Combat knife
[1][2][3] Since the end of trench warfare, most military combat knives have been secondarily designed for utility use (clearing foliage, chopping branches for cover, opening ammunition crates, etc.)
Daggers designed for military usage in close combat engagements have been carried by soldiers for thousands of years.
Though they differ in detail, they all share the common characteristic of being purposely designed for military use, with their primary role as a close-quarters combat weapon.
In the USSR, the Red Army issued combat knives based on a single pattern known as the NR Series.
[citation needed] In late 1942, the U.S. Marine Corps adopted the 1219C2, later designated the "USMC Mark 2 Combat Knife," but better known in popular terminology as the KA-BAR.
[3][12][13] When adapted to utility tasks such as opening ration tins or ammunition boxes, the limitations of the M3 quickly became apparent.
[12] In the United States, Bo Randall began production of the "All Purpose Fighting Knife" giving it the designation of "Number 1" in his catalog.
[14][15] The majority of military forces today have largely standardized the types of combat knife issued to soldiers.
[16][17] The Gurkha regiments favor the kukri, a broad-bladed, curved general-purpose cutting tool and weapon that more closely resembles a machete or Filipino Bolo than a knife.
During the conflict, Randall received feedback from Captain Ingraham, who requested serrations on the spine to cut through the fuselage of downed aircraft to rescue trapped personnel and a hollow handle to allow storage of survival gear.
[15] Another combat knife appearing during the Vietnam War was the Gerber Mark II, designed for military use by US Army Captain Bud Holzman and Al Mar which in turn was based on the pattern of a Roman Gladius or short sword.
