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The USMC "Gung Ho" Fairbairn-Sykes

 Commando Knife

Thanks for your interest in this product. We have completely sold out.  Those of you that have one now have a collectors item as only 50 of these knives were made. Click on Image for detailed view.

This USMC Gung Ho Fairbairn Sykes commando knife is a custom laser etched Wilkinson Sword Black Carbon Pattern 3 knife.  Available with or without custom knife sharpening.

We appreciate the input of the several anonymous US Marine Corps persons that contributed to this project.  This knife combines the history, legend, and mystic that started with  the endeavors of  Lt. Col. Evan Carlson in China in 1937, Carlson's Raiders, the Makin Island Raid, "The Long Patrol" on Guadalcanal, the Raider Battalions, the 1943 movie "Gung Ho" based on Carlson's Raiders Pacific operations, and the modern Marine Recon Battalions. Made by Wilkinson Sword.

The traditions of the U.S. Marine Raiders of World War II live on today through the "Gung Ho" Reconnaissance Battalions and the Long Range Recon Marines. The Recon motto of "Swift - Silent - Deadly," is an apt description of their forebears, the U.S. Marine Raiders.

USMC and the FS Knife Historical Relationship.
The "Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife" was designed by Captains Fairbairn & Sykes. Earlier versions evolved with the effort of  Marine Corps officers stationed in pre-war Shanghai, China. When the war started, the United States found itself unprepared for war, in particular edged weapons. Enter the Fairbairn Sykes Fighting knife already combat proven by the British Commandos. Captains Fairbairn and Sykes had been recalled from China and were training the British commandos, US Rangers and the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) in the use of the knife. The first FS Fighting Knives were originally put into production by Wilkinson Sword of London. The knife went through the evolution of the Mark 1 (MK1) to Mark 2 (MK2) and Mark 3 (MK3). The MK3 became the production model for mass quantities. Marine Major C. H. Shuey knowing a good thing when he saw it, refined the F-S fighting knife for ease of production and use, to the version produced by Camillus on April 20.1942.  In the fall of 1942 Capt. Fairbairn was assigned to instruct the Marines in the use of the Camillus fighting knife. The F-S Fighting Knife from which the Raiders stiletto is based commemorates the Raiders, Force Recon and Special Operations Units from it's origins in old pre-war China. In the skilled hands of the Raiders through to the modern Marine Force Recon and Special Operations, it is SWIFT SILENT & DEADLY.

Definition of Gung Ho

ADJECTIVE: Slang Extremely enthusiastic and dedicated.

ETYMOLOGY: Earlier Gung Ho, motto of certain U.S. Marine forces in Asia during World War II, from Chinese (Mandarin) gnghé, to work together (short for gngyèhézuòshè, Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society) : gng, work + hé, together.

LANGUAGE: Most of us are not aware of it today, but the word gung ho has been in English only since 1942 and is one of the many words that entered the language as a result of World War II. It comes from Mandarin Chinese gnghé, “to work together,” which was used as a motto by the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society. Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson (1896–1947) borrowed the motto as a moniker for meetings in which problems were discussed and worked out; the motto caught on among his Marines (the famous “Carlson's Raiders”), who began calling themselves the “Gung Ho Battalion.” From there eager individuals began to be referred to as gung ho. The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.

Fairbairn Sykes Commando Knife, Pattern 3, Black Carbon

Fairbairn Sykes Commando Knife, Pattern 3, Gold and Blued  No Longer Available, now a collectors item.