Original U.S. WWII Theater-Modified M3 Fighting Knife with Ivory Handle & Crest of Lille, France - Updated M8 Scabbard

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great field-modified example of a WWII M3 U.S. fighting knife, which no longer has markings identifying the maker. The handle & crossguard were entirely removed, and replaced with a rounded ivory handle with the crest of Lille, France embedded on one side. It comes complete in the correct M8 scabbard. These fighting knives were preferred by American infantry during World War Two for hand to hand combat.

The blade has been worn down a bit, measuring 6 ¾” without any markings. The overall length is 11¼”. The ivory grip has heavy wear, with some cracking to the back. There are four small rivets surrounding the crest of Lille, France. There was a great deal of fighting in Lille, and this was certainly made for an American soldier after the liberation.

The original scabbard is marked U.S. M8 / B.M. CO and is in very good condition, with moderate overall wear. The scabbard was manufactured by Beckwith Mfg Co. a division of Victory Plastics, whose VP logo is on the rear of the scabbard body. This is the earlier pattern of the scabbard, made without the retaining loop, though it was later updated to have one. These feature a thermoplastic impregnated cotton fabric body, metal throat, and canvas frog and securing strap. The scabbard is still fully functional, but there is no retention strap. There is a gorgeous leather thong braided still retained on the scabbard.

Ready to add to your WWII edged weapon collection!

Dimensions:
Blade length: 6 3/4”
Blade Style: Spear Point Knife
Overall length: 11 1/4”
Scabbard length: 7 3/8" with belt loop