!#8# USMC KA-BAR Combat Knife - Its Military History and Purpose

!±8± USMC KA-BAR Combat Knife - Its Military History and Purpose

The KA-BAR is a Combat Knife that is used by members of the Armed Forces to be used in Close Combat scenarios. These days, the Ka-Bar is used mostly as a Utility Knife. For example, opening wooden crates, clearing out foliage, cutting down branches, etc.. It's also strong enough to easily puncture a hole in a can.

KA-BAR knives are typically very heavy and usually have a 7 Inch Long Blade. It is made of 1095 Carbon Steel. The number 1095 stands for the chemical composition of the metal as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers which assigns SAE Steel Grades. Someone was attacked by a bear before WWII. He survived the attack and wrote a letter to the company bragging that the knife saved his life when a gun failed to do the job. The letter was written in poor English and all that was readable was "k a bar" so the company used this name as their trademark.

In 1942 right after the United States entered WWII, the troops were having issues with their old Mark I Trench Knives. They came to the realization that they needed a better knife to engage in Trench Warfare, so the military picked the KA-BAR from a catalog of hunting gear, and made it standard military issue for the troops. The USMC used several different types of knives during the war, but the KA-BAR was by far the most popular.

In fact the military liked it so much it also became Standard Military Issue after WWII ended. The Marine Corps got to choose the final shape. They made the blade longer so it could be used in combat. They also wanted a fuller, which was a rounded or beveled groove that sat on the flat side of the blade. The KA-BAR company earned millions of dollars during WWII by selling this to the military.

The reason this knife became so popular was because they were very easy to manufacture and very cheap to purchase. This meant that they were also very easy to replace and performed most tasks that were required. This weapon was also being used in World War II as a Diving Knife even though it didn't stand up to Salt Water very well. The military still uses the KA-BAR, and so do hunters, fisherman and outdoor enthusiasts. This USMC weapon has a long history that isn't going to go away anytime soon. Semper Fi.