WWII British Jump Knifes

Mycroft · Dec 8, 2004

Does any one know where to get a WWII British Jump Knife, the switchblade-style ones. My friend and I are looking for them and are they legal in the States.

BellyTank · Dec 8, 2004

Are you talking about a WWII item?
The British had no such item- there was the Commando knife; the Sykes Fairbairn Stilleto with a fixed blade, or the normal filding pocket knife/jack knife. US and German paratroopers both had a switchblade style knife.
BT.

Skywlkrinc · Dec 9, 2004

If you have around $100+ Ebay has US Paratrooper switchblades all the time. Schrade was the main manufacturer, but there were others as well.

Luke

SHARPETOYS · Dec 9, 2004

http://search.ebay.com/Paratrooper-knife_W0QQfromZR40QQsojsZ1

Mycroft · Dec 9, 2004

I read in a book about them...they say its a "British Paratroopers' Knife, World War II (1939-1945)". It has a folding spike on them and it has a makermark of a violin on it. Thanks for the help though.

Skywlkrinc · Dec 9, 2004

The knives you're looking for are the brown stag-like handled ones, predominately made by Schrade-Walden. The orange handled paratrooper knives are Vietnam War era.

Luke

BellyTank · Dec 9, 2004

The British one with the folding marlin spike is commonly called a "clasp knife" or "jack knife", it's just an army issue pocket knife- nothing sprcific to Paratroops.
Normally has a folding blade and a folding marlin spike and can opener and black plastic or Bakelite grips- they were made by virtually all the cutlery companies and many tool companies. You can still pick them up new.

Here's 2 Navy versions on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4074&item=2292657652&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=135&item=2292421392&rd=1

BT.

Mr. Jason · Jun 8, 2005

knives

I've always heard them called drop or gravity blades but maybe thats a punk thing.

They are illegal in the US but you can find them from time to time. The only one's I've ever gotten
my hands on were cheap crap from overseas. Apparently you can buy them from ebay.

Also, as far as I know it was a German thing but far be it from me to contradict your book.
My understanding is that if caught in a tree the German paratroopers could cut themselves out
with one hand instead of having to open a folding knife.

BellyTank · Jun 8, 2005

The WW2 Luftwaffe Paratroops' knife is commonly referred to as a
'Gravity knife'- nothing punk or street about it- and it has an in-line
retracting blade rather than a folding style.
The WW2 American Para knife had a sprung, folding-retracting blade.
The intended use of these was for cutting fouled shroud lines.

The British had no specific Para knife but a utility pocket knife/clasp/jack knife and several models of 'Commando' knife including the Fairbain- Sykes.

German>>>

American>>>

British Clasp/Jack knife>>>

British Sykes-Fairbairn Commando knife>>>

B
T

Absinthe_1900 · Jun 21, 2005

The best place to look is at Blade Auction, ( http://www.bladeauction.com/ )since ebay often pulls several of the vintage switchblade ads since they don't comply with their standards.

Quite a few serious collectors list some decent vintage switchblades there, and some of the vintage gravity knives show up as well.

The vintage Italian "picklocks" of the 1950's are skyrocketing in value right now.

Mycroft · Jun 23, 2005

Thanks all, BT the book was wrong, thanks.

Biltmore Bob · Jun 23, 2005

Absinthe 1900

I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy...I mean, I see by your profile that you are a Houstonian. I'm just north of y'all in The Woodlands.

Absinthe_1900 · Jun 23, 2005

Biltmore Bob

Yes,
I'm inside the Loop, fighting a holding action against the "yuppie boxes", in my 1930's house in the West U. area.

I'm actually a native, which seems to be a novelty in my neighborhood now.

BellyTank · Jun 23, 2005

Mycroft said:
Thanks all, BT the book was wrong, thanks.

Where you been Mycroft?
B
T

Mycroft · Jun 23, 2005

BellyTank said:
Where you been Mycroft?
B
T

Well, I just finished my exams and stuff for this year, and I got a job, in local goverment, until I head to Oxford for the summer of study. I am glad, you appreciate my company. Anyhow, look at the Eyewitness Book on Special Forces under paratroopers, and it says that that the garvity knife you showed was British...well got to me more careful with my reasearch.

BellyTank · Jun 23, 2005

Your absense was noticed-

Where's Mr. SharpeToys I wonder?

B
T

Mycroft · Jun 23, 2005

Escaping the Florida heat?

autoknife · Dec 3, 2008

Actually the British did have a gravity knife with black checkered scales and are very rare. They closely resembled the German knives.

Pip · Dec 3, 2008

There were also the 2 types of SOE knife found in the jump oversuit. Although not a "gravity knife" in function.

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