by the legendary Captain William Fairbairn, a former Shanghai police chief with a multitude of experience and expertise in hand to hand combat. The "Fairbairn-Sykes" fighting knife, as it came to be known, was perfectly balanced, and ideal for cutting, thrusting, and slashing at close quarters. It was an instant classic, and came to symbolize the hard fighting British commandos of WW2. Some US Army Rangers also used the Fairbairn-Sykes, especially early in the war. The F-S fighting knife of WW2 has been of great interest to collectors for decades, leading Wolfgang Peter-Michel to write a comprehensive reference book on the subject in 2011. This "FAIRBAIRN-SYKES FIGHTING KNIFE" BRITISH WW2 COMMANDO DIRK DAGGER REFERENCE BOOK is in near mint, unread condition, with only some light scattered storage wear evident (most pictured). Otherwise, the book is in near mint shape, with no other damage. Most interestingly, it boasts elegantly illustrated hardcovers, and sports 148 pages full of descriptive text, period pictures, and color photographs of 1st Pattern Wilkinson Sword F-S knives with curved guards, 2nd pattern Wilkinson Sword F-S knives with knurled handles, the large handle 2nd Pattern F-S knife produced by J. Clarke & Son, a great trick for how to identify unmarked 3rd Pattern F-S knives that were actually produced by Wilkinson Sword, correct details to look for in terms of pommel casting numbers and handle seam marks, wonderful examples of "beaded and ringed" and "roped and ribbed" F-S knives, the wood handle F-S knife often carried by RAF fliers, early leather scabbards with snap closure handle retention straps, later leather scabbards with the traditional elasticized web handle retention strap, US daggers modeled after the F-S knife, such as the Marine Raider, OSS, and V-42 stilettos, and much, much more. A beautiful example of a "FAIRBAIRN-SYKES FIGHTING KNIFE" BRITISH WW2 COMMANDO DIRK DAGGER REFERENCE BOOK. Now celebrating over 20 years on eBay. Bid with confidence and please view our other great military, aviation, and sporting classics, including a German WW2 MWC LUFTWAFFE PILOT B-UHR AUTOMATIC WRIST WATCH in MINT, unworn, new in the box condition, sporting a crisp 60 minute/12 hour (outer/inner) white numbers black dial, and featuring the classic big "onion" crown and sweeping seconds hand with hacking function.
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