Gildwiller1918 Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 When the US decided to enter the conflict in WW1, they had to look at the hard realities of the conflict, to include hand to hand fighting and equipment involved. So the US Ordnance Department requested designs from various manufacturers with general requirements. One of the official requirements for this knife was that it should be able to penetrate German overcoats. The design that was selected was from Henry Disston and Sons, of Philadelphia. Their design featured a slim sharp pointed triangular blade that was 9 inches long which ended with a wooden handle and a metal spiked knuckle guard. The triangular approach was favored as it would easily go through clothing to handle business. The Disston knife was approved and named the US Model of 1917. Metal parts were blued and stamped accordingly. The scabbard issued with these knives consisted of a leather scabbard which was painted a olive green color, which attached to a metal throat that had cartridge belt hooks, so it could be attached to the current field gear. This weapon saw front line use with the US forces, but the shape of the blade limited its uses, which led to the development of the M1918 Mk1 trench knives. This knife is marked "L.F. & C" which stood for Landers, Frary and Clark. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Seen a similar example in London's Imperial War Museum many years ago. Watch out for repro Demag daggers, which have been around for many years now. They are thought to be made in India, quality of manufacture is not bad, just the leather parts, being black, make it look too un-authentic, apart from being without any finish and quite blank. If buying a repro, then it is a question of the price, too many offers are overcharging. Otherwise, normal trench daggers have become very expensive in the past few years. Another apparent reproduction, which might easily fool collectors. Demag type trench dagger, repro 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildwiller1918 Posted August 22, 2019 Author Share Posted August 22, 2019 Good to know, I have seen some of handles for these recently. It is amazing how prevalent the reproductions have become lately. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildwiller1918 Posted August 22, 2019 Author Share Posted August 22, 2019 The US knives are also all being reproduced, the most common is the M1918 double edged blade type. Below are some examples. AMU1920__04.webp 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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