WW2 BRITISH/INDIAN PARATROOPERS KNIFE-SOLD

As with the Indian ‘Airborne’ F-S I have yet to see any evidence that these knives were exclusively issued or used by Indian Airborne/Paratroop troops. However it is possible that this was the case and in respect of this knife the ‘paratrooper’ label is the one by which most collectors use when referring to this knife. Like the ‘Chindit’ bowie this ‘Paratrooper’ knife is extremely well made and is a good rendition of a well thought out all purpose fighting knife.The whole knife, including the double edged blade has a very ‘stout’ and robust feel to it. It is interesting to note that the scabbard/frog is of the same design as the Airborne F-S knife. Careful study of the locket mouth does reveal that metal aperture has been filed specifically to fit either the triangular cross-section of the F-S or in this case the square ricasso of the blade.

This specific knife is maker marked on the ricasso  ‘M.I.L.’ and 42 which stands for the date 1942.  Ron Flook in his excellent book British And Commonwealth Military Knives identifies this Indian maker as ‘Metal Industries Ltd’.  If you do not have a copy of Ron’s book I strongly recommend you seek out a copy. On this topic I cannot think of a more thorough or well-researched written publication. I cannot recommend too highly. The other nice thing about this knife is that it has the rare paratroopers webbing leg strap attached.

In many respects the history of World War II as it is presented today often reflects for the most part only the European and Pacific theaters. Although this is somewhat understandable one must remember that this was a ‘World War’ and very few countries were not affected by the conflict. The South East Asia theatre which included such countries as India, Burma (now Myanmar), Thailand, Malaya, Ceylon, Indochina and Singapore was a challenging and unforgiving area of operations. Many of the combatants were representative of a patchwork of cultures and ethnicities whose sterling efforts should not be forgotten. The edged weapons which originated from these areas of the world are fascinating and although information about the knives themselves is somewhat scant, what is known tells an intriguing story of ingenuity and craftsmanship which holds its own against those produced contemporaneously in industrialized nations.