WW2 Fairbairn Sykes Commando Knife MYTHS! 

I hope they are paying you a lot - roughly 20% of the video is advert. Please do longer videos or shortrt ads.

Matt could you react to "ser vardis vs bronn" from GoT I think its a very interesting fight I would love to hear an expert's reaction to it.

I think something is wrong. I clicked the link and it says the rate after 60% off is $64. I am pretty sure 3 pounds does not convert to 64 dollars. Hard pass on that

4:40 If that is a knife or a dagger depends on the language used. In English it is a knife with a dagger being a type of knife. However in German it is not a Messer (knife) since daggers form a category together with swords (Schwerter) that is separate from knives, swords and daggers being defined as having a straight, double-edged blade. Knives/Messer are part of the other kind of bladed weapons together with sabres (Säbel) having a single-edged blade which may be straight or curved. So in German a dagger is NOT a type of knife and a sabre is NOT a type of sword.

That knife was made when you come up behind someone (Close to the neck You drive it straight down where the Y is severing the Artery) This will drop someone straight to their knees Then you withdraw it Thrusting it through the throat with a cutting motion outward That's why that knife was sharpened

Get signed up, or get sliced up. You decide. Did I just say that?!

😆

@@texasbeast239 a brutal but, I don’t doubt, effective sales technique.

It sure would be tragic if something violent happened to you after you decided not to subscribe. Better join up just to be safe.

Ya’ really ought to!

I saw a second pattern years ago that was razor sharp and had the tip reground about an inch shorter then it originally was. It originally belonged to a guy who served in the US Army in the ETO during World War 2. I wasn’t so young and stupid to not know what it was at the time, but I was young and stupid enough to pass on buying it.

@@simonyip5978 Rich kids get to play war. Poor kids get the full experience.

@@lc3853 tips fedora

And I still have my original FS from my purchase in the late ‘60s. Likely from either an army surplus store or a pawnshop. Just can’t recall…

I thought it was a combat dagger for paratroopers, which were supposed to land behind the enemy troops undetected and begin operations as stealthily as possible as long as possible, before having to commit fully in the open. But then that's just a memory I have from somewhere I forgot. Would make sense to me though, as there were thousands of paratroopers, whom, in themselves, were working as sort of commando troops when they were first developed. But then I of course could be wrong, as I don't even know where my brain got that information from. Good thing there is Matt Easton to clean up with the myths!

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This is an amazing video and one of my favourite pieces of media

Same with pigs when bleeding em... Jam/stab knife in behind arteries and slice/force it forwards and out.

My grandfather said the same thing. Push, punch, he told me. And it was never completely silent.

​@@Naptosis I could only imagine the commotion and amount of blood that would be spraying everywhere as someone flayels and flops around panicking while trying to get their last breath.

Being a forward observer sounds romantic and sneaky beaky but they actually drove Bren Carriers and marked maps all day. They needed the carrier as it had a bigger radio pack and it would carry surveying kit.

@@zoiders but he liked it because he got to "liberate" items , i saw a photo of him and his friends wearing pickle helbs and riding crops they had "picked up" somewhere, they made beer money selling there "finds" to the US troops especially if it had a swastika on it

Going by the Spike Milligan autobiography (he was a gunner in North Africa and Italy) the forward observer posting was horrible - they got to see what the infantry had to put up with.

@@hairychris444 There is a very good book by Staffordshire born national serviceman from the RA called "Guns Have Eyes" and he recalled having to watch helplessly as Arnhem unfolded, he directly knew many of the lads from the South Staffs who died.

@@hairychris444 yah it was clearly a horrible job. OP officers and other ranks. disproportionately show up in the casualty lists for the RA. over half the guys killed in Spike's battery got killed working as part of the OP team.

I had a Kabar once and after a long time (it was likely old before I got it) the leather discs of the handle dried out and started gapping. It became very uncomfortable to use, and I gave it away to someone who had the skills to re-handle it.

I have only ever heard negative things about the Kbar

On the other hand, Kbar, the German WWI Grubendolch, etc. are built with soldiers abusing them in mind. A thicker, single edged full tang blade can be used for food preparation, camping, and all sorts of other tasks, without having to fear bending or breaking.

@@AlexG-xl1cc Apparently, the quality varies a LOT over the history of the knife, and even more so if you buy non-surplus knives. But that is true of almost anything manufactured.

@@MonkeyJedi99 That's possible. Also, there are a number of knock offs and similar knives that could be mistaken for a Ka-Bar.

Served you well? Genuine question, what were you using it for?

I took mine to Iraq and Afghan, used it to prod for mines in Iraq when we got “a bit lost”

@@despaterson8918 oh right, yeah I can definitely see it has an appropriate shape for that sort of business!

Your daddy fought for the world that exists today. As churchill famously said: "we will fight them here and there, we willfight them everywhere so that north africans can safely grape our daughters at the fair" As patton famously said: "ooops! We fought the wrong guys"

Great men, we need them back.

You Sir, are a Scholar and a Gentleman

I love that our, (I'm in the U.S.) fighting daggers, made in ww2, are patterned after them. And were never improved.

I agree but for practical use they are just too fragile unless it's an unexpected assassination. I personally prefer the Applegate version.

@joseph lawes-clarke the U.S. Marine commando knife is maybe an inch shorter, with about the same blade profile, I'm not sure if that was changed until Vietnam, was that the Applegate design? The wasp bladed knife?

@@lawrencelyman3372 I think you're refering to the devils brigade knife or the marine raiders knife which is very similar to the FS knife. The difference with the applegate and FS is the applegate is broader and is full tang. I have and prefer the harsey applegate 5.5 there are some good photos of them on the web. Applegates are currently made by böker.

There were many designs in the 1930's trialled by FS and others before they arrived at the final pattern , and many were shorter, smaller and had thicker blades, it may have been one of those

My mothers cousin was in the original commandos, his personal knife ( still had it in his 70s, passed down to family ) was barrack made in the same shape/handle but made from a half round chisel. Razor sharp on the edges and he chuckled when saying it made a hole like an apple core.

If I had to go fight in a war, I think I'd be happier to have a single-edge full tang bushcraft knife. Maybe it'd be slightly less stabby, but a lot more useful overall.

@@tSp289 fighting hand to hand happens, even in the post-9/11 era, but a soldier is much more likely to need a good blade for non-combat jobs, like cutting line, splitting wood, opening ammo crates, et al.

@@tmmccormick86 Precisely!

Even in my time in the US Marine Corps, we were issued K-bar knives and bayonets.

The most common tool of the SAS in the jungle was the parang often locally made in Malaya or later native style in Borneo, both carried in native scabbards. There was also the Martindale No 2 Golok originally made at the Crocodile Works in Birmingham. It was carried in a jungle green scabbard which could be worn high or low on a belt. The Golok is always worn on a separate belt to the combat belt webbing (aka as an "escape belt") in case the soldier had to ditch his combat webbing or lost it, and the Golok would still be on the person. It is or was considered a fail or RTU offence on the jungle course to lose the Golok or main bush cutting tool. The later shorter Golok is a piece of junk made cheaply in Africa, the original No 2 is still made and a great tool. There are more modern ones in use and also often the Kukri is substituted. The Kukri is a cracking tool for the jungle, but the Golok can also be used for digging. There is an Australian version that had a saw back edge. I have never encountered a hatchet with SAS connections, but there are some in RAF survival kits apparently, since they retired the D Model Wilkinson Sword survival knife when the company went out of business.

@@robshirewood5060 quite possibly but this could be after 1959, i know machetes are popular atbthe moment with volunteers in ukraine, ive got a cheap copy of the martindale and its a very good shape and robust. the tomahawk was popular in vietnam as it was a familr tool that a lot of americans were familar with from their youth......even if a machete/golok might be more usefull.

@@robshirewood5060 Also my comment was direct quote from a former SAS who told me an hour before I posted, he has his issue hatchet in his shed...

I'd rather be a soldier in a garden than a gardener on a battlefield..... I think thats a quote....😁

@@derekosborne7075 good quote

Dig roots out of a foxhole with it, open rations, cut camouflage, they break easy. Best for killing, nothing else.

It's a knife so of course it can be used as a knife, but there's a number of knives that I like better for things other than stabbing.

I agree. No one says a double bladed ax is only for combat, it gives you two edges so when one gets dull you have another sharp edge. Everyone knows Mora knives, but if you welded two Mora blades back to back you have a double edged dagger that is as useful as a single edge Mora. I have a Fiskars scissors that have sharpened edges on the backs of the blades. When it is closed it is a very sharp double edged dagger. It was designed that way so that you could cut open bags of fertilizer and garden soil with the sharpened edges, and prune plants with the scissors edges.

The limits of use of an tool is often only limited by how open your mind is. The other way around specialisation has practical reasons too. I prefer single edge because i can bang on the back of the knife, same reason i prefer scandi grind on knifes even if they have disadvantages too. But what is silly is the "you can only use it for that" as more specialised an tool as less effective it is for other purposes, that is all.

Any knife is better than no knife when something needs cutting

Yes I'd like to. I have been on the lookout for one.

@@scholagladiatoria original v42 knives sell for tens of thousands, but I've seen a few decent reproductions

Böker Plus produces a nice replica and tosses in a replica of the red stone spear point patch worn by the 1st Special Service Force, but copy of the sticker that reads "The worst is yet to come" In German. There is some irony in that given the maker of the replica.

@@theeddorian Ja Das Dicke Endt Kommt Noch cards

Case makes a replica copied from an original V42 in their museum. It's a beautiful piece. Comes with original style drop scabbard and historical information.

Qq

I was about to ask the same thing.

You sewed it to your battle dress trousers. Or your Dennison Smock. Usually the trousers.

@@zoiders yup. remember my grandad mentioning something about stitching his knife to his smock on a bored evening. though for some reason he unpicked the top left front pocket at the bottom, stitched the scabbard in with the soft leather top sticking out the bottom of the pocket and the hard part of the scabbard would be inside the pocket, then restitched the pocket up so it was holding everything tight. and finally put a couple stitches in the leather section, (but first moving the very tip of the leather part of the sheath, where the press stud goes, up slightly, this added a little hump into the bottom of the sheath, meaning when the stud was popped, due to the angle the handle was always leaning away from the body) Apparently doing it that way put the handle of the knife next to the bren pouches on the webbing, as he had it mounted upside down under a pocket. supposedly made it easier to get out quickly, as you'd grip the knife, pull down slightly using your pinky to release the press stud, allowing the knife to slide down as your arm fell to put you into the en-guarde position. rather than reaching down to your thigh, popping the stud, drawing, then reorientation of the knife from the icepick grip (though suppose you could also twist your wrist to pull it in a hammer grip instead.) though, he never mentioned having to use it defensively, though from some of the sneaky beaky stories he told me before he passed when i was younger, wouldn't surprise me if that knife had a bodycount on it. hell, still have it in my storage locker. sadly minus the scabbard/sheath. might have to have a browse on evil bay and see if i can find one in decent condition. a small tribute, but probably worthwhile. as unfortunately his threadbare denison smock got thrown out by a family member when he passed. honestly i remembered it being in good condition for over 50 years old when he demonstrated how to use a fighting knife to me as a kid (much to my moms displeasure) with how money grabbing some of the family members are, think they would have a good old seethe when they realise how much denison smocks that were genuinely issued through WW2 sell for these days. sure the patches he had stitched over holes, and small tears had been sewn up. but i've got jackets i've only owned a decade that looked worse condition than his old smock that he only ever wore down to the pub (without the knife stuck in the scabbard) a little frustrating, but thus is life i guess.

Wasn't the tip easy to break in that way? Not to mention that indeed knife throwing is more of a circus act than actual combat skill.

I had two of them in highschool and honestly it is the only knife I have ever been able to throw successfully. They are pretty sturdy blades. But yeah I wouldn't throw my last weapon.

I can't imagine anyone seriously training to thrown knives in combat. Yes, it could be done in theory but it makes no sense in 99.99% of situations.

@@chrisjones6002 I was in highschool and honestly I agree with you. Was taught in the Army it is best to not engage hand to hand and the idea of tossing my knife away is not one I ever entertain. It was just the only knife I've ever had any success at throwing. I am rather good throwing an axe.

Having thrown knives for several years, I've learned that, if it's made of multiple pieces, and not one solid piece of metal, it will very likely break at the weakest point. If it has a guard, that too will come loose and compromise the whole thing. I would imagine that no official military regulations would recommend throwing any weapon -- even as a last-ditch effort: once you've done that, you're a sitting duck.

Paraphrasing Larry Vickers, "Killing someone with a knife is rarely a silent affair".

@@outis7080 depends how it was used .the commando’s put the blade through the side of the neck and pushed forward to disable the voice box after of course putting the hand over the mouth at first engagement from behind ,once the blade was in the neck they were pretty much quiet already..the other was the subclavian thrust .where they were taken from behind in the same manner as before .but then the blade was pushed into the back of the neck Into the base of the skull and the spinal cord was cut, instant death with not a sound ..

@@craigpimlott204 All very hard to do in practice at night one of my relatives was a Royal Marine Commando who landed on D-Day, he told me it ideally takes two men to do the job. He carried an FS and a special Commando School Instructors bowie type hunting knife, which was in use by the Instructors before the FS was introduced.

@@robshirewood5060 probably at night but in the daylight is another matter .my father in law was special forces in Burma behind the jap lines looking for their big guns ..he told me about the way I was talking about.he didn’t say a lot but he did give me little snippets of what he did as I had an interest in the war .what he saw .some things would make ya hair curl what the japs did to civilians .especially the women .we don’t know we are born today .

@@craigpimlott204 Per Fairbairn's manuals, the subclavian thrust was a downward stab behind the collarbone to sever the subclavian artery, not into the neck to sever the spinal cord.

@@spitchgrizwald6198 It's what Fairbairn himself said. So, not really me.

He may have served and not told you. It was a horrendous time to be alive and many never spoke of it again.

As Matt said, they were sold in army surplus shops, so he probably purchased it privately.

Are you in the UK? Are you allowed to carry an FS?

@@Keifsanderson No and Yes. My grandparents on my father's side were born in Manchester and Wolverhampton, My mom's in Belfast. Me and my dad in Detroit.

@@nautifella 👍. Stay safe up there. I don't see much good news coming out of Michigan regarding right to self defense up there.

@@Keifsanderson Thanks, but I live in Phoenix now. THE most gun friendly state. Blessing to you and yours.

Hmmm, throwing your knife,.... looks cool in the movies, but every piece of advice I've had about that, is to never do it. An ex-special forces guy trained at a mates dojo for a bit, and he said the only time you throw your knife is for a bet, and to take money off your mates, and then showed us how to flat throw.

@@engineeredlifeform Exactly! and I suppose that the myth was originated or at least fed by the movies.

You don't know ,weaponry german'.

I read somewhere that the commandos often filed the points down to be less of an accused, "needle" point, because the very narrow point sometimes got stuck in the opponent's bones and were difficult to remove, so if you clean up the point with a whetstone, you're historically accurate again!

New movie title "Santa Claus, the Rambo memorandum"

Me too bro I just found it.

An interesting question! Having just read over his WW2 service, I think he probably didn't have an FS dagger (though not impossible), but he probably did have a kukri, as he was posted to the 8th Indian Army division Gurkhas.

Unlikely. There is no evidence whatsoever that any of his stories of derring-do are true. He had a verifiable and perfectly respectable service record as a junior RAF admin officer, but thats all. There is no indication anywhere that he was even in direct combat. He was a notorious story teller, and the only source for virtually all of his biography is - himself.

I remember watching the interview about how Sir Christopher Lee did his acting for Saruman getting stabbed. When asked how he knows what it's like to get stabbed, he of course said, "Have you any idea what kind of noise happens when somebody’s stabbed in the back? Because I do.”

@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight He probably didn't. Sir Christopher was, unfortunately, a walt.

Right tool for the right job. I used to carry 3-4 different knives of different types and sizes in the field. The FS knife, is an all around combat knife but I'd rather not work the edge off in utility work.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uDGHKyB3T_U.html

There is a video of an old royal marine commando (green beret) on line stating and demonstrating "you stab it into the side of the neck then punch it out forwards". Obviously when attacking from behind. That will be why they have to have the sharp edge as stated to cut through the tubes and gristle. Absolutely brutal.

No 2 Commando later became 1 Para

Which way is the blade orientated when your thumb is in the recess edge up or horizontal? or is it a first finger recess, if so same question

If you are going into a current conflict zone. You should be not bothering thinking about stabbing people and thinking about shooting people and calling in airstrikes.