Full page color photos of the knives used by the US and Allied soldiers WWII

The collecting of military theater made knives of World War II is one of the fastest growing fields of collecting in America today. These knives are very historical. They were individually handmade by people who wanted to contribute to the war effort, as well as the service men who used them. Most of these knives differ in style and have very colorful handles. This is the only book available that donates its entire contents to the collecting of theater made knives and their values.

This book has the widest array of international fighting knives ever assembled! Compiled by three of the most recognized names in historical military knives, Knives of War presents detailed line drawings, rare historical photos and fascinating facts and anecdotes about the edged weapons used by both sides during World Wars I and II, as well as contemporary fighting knives since World War II. A number of World War II veterans who used these weapons on (or behind) the front lines in elite units enthusiastically shared inside information with the authors, and it is presented here for the first time. Of particular interest is some previously unknown information about the U.S. Marine Raider Gung Ho Knife and the Gerber Mark II Combat Knife, as well as a wealth of details on the most famous fighting knife of all, the Fairbairn-Sykes. Among the other edged weapons examined in this book are big knives; knuckle knives; folding and gravity military knives; bayonet and sword conversions; ceremonial hangers; and trench clubs.

"From the pages of Knife world magazine"--T.p.

This Leavenworth Paper is a critical reconstruction of World War II Ranger operations conducted at or near Djebel el Ank, Tunisia; Porto Empedocle, Sicily; Cisterna, Italy; Zerf, Germany; and Cabanatuan in the Philippines. It is not intended to be a comprehensive account of World War II Ranger operations, for such a study would have to include numerous minor actions that are too poorly documented to be studied to advantage. It is, however, representative for it examines several types of operations conducted against the troops of three enemy nations in a variety of physical and tactical environments. As such, it draws a wide range of lessons useful to combat leaders who may have to conduct such operations or be on guard against them in the future. Many factors determined the outcomes of the operations featured in this Leavenworth Paper, and of these there are four that are important enough to merit special emphasis. These are surprise, the quality of opposing forces, the success of friendly forces with which the Rangers were cooperating, and popular support.

This book includes all known variation of USM3 Fighting Knives and USM4 Knife Bayonets.