THEATER KNIVES: WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Gearing up to meet the threat of the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 was no small undertaking for the United States industrial complex, but it was the nation’s ability to turn civilian industries into military production in a very short time that was a major reason for our ultimate victory in World War II.

Among items needed for soldiers on land and sea, knives were at the top of the list. The federal government quickly produced specifications for various knives needed in combat theaters. In total, millions of knives were produced for U.S. soldiers, sailors and pilots during World War II. For example, the M3 military knife (page 32) was manufactured by at least nine different cutlery companies, with a total production number at 2.5 million individual models.

THEATER KNIVES

In addition to knives produced under government contracts, thousands of soldiers who served in