Ka-Bar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids (USMC) Knife, Fighting Utility (USN Mark 2 utility knife) |
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Commemorative USMC Ka-Bar knife
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| Type | Knife |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Marine Corps United States Navy United States Army |
| Wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War Invasion of Grenada Operation Just Cause Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 23 November 1942 |
| Manufacturer | Camillus Cutlery Co. Union Cutlery Co. Pal Cutlery Co. Robeson (ShurEdge) Cutlery Co. |
| Produced | 1943–present |
Ka-Bar (trademarked as KA-BAR is the contemporary popular name for the combat knife first adopted by the United States Marine Corps in November 1942 as the 1219C2 combat knife (later designated the USMC Mark 2 combat knife or Knife, Fighting Utility), and subsequently adopted by the United States Navy as the U.S. Navy utility knife, Mark 2. Additionally, Ka-Bar is the name of a related knife manufacturing company, Ka-Bar Knives., Inc. (formerly Union Cutlery Co.) of Olean, New York, a subsidiary of the Cutco Corporation.
Although Ka-Bar Knives, Inc. currently makes a wide variety of knives and cutlery, it is best known for the Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility knife, which has traditionally used a 7 in. (178 mm) 1095 carbon steel clip point blade and leather-washer handle.
Contents
History
At the start of World War II, the US Marine Corps was still using the World War I issue Trench knife. Called the knuckle knife, it was a dagger with a studded steel hand guard. The trench knife was suited for trench warfare but it did not meet the needs of the Marines in the Pacific war. The Marine Corps purchased different designs from different knife manufacturers. The Ka-Bar, however, quickly became the marine's favorite.
They were made by the Union Cutlery Company (later changed to KA-BAR Cutlery Inc.). Soon other companies were under contract to produce the Ka-Bar. The main use for the Ka-Bar combat knife was hand-to-hand combat with an enemy. However, the number of enemy soldiers killed with a Ka-Bar is thought to be very small. The knife, weighing just over 1 pound (0.45 kg), had a solid pommel (the butt end of the knife) which could be used as a hammer. The knife was used to open food cans in c-rations or k-rations. It was used for cutting wires, opening crates of ammunition and other non-combat uses.
Modern Ka-Bars
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Although KA-BAR Knives, Inc. currently makes a wide variety of knives and cutlery, it is best known for the Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility knife. It has traditionally used a 7 inch (178 mm) long blade. It is made of 1095 carbon steel with a clip point blade and a stacked leather-washer handle. Other, more modern versions of this knife feature single or dual-edge blades. Many have synthetic handles made of Kraton (a non-slip rubber substitute). For modern outdoor survival use the Ka-Bar knives are still a proven design.
Images for kids
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In USMC service in Iraq, 2005.
See also
In Spanish: Ka-Bar para niños
