415:), the long, narrow, dagger-like steel blade, designed to economize on priority steel requirements, was best used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon, and performed less well when used for cutting or slashing strokes. Reports of blade failures on M3s in service increased as soldiers began to use their trench knives for ordinary utility tasks such as opening ammunition crates and food ration tins, a rĂ´le for which the M3 had not been designed. Some soldiers also found the M3's cutting edge to be difficult to maintain in the field. As issued, the blade's secondary or false edge was intentionally sharpened and beveled for only a portion of its length, leaving an unsharpened spine on the top of the blade in an effort to stiffen the relatively narrow blade. This limited the usefulness of the M3 when employed for backhand slashing strokes.
42:
547:
of load carrying equipment. The improved M8A1 scabbard manufactured later in WWII added the wire hook. Some M8 scabbards were later modified by adding the hook. The scabbard throat is stamped "US M8" or "US M8A1" on the flat steel part along with the manufacturer's initials. Later M8A1 scabbards were manufactured with a modified extended tab on the web hanger to provide more clearance for the M5 bayonet which rubbed against the wider bayonet handle. This sheath is also correct for all post-war U.S. bayonets including the M4, M5, M6, and M7.
884:, who was given a commission as a brigadier general. Johnson was known for overruling production item requests by the service branches in favor of designs that could be produced more quickly or more economically by small businesses with limited tooling, freeing up material for private industry to begin a reconversion to peacetime goods production.
419:
bayonet, now designated the
Bayonet, U.S. M4, was added to the Company Table of Organization in June 1944, and the M3 was declared to be a limited standard ordnance item, with supplies to be issued until exhausted. The final M3 production run did not take place until August 1944, by which time 2,590,247 M3 trench knives had been produced.
411:. Despite Ordnance descriptions of the knife as being designed for hand-to-hand warfare, the M3 did not receive universal praise as a close-quarters fighting knife upon issue to combat units. While the knife itself was generally well-made and balanced (some paratroopers and rangers mastered the art of using the M3 as a
546:
The M8 and the later M8A1 scabbards both have a resin-impregnated cotton canvas body, painted olive drab, with a steel throat. The early M8 scabbard only had a belt loop to fit over a pistol or trouser belt, and lacked the wire hook that earlier bayonet scabbards had for attaching to the M1910 series
418:
After the
Ordnance Department began developing a proprietary bayonet for use on the M1 carbine, it was realized that the new carbine bayonet, which already incorporated the M3 blade design and leather-wrap grip, could also replace the M3 in service in a secondary role as a fighting knife. The carbine
313:
first issued in March 1943. The M3 was originally designated for issue to soldiers, not otherwise equipped with a bayonet. However, it was particularly designed for use by forces in need of a close combat knife, such as
Airborne Units and Army Rangers, so these units received priority for the M3 at
538:
The M3 was initially issued with a stitched and riveted leather M6 scabbard with a protective steel tip designed to prevent the point from piercing the sheath and injuring the wearer. A rawhide thong on the end of the sheath allowed the user to tie the sheathed knife to his leg to prevent it from
357:
Designed for rapid production using a minimum of strategic metals and machine processes, the M3 trench knife used a relatively narrow 6.75 in (17.1 cm) bayonet-style spear-point blade with a sharpened 3.5 in (8.9 cm) secondary edge. The blade was made of carbon steel, and was
366:. Production of the grooved leather handle was later simplified by forming the grip of stacked leather washers that were shaped by turning on a lathe, then polished and lacquered. The steel crossguard had an angular bend at one end to facilitate a thumb rest.
386:
fighting utility knife. While specified priority steel supplies for both knives were available, the M3's lower production cost compared with that of the KA-BAR convinced the SWPC board of directors to approve the M3 prototype for quantity production.
402:
The Trench Knife M3 has been developed to fill the need in modern warfare for hand-to-hand fighting. While designated for issue to soldiers not armed with the bayonet, it was especially designed for such shock units as parachute troops and
422:
At termination of production in August 1944, the M3 trench knife had one of the shortest production and service records of any U.S. combat knife. The M3's blade design continued in U.S. military service in the form of the U.S.
394:
for approval by the Army, the M3, unlike the Marine Corps knife, was not a dual-purpose weapon designed both for close combat (fighting knife) and general use (utility knife). As the U.S.
543:
frequently wore an M3 and sheath tied to a boot for emergency use in cutting parachute lines or close-quarters defense. The M6 was quickly dropped in favor of the M8 scabbard.
920:
556:
378:, primarily to conserve strategic metal resources. The prototype for what became the M3 was evaluated in December 1942 by the civilian board of directors of the
925:
766:
407:
The M3 was first issued to U.S. Army soldiers in March 1943, with the first knives going to elite units such as airborne troops and the
338:
314:
the start of production. As more M3 knives became available in 1943 and 1944, the knife was issued to other soldiers such as
877:
848:
801:
684:
894:
869:
793:
676:
17:
315:
915:
881:
733:
Blending Metals to Arm Our
Fighting Men, Popular Science, Vol. 142 No. 6 (June 1943), p. 104
318:
crewmen and soldiers not otherwise equipped with a bayonet, including soldiers issued the
8:
375:
334:
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with the addition of a bayonet ring to the hilt and a locking mechanism in the pommel.
873:
865:
844:
797:
789:
680:
672:
408:
327:
578:
337:, primarily to conserve strategic metal resources. The M3 would also replace the
751:, American Ordnance Association, Volume 24, No. 138 (May–June 1943), pp. 553-554
616:
341:
in U.S. service in 1944. In August 1944, the M3 fighting knife evolved into the
333:
The M3 trench knife was developed as a replacement for the World War I-era U.S.
412:
359:
323:
55:
41:
909:
124:
104:
310:
301:
114:
99:
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830:(2nd ed.), Williamstown, N.J.: Phillips Publications (2005), pp. 68-72
815:
OSS Training in the
National Parks and Service Abroad in World War II
237:
228:
219:
880:(1999), p. 256, 263-264: The SWPC was chaired by industrial tycoon
374:
The M3 was developed as a replacement for the World War I-era U.S.
287:
283:
841:
Warman's World War II Collectibles: Identification and Price Guide
617:
U.S. Fighting Knives of World War II, Chapter VII: M3 Trench Knife
383:
382:(SWPC) against another competing design, the US Marine Corps'
817:, Washington, D.C., U.S. National Park Service (2008), p. 191
272:
719:, Army & Navy Journal, Vol. 80, 6 February 1943, p. 649
637:, Washington, D.C: U.S. Army Ordnance Publications (1943)
557:
List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation
46:
Original example produced by the
Camillus Cutlery Co.
921:World War II infantry weapons of the United States
747:Somers, R.H. (Brig. Gen., U.S. Army, ret.) (ed.),
907:
573:
571:
770:Springfield Armory Museum – Collection Record
568:
895:The History of the M4 Bayonet/Fighting Knife
339:Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife or OSS dagger
390:Although the M3 had competed with the USMC
898:, MilitaryItems.com, retrieved 3 July 2011
788:, Lincoln, RI: Andrew Mowbray Publishers,
926:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943
862:Robert Wood Johnson: the gentleman rebel
767:KNIFE – U.S. KNIFE MODEL 1918 MKI TRENCH
761:
759:
757:
14:
908:
729:
727:
725:
711:
709:
707:
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703:
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699:
697:
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352:
786:U.S. INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR II
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610:
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780:
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380:Smaller War Plants Corporation Board
722:
690:
669:The Complete Book of Knife Fighting
450:Approximate M3 production (1943–44)
24:
635:Catalog of Standard Ordnance Items
396:Catalog of Standard Ordnance Items
25:
937:
773:
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640:
623:
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40:
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13:
1:
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539:flapping when running. U.S.
442:
864:, (1st ed.), Lillian Press,
667:Cassidy, William L. (1997),
579:"Edged Weapons: US M3 Knife"
533:
254:11.75 in (29.8 cm)
7:
550:
398:of 1943 clearly explained:
262:6.75 in (17.1 cm)
10:
942:
369:
484:W.R. Case & Sons Co.
309:was an American military
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93:
82:
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62:Place of origin
61:
51:
39:
32:
614:Trzaska, Frank, (1996),
524:H. Boker & Sons Co.
154:W.R. Case & Sons Co.
843:, Krause Publications,
500:Pal Blade and Tool Co.
175:H. Boker & Sons Co.
882:Robert Wood Johnson II
405:
185:March 1943-August 1944
160:Pal Blade and Tool Co.
34:The M3 Fighting Knife
860:Foster, Lawrence G.,
717:New Army Trench Knife
476:Camillus Cutlery Co.
400:
784:Canfield, Bruce N.,
516:Robeson Cutlery Co.
163:Camillus Cutlery Co.
813:Chambers, John W.,
508:Aerial Cutlery Co.
460:Imperial Knife Co.
376:Mark I trench knife
353:Design and features
335:Mark I trench knife
166:Robeson Cutlery Co.
826:Brunner, John W.,
468:Utica Cutlery Co.
292:M6, M8, & M8A1
157:Imperial Knife Co.
151:Aerial Cutlery Co.
133:Production history
878:978-0-9662882-0-9
849:978-0-89689-546-1
802:978-0-917218-67-5
687:(1997), pp. 47-48
685:978-0-87364-029-9
620:, OKCA (May 1996)
531:
530:
409:U.S. Army Rangers
328:M3 submachine gun
307:M3 fighting knife
296:
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259:Blade length
172:Utica Cutlery Co.
16:(Redirected from
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492:Kinfolks, Inc.
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75:In service
70:Service history
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18:M3 Trench Knife
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413:throwing knife
371:
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330:"grease gun".
324:submachine gun
316:Army Air Corps
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246:Specifications
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56:Fighting knife
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541:paratroopers
537:
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389:
379:
373:
356:
332:
326:such as the
311:combat knife
306:
302:trench knife
299:
297:
146:Manufacturer
115:Algerian War
100:World War II
83:Used by
828:OSS Weapons
437:M7 bayonets
278:Spear point
193: built
120:Vietnam War
87:US Military
910:Categories
563:References
443:Production
364:parkerized
347:M1 carbine
343:M4 bayonet
320:M1 carbine
275: type
234:M7 bayonet
225:M6 bayonet
216:M5 bayonet
211:M1 carbine
207:M4 bayonet
110:Korean War
534:Scabbards
238:M16 rifle
229:M14 rifle
220:M1 Garand
196:2,590,247
78:1943–1945
749:Ordnance
551:See also
503:121,131
495:135,548
487:300,465
479:402,909
471:656,520
463:854,015
403:rangers.
345:for the
284:Scabbard
201:Variants
182:Produced
138:Designed
527:31,300
519:36,575
511:51,784
455:Number
370:History
358:either
876:
868:
847:
804:(1994)
800:
792:
683:
675:
435:, and
392:KA-BAR
384:KA-BAR
288:sheath
251:Length
360:blued
322:or a
273:Blade
874:ISBN
866:ISBN
845:ISBN
798:ISBN
790:ISBN
681:ISBN
673:ISBN
298:The
236:for
227:for
218:for
209:for
141:1943
94:Wars
52:Type
362:or
305:or
300:M3
191:No.
912::
872:,
796:,
775:^
756:^
738:^
724:^
692:^
679:,
671:,
642:^
625:^
587:^
570:^
439:.
433:M6
431:,
429:M5
427:,
425:M4
581:.
286:/
20:)
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