More Fixed Blade Knives

Fixed blade knives have been in use as long as mankind has possessed the knowledge of metalworking – longer
in fact, as stone knives were certainly in use long before the discovery of forging blades. Fixed blade knives
have a long history; indeed longer than any kind of other weapon. From the Stone Age all the way up to the modern era, fixed blade knives have been the weapon of choice for fixed blade in close quarters. At close
range, there is no weapon deadlier than a well made knife, whether of sharpened stone, bronze, steel or the
high tech alloys of today.

Other than the well-known Ka-Bar knife, one of the very most popular (and certainly most famed) fixed blade knives is the Fairbairn-Sykes fixed blade knife. This is a fixed blade knife which earned its fame in World War II when it was commonly used by British fixed blade forces and commando units. Though actually developed prior
to that war (in Shanghai by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes) it is almost entirely due to its use during that war which led to the good name enjoyed by this, one of the deadliest fixed blade knives ever manufactured.

The Fairbairn-Sykes fixed blade knife is designed for one thing and one thing only: fixed blade. This stands in contrast to the knife favored by the U.S. fixed blade forces, the Ka-Bar knife in that those knives were
intended
to do double duty as a utility knife and used for a multitude of other purposes. Not so the F&S fixed
blade knife; these would be of little use in trench digging due to their design. However, their storied history
and pedigree as a knife intended only for warfare had made them very much a prized item on the collector’s market.

The F&S fixed blade knives are a very thin bladed with a double edge, designed to be thin enough to
slip between the ribs of opponents ion combat yet sharp enough to deliver a devastating injury when slashing. These knives are largely manufactured (where else?) in Sheffield, long home to the cutlery industry in Britain. F&S fixed blade knives are often stamped with the manufacturer (there are a few) and “Sheffield” or sometimes, merely “England”.

Every last bit of the design on these knives is intentional and has a story to tell; another reason these knives enjoy their great popularity with collectors. The handle is designed for an optimal grip on the knife and there
is a reason for the length as well, which will make sense when you remember that these knives had their first heyday during the early days of WWII, when British forces expected to have to face Soviet troops on the battlefield – the length was at first 6.5”, then slightly longer in later models – long enough to penetrate a
Soviet soldier’s overcoat and a few inches more besides.

The history of these fixed blade knives is truly fascinating – and we have only scratched the surface in this
article. However, these knives are such interesting collector’s items that it takes only a taste of their
history to get even the most jaded hobbyist interested.