Everything about The Fairbairn-sykes Fighting Knife totally explained
The
Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife is a twin-edged
stiletto with a
foil-like grip developed by
William Ewart Fairbairn and
Eric Anthony Sykes in
Shanghai prior to
World War II but made famous during that war through its issue to British commando units including the nascent
SAS, then a part of No. 2
Commando. Often compared to a
stiletto, this is misleading as the stiletto is designed almost solely for stabbing and has a longer, narrower blade which may be triangular in section. Manufactured by the
Wilkinson Sword Company in
England, among others, there were minor variations in pommel and grip, of interest now mainly to collectors. Because of its sleek lines and popular association with commandos, the
OSS,
Marine Raiders and other units, it's produced to this day. It is so symbolic of British Commandos that a solid gold FS fighting knife is on the memorial to the Commandos at Westminster Abbey.
Design
Unlike the
U.S. Marine Ka-Bar, which was designed for use in combat and as a utility tool, the F&S fighting knife was designed exclusively for fighting with surprise in mind and was slender enough to slip between ribs. The vase-like handle lent it a very precise grip, and the sharp, double-edged blade was integral to its design. Fairbairn explains the rationale for the knife in his 1942 book
Get Tough!
In close-quarters fighting there's 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 shouldn't 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 only about 5.5 inches long in the blade. First pattern knives have a 6.5 inch blade with a flat area, or ricasso, at the top of the blade which wasn't present on the original design and the presence of which hasn't been explained by the manufacturers, under the S-shaped cross guard. Pattern two knives have a slightly longer blade (slightly less than 7 inches), 2 inch wide oval cross guard, knurled pattern grip, rounded ball, and may be stamped "ENGLAND" on the handle side of the cross piece. Third pattern knives also have a similarly sized inch blade, but the handle was redesigned to include a ring grip. This ring grip is reputed to have distressed 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. Third pattern knives may be stamped "WILLIAM RODGERS SHEFFIELD ENGLAND", "BROAD ARROW", or simply "ENGLAND". William Rodgers, as part of the Egginton Group, now also produce an all black "sterile" version of the knife which is devoid of any markings showing maker or NATO use. It has also been finely balanced for throwing.
The length of the blade was chosen as it gave several inches of blade to penetrate the body after passing through the three inches of the thickest clothing that was anticipated to be worn in the war, namely that of Soviet greatcoats. Later production runs of the FS fighting knife have a blade length that's about 7.5 inches.
In all cases the handle had a distinctive foil like grip to enable a number of handling options. Many variations on the FS fighting knife exist in regards to size of blade and particularly of handle. The design has influenced the design of knives throughout the many decades since its introduction.
Copies
Due to the massive and groundbreaking success of the Fairbairn Sykes knife through both WWII, Korea and Vietnam dozens of companies started to make their own version of the knife. The double bladed knife became so well respected by armed forces communities that the U.S. military came up with their own version. The
Gerber Mark II introduced in 1966 became second in fame only to the USMC issue Ka-Bar. to date there are over 200 different style knives based on the Fairbairn in existence making it one of the most popular styles in history.
OSS version
The American
Office of Strategic Services bid for manufacturing per knife was approximately one fifteenth of the British versions cost. It was made of inferior material and its reputation suffered accordingly. Further to this, United States Marines were improperly trained in the use of the knife and complained of malfunction and that it provided limited opportunity for attack. However, it wasn't intended for use as a utility knife and Fairbairn did have the opportunity to provide some training in the proper application of the knife.
British Major Fairbairn, who had been chief of police in Shanghai before the Japanese capture of the city, taught the Fairbairn method of assault and murder. His course wasn't restricted to Camp X but later given at OSS camps in the United States. All of us who were taught by Major Fairbairn soon realized that he'd an honest dislike for anything that smacked of decency in fighting.
In stark contrast to the OSS version of some 20 000 blades the British versions were close to two million production units (though not all of equally high quality and post-War versions were of dubious standards). Early production runs were extremely limited and demand was high as British troops attempted to buy their own.
Other knives by Fairbairn
Fairbairn was also credited with design of the
smatchet, a weapon similar in many ways to the
Ghurka kukri. General
Robert T. Frederick of the
First Special Service Force is credited with a similar weapon, the
V-42 combat knife, itself a derivation of the F-S design. The V-42 was manufactured by the Case company during this period 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.
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