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The Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife is a double-edged
fighting knife A fighting knife has a blade designed to most effectively inflict injury in close-quarters physical confrontations.Burton, Walter E., ''Knives For Fighting Men'', Popular Science, July 1944, Vol. 145 No. 1, p. 150Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills ...
resembling a
dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...
or poignard with a brass or wooden
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
grip. It was developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
based on ideas that the two men had while serving on the
Shanghai Municipal Police The Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP; ) was the police force of the Shanghai Municipal Council which governed the Shanghai International Settlement between 1854 and 1943, when the settlement was retroceded to Chinese control. Initially composed of ...
in China before World War II. The F-S fighting knife was made famous during World War II when issued to
British Commandos The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the World War II, Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out Raid (military), raids against German-occ ...
, the Airborne Forces, the SAS and many other units, especially for the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
in June 1944. With its acutely tapered, sharply pointed blade, the F-S fighting knife is frequently described as a
stiletto A stiletto (plural stilettos) is a specialized dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, primarily intended as a thrusting and stabbing weapon.Limburg, Peter R., ''What's In The Names Of Antique Weapons'', Coward, McCann & Geoghega ...
, a weapon optimised for thrusting, although the F-S knife can be used to inflict slash cuts upon an opponent when its cutting edges are sharpened according to specification.Cassidy, William L.,
A Brief History of the Fairbairn–Sykes Fighting Knife
''
The Wilkinson Sword Company made the knife with minor pommel and grip design variations.


History

The F-S knife is strongly associated with the British commandos and the US
Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...
(OSS) and
Marine Raiders The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry warfare. Despite the original intent for Raiders to serve ...
(who based their issued
knife A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least Stone Age, 2.5 million years ago, as e ...
on the Fairbairn–Sykes), among other special forces. It features in the insignia of the British
3 Commando Brigade United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), is the UK's special operations-capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel f ...
, the Belgian Commandos, the Dutch Commando Corps (founded in the UK during World War II), and of the Australian 1st Commando and 2nd Commando Regiments and
United States Army Rangers The United States Army Rangers are U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a ...
(all founded with the help of the British Commandos). Large numbers of Fairbairn Sykes knives of varying types, including some with wooden grips, were used by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division that landed on Juno Beach on "D" Day and by the men of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. A solid gold F-S fighting knife is part of the commandos' memorial at Westminster Abbey. The first batch of 50 F-S fighting knives was produced in January 1941 by Wilkinson Sword Ltd. Fairbairn and Sykes had travelled to their factory from the Special Training Centre at
Lochailort Lochailort ( , ) is a hamlet in Scotland that lies at the head of Loch Ailort, a sea loch, on the junction of the Road to the Isles (A830 road, A830) between Fort William, Highland, Fort William and Mallaig with the A861 road, A861 towards Salen, ...
in November 1940 to discuss their ideas for a fighting knife. A batch of 1500 knives of this first pattern was ordered in Nov 1940. An order for 38,000 of the second pattern (slightly revised for wartime exigencies) followed in 1941. By the time of the third pattern of design refinements (dating from October 1943) the knife was being produced by several manufacturers. No formal specification existed until after the war, but the 1949 UK government specification E/1323E remains current. In December 2019, an SBS commando in Afghanistan used an F-S knife during an ambush by ISIL fighters.


Design

The F-S fighting knife was designed for surprise attack and fighting, with a slender blade that can easily penetrate a
rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...
cage. Grip is provided by a vase-shaped handle, and the blade's slender, sharp-pointed blade is designed for use as a fighting knife. Fairbairn's rationale is in his book ''Get Tough!'' (1942).
In close-quarters fighting there is no more deadly weapon than the knife. In choosing a knife there are two important factors to bear in mind: balance and keenness. The hilt should fit easily in your hand, and the blade should not be so heavy that it tends to drag the hilt from your fingers in a loose grip. It is essential that the blade have a sharp stabbing point and good cutting edges, because an artery torn through (as against a clean cut) tends to contract and stop the bleeding. If a main artery is cleanly severed, the wounded man will quickly lose consciousness and die.
The Fairbairn–Sykes was produced in several patterns. The Shanghai knife on which it was based was about long in the blade. First-pattern knives have a blade with a flat area, or
ricasso A ricasso is an unsharpened length of blade just above the guard or handle on a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet. Blades designed this way appear at many periods in history in many parts of the world and date back to at least the Bronze Age—ess ...
, at the top of the blade under the S-shaped crossguard; this was not present on the original design and its presence has not been explained by the manufacturers. Second-pattern knives have a slightly longer blade (just less than ), -wide oval crossguard, knurled pattern grip, and rounded ball, and may be stamped "ENGLAND" (a US legal requirement when importing the surplus knives after WWII) on the handle side of the cross guard. Some may also be stamped with a "
broad arrow The broad arrow, of which the pheon is a variant, is a stylised representation of a metal arrowhead, comprising a Tang (tools), tang and two wikt:barb, barbs meeting at a point. It is a symbol used traditionally in heraldry, most notably in En ...
" British issue mark and a number (e.g., 21) on the opposite handle side of the cross guard. Third-pattern knives also have a similarly sized seven-inch blade, but the handle was redesigned to be a ringed grip. This ringed grip is reputed to have disappointed one of the original designers as it unbalanced the weapon and made harder to hold when wet, but it was used by the manufacturers as it was simple to produce and could be cast from a cheaper and more plentiful alloy instead of using up quantities of scarce brass stock. William Rodgers, as part of the Egginton Group, produce an all-black "sterile" version of the knife, devoid of any markings showing maker for NATO use. The length of the blade was chosen to give several inches of blade to penetrate the body after passing through the of the thickest clothing expected to be worn in the war, that of Later production runs of the F-S fighting knife have a blade length that is about . In all cases the handle had a distinctive
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
-like grip to enable a number of handling options. Many variations on the F-S fighting knife exist, in size of blade and particularly of handle. The design has influenced the design of knives throughout the period since its introduction.


Copies

Because of the success of the Fairbairn–Sykes knife in World War II and in the wars in
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
and
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, many companies made their own versions of the F-S fighting knife. Almost two million of the British knives were made. Early production runs were extremely limited and demand was high, with many British troops attempting to buy their own.


OSS version

The US
Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...
(OSS) stiletto was a double-edged knife based on the Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife. It was so admired that the US military created several other fighting knives based on it. The OSS's knife manufacturing bid was approximately one-fifteenth of the British equivalent, but the US version of the knife, manufactured by Landers, Frary & Clark, of New Britain, Connecticut, was improperly tempered and inferior to the British F-S fighting knife in materials and workmanship. Its reputation suffered accordingly. A total of 20,000 units of the OSS version were produced. The OSS dagger was officially replaced in service in 1944 by the US
M3 fighting knife The M3 trench knife or M3 fighting knife was an American military combat knife first issued in March 1943. Design Designed for rapid production using a minimum of strategic metals and machine processes, the M3 trench knife used a relatively ...
. The scabbard for the OSS stiletto looks like a pancake spatula, a design that can be worn high or low on the belt, or angled either left or right. In theory this gave a very adaptable mounting system, but the metal belt attachment risked injury to those wearing it, especially parachutists during airborne operations.


V42 and smatchet

General Robert T. Frederick of the
Devil's Brigade The 1st Special Service Force (FSSF) was an elite joint American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, formed by Lieutenant Colonel Robert T. Frederick of the Operations Division of the U.S. General Staff. During the Italian campaign of ...
(First Special Service Force) is credited with a similar weapon, the ''Fighting Commando Knife, Type V-42'', better known as the V-42 stiletto, itself a derivation of the F-S design. The V-42 was manufactured by W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. in the US –43 and is distinguished mainly by its markings and the presence of a small, scored indentation for the wielder's thumb, to aid in orienting the knife for thrusting. Fairbairn has been given full or partial credit for the design of several other fighting knives, including the '' smatchet''.


Users


Current

* :
Kopassus The Kopassus (, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as Direct action (military), direct action, unconventional warfare, sabot ...
* : Grup Gerak Khas * : Singapore Armed Forces Commandos * : FS knife clones made for Spanish airborne soldiers


Former

* : Some used by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War. * : Formerly used by
First Special Service Force The 1st Special Service Force (FSSF) was an elite joint American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, formed by Lieutenant Colonel Robert T. Frederick of the Operations Division of the U.S. General Staff. During the Italian campaign of W ...
. * : Formerly used by
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
fighters. * : 250 FS knives ordered between 1969 and 1979. * : 500 FS knives ordered. * : 400 FS knives ordered in 1961. * : 300 FS knives ordered. * : 450 FS knives ordered in 1962. * : Formerly used by the SAS, the
Special Service Brigade The Special Service Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940, after the call for volunteers for Special Service who eventually became the British Commandos. Background In 1940, volunteers w ...
, the
Chindits The Chindits, officially known as Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. Brigadier Orde Wingate formed the ...
, SBS, and the
Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom) The Parachute Regiment, known colloquially as the Paras, is the Airborne forces, airborne and elite infantry regiment of the British Army. The 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, first battalion is part of the Special Forces Support Group under ...
. The knife continues to be represented in the insignia of the UK Commando Force and, more recently, the Army Special Operations Brigade. * : Some used during the Vietnam War by some
United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, is a branch of the United States Army United States Army Special Operations Comm ...
soldiers. Formerly used by
United States Army Rangers The United States Army Rangers are U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a ...
,
Marine Raiders The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry warfare. Despite the original intent for Raiders to serve ...
, and the
First Special Service Force The 1st Special Service Force (FSSF) was an elite joint American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, formed by Lieutenant Colonel Robert T. Frederick of the Operations Division of the U.S. General Staff. During the Italian campaign of W ...
. * : Used by 1 Brygada Spadochronowa (''1st Independent Parachute Brigade''), which was founded in exile alongside the British Army 1941–1947.


See also

* Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife * BC-41 * Pattern 1907 bayonet * V-42 stiletto


References


Further reading

* Buerlein, Robert (2002). ''Allied Military Fighting Knives: And The Men Who Made Them Famous''. Paladin Press. * Flook, Ron (1999). ''British and Commonwealth Military Knives''. Howell Press Inc. * Locken, Alan (1995). ''The Collectors Guide to the Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knife''. Alan W Locken. * Peter-Michel, Wolfgang. ''The Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife: Collecting Britain's Most Iconic Dagger''. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. * * Wilkinson-Latham, Robert (2009). ''Wilkinsons and the F.S. Fighting Knife''. 2nd ed. Pooley Sword Publishing.


External links


Fighting knives used by British commandos and SOE during WW2

The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife Daggers World War II infantry weapons Royal Marines Military knives World War II weapons of the United Kingdom World War II weapons of the United States Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1941