Unknown Marine Knife

godofthunder9010

Active member
Okay, so Christmas came very late this year. I got a gift from my wife's Grandparents. I know pretty much nothing about this knife. Its definitely a high-carb blade and it looks like a very good one. The old scabbard that came with it has the Marine Corps insignia on it, so its probably a fair guess that this was owned by a Marine. I asked my wife's Grandpa about it and he knows next to nothing about it except that its pretty old and he thinks it's either from WW1 or WW2. He got it from a brother or cousin who supposedly bought it off a Marine a long long time ago ... so all information about the thing is third-hand. Anyone know anything about it???
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The knife can be broken down. Take the screw off the bottom, take out the blade and you've got a set of brass knuckles.
DisassembledKnife.jpg

Anyways, I'm very curious if anyone can tell me something more about this knife. Thanks in advance!!
 
Mod Edit: We aren't interested in what you think you could do with the knife. Ratchet down.
 
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Was that a standard issue knife for WW1? USA Marine Corps or just a general weapon issued to Army or Marine or whichever branch of service? I had a feeling that it might be WW1. Seems to have been designed with a whole lotta close quarters ugly kinda fighting in mind. What else can you tell me about it?
 
According to what I've been able to find out as far as the Marine Brigade and this is from Warren Jackson's book His Time In Hell. The Trench Knife was issued to the Marine Brigade upon their arrival in France. Since the Marine Corps used the AEF QM system (Army Controlled) I'd say it's a pretty good bet that Army troops were also issued Trench Knives as the Marines were an attachment to the 2nd Infantry Division.

The Trench Knife was also issued in limited quanties to the Marine Raiders and Parachute Bn's in WWII. Since your sheath has a Marine Corps Emblem I'd say it's a safe bet it's WWII issue and the sheath maybe a private purchase or selfmade item. The EGA on the sheath appears to be the "Old Corps" design and was probably attached by the owner, it wasn't issued that way. The EGA is probably a Barracks Cover device.
 
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I think the "skull buster" on the hilt was more effective than the brass knuckles. Either end looks like it could damage your fighting ability.
 
Thanks so much to everyone for the info!! Probably a safe bet that a good number of skulls got busted by this guy.

Now I'm contemplating whether it would be better to leave it looking all beat up, or to polish it up.
 
03USMC said:
According to what I've been able to find out as far as the Marine Brigade and this is from Warren Jackson's book His Time In Hell. The Trench Knife was issued to the Marine Brigade upon their arrival in France. Since the Marine Corps used the AEF QM system (Army Controlled) I'd say it's a pretty good bet that Army troops were also issued Trench Knives as the Marines were an attachment to the 2nd Infantry Division.

The Trench Knife was also issued in limited quanties to the Marine Raiders and Parachute Bn's in WWII. Since your sheath has a Marine Corps Emblem I'd say it's a safe bet it's WWII issue and the sheath maybe a private purchase or selfmade item. The EGA on the sheath appears to be the "Old Corps" design and was probably attached by the owner, it wasn't issued that way. The EGA is probably a Barracks Cover device.
If said Marine had the sheath custom made w/ Marine insignia added later, I'm not following how to conclude whether it is WW1 or WW2. Thanks so much for the information and response!!
 
godofthunder9010 said:
If said Marine had the sheath custom made w/ Marine insignia added later, I'm not following how to conclude whether it is WW1 or WW2. Thanks so much for the information and response!!

Prior to 1918 enlisted Marines were only authorized wear of the Marine Corps emblem on their cover. Not on their blouses. When the Marine Corps was attached to the AEF, one of the conditions was that the Marines must trade their Forrest Green Uniforms for Army Kakhi's/OD's. This meant that they no longer wore the campaign cover or visored barracks cover but the Army fore and aft overseas cap. The emblem on the Piss cutter is much smaller and was not immediatly issued. Instead the Marine Brigade wore the US Army US disks on their blouses and covers until cover devices were procured after they landed in France. The first emblems issued were similar to the US disks in that the Eagle Globe and Anchor were stamped into a metal disk and not seperate and in relief.

The Trench knife in orginal issue came with a metal scabbard fitted with belt hangers similar to that of the Springfield Bayonet. During issue in WWII some knives were issued without the scabbard due to shortage's or storage destruction and the Marines were issued leather sheaths as a replacement.

The WWII Marines were also maniacs when it came to putting the EGA on everything they owned. And by the angle of the wings and eagles head it appears to be a WWII era Cover device.
 
Well I'd say that absolutely anc comepletely nails it down. Thanks for the info, my wife's Grandpa will probably find all of this to be very interesting. Sortof interesting that the Marine in question just sold his knife off and all. Wonder why? These sorts of items are always a heckuva lot more intersting when you know who had it and what they did with it, etc. This was several decades ago that it got bought then gifted and such, so there's no way of knowing.

Its a pretty cool combat knife. Do they issue anything like them anymore?
 
The one G of T showed is the second 1918 issue, the Mark 1. While they weren't issued in WWII, that doesn't mean they weren't used. Look at the Springfield `03 rifle, it was used even into Vietnam.

The one you show in the picture is a collector's item and, as in the site I posted earlier, there are fakes made and sold as antiques. But there are also reproductions not meant to deceive buyers.
 
They were issued to paratroopers until they started causing trouble with them. One such instance was when Colonel Sink's (of the 506th PIR) jeep driver, Lorraine, socked a German prisoner at Brecourt Manner.
 
Missileer said:
The one G of T showed is the second 1918 issue, the Mark 1. While they weren't issued in WWII, that doesn't mean they weren't used. Look at the Springfield `03 rifle, it was used even into Vietnam.

The one you show in the picture is a collector's item and, as in the site I posted earlier, there are fakes made and sold as antiques. But there are also reproductions not meant to deceive buyers.
Undoubtedly Missileer. The reason I'm pretty sure this one is real is because it's been sitting around my wife's grandpa's basement for 30-40 years collecting dust. He's shown it to his grandkids a few times but pretty much knew nothing about it except for the following: His brother gave it to him and his brother bought it off a Marine.
 
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